Just This Once Read Online Free PDF

the little café with his hand on the small of her
back. She felt its warmth and knew she liked it. A big hand, a big man. But his
solidity, instead of feeling threatening, felt comforting. Maybe it was the
accent, she thought confusedly.
    They were almost the only customers this early in the
morning. The girl at the counter took their orders, and Drew guided her again
to a little table in a backyard garden.
    “You know,” she told him, “I don’t think I’ve been to a café
yet where the counter staff had New Zealand accents.”
    “Kiwis don’t stay home, that’s why. The young people just
want to get out, see the world. And there’s not enough good work here. We lose
a lot of younger people to Aussie. Australia,” he explained at her questioning
look. “Have to import our tourist workers. Makes for a disappointing authentic
experience for the Yanks, expecting to hear all those Kiwi accents and getting
Romanian instead.”
    “Do a lot of people leave here, then?” she asked in surprise.
“It’s so beautiful, though. I’ve only been here a few days, but I can’t imagine
leaving if I were lucky enough to live here. Did you leave and come back?”
    “Nah. I like living here, and I travel heaps. More than
enough. Never wanted to move overseas, even though most of my mates did.”
    “What do you do that you travel, if you don’t mind my
asking?” He didn’t look like a businessman—at least not like the businessmen she
knew. But maybe they grew them bigger over here.
    And he was certainly that. Even relaxed, his arms were
massive and muscular, his chest broad. His thighs seemed almost as big around as
her waist, and she had realized while walking next to him that he must be six
foot three. Hope he doesn’t have to travel Economy, she thought, remembering
her cramped flight. She smiled, imagining him in the middle seat.
    “What’s funny?” he asked. When she explained her mental image,
he laughed aloud. “Too right, I’d be cramped. Luckily, I don’t have to fly
economy much. I’m a rugby player, so I have some games overseas as well as here
in En Zed. Get to see the world, you could say.”
    “Oh. That explains how you look,” she said without thinking,
then blushed when he smiled again. “I don’t know much about rugby,” she hurried
on, “though I’ve seen some American football back home. My father was a big
fan.”
    “Not too different in some ways. Less padding.”
    She looked more closely at his face and saw that he did look
a bit battered. His nose, she thought, had probably been broken and reset, and
she saw a scar on his chin and another coming down near an eyebrow. She had to
admit that they only added to the appeal of his rugged features. A little flustered,
she was glad when their coffees came, followed shortly by their breakfasts. He
had insisted on ordering eggs and toast for her, and had a mountain of food on
his own plate.
    She asked, appalled, “Is that breakfast?”
    “The Big Brekkie, we call it. Eggs, sausage, bacon, hash
browns, toast, fried tomatoes, mushrooms. But this is my light breakfast,
because I’m not in serious training. During the season, I’d be having a steak
as well.”
    She shuddered. “Well, I can see that you’d need it, since
you have an athletic job. But that isn’t advertised as ‘Rugby Players’
Breakfast,’ right? It’s just a regular menu option. Does everyone eat like
that?”
    “Nah, it’s just that we’re a nation of farmers. Farmers and
Maori. Lots of big fellas with hearty appetites.”
    “I’m surprised everyone doesn’t weigh 300 pounds. I’ve only
been here a few days, but you sure have a lot of tasty food. I’ve never seen so
many cafes. It’s like the whole country is a giant cruise ship.”
    “And you know what they say about cruise ships,” she
continued solemnly.
    “What’s that?”
    “People gain a pound for every day they’re on the cruise. I
can see I’m going to have to step up my workouts or I’ll be