Read Online Avoiding Mr Right by Anita Heiss - Free Book Online Page B

I'm trying to learn to be
independent in a new city. And I already feel good flying
solo down here. We're kinda like two peas in a pod really,
you and me, aren't we?'
    'Or, snow peas in a wok maybe,' Shelley said, and we
both laughed. I liked her sense of humour.
    We dropped into the George on the way home and it
was livelier than the last time I was there – every table full
and the bar crammed. When it was my turn to buy a round,
I got talking to the cute guy behind the bar. When Shelley
came to find me, we kept chatting a bit longer and he gave
us our drinks on the house.
    'He was into you,' Shelley said as we turned into our
street, walking in the middle of the road.
    'I've got James in Sydney, remember? Anyway, he was a
barman.'
    'What, so he's got a strike against him for being a
barman?' Shelley sounded appalled, and stopped still in her
tracks.
    'Pretty much.'
    'You're a snob, Peta. He seemed really intelligent and
had interesting things to say about workplace reform and
the union movement and he was a really up-beat guy.' We
hadn't even had our first night in the same house and we
were already having a fight about a guy that neither of us
was interested in. I had to explain.
    'Of course he was intelligent and insightful, and
generous, too, given he shouted us a drink. But I'm serious
about not wanting to meet anyone this year. I'm technically
in a relationship, and besides, I'm completely committed
to doing my job the best I can and making my way up
the departmental ladder, which means I can't have any
distractions. But, if I were looking for a guy, to be honest
it wouldn't be a barman I'd end up with. I don't expect a
man to pay for me, but I'm not going to cover the costs of a
guy who's studying and doing bar work to survive. I'm over
it. Been there, done that.' I sounded like a bitch but it was
true. I'd done the bar work gig myself when I was going
through university, and those were the days when I had my
most fun as a single girl. I couldn't imagine that a barman
going to uni would be chatting up women with a view to a
relationship. He'd be crazy if he was.
    'All right, hypothetically speaking, what about a barman
as a one-night stand then?'
    'Well hypothetically speaking, when I was single, I had a
three-date rule anyway, so it never could really be classified
as a one-night stand, could it?'
    'Well if you just had sex once, then yes, it could. I'd
classify that as a one-night stand.'
    'Then I guess I was a slut when I was single.' And we
both cracked up.
    ♥
    The next morning I woke up in my new room, no kids
at my face, no cat calling 'herrow' at my door, no Aunt
shuffling around in her slippers and talking to herself.
Light poured in through the windows and I heard the
sounds of the birds in the big trees in the garden. The
olive trees out the back made me laugh as I remembered
my dream about Delphi.
    I knew Shelley would sleep late, because it was Sunday,
so I didn't move. I just lay there and thought briefly about
James and how we used to make love on Sunday morning
and then go for a swim and brekky down Coogee beach.
Then, as if he had ESP, he called me.
    'Babe, where are you? You didn't call yesterday.'
    'I know, I'm sorry, it was the biggest day. I'm in my
new home already and it's a massive house in St Kilda,
with a beautiful garden, and it's walking distance to just
everything I want – bars, restaurants, cake shops, the sea,
shopping and the tram. I love it.' I paused for breath, but
not long enough for James to say anything. 'And my new
flatmate Shelley is from Brunei and has the best taste in
shoes, and she's funny, and likes a drink and we get on
really well. I love it here.'
    'Sounds like you don't miss me at all.'
    'Awww, don't be like that. I'm supposed to be settling
in and feeling safe and happy. I thought you'd be happy
for me.'
    'Of course I'm happy for you. It's just that I'm sitting
here waiting for the phone to ring and you're