Loss and Longing

As promised her car was back before Stevie finished work and she couldn’t believe how good it looked. They’d washed and polished it as well as fixing the dint. She rubbed her hand over the new paint work and couldn’t even tell where the damage had been. After locking up the shop she drove straight to the address the man from the panel shop had given her. She wanted this sorted out straight away.

When she arrived at the number she’d been given, she couldn’t see the house. All she could see was a set of open gates and a letter box, everything beyond was hidden by foliage. She drove in through the gates and up a gently curving driveway. When the house finally came into view she saw that it was a long, single story, stone dwelling with white trim and a veranda running all the way around the outside. It looked to be set in large grounds, some of which Stevie had driven through on her trip up the long drive way. She couldn’t see another house from where she was standing.

She stepped onto the veranda and taking a deep breath she knocked on the red front door. Within a few seconds, the door swung open, revealing the man himself. “Stevie, hi” he said looking a little surprised to see her.

Grant wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Stevie was in a state of shock at the sight of the man before her. It was the first time she had seen him in the light of day, not to mention dry. He was even better looking than she’d thought with strong masculine features. He was lean and tall and while his hair wasn’t as dark as it had looked wet, it was darker than her own mid brown colour. The look of his eyes she had committed to memory but of their colour she had no idea until now. Now she could see they were like the colour of the sea, a beautiful, blue-green. They were eyes you could get lost in and without being aware of it, she did. After a second she realised she was staring and dragged her eyes away. Embarrassed, she muttered “sorry to disturb you at home but I didn’t know where else to contact you.”

“No problem” he said with a smile and stepping back he added “come in.”

She shook her head and forcing her brain to focus on why she was there, she said “no.” Holding out the envelope she’d placed the money in, she added “I just came to pay you for fixing my car. I can’t let you pay for the repairs, but thank you for organising it. I hope it covers what you paid but if not, let me know.”