I’ve been sharing snippets from THEIR BOND THROUGH JADE, a story set in Australia and New Zealand. This snippet is Mat’s POV.
ENJOY ♥
Mat disconnected the call, placed the cup of coffee on the top of the car, and tried to re-program the direction to his meeting place in his phone. How he missed Queenstown at that moment. With probably a mere tenth of Melbourne’s population, navigation was easy, only hampered sometimes by tourists who drove on the wrong side of the road or who were simply lost.
He thought of Steve’s comment about Tiffany’s rough year. Worry shot through him, and he wished he’d copied her number to his phone.
The sound of her voice still played in his head. A tone that stoked angst and concern.
Exhaling a long breath, Mat focussed back to the problem at hand, got into the car, and listened to the GPS directions — as well as following them. Thankfully, within half an hour he found himself in an office opposite Karen Young, the representative of an Australian travel agency.
A few months earlier, Mat had lost the coin toss between him and his partner Adam, and it was now he who was in Melbourne trying to negotiate a deal with Karen. Mat was interested in including his helicopter flights as part of a travel package for tourists in Queenstown, his hometown. He stepped into her small office, instantly overcome by some mild claustrophobia when he saw a small window with no view, but showing the walls of the building next door. Inhaling a breath, he forced himself to take in the rest of the well-decorated office, with framed photos from all over the world.
Including his beloved Queenstown.
When Tiffany Cahill opens the door to the police, memories of the past return to haunt her. She calls her friend Steve for help, only to be surprised by the voice of a stranger on the other end of the line. She never anticipates the impact this New Zealander is going to have on her life, even more so when she becomes the victim of an assault just a few hours later.
Mat Apanui, owner of a helicopter tour company in New Zealand, can hear the urgency and despair in Tiffany’s voice. They have never met before, but he feels compelled to help her. After an assault on her, he invites her to travel with him to his home in Queenstown, New Zealand, where he believes he can provide her with the temporary safety and security she needs until the situation is resolved.
But can Tiffany overcome her reservations and trust a stranger like Mat enough to fly across the Tasman Sea?
Mat seems nice. I wonder how he has claustrophobia in an office but not when locked up in an helicopter.
Thanks Linda. True, but he has the NZ alps to look at in the helicopter 😉
Another great snippet.
Thank you 🙂
Kinda made me chuckle for him to mention claustrophobia, but be a helicopter pilot.
Thanks, Jeff. The thing is, though, once in a helicopter he has a whole world around him 😉
There’s something about an office (especially a small one) than can make you feel claustrophobic, especially if you’re more of an outdoors person.
YES! Very much so. Thank you Kate 🙂