‘What went wrong?’
‘She wanted marriage and I didn’t.’
‘I see,’ she said. What was it with men these days that they shied away from commitment?
When Jess found herself surrendering to a sinking feeling, she decided a change of subject was called for. She thought of returning to the problems with Fab Fashions but for some strange reason her enthusiasm for that project had lost some of its appeal. It was probably a waste of time, anyway. So she turned to that old favourite to fill awkward moments in a conversation. The weather.
‘I’m so glad it’s a nice sunny day,’ she said with false brightness. ‘There’s nothing I hate more than driving in the rain. Though the recent rain was greatly appreciated. We had a terribly dry winter. Now everything’s lovely and green.’
Ben turned his head to gaze at the countryside. ‘It does look good. I can’t say the same for this road, though. It’s deplorable for a main highway. All cracked and patched up.’
‘That’s because it’s built over the top of coal mines,’ Jess explained. ‘It suffers from subsidence. Still, that’s Australia for you. We’re notorious for our dreadful roads.’
‘That’s because the country is too big for your population. Not enough taxes for proper infrastructure.’
‘Not enough taxes!’ Jess exclaimed, putting aside her uncharacteristic desire to please and giving vent to her usual outspokenness. ‘We’re one of the highest taxed countries in the world!’
‘Not quite. Australia’s only number ten. Most European countries pay higher taxes.’
‘Not America, though,’ Jess argued. ‘People can become rich in America. It’s hard to become rich in Australia unless you’re a crook or a drug dealer. Though, come to think of it, bankers are doing pretty well at the moment,’ she added a touch tartly. ‘My dad works his bum off and still only makes a living. Mum and Dad haven’t had a decent holiday in years.’ She didn’t call five days in Bali last year a decent holiday.
‘That’s a shame. Everyone must have holidays these days or stress will get you in the end.’
‘That’s what I keep telling them.’
‘How old are they?’
‘Dad’s sixty-three. Mum’s fifty-nine.’
‘Close to retirement age, then.’
‘Dad says he’d rather die than retire.’
‘My dad says the same thing,’ Ben said. ‘He loves working.’
Loves making money, you mean, Jess thought but didn’t say.
‘You mentioned brothers earlier,’ Ben said. ‘How many do you have?’
‘What? Oh…er…three.’
‘I always wanted a brother. So, Jess, tell me a bit about these brothers of yours.’
Jess shrugged. There seemed no point not telling him about her family. They had to talk about something, she supposed.
‘Connor’s the oldest,’ she said. ‘He’s thirty-six. Married with two boys. Then there’s Troy. He’s thirty-four and married too, with twin girls. They’re eight,’ she added, smiling as she thought of Amy and Emily, who were the sweetest girls. ‘Then there’s Peter, who’s closest to me at twenty-seven. He’s not long married and his wife is expecting a bub early next year.’
‘No sisters?’
‘No, no sisters.’
‘So you’re the baby of the family.’
‘Not a spoilt one, I can assure you,’ she said, though this was a lie. Her brothers had indulged her shamelessly. And had been very protective of her when the boys had started hanging around. They were the reason she hadn’t had a boyfriend till she’d left school. Because they kept frightening them off. Peter, especially. Jess had been a virgin till she was close to twenty.
‘I suppose you want kids as well. I saw you smiling when you talked about the twin girls.’
‘I’d love at least two children,’ Jess admitted. ‘But getting married and having children is not high on my list of wants right now. I’m only twenty-five. First, I’d like to travel all around Australia. That’s why I bought this little darling,’ she added, tapping the steering wheel. ‘Because it can cope with whatever terrible roads Australia can throw at me.
‘Oh look, there’s the turn-off to the Hunter Valley vineyards,’ she pointed out. ‘If you’re staying up on the Central Coast for a while after you get back from your friend’s wedding, then that’s one of the places you should visit. It’s lovely at this time of the year. Lots of great places to stay and terrific wine to taste. You can even go up in a balloon. Colin and I did that not long ago and it was fantastic.’