Noella waited at the kitchen bench doodling around on her I-pad as she waited for Josh to arrive to pick her up for the picnic. Thinking it was likely to be cold. she was dressed in jeans, blouse, blazer, big wrap around scarf and her favourite pair of black knee high boots.
No way I'm going to freeze today!
From outside she heard a squawky little horn.
Must be Josh!
She picked up one her favourite Louis Vuitton bags and walked out the front. When she saw Josh she turned around and started walking back inside.
"Where are you going?" came a muffled a voice.
"You're joking aren't you?" she laughed.
"What's wrong?" asked the muffled voice. It was Josh who removed his motorcycle helmet as he dismounted his gleaming Harley Davidson, wearing jeans and a black monogrammed Harley jacket..
"If you think I'm some sort of "bikie bitch" then you're totally wrong!" she called as she continued to walk back inside.
"Stop!" he pleaded. "Don't go inside. All my other girls have loved my bike."
"Well I'm not an other and I'm not a girl!" she fairly spat.
"Okay! Okay. I made a mistake not asking you. Is there some way around this?"
"I'm thinking probably not!"
"Common Noella. Give a man a break."
"Well if you ask nicely I'll let you take my car."
"Please Noella. Can we take you your car? I promise I'll make it up to you."
"Alright. We can take my car. But you're driving. I don't drive on my own dates." she told him emphatically as she made him squirm a little more.
She went inside to bring the car up from the garage whilst Josh put his bike on the front porch of the house and locked it up. His jaw dropped as Noella pulled up in the red Mercedes with its top down, in front of the house.
"This is your car?" he half stuttered.
"I told you I wasn't ordinary?" she laughed.
"It's certainly beautiful....and you're happy for me to drive."
"Of course. I know you'll take care of it."
"That I will."
They toured down the Nepean Highway with the top down but the windows up, on a remarkably sunny day for May. Josh smiled as he enjoyed driving and Noella kept the music flow from the sound system.
Just before Dromana they turned off, taking the road to Red Hill and the Mercedes showed its true credentials as it swept easily around the winding roads up to Red Hill village where they stopped at the General Store.
"I'll just be a minute." he said "I've just got to pick up lunch."
"I was wondering what was going to happen," said Noella as she waited patiently in the car for Josh. He soon came back with an enormous box which contained their picnic lunch.
"How were you going to carry that on the motor bike?" she giggled.
"I don't know." Josh replied honestly. "I didn't think it would be this big! Lucky we did bring the car! Now, there's a couple of wineries just down the road here. I thought we could go and have a taste. Maybe buy a couple of bottles.
"Sounds good." Noella replied.
They spent the next hour visiting the Red Hill Winery and the quirkily named Ten Minutes By Tractor where they tasted some great wine. Noella bought a case of Chardonnay and a case of Pinot Noir. Josh bought some Pinot for them to have with their lunch. Noella looked wistfully at the beautiful vineyard restaurants as drove off for the mystery destination. Noella hoped Josh had planned this better than he had the motor bike and picnic lunch!
They swept down the road towards Somers on Western Port Bay.
"I hope you know where your going?"
"This I have sorted." he smiled as they toured along the narrow ti-tree lined road that was the main drag of Somers. They trundled past people walking and riding bikes, who were enjoying the unseasonably good weather for May.
"I hope you know where you're going." she reiterated.
"Have faith." he smiled as they drove right to the end of the road and turned right down and even narrower road before he carefully steered the car onto a little dirt road.
"Where are we?"
"We are nearly there." he announced as he put the left hand indicator on and pulled into a driveway that was closed off by a roller door, set at one end of a long two metre high wooden fence. Josh pulled out a bunch of keys from his pocked and flicked a small switch that set the roller door rising upwards which revealed a double carport, Josh drove in and the roller door closed behind them.
In front of them she could see a large timber house surrounded by trees with the water of Western Port Bay glinting behind them.
"Wow! This is something!" she observed.
"Welcome to the family beach house." he grinned.
Josh collected the picnic hamper and Noella grabbed two bottles of wine and they went inside.
It was a large house on three levels with soaring ceilings and every conceivable mod con.
"It has three levels," he told her. "Mum and Dad built it for the family. They have the top level with a guest wing. Second level for families and the third level is the bunk house for teenage rat bags and hangers on."
"It is amazing!"
