Allie had picked a restaurant on the waterfront, the prices matching its glamorous position. Even on a Sunday, it was busy, with most tables already occupied when Allie and Tarryn arrived. The waiter seated them with a view of the bay, brought menus, and explained the specials.

  Allie perused the selection, selecting the local seafood catch of the day even as she winced at the price. Making memories. If this was to be her last night with Tarryn, she wanted it to be as perfect as she could make it.

  When the wine was poured, Allie lifted her glass. “To Quandong.”

  “To Quandong,” Tarryn echoed and tapped her glass with Allie’s. After they had drunk, she asked, “Are you looking forward to getting back to Sydney?”

  “Not particularly. I’ve really enjoyed being here, although I need to get back to real life. I need to find—” She shut her mouth with a snap. She’d been about to say she needed to find a new job. Her stomach suddenly dragged as if she’d swallowed a rock. She was in a wonderful restaurant in a glorious seaside town, about to have an expensive meal with a beautiful woman, one she’d come to care for. And it was all a fake. All lies. The mouthful of wine roiled in her stomach.

  “Need to find what?” Tarryn cocked her head.

  “My next big project.”

  “I would have thought you’d already have that lined up?”

  “Small ones, yes, but nothing the size of the wedding festival.”

  “How do you find work?” Tarryn asked.

  The stone grew to the size of a boulder. Working on the festival hadn’t made her feel this much of an impostor. She’d been doing it for Sophie, and her needs were the bigger, the ones that took priority. But this…this was lying to someone she cared for. But she couldn’t change now. And tomorrow she’d be gone, and she’d likely never see Tarryn again.

  “Can we talk about something else?” She summoned a smile. “I’ll be back at work soon enough.”

  “Sure.” Tarryn took a mouthful of wine. “Tell me about your life in Sydney. Where do you live?”

  Oh God, this was worse. What had she said before?

  “I have an apartment in Darlinghurst. It’s nothing special—everything there is so expensive, but it’s central, and near friends and my sister.”

  “Allison? Or do you have another sister?”

  “Just the one. She’ll be pleased to see me home.”

  “The accountant?” Tarryn leaned across the table.

  “She was. But she recently lost her job, and she’s also recovering from a major car accident.” Her heart pounded, increasing in speed with every lie she told. Change the subject. Fast. “What about you? Any siblings?”

  “No, just me and Mama. I should get down to see her sometime soon. She lives in Sydney.”

  “Maybe we can catch up when you do.” Why had she said that? Compounding the lie. She needed to stop this, make the clean break and get on with her life, with finding a new accountancy job, with a life that didn’t include the gorgeous woman sitting opposite.

  “I’d like that. I might be—”

  The waiter appeared bearing their starters, and Tarryn sat back to let him place the plates.

  What was she going to say? Maybe she was planning a trip soon. Allie smiled her thanks as the waiter placed her pumpkin gnocchi in front of her.

  “Ally and Elly will be pleased to have more of your time,” she said once the first mouthful had been taken.

  “They will. Ally spat at me yesterday. She normally leaves me alone—knows the hand that feeds.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t spend more time with them.” Allie paused and took a forkful of food. There was the opening, right there, for Tarryn to say she was welcome back to see them. But Tarryn remained silent.

  When the waiter cleared their plates, Allie topped up their wine glasses. Her stomach churned, filled with a mixture of rich food and lies. It had all seemed so harmless in the beginning—she’d simply been helping her sister out of a bind. She’d never planned on seeing any of these people again. Certainly, she’d never planned on falling for Tarryn.

  “I’m thinking of training the alpacas as pack animals,” Tarryn said. “Maybe I could take people on longer guided walks in the rainforest. Elly would be fine, I think, but I’m not sure about Ally. She’s a feisty little minx. I’d have to lead her all the time.”

  “You could trial it with people you know,” Allie said. “Maybe Will and Garrett would be into it. Would you camp along the way or stay somewhere?”

  “If Will and Garrett were my trial, it would have to include a roof and a big bed. Can you imagine either of them in a leaky tent in the rain?”

  “Not easily. You could use your Airbnb vouchers.” She wasn’t hinting, she really wasn’t, but if Tarryn were to say she thought she’d save them for the two of them to use together, then she would probably smile and give up all her plans to agree.

  “It seems a bit of a waste. But yeah, I could.”

  The waiter brought their main courses, and for a few moments, they were silent. Allie flicked a glance at Tarryn. She had her head down, eating steadily. Allie picked a piece of fish from the bones. It was good fish, great really, succulent and cooked to perfection. A shame she wasn’t enjoying it as she should.

  She put down her knife and fork. “This is a bit awkward, isn’t it? Us being here, not really knowing what to say.” She sighed. “Maybe we should have left it at last night, said our goodbyes this afternoon, and I’d drive off to Sydney tomorrow, remembering a certain one night with great fondness.”

  Tarryn, too, put down her cutlery. “Part of me says you’re right, but part of me is glad for this extra night.” She took a quick breath. “Last night was quite special, Sophie. I don’t know why. I’m not a relationship type of person most of the time. Maybe it’s because we worked together that I feel closer to you. And maybe, because I knew you’d be returning to Sydney, that allowed me to run with my feelings while I could. But…well, if you lived here, I’d ask you out again. And again after that. Until maybe we went out on so many single dates, we were in a relationship without knowing it.” A shoulder lifted. “But you’re going back to Sydney, which isn’t the end of the earth, but it is a big city, one where I would be stifled. My life is here, and yours is in the city.”

  Allie’s fingers clenched on her wineglass. Tarryn wanted to go out with her. For a moment, she allowed herself a moment to dream of the two of them. In Quandong. Training the alpacas together. Dinner with Will and Garrett. Coffee and sass with Kirra. Maybe helping to organise the next Gay Bells festival.

  But then it all came crashing down. She lived in Sydney. And the big one: she was Allie, not Sophie. Allie who was an accountant, who wasn’t the lesbian Tarryn thought but a baby-gay in training—not straight, but whichever way you looked at it, she wasn’t who she’d said she was.

  She was deceptive and deceitful—a liar in so many ways.

  She had to shut this down. But she couldn’t. Not entirely. There was no way she could let Tarryn believe she didn’t want her, not when Tarryn had just opened herself to the possibility of a relationship.

  “I would date you too, in a heartbeat. I’d walk the alpacas through the rainforest with you, and I wouldn’t complain if Ally spat on my shoulder. But my life isn’t in Quandong. And it would seem crazy to move…now.”

  “We could see how we go. Visit each other. Meet halfway. Use those Airbnb vouchers as everyone intended.”

  “I don’t know, Tarryn.” Allie cut a piece of broccoli and raised it to her mouth, then put it down untouched. A few minutes ago, she’d been ready to offer Tarryn the moon and stars if she suggested something like this. But reality had crept in again, along with the renewed knowledge of what her lies would mean to Tarryn. She took a sip of wine to ease her suddenly dry mouth. “It could be the slow death. I’d rather remember one amazing, incredible night than suffer that.”

  Tarryn’s face held the immobility of granite. “What about tonight?”

  Allie reached across the table and took Tarryn’s hand. “We can have tonight. So we have two amazing, incredible nights to remember. If you want.”

  “I do.” Tarryn tightened her grip. “Strange how I can say those words now but couldn’t yesterday.”

  “Different time, different place. Different headspace.”

  Tarryn’s thumb passed back and forth over Allie’s hand. Shivers danced across her skin, and she focussed on Tarryn’s lips, on her sensual mouth that had worked such wonders. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be here in this overpriced restaurant, eating food she didn’t want. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

  “I’m not hungry for food. Just for you.”

  “Then let’s go home.”

  * * *

  The drive home was mostly silent. Tarryn watched the dark landscape slide past, the winding road through the rainforest leading back to Quandong. Sophie drove carefully, obviously aware of the likelihood of wallabies darting in front of the car. Tarryn rested her hand on Sophie’s thigh, feeling the muscles shift as she changed gear, enjoying the warmth under her hand.

  At the edge of Quandong, Sophie looked across. “My place?”

  Tarryn nodded. Kirra’s apartment was more comfortable than her shouse. And, a tiny voice whispered, she’d rather not be reminded of Sophie in her space. They’d agreed a clean break was best, but the niggle inside her said it would take time for Sophie to leave her head.

  Strange how it had worked out. The woman who’d seemed a bit difficult at first had become…certainly someone she liked. A friend. More. Tarryn compressed her lips. That was the problem. Despite what she’d told Sophie, she wanted more than friendship. A hollowness echoed inside her, an ache, a space that could only be filled by Sophie—and Sophie was already sliding away, vacating her place in Tarryn’s chest. And there was nothing to fill it.

  But they had tonight.

  Last night had been wonderful. Sure, Sophie had been an enthusiastic and giving lover, but it had been more than that. Their existing relationship had been…not brushed aside, not ignored, but it had deepened. Sex had forged a new connection unlike anything Tarryn had experienced. She’d woken in the morning, and the new curling shoot of tenderness had taken her by surprise. Would it be the same tonight, or would she be able to walk away in the morning, her nights with Sophie already relegated to casual sex, stuffed in a box marked Fantastic Fling?

  Sophie halted the car outside the apartment. The street was quiet; only a few visitors strolled, probably on their way back from The Hollowman. In silence, they walked up the stairs. Sophie left the light off, allowing only the streetlights to filter in.

  “Do you want anything?” she asked. The words before bed hung unsaid.

  Tarryn licked her dry lips. “Some water would be good.”

  Sophie handed her a glass of water and watched as she drank it, then refilled the glass from the tap.

  “Bed?” Tarryn held out her free hand.

  Sophie nodded, and together they walked to the bedroom. The bed was the same inviting space it had been last night. Tarryn had expected a clearer head to have dulled the anticipation, but instead, the thrum of longing was greater, intensified.

  Inside the room, she turned to Sophie and drew her close, kissing her with her all the pent-up longing in her heart.

  Sophie returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Tarryn’s neck, her tongue seeking entrance to her mouth.

  She reached down and cupped Sophie’s buttocks, urging her closer and nudging her own thigh between Sophie’s.

  Their clothes disappeared in a slow, leisurely fashion, piece by piece, with kisses on each newly exposed piece of skin. Sophie spent long minutes exploring Tarryn’s breasts, feathering her fingers around their curves, sucking her nipples until Tarryn’s clit pulsated with need. And when Sophie pushed her back onto the bed, parted her thighs and settled between, Tarryn’s skin lit with flame.

  “Can I taste you?” Sophie asked, her voice husky with need.

  She could only nod in reply, and then, when Sophie’s tongue lapped at her lower lips and then curled around her clit, it was as if the moon and stars had fallen to Earth and landed on Sophie’s tongue. She was quicksilver in the dim light, her pale skin ethereal against the white sheets, her tongue dancing in a glorious motion, exactly as Tarryn liked. How did she know the exact thing? How could they be so perfectly compatible in bed?

  Tarryn arched into her orgasm, her mind exploding with stars.

  * * *

  Allie lay awake long after Tarryn had fallen asleep. Her gaze traced the strong lines of Tarryn’s shoulders and arms and lingered where her breasts were covered by the sheet. This second night together had brought one thing into blinding clarity: this was no experimental one-off. Tarryn was someone she would like to see more of, to let her into her life and see where it led.

  But she couldn’t. Even though Tarryn had suggested a way forward for them, Allie just couldn’t. She closed her eyes and tried to will sleep to come, but her eyes popped open again as if the ceiling was the most fascinating thing she’d seen all day.

  What should she do? Her heart told her she needed to confess who she really was—but was there any point, now? She was going home tomorrow. What good would it do except to finish their time together on a sour note? She pressed her lips together. That would probably settle it once and for all; Tarryn would be angry and probably wouldn’t want anything more to do with her.

  Maybe. Or maybe she’d laugh, and tease, and maybe, just maybe, they could find a way forward.

  But then there was Sophie. Outing herself meant exposing Sophie as well, and that put her business on the line. Everything they’d tried hard to avoid. It might mean bad publicity for her, a demand for the return of her fee. It could be disastrous. As if Sophie didn’t have enough to deal with in her life right now.

  For a moment, she thought about going onto the balcony and calling Sophie, asking her advice. But she already knew what Sophie would say. She’d tell Allie to do what she needed for her own sake, that she’d already done so much to help Sophie’s business and should put herself first.

  But Sophie was the most important person in her life. How could she do that to her? She wouldn’t add to her current difficulties, and for what? For maybe a short-lived long-distance relationship with someone she liked? There were plenty of women who dated women in Sydney. Just because Tarryn was her first, didn’t mean she’d be her only. She just had to return to Sydney, sign up for a dating app, and see what happened.

  She turned over in bed and closed her eyes again. That was the answer. There was nothing else she could do.

  Chapter 24

  “What time are you leaving?” Tarryn asked as they sat with mugs of coffee on the balcony. “Not that I’m pushing you away. Anything but. I’m just wondering how long we’ve got.” She winked.

  Allie clutched her mug harder, enough that the heat of it was uncomfortable on her palms. “Kirra asked if I could be gone by noon so she’s time to turn the room around for her next guest. If I head away then, I can get home in one day.” She twisted the mug in her hands. “And I should.”

  Tarryn nodded. “If you want, you can stay with me tonight. Leave early in the morning.”

  Allie hesitated, the words “yes, please” on her tongue. But she just couldn’t, not without explaining who she was. She’d finally got to sleep last night in the early hours, and her mind was dusty with tiredness. She stared at Tarryn, her mind buzzing.

  There was no way she could walk away without sharing the truth. She’d always been a straightforward, truthful person. She couldn’t change now, even if it angered Tarryn, even—Allie swallowed hard—if it led to repercussions for Sophie. She would have to understand.

  “I’d like that.” She set down her mug and reached for Tarryn’s hand, grasping it like a lifeline. She licked her dry lips. “But I need to tell you something first.”

  Tarryn tilted her head, her dark eyes soft and warm. “That sounds ominous. Is this what you wanted to say the other night?”

  Allie nodded.

  “Are you going to elope with Kirra? Are you moving to Nepal to lead Everest base camp treks?”

  “Neither of those. Please listen to all I need to tell you before you say anything.” She swallowed the lump in her throat along with the thought she was about to destroy everything. “You know I have a sister. What you don’t know is that we’re twins. Our names are Allison and Sophie.” She took a deep breath. “But I’m Allie, short for Allison, and my sister is Sophie. She’s the event planner, the person Quandong hired to organise the festival. Sophie was severely injured in a car accident, and she’s still struggling. She begged me to come up here and take her place.”

  Tarryn’s forehead wrinkled, and her hand was slack in Allie’s grasp. “Why the pretence? Why didn’t you just tell us who you are? Sophie was unable to be here, so she sent her replacement.”

  “It’s not that simple.” The beginnings of a headache beat at the base of Allie’s skull. “Sophie is a one-person business, and her contract with Quandong stated she had to be the person to come here. She asked me to come because if she was forced to pull out of the contract, not only would she be leaving Quandong in the lurch but her business would go under. It’s a new business, and she can’t work at the moment. She’d have lost her business, and likely her home.”

  She dared a look at Tarryn. She didn’t seem horrified; her flickering expressions hinted at confusion more than anything else. Allie sucked a shallow breath. Maybe it would be all right. But she still had to admit to the big thing.

  “You’ve seen how we are here,” Tarryn said. “If Sophie had explained, said she was sending her assistant in her place, in the circumstances, we would almost certainly have agreed.”

  The headache pounded harder. “She was too afraid to take that risk. The stakes were too high. Also, I’m not her assistant. I’m an accountant, not an event planner. Well, I’m an unemployed accountant at the moment, and that’s why I was able to step in.”

 

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