Later that night, Gwen stood off to the side of the silent auction with a forced smile on her face. She was exhausted. Her feet ached, her back was in spasms, and she had some kind of cramp in her side. But the entire evening so far had been a huge success.

  Debbie and Caleb were moving slowly around the nearby dance floor like a pair of movie stars. She couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. The way Caleb held his wife in his arms was inspiring. If only she and Duncan could have half of the love those two shared. She was so happy they’d been able to work things out between them. They looked like two teenagers in love all over again.

  Debbie wore her hair teased high with a very impressive low cut dress. It had a wide skirt and lace around the hem. Joanna was in something similar although not quite so pouffy. And her makeup was more subtle. But both of them had made a big effort to dress for the theme.

  Brandon spotted her from across the room. He and Mara made their way over to her. Brandon was in a black and white three-piece suit. Mara wore a long sparkling gown with a bustle. Brandon pushed his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat.

  “Mum, when you said that Dad didn’t live with you anymore…”

  She’d been expecting this question. She’d hoped that Duncan would’ve explained things to their son, but of course he’d leave that up to her, like he did everything.

  “He’s moved out, honey. I’m sorry, I know that’s probably upsetting to you. But we’re separated.”

  Brandon’s face paled. “I can’t believe it. Why? What happened?”

  She sighed. “This isn’t the time or place for this conversation. I have to go and pay the caterer, and my friends want me to join them on the dance floor. There’s a lot going on, honey. I want to talk to you about it, but not right now.”

  She hugged him and Mara goodbye, then hurried into the kitchen to pay the caterer. Afterwards, she wandered back out to the dance floor to see if Debbie and Caleb had hung around. Most of the guests had already gone home, but Debbie and Caleb were sipping cocktails on two stools at the bar. Gwen went to join them.

  She sat down with a groan as the pain suddenly subsided. “My poor feet.”

  Debbie smiled at her. “You did an amazing job, Gwen. The entire night was perfect.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, we bid on a day trip around the Whitsundays on a yacht. I’m so excited. I hope we win.”

  Caleb laughed. “I’ll take you on a day trip even if we don’t.”

  Debbie leaned into his chest. “That would be wonderful.”

  Gwen watched them and felt her throat tighten. “You two give me hope. You know that?”

  “Maybe you and Duncan can work things out,” Debbie suggested.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Gwen replied. “We talked, and he’s still unrepentant. Blames me for it all.”

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

  “It’s okay. Time for a new season. The whole world is open to me now. I’ve been waiting to travel with Duncan when he took some time off work or retired. But now I can go anywhere I like, whenever I want to go. It’ll be lonely, but I’ll get used to it.” She lifted her chin. “I’m sure I’ll have a great time.”

  “Well, I’m going to the loo, then we should leave,” Caleb said, rising to his feet. “It was a great party, Gwen. Well done.”

  “Thanks, Caleb.”

  When he’d left, Gwen leaned forward to whisper to Debbie, “You two look very cozy.”

  Debbie laughed. “I know. It’s like everything between us opened up when he finally shared with me how he felt. He’d been holding all this stuff inside for so long, it’d eaten away at him. I know there’ll be more for us to deal with, and we agreed that Friday nights will be a date night where we share what’s on our hearts. We don’t ever want to get back to that place where we feel so disconnected from each other. And the romance is more than just words, let me just say that.” Debbie’s cheeks flushed pink.

  Gwen laughed. “‘More Than Words.’ That’s one of my favourite songs.”

  “I know,” Debbie replied with a wink. “Mine too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The office was buzzing when Debbie went in the next day. It felt good to be back, although she was tired and her head was pounding from the fundraiser the night before. Who thought it would be a good idea to put the event on a Thursday night? She’d have to make that point to Gwen the next time she saw her.

  Her inbox was a disaster area. There were hundreds of unread emails. She worked her way through them slowly, stopping for client meetings and the weekly staff meeting.

  She was pleasantly surprised to find that there had been no emergencies this time when she was out of the office. And the team had managed to figure out how to deal with every issue that arose, simply copying her in on email threads so she could catch up.

  By lunchtime, she was feeling better. She went out to lunch with the partners so they could update her on each of their clients and the status of each active case. There was a divorce that was particularly messy, but it was being handled professionally by the team. Another case involved a lawsuit for a real estate investment gone wrong. The litigation team was at full capacity and bringing in more than their budgeted billable hours, which was good to see.

  After a lunch of grilled barramundi and steamed vegetables with a side of brown rice, she went back to the office to finish her work for the day. She was determined to get home earlier than she normally would, and with her reduced workload, after having handed many of her most time-consuming clients over to the rest of the team, it looked as though she would manage it.

  Her desk phone rang, and she answered while typing out an email. “Hello. Debbie Holmes speaking.”

  “Debbie Holmes, this is Caleb Holmes.” Her husband’s voice sent a thrill up her spine, and she smiled.

  “Why are you calling my desk phone?”

  “I called your mobile. You didn’t answer.”

  She reached into her purse and pulled out the mobile. “Oh, sorry. I have it on silent.”

  “Well, I wanted to see if you would go on a date with me tonight.”

  “A date?” She grinned and leaned back in her chair. “That sounds nice. Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise. But it will involve food.”

  “Good, because I love food.”

  “I know you do.”

  “It’s my love language.”

  “Lucky for me,” he replied with a chuckle.

  “No hints?”

  “Not one. But do you think you could get home a little early?”

  “Already planning on it,” she said. “I’ll see you around five.”

  “That would be perfect,” he said. “See you then. Love you.”

  After she hung up the phone, she sat still for a few moments, chewing on one arm of her glasses. Evelyne walked in with a stack of messages and set them on the desk.

  “What are you grinning about?” she asked with a smile.

  “Huh? Am I grinning?”

  “Like a schoolgirl in love,” Evelyne replied. “What’s going on?”

  “I have a date with my husband tonight.”

  Evelyne’s eyes widened. “Really? Well, look at you. Are you two the cutest things?”

  “I think we might be,” Debbie replied with a laugh, her cheeks warming.

  “If I ever get married, I want a marriage like that.”

  “You will. Don’t give up.”

  Evelyne shrugged. “It’s hard not to. I’m thirty-four years old. I’m supposed to be married with three kids by now. And online dating is the worst. I feel like I’ve been on a first date with every single man in his thirties in the entire city. And not one of them was marriage material.”

  Debbie sighed. “You are a wonderful person. I know you’ll find him one day.”

  “I hope I find him before my eggs shrivel up and die,” Evelyne said. “Oh, and your four-thirty appointment cancelled, so you’re done for the day.”

  “Wonderful,” Debbie replied. “I’m going home early to get ready for my date.”

  “Have fun,” Evelyne said. “I want to hear all about it next week.”

  Debbie hurried home and had a long, luxurious bath with oils and candles. Then she blow-dried her hair and dressed in a long navy gown with a set of pearls her mother had given her. When Caleb got home, she was ready to leave and had poured them each a small glass of scotch on ice.

  She handed him the glass and took his briefcase. Then she kissed him softly. “Welcome home, honey.”

  “I could get used to this, you know? It’s a dangerous precedent to set,” he said as he took her in one arm and planted another, deeper kiss on her lips.

  It was as though her breath was snatched from her lungs. She felt giddy. How long had it been since she’d responded to him this way? It felt like forever.

  She sat and watched him dress while they chatted about their days and sipped their scotch. Then it was time to leave. They walked outside, and an Uber pulled up to the front of the building. They climbed in.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” he said.

  She snuggled into his side, and he rested his arm around her shoulders. The city was brightly lit by now, with lights dotting the sides of skyrise buildings all around them. Traffic was heavy, with cars stopping and starting, the occasional honk and the rev of engines. He smelled like cologne and scotch. His arm around her was warm and heavy.

  The car wove in and out of traffic, down one-way streets and through the city until they were in Fortitude Valley. The night was young; most of the foot traffic was still business related rather than party goers. But there were clumps of young people here and there. The girls, in skimpy clothing, clip-clopping in high platform shoes, and the boys standing about looking awkward in line outside nightclubs.

  The Uber pulled up to the curb, and they stepped out.

  “Where are we?” Debbie scanned the street, feeling suddenly very overdressed in the midst of the hip nightlife scene and the hurrying commuters on their way home from work after a long week.

  “You don’t know yet?” Caleb took her hand and led her down the footpath.

  Suddenly it clicked. They’d come here on their very first date. He’d brought her to a small restaurant tucked away on a backstreet of the Valley, and they’d sat on cushions and eaten with their fingers. And it’d been incredible, romantic and delicious.

  “Garuva?”

  He laughed. “That’s right. I hope you don’t mind sitting on a cushion while we eat.”

  “I suppose I can do it one more time. Although you may have to help me back to my feet again.”

  He led the way to the narrow door. She wouldn’t have spotted or recognised it if she’d been walking by. Inside, it was quite dark. The entire space was decorated with long, hanging curtains dividing cubicles with cushions on the floor. It was lit by candles, and hushed conversations radiated out to greet them.

  They sat in one of the curtained squares on large cushions that were reasonably comfortable. Debbie adjusted her dress so she could sit cross-legged, then adjusted again when she found that wouldn’t work for long.

  They ate bites of shark dipped in a spicy sauce. Salt-and-pepper calamari breaded and fried. Various pastry-covered parcels like spring rolls, dumplings and samosa. And they finished with an assortment of sweet treats, including cheesecake and biscotti with coffee. It was a complete mishmash of food styles and cuisines, and she loved every minute of it.

  “Do you remember how young we were when we were here the first time?” Caleb asked as he sipped his coffee.

  “I think I was twenty-seven, and you were twenty-nine.”

  “That sounds about right. I knew then…”

  “Knew what?” she asked.

  “That I was going to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “It was our first date,” she said with a laugh.

  He nodded. “It was. But I knew. Right away.”

  Her face was warm from the wine and candlelight, but it felt warmer after his words. “You didn’t have any hesitation?”

  He smiled. “Nope. None. I never got cold feet or anything like that. I knew that you were the one, and that didn’t change. It still hasn’t changed. We got a bit off track for a while there. I felt unseen and hurt, and I know we’re still working through some things. But I wanted you to understand that I haven’t changed my perspective—we’re meant for each other.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Marriage is harder than I thought it’d be.”

  He nodded. “It is. Much harder.”

  “We always had such a great connection. I think we took it for granted and didn’t work hard enough to keep it.”

  “I didn’t know how,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  In Sunshine, it was the first date for Emily and Aaron. Emily was so nervous, she thought she might be sick. She hovered over the toilet, half-dressed. Then the feeling passed, and she continued dressing. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, a blush-coloured blouse and a pair of black leather flats.

  She had no idea where Aaron might take her. Maybe she was underdressed. She should ask him where they were going. He was only in the next bedroom.

  With her purse under her arm, she glanced in the bathroom mirror one last time. She’d curled her hair, and her makeup looked well done, if a little over the top. She always made her makeup too thick when she was nervous. Then she walked out the door and turned left to stand in front of Aaron’s shut door. She was a little early. Maybe she should wait.

  She raised her hand and knocked. Then waited. What was she doing? This was embarrassing. She should’ve stayed in her room so he could come looking for her. Wasn’t that the right etiquette? She didn’t know anymore. Times had changed, and she rarely dated. She turned to leave, and his door swung open. He wore a pair of jeans slung low around his hips. His muscular chest was bare.

  “Oh, hey,” he said. “I’m sorry. Am I running late?” He glanced at his watch.

  “No, you’re fine. I’m a little early. I wanted to ask if I’m dressed okay, or should I wear something else?”

  He smiled. “You look perfect. I’ll just throw on a shirt and some shoes, okay?”

  She waited in the lounge room, her nerves abating a little as she drew several deep breaths. It was Aaron. She’d known him forever. They ate dinner together almost every night. But since he’d moved into Joanna’s house, she’d gotten to know him in a way she’d never thought possible.

  They talked about everything and nothing. They laughed together, watched TV together. She was comfortable around him, something she didn’t think she’d ever be able to say about the high school bad boy who’d broken her heart all those years ago. They were friends. So why was she this nervous? Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that friendship. He’d fast become one of the most important people in her life. Maybe the most important, if she was being completely honest.

  She didn’t have a lot of friends. And her family consisted of an extremely busy sister and her two small children. Everyone else lived so far away she rarely saw them. Joanna was her family now. And so was Aaron.

  He drove her to a restaurant down by the water’s edge. It was a small seafood place with a great view over the beach and ocean. It was dark, but the moon glistened golden in a straight line from the horizon to the beach. They sat outside surrounded by soft lighting. The sounds of the ocean were their backdrop.

  “This is nice. I haven’t eaten here in ages,” Emily said.

  Aaron handed her a menu. “I know… I remember when it opened. It was so exciting.”

  “There were hardly any restaurants on the island back then. Now we have dozens of them.”

  “Dozens?” He laughed. “I guess you’re probably right. Although it still feels like such a tiny little community to me.”

  They ordered their meals and some drinks. Emily got a French martini for something different, and Aaron chose a boutique local beer. Then the dishes arrived. She had the salmon, while he’d ordered a pasta with a mix of seafood and a creamy sauce.

  “Want to try it?” he asked.

  “Only if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course. Why don’t we get an extra plate and we can share our meals?”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I like trying things. I’m sure you do too.”

  They got the waitress’s attention and split their meals in half. Emily took a bite of the pasta and was immediately grateful.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  She nodded, still chewing. “It’s delicious. Thank you. How was work today?”

  “I’m starting to enjoy it. And some of the people are pretty nice.”

  “That’s good. Do you miss the military?”

  “Every day,” he said. “But it was time for something new. Most of my mates had left already, and I was faced with starting again with an entirely new team or leaving.”

  “What was the deciding factor?” she asked, then took a bite of salmon. It was moist and hot, and had been caramelised in a soy-and-honey sauce.

  “I was ready to settle down. I want to get married, have a family. It’s something I’ve always wanted. But now I think I’m ready for it. What about you?”

  Her heart skipped a beat. He’d changed so much since high school, she almost didn’t recognise him. Who was this man, talking about family and children? He wasn’t the sullen and popular jock, always up to mischief of some kind or another, who she remembered. “Same for me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, really. I never much dreamed of a career. Only a family.”

  He reached for her hand. Squeezed it.

  “Sometimes people think it’s simple or not very ambitious. But I didn’t have a close-knit family growing up. It was just me and my sister. My Dad left, my Mum worked a lot. And so Wanda and I kind of leaned on each other. And I used to say, I can’t wait to have a family of my own. Because I’m going to love them and be there for them, and finally have the homelife I needed but never got.”

 

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