Page 50 of Between Two Shores

“Okay,” She said slowly, then shrugged. “We’re in the same situation then. I don’t know any of your friends anyway. It’ll be nice to meet your mother though.”

“Mmm.”

His mother couldn’t be that bad. Beth cleared her throat. “So, two weeks from today, and we’ll be married. Do we need visas for Israel?”

“No. Not American citizens.” His eyes widened. “Oh, I better check that it’s the same for Australians. I think a visa is needed for anyone who wants to stay longer than ninety days.”

“Right. Well that’s definitely something you should check before paying for any flights.”

His chair scraped the tiled floor as he stood. “Let me take your bowl and I’ll clean up the kitchen. You put your feet up. Relax.” Nick stacked the bowls and spoons and headed to the sink—a total five steps from the table.

The sofa wasn’t a place to sprawl out, so she retreated to the bedroom. She flopped onto the queen bed, stretched to the bedside table, and grabbed her phone. Time to catch up with the other side of the world. She’d never been much of a Facebook fan, but she intended to check it regularly now. She clicked on the notification bell and froze. Lachlan Peters had sent her a friend request. What? She clicked off her screen and faced the phone down.

He hadn’t sent her a personal email in nearly a year, and now he wanted to be friends? They didn’t have shared contacts, so he must have looked her up. How did he know which Bethany Michaels was her? She’d put a generic profile pic of the Fremantle shoreline. He must’ve recognized it. Hang on, he knew Chris, so maybe he friended Cassie, and then saw her name as a suggestion.

She grabbed her phone again, her heart racing. Why did this matter? Lachlan was a friend of the past—barely that. She opened the app again and clicked on his profile. Oh—still handsome as ever. A beard? He must’ve finished with the Navy.

Click. She chucked her phone to the other side of the bed. She couldn’t accept his request. Even if Facebook offered a way of indirect and limited communication. She wasn’t even Facebook friends with Nick yet. And if he found out she’d recently friended a Navy guy, he might ask questions.

Was Lachlan’s profile picture recent? Totally free from the Navy? Two years had passed. Had he signed another contract?

Beth sat upright. Why was she even giving Lachlan two seconds of her time? He’d made it clear she wasn’t worth his. Five-word sentence responses to her long emails. She needed a shower. That always cleared her mind and helped her relax.

When Beth entered the kitchen, she found a note on the Laminex counter. “Gone for a walk.” Without her? Couldn’t Nick wait for her to finish in the shower?

She huffed out a sigh as she opened the freezer. Ice cream for one then—more for her. She took out the cookies and cream gourmet dessert and spooned three scoops into a wine glass.

Was it safe to walk the streets here? Her eyes widened. People in America had guns. She covered her mouth. Did Nick have a gun? He’d been in the Navy and would be comfortable with one. Was it here in the apartment? Did he take it with him?

Panic flashed through her as she dropped her spoon. She raced to the bedroom and checked the bedside tables, then under the mattress. She’d never seen a gun in her life, only a replica old-fashioned one at the Ned Kelly exhibition years ago.

Taking deep breaths, she chose not to become overwhelmed. Nick knew what he was doing. He would walk around the block and have some downtime. Something she needed to do more of. And she needed to keep things in perspective. Her body would be out of whack with a fifteen-hour time difference, twenty hours of travel, all the rushing around the following day—no wonder she couldn’t rationalize. She needed more sleep. After a catch-up nap, she’d feel a lot better.

Hours later, Beth sleepily reached toward the bedside table where the lamp remained on and tapped her phone. 3:17 a.m. Oops. She rolled on her back, then flinched when she saw a body next to her. Nick! He lay on top of the doona with the same clothes he’d worn that day and his shoes still on. What time had he come home?

He must’ve been exhausted to have skipped changing. Although they’d be married in two weeks, she felt strange to wake up beside him, to be in the same bed. She’d need to get over that soon.

She quietly lifted the covers and slipped out of the room. Fumbling in the dark hallway, she ran her hands along the smooth wall until she found a switch in the living room. The mattress leaned against the wall and a folded blanket lay on the coffee table. She set herself up and snuggled under the thick, gray blanket, ready to sleep. The blow-up wasn’t uncomfortable. Maybe they could alternate who got the bed from now on.

It took her a while to fall asleep. Some time later, she woke to the scent of coffee and scraping of metal. Nick stood in the kitchen. The slightest glint of morning sun shone through the blinds behind him.

“You’re up early.” She croaked from the living room as she wobbled, sitting up.

He scooped sugar into his mug and stirred. “I don’t need much sleep. Going to go for a jog after this.” He lifted his coffee and took a sip.

“What time did you get home last night?” She flicked off the blanket and made her way to the dining table, smoothing out her unruly hair.

“Late.” He took a seat opposite her.

“What were you doing? Isn’t it unsafe to walk the streets alone?”

He chuckled. “Glendale is okay. But I did come across a homeless person outside a seven-eleven. I sat talking with him for a long time.”

She rubbed her eyes. “What for?”

He scratched at his unshaven cheeks. “To hear his story. I also deposited some money into his account.”

Beth was suddenly more awake. “You asked him for his bank account details and he gave them to you?”

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