Page 42 of Between Two Shores

“I’ve got no one to show them to. A sad, sorry story.” He joked, but at thirty-two, single status and lonely evenings had long turned old and stale. Time for a change.

The owners of the house weren’t home, so after washing their hands in the laundry room, they moved to the backyard to have lunch. Their clothes were too dusty to sit inside. Mark placed his lunch box on the glass patio table and unloaded homemade blueberry muffins.

Lachlan’s mouth watered. “Care to share some of that?” He gestured toward the muffins. Mark didn’t need three. Surely, he could share one of them.

With reluctance in his gaze, Mark handed one over.

Lachlan grinned. “I see the pain in your eyes, bro. But look at my pathetic bachelor lunch.” He held up the pizza bread roll he’d grabbed on the way to work.

Mark smiled and continued to unpack two sandwiches, a container of trail mix, and a yogurt.

“Has Lizzy got you on a diet?”

“No, it’s similar to the kid’s lunches. Easy for her.”

“Right.”

The fresh, cool air was drying his sweat. Lachlan shivered. He’d need a jacket soon, but with his meager fare, he wouldn’t stay outside long. Mark got out his phone and started scrolling. Lachlan took a bite of the moist muffin, and a blueberry squashed between his back teeth, filling his mouth with flavor. Freshly baked. Mmm. He used his free hand to grab his cell, more out of habit than having anything important pending. Unless an interview opportunity.

His photo app had a notification. This Day Two Years Ago. He clicked on the tab. Lachlan took in a breath, causing cake to lodge in his throat. He coughed and grabbed his water bottle.

Mark glanced his way. “You okay, bud?”

Lachlan’s eyes watered, and he nodded, unable to speak. The image faded from the screen, and he tapped it again to see those captivating eyes. Bethany Michaels. A wide grin, delicate freckles, tendrils caressed her cheek—and behind Beth, a cute face of a Quokka with its nose in the air. Her head laid tucked under his chin. His eyes were bright—one of the happiest photos he’d seen of himself in a long, long time. He shook his head and whispered, “Bethany Michaels.”

“Did you say something?” His brother gave him an assessing stare.

He took another sip of his drink and gulped hard as the memory hit his chest. He turned his screen to show Mark. “Australia. This is when I went to one of the islands, found this cute creature.”

A playful smile slid up Mark’s face. “You dawg.”

Lachlan retracted his phone and scowled. “The Quokka. A rare marsupial. Endangered species.”

“Who’s the woman?” Mark’s crow’s feet deepened.

Now it was his turn to smile. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? I wish Beth was more than a friend.” He clicked the side button and flicked his hard-cased phone to the table. “But we’re not even that anymore. Plus there’s oceans and oceans between us. Just a photo memory now.”

Mark ran a hand through his black hair. “Don’t have her number? Friends on Facebook?”

“There’s no point. I doubt Beth would move to the States. Her family-run charity seems to rely on her. And we didn’t keep in contact. Only for a while.”

“You seemed pretty taken by the photo. Did something happen between you two?”

Had something happened? They’d formed a friendship. A connection between them. There’d been an undeniable chemistry reaction whenever they got close. His neck heated.

“You’ve taken too long to answer that question.” Mark smirked. “Which gives me the true answer.”

Lachlan gave a small laugh. “Nothing physical happened. I didn’t want to pine over her for two years. That’s why I brushed off her emails, didn’t give her much response. She must’ve got the hint and moved on. Sounds mean, but I was saving us both a world of disappointment. It couldn’t go anywhere.”

“What about now? What’s holding you here? You have no job, career . . . attachments.” Mark took another bite of his sandwich.

“Thanks.” Lachlan straightened and playfully rubbed a chill from his arms. “I’ve been back two months, and you’re already trying to get rid of me.” He huffed. “I belong here. With my family. Don’t I?” Did he? He hadn’t settled, but that had to be normal after being absent for several years.

Mark wiped some mayonnaise from his mouth. “Hey. I didn’t mean it like that.” He leaned forward and tapped Lachlan’s shoulder. “We’re always family. But things change. We move on. I’ve got my own family, Kayce has hers, and you need to start yours eventually.”

Lachlan scratched at his one-inch beard. “I hope to meet someone in San Diego.” He flicked a piece of pizza roll in the air and tilted his head back. Leaning right, he caught it in his mouth. “Surely I don’t have to travel to Australia to find Mrs. Right.”

“Chris did.”

---