Page 12 of Outback Reunion

Loud Mouth peered over the phone screen as she swiped it open.

She started on Instagram where she managed the circus account, posting photos of circus life and snapshots of their performances regularly, but couldn’t find Mark there. No luck on Facebook either, but thankfully Google provided the goods. There were dozens of photos of him online—on football sites, online newspapers and magazines, and his face was littered in selfies across other people’s social media. She read stats about his game and an article about an award he’d been longlisted for year before last.

On his arm at one of these night of nights was a gorgeous blonde who seriously gave Barbie a run for her money in a hot pink, sparkly, fitted silk dress with spaghetti straps and a split almost up to the top of her thigh. The caption read:Mark Morgan’s wife, Tahlia, steals the show in a glittering gown she designed herself.

‘He’s married!’ Gabi gasped and dropped the phone as if it had burned her.

‘Married. Married. Married,’ echoed Loud Mouth.

It shouldn’t matter to her. She was married too, or at least she had been until the middle of last year when her whole world had changed in an instant. Shock, guilt and sadness melding together so she didn’t know how to feel, she moved the paperback spread open on her bedside table so she could look properly at the smiling face of Dante in the frame that also sat there.

If not for Luna she’d have put it away by now.

Half an hour later she was still staring at her husband when a knock sounded on the caravan door. A second later his mother—Eve Jimenez—let herself inside.

‘Muriel said you weren’t feeling well.’

Gabi bet that’s not all Dante’s grandmother had said. Ever since he had died, Muriel had been treating her like scum, as if she blamed Gabi for his death, but there was no possible way she could know.

‘What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?’ Eve sat down on the edge of the bed and stretched out to touch her forehead as she’d often done when Gabi was young and sad or not feeling great.

Even before her own mother had died, Dante’s mother had always been more of a mum than hers. Despite this, no way she was telling Eve that the guy she’d cheated on her son with eight years ago lived here, in this town, and that she’d run into him only an hour ago.

‘I’m okay. It’s just a headache.’

Her mother-in-law’s gaze drifted to Dante’s photo, and she frowned, highlighting the crows’ feet at the corners of her dark eyes. These lines were the only indication she was in her mid-fifties. Circus life took its toll on some people, and for others, like Eve, it seemed to give them eternal youth.

‘No one expects you to beokayall the time. We all miss him. The last six months have felt like the longest yet also the shortest of my life.’ She scooped up Gabi’s hand. ‘I’m proud of how you’ve coped, taking care of Luna, me, Lorenzo, and the circus. I don’t really know how you’ve done it, but I’m grateful. We would have fallen apart if it wasn’t for you and I know Dante would be so grateful.’

Gabi’s gut tightened, bile rising in her throat. She tried to extract her hand, but Eve held on tight.

‘But you don’t have to bottle up your grief. I’m here for you, Lorenzo’s here for you.’

‘I know, thank you, but I’m fine, honestly.’ Gabi squeezed her mother-in-law’s hand and when Eve let go, she launched herself out of bed. ‘I didn’t miss the skins, did I?’

She pulled back the curtain and looked out into the lot to see every member of the circus—from the tent boss, tent boys, lighting and sound technicians to the solo and group acts, and even Luna’s teacher—taking their positions around the edge of the canvas, ready to run outwards as fast as they could when the tent boss yelled, ‘Go.’

‘We’re just about to start,’ Eve said, pushing to her feet, ‘but why don’t you stay here and rest a little longer? We can make do without you.’

This was the first time ever Gabi could remember being given permission to skive off build day. Maybe they were making allowances because of Dante, but if anyone should get that grace, it was Eve and Lorenzo—his parents. When Dante had died, she’d merely lost a husband, whereas they’d lost a son.

Gabi shook her head. ‘No. My Panadol’s kicked in. Let’s do this.’

Then, without allowing time for second thoughts or for Eve to protest, she opened the caravan door, stepped down, and held it while Eve and Loud Mouth followed her. Hopefully the hard work and then the team barbecue on the beach afterwards would take her mind off Mark, and with any luck, she wouldn’t see him again.

Chapter Three

It had been another warm day, so Mark had forced himself to get some work done early, making it possible for him to hibernate inside all afternoon with beer and bad TV. He’d gone through the motions of fixing fences, checking the sheep had water, feeding Mags and Roo the Seventh (his mum’s current rescues), and attempted some more training with Rookie, but he’d been even less focused on the tasks than usual.

Ever since running into Gabriela on Wednesday, she’d consumed his every thought.

He thought about her when he was trying to work, when he was eating, when he was watching TV, when he was attempting tosleep, and of course in the shower, where his thoughts turned X-rated and frustrating.

It had been months since he’d had sex and to be honest, until he’d seen her, he hadn’t even cared. But now... now... it was like just one glimpse had awakened some long-buried urge inside of him and the last couple of nights had been hell. His tortured thoughts were only marginally better than the self-loathing,why me?ruminations he’d been having before. He wondered if he’d imagined the connection he’d felt between them years ago. Seeing her again had brought back all those feelings of disappointment from when he’d woken up to find her gone.

‘Time for a beer,’ he told Rookie, who was sniffing around the back of the couch where Mark had been lying the last couple of hours. Dad would be appalled at a dog inside, Mum would be appalled at him drinking as much as he was, but they weren’t here and anyway, he was a grown-arse man.

Even if he was back home living with his parents.

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