Page 4 of Outback Reunion

‘Nah, it’s just me, but my folks are really supportive and proud of me. And the farm will be waiting for me when I retire.’

‘You want to be a farmer as well?’

He nodded. ‘Yeah, definitely. I love working with our sheep and even don’t mind the long hours during harvest, not that I’ve had the time to help much in recent years. Being a professional footballer isn’t something you can do for life, so I’m lucky I’m going to get the best of both worlds.’

Funny, no one ever really retired in the circus, and Gabi knew it was just as gruelling on a body as football—if not more so. Even if you stopped performing, you still worked, helping with promotion, selling food and drinks during the interval, working the ticket booth.

‘What do you harvest on your farm?’ she asked, enjoying this glimpse into a totally different world.

‘Mostly wheat, some lupin, but I’d like to look at some other crops once I’m charge and also some different, more environmentally friendly techniques for farming. Just gotta convince Dad.’

‘He’s not keen?’

‘He’s a little stuck in his ways, but mostly, he’s great.’ Mark smiled and tipped his glass towards her. ‘I’m probably boring you to tears with this farming talk.’

She shook her head. ‘Not at all.’

‘Well, I don’t want to be accused of being one of those arrogant footy players who can’t talk about anything but themselves.’ He hit her with a lopsided smile. ‘Besides, I want to know about you. Did you dance from when you were a little kid too?’

Gabi nodded, and chose her words carefully, still not wanting to talk about the circus. ‘As long as I can remember. I grew up in a family of performers and it was kind of just what was expected of me.’

Mark frowned—and if anything, it only made him more handsome. ‘But do youlikeit?’

She took a long sip of her drink. This felt like such a loaded question, and she realised no one had ever asked her before. It was always just assumed that she was happy with her lot; lucky and grateful to have been saved from foster care or the streets.

‘Yes, I do,’ she said eventually, because she did love performing—there was nothing quite like the buzz she got when balancing high above the audience doing things that most people could only ever dream of. It was the other things that came along with circus life that she sometimes tired of.

‘Do your parents dance as well, or do they act or sing or something?’

‘My mum died when I was eleven.’ The words had left her mouth before she realised she was going to say them.

His eyes widened and he reached out and squeezed her hand. His touch felt like the most natural, yet also the most foreign thing in the world. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Was it the alcohol or the man himself that had caused her to let down her guard? She rarely allowed herself to even think about her mother.

‘Thank you,’ she managed, a lump rising in her throat.

‘That must have been really hard,’ Mark added. ‘I can’t imagine losing even one of my parents now, never mind so young.’

‘It was,’ she said, trying to ignore how disappointed she felt when he let go and nodded to her almost empty glass. The drink had gone down almost as easily as chatting with him was proving to be.

‘Do you want another?’

A little voice in her head told her to politely decline and head home. What if Dantedidwake up and couldn’t find her? He’d befuriousand the wrath of her boyfriend could be a terrifying thing.

‘I probably shouldn’t—I haven’t eaten much tonight,’ she said sadly.

‘Then we’ll buy some hot chips to go with it,’ he said. ‘But don’t tell my coach. I’m not supposed to be drinking much or eating fatty foods even while I’m in recovery.’

‘My lips are sealed,’ she said with a smile.

And then, for pretty much the first time in her life, Gabi ignored what she knew sheshoulddo in favour of what shewantedto do.

When their drinks were placed in front of them, he gestured to a booth in a quiet, dark corner. ‘Shall we go sit somewhere more comfortable?’

She nodded and started towards the corner, her new friend following closely behind. When she took a seat on one side of the booth, rather than taking the seat opposite, he slid right in beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. What the hell was she playing at?

‘Were you and your mother close?’ Mark asked.

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