Page 61 of Outback Reunion

He grinned and shoved one of the mugs towards her. ‘Then you can make cake. Mix that good and proper.’

When Gabi had finished, Mark took the mug and put it in the microwave for one and a half minutes. After only thirty seconds the most scrumptiously sweet aroma started wafting around the large country kitchen.

When the microwave pinged, he took out the mug and handed it to her. She looked down at the cake rising from the top. ‘Oh, my goodness. This is like magic.’

He grinned as he put his mug into the microwave, then turned to the freezer and retrieved a tub of vanilla ice cream. He spooned a scoop on top of her cake. ‘Just one of many tricks I have up my sleeve. Now, do you want marshmallows or sprinkles?’

Good lord, he really was the perfect guy. Years of depriving herself of treats meant that her instinct was to turn him down, but this night was about treating herself, so... ‘Would it be greedy if I said both?’

‘Nope. You’d be a girl after my own heart. I had to curb my sweet tooth when I was doing heavy training, so I’m making up for all those years now.’

‘Your parents must be very proud of what you achieved,’ she said. All around the house there was evidence of Mark’s career as a footballer—photos on the fridge, framed newspaper articles, and she’d noticed a cabinet full of trophies when he’d led her through earlier.

He shrugged off her question and led her outside with their mugs and the dregs of the prosecco. There they sat on a porch swing, exactly like the one she’d dreamed of a few hours ago at Adam and Stella’s place. Mark tossed Rookie a treat bone, which gave them a few moments’ peace to eat. It was very dark now but there was a full moon high in the sky, spilling light over the lush native garden and beyond. Stars twinkled so brightly out here, and the air smelled fresh, despite the warmth of the evening. Gabi couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to live in such paradise.

If it weren’t for Luna, she might never leave.

‘Penny for them?’

She blinked as Mark’s words broke their comfortable silence, then smiled. ‘I’m just feeling a bit jealous.’

‘Of what?’

‘Of this place. Of the farm. Of somewhere you can put down roots. Of all the mementos and trophies your parents display proudly on the walls. There’s no space in the caravan for us to store anything sentimental, never mind the books I’d love to keep. And then look at all this...’ She gestured ahead of them to the endless land and dark sky. ‘It’s so peaceful. No wonder you always wanted to come back here.’

He made a non-committal sound.

‘You aren’t happy to be home?’

Mark sighed. ‘I thought I would be. The last few years I’d been thinking about what I’d do when this place became mine. I’d been reading up on techniques for making the farm more sustainable—experimenting with some different crops and trying to steer Dad away from some of the traditional pesticides he uses, which are bad for the soil, not to mention unhealthy for us. But I thought I still had a few years before I’d be back here. And, well, being back doesn’t feel like what I imagined. I was supposed to be here with my wife and kids.’

‘You wanted kids?’

‘Yeah. At least a dozen. So we could have our own makeshift footy games out here.’

She laughed, unsure whether he was joking, but if the way he’d taken in Rookie was anything to go by, he’d make an awesome dad.

‘Tahlia and I were trying to have a baby the last year we were together. At least I thought we were.’ He shoved the last mouthful of chocolate cake between his lips and put the empty mug on the ground.

‘What do you mean?’

‘She was still on the pill. Turns out she didn’t want to get pregnant after all.’

Gabi gasped. ‘That’s awful.’

‘That wasn’t the only thing she’d been lying about. All our relationship, I was honest about wanting to come back here when I retired from AFL. At the time she went along with it but turns out she was hoping I’d change my mind, or rather she could change it. She too thought she had a few more years to redirect me, but... when she realised that wasn’t going to happen... she found someone else.’

‘I’m sorry, but she sounds awful.’

Mark sighed again. ‘She wasn’t that bad. We just had different hopes and dreams for the future and didn’t know each other well enough to realise it. But anyway, I wasn’t feeling the best when I came home, and a farm can be a lonely place.’

She took his hand in hers. ‘You can be surrounded by people and still be lonely.’

‘I know. Everyone’s been going out of their way to try and make me feel welcome again, but it just made me feel like a charity case.’ He searched her eyes. ‘Do you feel lonely now your husband has passed?’

‘In a way I was lonely even before then,’ she admitted. ‘It’s hard to make deep connections when most people you meet are so transient. I’ve never really had any good girl friends. Sometimes I dream of staying put so I can make some.’

He frowned as he took her mug from her and put it on the ground alongside his. ‘Why don’t you?’

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