Page 35 of Journey to You

She laughed. “You can take the boy out of the restaurant but you can’t take the restaurant out of the boy.”

“Too right.” He slipped his hand in hers, squeezed. “So, what’s on for tonight?”

For an insane moment she could’ve sworn he wasn’t talking about food as his steady gaze bore into hers, questioning, seeking, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she’d ordered that morning.

Chuckling at her bemused expression, he fell into step beside her. “Never mind, whatever it is, I’ll devour it.”

He paused, shot her a significant look. “Happiness does that to a man. Gives him an appetite.”

“So you’re happy?”

He pulled her close again. “Considering you didn’t run in the opposite direction when you first saw me, you’re still talking to me, and you’ve invited me to dinner, I’m downright ecstatic.”

Joy fizzed in her veins, heady and making her feel punch-drunk. They needed to talk, but for now, she was happy too. Happier than she’d been in days. Heck, happier than she’d been in years.

She’d found a surprising peace with Ethan in India. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t, to fake a smile, to be poised and elegant and refined, all in the name of appearances.

He saw her for who she was; a woman determined to make a fresh start, a woman happiest with no makeup, no artifice, and no platitudes.

“I’ve never seen you like this.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, twisting the end around his finger, brushing the delicate skin beneath her ear.

“What? With my hair frizzy from sea water and wearing a peasant skirt and top from a local market?”

His gaze searched her face, her eyes, focussing on her lips. “I’ve never seen you so relaxed. You’re truly happy, aren’t you?”

She nodded, filled with a sense of serenity she’d never had elsewhere. “Maybe it’s a mental thing, knowing my mum spent half her life here and I feel more connected to her here than anywhere.”

“It’s more than that.”

He was right. It was the first time in a long time she’d been on her own, content in her own company. She’d been alone in Melbourne since Richard’s death but that had been different. There’d been the whirlwind of funeral arrangements, countless trips to the solicitor’s, endless paperwork to tidy up, and the personal fallout from Richard’s bombshell in the form of his mistress Sonja.

Here, there was none of that. She could finally be true to herself, true to her needs.

She smiled. “You’ve got to know me pretty well, huh?”

“Enough to know I’ve never seen you so at ease.”

“It’s this place.” She waved at the endless stretch of sand, the shimmering azure sea, the purple streaked sky scattered with diamond-like stars. “Not just the tranquillity, the pace of life, but everything about it. I can be myself, you know?”

“I’m happy for you, Tam, I really am.”

His genuine smile, the sincerity in his tone, made her like him all the more.

“But a part of me can’t help but wish I’d found you with unwashed hair, chewed-to-the-quick fingernails, pale and sallow from pining away for me rather than the picture of glowing health.”

She’d pined all right. Struggled to sleep the first night, moped around while sightseeing, dragged her feet through this sand on more long walks than she’d ever taken.

Nothing had soothed the hollow ache in her heart, the anxiety gnawing at her belly that she’d lost her chance at exploring something new, something exciting, something that could potentially be the best thing to ever happen to her.

Yet here he was, in the flesh, wearing his trademark rakish pirate smile, khaki shorts, and a white T-shirt setting off his newly acquired tan. By coming here, she hoped Ethan had made a statement he was ready to explore this spark between them.

“You’re staring.”

She raised an eyebrow, fought a blush. “Am I?”

“Uh-huh.” He ducked his head for a quick kiss. “And I like it. That gleam in your beautiful eyes tells me I have a chance.”

“Only if you’re lucky.”

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