Page 53 of Journey to You

Like a welcome oasis for a thirsty desert traveller, the image of Colva Beach and the Taj Mahal, shimmered into her mind’s eye.

Therewasa place she’d never be plagued by her past, continually reminded of her foolishness in trusting a man totally wrong for her. A place linked to her heritage, a place filled with hope, a place she could dream and create the future she deserved.

“Richie trusted me implicitly. He’d back me one hundred percent on this, as he always did. Nothing like the love of a good man to give a woman courage to face anything, wouldn’t you say?”

Sonja’s sickly sweet spite had no effect on Tamara—until the implication of what the bimbo had said hit her.

Tamara had a guy who backed her one hundred percent, who’d travelled all the way to India to do it.

A guy who’d given her courage to start afresh.

A guy who deserved to hear the truth, no matter how humiliating for her.

Walking out on Ethan had been a mistake. A rash, spur of the moment action fuelled by that stupid newspaper article. She’d been living a lie for so long, had thought she’d put the past behind her, only to have it come crashing down around her and rather than tell him everything, she’d run.

How ironic, it took a cheap tart like Sonja to point out what had been staring her in the face.

Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and headed down the garden path towards the car.

“You’re just as spineless as Richie said you were.”

The parting barb bounced off Tamara and she didn’t break stride. Nothing Sonja could do or say could hurt her now.

Coming here might’ve been stupid, but it had been cathartic. She’d soon be free of her past.

Ready to face her future.

Twenty-Six

Ethan stepped out of the limo in front ofAmbrosiaand dropped his travel case at his feet.

He’d thrown himself back into business since Tam had walked out on him four days ago, making flying visits to Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns. Facilitating meetings, presenting figures, convincing investors, he’d done it all in a non-stop, back-to-back, whirl of meetings but he was done, drained, running on empty.

Earlier that week he’d landed back in the country, lost the woman he loved on the same day, and buried his head in business as usual to cope; little wonder he could barely summon the energy to step inside.

He stood still for a moment, the slight chill of a brisk autumn evening momentarily clearing his head as he watched patrons pack his restaurant to the rafters.

Intimate tables for two where couples with secretive smiles held hands, tables filled with happy families squabbling over the biggest serve of sticky date pudding, tables where businessmen like himself absentmindedly forked the delicious crispy salt and pepper calamari into their mouths while shuffling papers and making annotations.

He loved this place, had always loved it.

It was his baby, his home.

Then why the awful hollowness that some of the gloss had worn off?

He should be punching the air. He’d had a lucky escape. Tam had made her true feelings clear before he was in too deep.

Though what could be deeper than falling in love with a woman he could never have?

With a shake of his head, he picked up his bag and headed in, the warmth from the open fire instantly hitting him as the fragrant aromas of sizzling garlic, bread fresh from the oven, and wok-sizzled beef, enveloped him.

He was home and the sooner he banished thoughts of his failed relationship with Tam the better.

“Hey, boss, how was the trip?”

He mustered a tired smile for Fritz, his enthusiastic barman. “Busy.”

“I bet. Want a drink?”

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