Page 4 of Journey to You

She’d contemplated taking the trip on her own before slamming the idea. The trip would’ve been emotional enough with her mum by her side, but without her? Tamara’s eyelids prickled just thinking about it and she blinked, not surprised when Ethan sat back, folded his arms, and put that devilish smile to good use in an attempt to cheer her up.

“Think sun, sand, and surf. Somewhere hot and tropical, the opposite of blustery Melbourne at the moment.”

Considering her toes were icy within her boots and she couldn’t feel her fingers, the thought of all that heat was tempting. India would be perfect in every way.

Buoyed by Ethan’s encouragement, she rummaged through the top folder, wondering if the brochure was still there. She’d collected hundreds of the things when they’d been planning the trip, immersing herself in India—from the stone-walled city of Jodhpur—home of the Mehrangarh Fort and the grand palaces of Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sileh Khana andDaulat Khana, to Ranthambhor National Park, India’s best wildlife sanctuary to see majestic tigers—eager to see as much of the intriguing country as possible.

She’d kept the brochures everywhere, hiding them from Richard when he first expressed his displeasure at letting her out of his sight, tucking them into books and magazines and her work portfolios.

Now, she really wanted to find one, wanted to see if the tiny flame of excitement flickering to life could be fanned into her actually doing this.

She could do an online search on her phone but she wanted to hold tangible proof in her hands that she was really considering this.

She flicked to the front of the folder and dug her fingers into the plastic pocket, grinning when she pulled out a glossy brochure featuring the Taj Mahal and the legendary Palace on Wheels train on the front.

“Here.” She handed him the brochure. “Take a look at this.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “You’re going to India?”

“I’d planned to visit a few years ago but it never happened.”

She stared at the brochure, captivated by the exoticness of it. She should’ve thrown this out ages ago but as long as she hung onto it, as long as the promise of her mum’s dream trip was still a reality, albeit a distant one, she could keep alive her mum’s indomitable spirit.

Every time Tamara found a brochure tucked away somewhere she felt connected to her mum, remembering the day she’d picked them up as a sixtieth birthday surprise for Adhira and they’d pored over them during an Indian feast of palate-searing beef vindaloo, masala prawns, parathas, and biryani, her favourite spiced rice rich in flavoursome lamb.

They’d laughed, they’d cried, they’d hugged each other, and jumped up and down like a couple of excited kids heading awayon their first camping trip. Tamara had wanted to explore a part of her history she knew little about, wanted to take the special journey with her mum.

Richard ruined that dream, and while she’d love to take the trip now, it wouldn’t be the same without Adhira.

She fiddled with the brochure, folding the ends into tiny triangles, absentmindedly smoothing out the creases again.

“There’s a reason you still have that. You’re going to take the trip.”

Her eyes flew to his, startled by his absolute conviction. “I’ll think about it—”

“Do it.” Placing a finger under her chin, he pressed gently, tilting it up as she wondered for the second time in as many minutes why he’d become so touchy-feely all of a sudden. “You need to do this, Tam. It’s the best thing for you.”

She shook her head, dislodging his finger, using her hair to shield her face. “I’d planned to take this trip with my mum. This was her trip and it’ll be tough doing it alone…”

Her voice cracked and she slid off her chair and headed for the fireplace, holding her hands out to the crackling warmth, wishing it could seep deep inside to the coldest, loneliest parts of her soul.

“You won’t be alone.”

He came up behind her, the heat from the fire nothing on the warmth radiating from him, a solid, welcoming warmth she wished she could lean into.

He spun her around to face him, his stare direct and intense, the indigo flecks in his blue eyes gleaming in the reflected fire light.

“You won’t be alone, because I’m coming with you.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He held up a hand. “I’m going to India anyway, to lure Delhi’s best chef to work here.”

One finger bent as he counted off his first point. “You need company.”

The second finger went down. “And I’ve always wanted to do the Palace on Wheels trip and never got around to it, so this way, you’re doing me a favour.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How’s that?”

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