Page 32 of One Weekend in Sydney

My heart skips before I glower at my cousin, who isn’t looking at me.No, of course not!

Tara shakes her head. “It was pitch dark. It would have been impossible to take a video—” She gasps, panic written all over her face. “But what if there was an infrared camera?”

“No,” I say forcefully, my heart pounding so hard I can almost hear it. This is not how I want my secret to come out. But for Tara’s sake, I have to bite the bullet.

Tara shoots me a glare. “You don’t even know what we’re talking about.”

“Juliet,” I say quietly in the lower tone I’ve been using as Romeo. “There were no cameras in my apartment last night.”

Tara pales, her mouth slackening. Her eyes are wide as she gapes at me, her expression turning from confusion to recognition. Then from shock to horror. “No,” she whispers. “No. No!” She turns on her heels and runs.

“Tara!” Odette calls before turning to me, her expression aghast. “Youslept with her last night.You?Why on earth, Mason?”

“I didn’t plan it,” I say insistently, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I was the security at the Masks On boat, and she wanted to catch a ride with us because she missed her boat. I was trying to look after her, so we had a lot of interaction. Then, when she said she wanted to remain anonymous during a one-night stand, I just… couldn’t resist.”

Odette shakes her head. “This is crazy. You two have so much history—and not the good kind. And now this video... What if it’s the two of you together? Not at your place, but maybe on the boat or at the masquerade.”

I sigh harshly. Odette could very well be right because I have a feeling Arpi wasn’t an innocent party in this. “Look, whether or not that video exists, the rumours have already started. We need to help Tara neutralise the threat to her mayoral chances.”

“I’m sure Eric started it,” Odette spits out. “But what can we do? I guess we can also make a video explaining that the reason Tara didn’t get on the showboat with me was because she heard of Eric’s nasty scheme. I bet we can get the relevant Mooners to front up and confirm that they heard about Eric’s plans and that they warned Tara. Plus, if we follow the trail, it’ll lead to the source of the rumour—and Eric. I’m sure of it.”

I nod. “Can you work on that with whoever Mooner wants to help? I’ll work on who might have shot a video last night. I have a lead that I need to follow up on.”

“Okay. Thank you for doing this. But I’m still mad at you for sleeping with Tara.”

I smile thinly. “I’m sorry this has ruined your bachelorette weekend.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “I already had fun last night. You go do your assignment, and I’ll go do mine.”

“Okay. Let’s touch base when we have something concrete.”

She nods. “I’m sure Tara is grateful for your help, too,” she says in a softer tone. “She’s just really hurt right now.”

“I know.”

And I fear that her shock at the way I revealed myself, coupled with this new scandal against her that most probably involves me, has burned all my chances of getting back into her life.

ChapterTwelve

TARA

The pounding in my head pulls me from a restless sleep. I squint against the harsh sunlight filtering through the hotel room window, my mouth dry and my head aching from a night of tossing and turning. Great, just what I need—a headache to top off the emotional turmoil I’m already in.

I sit up, rubbing my temples, trying to ease the throbbing pain. My phone sits on the nightstand, and I reach for it, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this is all a bad dream. But as I unlock the screen, my heart sinks. Notifications flood my home screen—texts, missed calls, and alerts from social media apps. My stomach churns with apprehension.

I open YouTube, and there it is—the video I’ve been dreading. It’s titled “Moonstruck Cove’s Mayoral Candidate Ditches Responsibilities for Sydney Sexcapades.” The thumbnail alone makes me want to throw up—a grainy still of me dancing with Romeo—uh, Mason in costume—at the masquerade. I take a deep breath and hit play.

The video starts with shaky footage of me boarding the Masks On boat, clearly not the showboat where Odette’s bachelorette party was supposed to be. The narrator, whose voice is distorted, says, “Instead of joining her best friend’s bachelorette party and wooing investors for Moonstruck Cove, mayoral candidate Tara Davies chose a night of debauchery with the notorious Masks On group.”

Then it cuts to clips of me slow-dancing with Mason, and then leaving the event early with him to catch a taxi together. The narrator continues, “Here she is, getting cozy with a stranger while she should have been focusing on her duties to her community.”

I feel the bile rise in my throat, my heart pounding in my chest. This is a nightmare. How could this have happened?

Just as I’m about to pause the video, unable to watch anymore, it cuts to an interview with Eric Hislop. He’s standing outside his campaign headquarters, a smug smile on his face. “I’ve always said that Tara Davies is not yet fit to lead Moonstruck Cove,” he says, his voice oozing with false concern. “No one is judging her for having fun. After all, she’s only twenty-eight years old. Yes, she has been a valuable councillor for Moonstruck Cove. In fact, she was—is—afantasticcouncillor. But as a mayor? We have proof that she’s still more interested in her own pleasure than in serving her community, despite what she says. So, in this coming mayoral election, vote for me. I ammorethan ready,morethan willing andmorethan able to serve you. I have so muchmoreto offer, including a vast wealth of experience. I’m Eric Hislop, and I’mmorefor you.”

I want to scream, to throw my phone across the room, but I refrain. Odette is outside in the lounge room with Kelly and Anne. Today, Sunday, is the last full day of Odette’s bachelorette weekend, and I want her to enjoy herself rather than worry about me.

I get out of bed and have a shower. Then, I leave the bedroom to join the girls, pasting a smile on my face.

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