Page 13 of Sing it, Sam

“How come?”Geez, getting a bit personal here.

“Let’s just say I’ve dated a sushi train of losers.” And I’m feeling much better about myself since going solo. I’m not about to jump back into a relationship, either.

He laughs. “What does that mean?”

“The losers just keep rolling around, and I don’t wanna take those plates.”And it’s hard for a hungry woman to say no sometimes.

“So, men are sushi?”

I press my palm to my forehead and let out an exasperated breath. “How do I spell this out for you—”

“I get it. It’s okay. Just teasing. So, to be clear, there’s no spunky Californian roll in your life.”

Laughter erupts from my throat when an image of a man, with a sushi roll for a penis springs into my imagination. “No. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Nope. Let’s change the subject. What about your parents?”

“Mum and Dad sold their orchard a year ago. They bought a caravan and started touring around Australia. So that’s their plan for the next year at least. They’re officially grey nomads. They love it.”

“No other family here?”

“No, just me. I have some uncles and aunties over in Perth, but I’m it.”

“So why stay here?”

I shrug. “It’s home, and besides, I’m not big on the city. Freaks me out. The only traffic we get here is when the Stevenson’s block off Melaleuca Street as they move their sheep from one property to the next. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“Yeah, it’s not a bad town. What I’ve seen of it, anyway. Unfortunately, I only had a month to get familiar with it before I ended up in hospital.”

I nudge my chair closer, preparing myself for the scoop on this mysterious man. “How did you end up in Willow Creek in the first place?”

“I grew up about half an hour from here at Logan Falls.”

And still I didn’t hear about the Marshall boys? I thought I had connections! “Like I said, the falls is where I kayak. A bit farther downstream though. It’s so pretty.” And it gives me a whole lot of time to think out there.

“Yeah, it was … I moved to Sydney when I was eighteen—lived there until a couple of years ago. Needed some space from … stuff.”

“Is your mum still in the falls?”And why isn’t she on your list of approved visitors?

“My mum is buried out there. So yeah. Still there.”

Face-palm. Way to go, Jane.“Crap, I’m sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter. That’s just life, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess. Can I put my foot in it again and ask about your dad?”

“Sure, why not? He’s on deployment overseas with the army. We don’t talk.”

“And Ben?”

“Big brother tries to solve all the world’s problems.”

I smile, thinking about that solid wall of man taking on the world. “And how’s he going with that?”

“There’s just one he’s having trouble with,” Sam says and clenches his jaw.

“Oh, and what’s that?”

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