Noah and Ellie were her past, her present and her future. Ellie, her crazy best friend who’d somehow known how to bring her out of her shell, and Noah, the only man who’d ever cared enough to see beneath the surface and the only one she’d trusted enough to lower her walls and make that possible. Having them in her life had allowed her to blossom into a truer, more authentic version of herself—a version she hadn’t even known existed. She didn’t want to revert back to the lonely woman she’d been before. And, yes, she was terrified of losing them, but there was only one way to find out if love was worth the risk.
* * *
Juggling a bouquet of yellow roses, a bottle of wine and a gift bag, Beth knocked on the front door of the Heart Country B&B. She didn’t have a lot of practice at making heartfelt apologies, so she’d put a lot of thought into how best to repair her friendship with Ellie. She was aiming for honesty, but surely all would be forgiven if she came bearing gifts.
‘I’m sorry!’ Beth blurted as soon as the front door opened. ‘Please don’t hate me.’
Ellie blinked in surprise, then scoffed. ‘You dork, I couldn’t ever hate you.’ Wasting no time at all, she wrapped Beth in a hug, which Beth ly returned.
‘I love you, Elle, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t talk to you. I was just … really struggling.’
‘Youdon’t need to apologise.I’mthe one who’s sorry. I never should’ve lost my temper with you. I should’ve been there for you.’ Ellie pulled away, her eyes shining with unshed tears. ‘I wanted to come and see you, to make it up to you, but I thought maybe you needed space and I didn’t want to be the annoying friend who doesn’t know when to take a hint.’
‘Are you kidding? I love being annoyed by you.’
Beth was completely serious, but Ellie snorted and waved her in. ‘Come on. Let’s not stand here blubbering. Come inside.’
‘Here,’ Beth said, handing Ellie the flowers once she’d shut the door. ‘Yellow roses are a symbol of friendship.’
‘Aww, they’re beautiful!’ Ellie said, burying her nose in the bouquet. ‘Whose garden did you pinch them from?’
‘Nobody’s! I got them in Margaret River.’
Ellie looked up from selecting a vase out of the hallway cabinet. ‘You drove forty minutes, there and back again, just to get me flowers?’
‘Nope.’ Beth held up the gift bag and pointed to it. ‘I had other business to attend to while I was there.’
‘Ooh, intriguing.’
Ellie arranged the roses in the vase while Beth grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the kitchen and filled a bowl with strawberries, then they curled up on the couches in the front sitting room.
‘Remember the first real conversation we had in here?’ Beth recalled the day she’d scarcely been able to move after hours of gardening. Gosh, it seemed so long ago now.
‘Yeah, that was the day I predicted we’d become best friends.’
‘And I thought you were being facetious.’ Beth popped a strawberry in her mouth.
Ellie laughed. ‘I still don’t know what that means.’
‘I thought you were teasing me, basically. But, Elle, it turns out there’s a reason I’m no good at telling whether someone’s being genuine or not.’ Beth didn’t hold back. She told Ellie how, after she’d learned of Pru’s suspicions about Rosie, she’d discovered the similarities between personality disorders and autism, and her research had subsequently taken a diversion.
‘It’s crazy, Elle. I forgot I was reading to try to learn more about my mum, because the more I read, the more I realised just how many autistic traitsIhave. I mean, I’m one hundred per cent certain I’m autistic.’ It felt good to say it. Since her chat with Hana, she’d really started focusing on her strengths and was on her way to owning her newly discovered identity.
Ellie’s jaw dropped. ‘No way! You’re neurodivergent? Me, too! I’ve got ADHD!’
‘You do?’
‘Yeah, I was diagnosed as a teenager. I still struggle with certain things, but learning about how my brain works definitely helped. Speaking of which, you’re torturing me with that present!’ Ellie jabbed a finger at the gift bag still sitting at Beth’s feet. ‘I can’t believe you’ve made me wait this long.’
‘Jeez, you’re so impatient,’ Beth teased but grabbed the present and sat beside Ellie.
‘Excuse me,’ Ellie huffed, ‘it’s a symptom of my ADHD. Don’t diss the disability, Bethany!’ She grinned, though, and reached eagerly for the gift like a kid at Christmas.
Beth held her breath as Ellie pulled out the picture frame and flipped it face up. Ellie stared at the photograph, the seconds ticking by as she drew her brows together. ‘That’s Noah and me as kids, but who—Oh my god! Is that you?’ Ellie’s gaze flicked up, her eyes wide and questioning.
Beth nodded. ‘My dad brought me to Karlup for his mum’s funeral. I don’t remember, but apparently, I met you and Noah that day.’
Ellie stared at the photo, clearly speechless.
