The momentary joy that sparring with her brought faded quickly as he realised his day job for the next year would be making Kinstead Avocados viable.
‘Why do you hate being back on the farm so much?’ she asked, her insight impressive as she homed in on his thoughts.
He should fob her off, give a lame excuse, but for the first time in forever, he wanted to unburden himself. Maybe being back in the pub made him nostalgic, or maybe he’d finally connected with a woman on a deeper level than superficial, but whatever the reason, he found himself leaning in and saying, ‘Because growing up on the farm was the pits. Dad treated me like the heir apparent, assuming I’d take full control one day. Mum never stood up to him no matter how much I wished she would. And their marriage was an absolute farce. They barely acknowledged each other. I could never fathom why she stayed with him.’
If El displayed the slightest hint of pity, he’d clam up, but yet again, she surprised him when she reached for his hand and squeezed it.
‘Mothers tolerate a lot for their kids. Maybe she wanted to give you a stable home?’
‘I would’ve preferred if she’d left him and taken me with her.’
‘But if he expected you to run the farm, he probably wouldn’t have allowed that? So rather than go through a messy custody battle, Ferne stayed?’
‘Probably,’ he murmured, wondering if his mum had been that self-sacrificing, tolerating his father’s frostiness for his sake.
Hell, he hoped not.
Increasingly uncomfortable under El’s intense scrutiny, he said, ‘What about your folks? You’re so optimistic all the time, I bet you had the perfect childhood.’
Her expression closed off and he wished he could take back his words.
‘My parents took me everywhere they went, and that’s a lot of places. They’re wanderers, can’t stay in one place for long, which was exciting as a kid, but when I hit my teens, I wanted to stay in the same school and make friends, not be dragged around.’ She grimaced. ‘Around that time, I started feeling like a third wheel. Like I was intruding on their marriage and they would’ve been happier without me.’
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. ‘Turns out, my inkling was right, because as soon as I turned eighteen, they announced they were heading to Buenos Aires for a change of scenery. Dad had invented an app that medical students use so he made a fair bit of cash, and Mum is his assistant, so she can work anywhere. They deposited a chunk of cash in my bank account for rent while I did a marketing degree and flew in once a year. They returned five years ago and retired on the Gold Coast. They’re amazing, and we’re close …’
‘But?’
‘But I’ve always felt alone, even when we were together.’ She crinkled her nose. ‘It resulted in me making dubious choices when it comes to men.’
Her honesty surprised him, and he clamped down on the urge to hug her.
‘Present company excluded, I hope?’
She smiled, as he intended. ‘You’re the worst. I mean, come on, making out with my boss would be a dumb move.’
‘Technically, I’m not your boss. My mother hired you.’
‘Semantics,’ she said, but the spark in her beautiful blue eyes returned. ‘Ferne may have hired me, but I’m working under you now.’
He checked his first appalling response—Not yet, but would you like to?—and said, ‘At the risk of you slugging me so I fall off this extremely uncomfortable bar stool, I’d like nothing better than if we made out, as you so eloquently put it.’
Her eyebrows rose. ‘Really?’
‘Maybe you should try me and find out.’
The arrival of the Galahs put paid to further discussion, but as Robbo placed a lemon, lime and bitters in front of him, and Thommo dumped a share plate of nachos in the middle of the table despite demolishing a huge surf ’n’ turf only an hour ago, Cruz had every intention of revisiting his tête-à-tête with El once they got home.
CHAPTER
17
As Robbo ribbed Thommo about his bottomless pit of a stomach and Kyle shot longing glances at a clueless Bindi, Elora wondered what the hell had prompted her to unburden her soul to Cruz.
Oversharing wasn’t sexy, yet that’s exactly what she’d done. Then again, he’d revealed far more of his past than she’d expected him to, so it seemed only fair she responded in kind.
Hearing about his parents’ marriage saddened her. After chatting with Ferne over the phone then meeting her in person, she couldn’t imagine the attractive, vivacious older woman being shackled to a loveless marriage. Though she’d seen similar with friends of her parents, couples who stuck together for the sake of their children, and she’d hazard a guess that’s exactly what Ferne had done: stayed in a dead-end marriage so Cruz could benefit from growing up on the farm and inheriting it one day.
If Cruz’s dad had been as much of a prick as he sounded, he probably would’ve cracked it if his wife left and took their son with her, and Cruz might’ve got nothing. And as much as he professed to hate the thought of living on the farm for the next year, she’d seen the glint of excitement in Cruz’s eyes at the thought of opening a restaurant, however temporary.
