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“Oh, but it’s only been a few days, I thought…”
“Things change, Mum, opportunities come up and you can’t knock them back,” I stated abruptly, swallowing back unwanted emotion.
My mum nodded in acceptance, but her sad expression remained. “I understand. You’ve had a rough patch and it’s great to see you’re getting back on your feet. It’s been so lovely having my whole family together again.”
I hugged her tightly, before she got teary. “I’m sorry, Mum. I promise I’ll stay longer next time.”
“I’ll go call your dad and brother in,” she said, concealing her emotion with action.
“No, no, I’ll go. I don’t want to stop them working.”
I walked out onto the back porch and scanned the farm for movement. Luckily, they were in the front paddock and I could easily get to them without too much fuss. They both looked up as I approached, and took the opportunity to have a breather.
“I’m heading off,” I opened.
“Okay darling. Will you be back for dinner?” Dad asked happily, leaning against his spade.
“No, Dad.” I winced. “I’m actually heading back to the States.”
His face dropped. “Oh…okay. I was just getting used to having my baby girl around again.”
“You’ll be back in time for the wedding, right?” Nate asked, with warranted concern.
“The tour finishes up just before, so it fits in perfectly. I wouldn’t miss it, Nate.” Relief flashed across his face. “Can you say goodbye to Amanda for me? I’ll email her on the road and she can update me on all the wedding details.”
Nate nodded. “Do you want me to tell Luke?”
The mention of his name made my heart ache. How easily I could have said yes to avoid confrontation. The last few days had been a perfect dream, and the thought of ending it hurt more than I expected. Perhaps turning the heat down for a few months would be a smart idea. We lived very different lives and chances are it would fizzle out anyway.
“No, I’ll see him on my way out,” I answered, with a tight smile.
I said my final goodbyes and jogged out to my car to meet Stefan, aware of what little time I had left.
As I got into the driver’s seat, I glanced across the road, pausing for a moment to absorb the beauty of Luke’s house.
Stefan followed my gaze. “Wow, who lives there?”
Something churned in the pit of my stomach and I struggled to answer. “Just an old friend,” I uttered, and turned the ignition.
* * *
I found a park on Main Street directly in front of Easton’s. It was mid-afternoon, so at least it wasn’t busy and I could talk to Luke in private. I paced out the front, taking deep breaths to prepare myself, praying he would understand.
The chime rang as I walked through the door, but Luke didn’t look up. I knew he heard it. He always did.
As predicted, the place was quiet. The lunch rush was over and they were now prepping for the dinner crowd. Luke pretended to be busy wiping down tables, but I could tell he was on edge. Instead of approaching him directly, I decided to wait at the bar until he was ready to speak to me. He returned to serve one of his regular bar flies, before reluctantly looking my way.
“Hey,” I greeted, nervously.
His jaw twitched. “Hey.”
We both fell silent as Luke’s eyes burned into mine. I was so absorbed in his gaze, I almost forgot why I had come.
His expression softened. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier, I shouldn’t have—”
My heart lurched. “I’m leaving,” I blurted.
His shoulders dropped and he braced the bar in front of him. “When?” he sighed, looking back up at me.
