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She couldn’t believe how little Zach thought of her. “Don’t you dare tell me what I am or am not capable of.” A tear plopped as it hit the surface of her favourite pattern in her tie skirt. She rubbed at it with her finger. Then another landed.
“That’s not—I never said you weren’t capable, Lena—”
“You never said anything!” Her voice was a roar. “That’s why I—” The rest of the words wouldn’t come. Not like it would matter anyway. All her planning, all the work and care and love and excitement that had gone into her surprise—all the dang logistics, getting Copper vaccinated and tested and dewormed and quarantined. All the organising and donating and packing she’d done, to get her entire life small enough to fit in the suitcases that were currently jammed into her rental car. All of it was for nothing. And now she was stuck, because she’d quit her job and given up her apartment and made a huge dent in her savings. “If you had doubts, you should have told me. If you really thought our relationship wasimpossible, maybe you could havetoldme, I don’t know, eight months ago?”
“I never thought you’d just—show up.”
“Well, I never thought myboyfriendwould mind if I did. I never thought he’d decide to find someone else and forget to tell me! But you never really thought about me at all, did you? Not since you decided to accept the transfer.” The transfer he’d never bothered telling her he was applying for until he’d already accepted it. “That much is abundantly clear.”
Zach made a sound of protest, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to hear another stupid thing fall from his lips. “Don’t say anything else. I get it,Zed-baby. We’re done. Have been for a while now, I guess. Thanks for nothing.” She hung up just before the sob escaped. No way was she letting Zach hear that. She let out a string of curses, and when she glanced up, Grinch Guy’s dark eyes were on her, so intense she had to quickly look away.
4
NO ROOM AT THE INN
Heath overheard everything. Or rather, half of everything. Not because he was trying, but because Christmas Girl had left her window rolled down, and the woman wasn’t exactlyquiet. Good thing was, he’d heard enough to convince him the story she’d told him was legit—she really had knocked on his door, expecting to find some bloke named Zach. From the swearing she’d done after she hung up, the bloke was a special kind of arsehole.
But: not his circus, not his monkeys.
Confident Christmas Girl was no threat, and figuring she needed some space, he went inside to the kitchen and finished his dinner of leftover BBQ, gone cold. After he’d rinsed his plate, he checked out the window, expecting to see the spot next to his ute empty, like usual. Except she was still there.
Unbelievable. What kind of person took up residence in someone else’s driveway? He wasn’t running a camping site.
Still, he felt a bit sorry for Christmas Girl, and the evening hadn’t cooled off all that much since sundown. He pulled on a t-shirt, filled a glass with ice and water, and headed back out to the woman’s sedan. He’d nudge her along a bit. Direct her into town, where she could get some food and a place to stay.
She swiped furiously at her cheeks the second she saw him coming.Bloody hell.She was crying. Emotions were not his thing. Especially not dealing with other people’s. He pretended he hadn’t noticed.
“You sit in your car much longer, you’ll melt.” He held the drink out to her. “It’s not exciting, but it’s cold at least.”
She flashed that lopsided smile of hers, her crumpled face clearing for a second. “Think I’ve had enough of exciting, thanks.” She took the glass and drank a few sips, then plunked it into the centre cup holder. Her dog lurched forwards and lapped eagerly at what was left. Maybe he’d just let her keep the glass, then.
“Kind of couldn’t help overhearing. Sorry about your boyfriend.”
She let out a little snort. “Not my boyfriend anymore. Guess he hasn’t been for a while, I was just too stupid to notice.”
“I wouldn’t call it stupid to think someone’ll uphold their commitments.” It was a good way to find disappointment though. Which was why he’d decided it was easier to be self-reliant than to be bound to anyone else. Better to never make a promise than to risk not living up to one. Not that he was going to say anything like that to Christmas Girl. From the awkward silence and the look on her face, he’d already said too much.
“So, I was thinking your best bet is the Fig Tree Lodge.” He picked up the conversation they’d been having right before Zach-two-hearts had called and broke Abilene’s heart. “It’s nice. Right in town, so it’s easy to get to—”
“Yeah. I called them already. Full. The motel too.”
“Huh. You don’t say. Well, then I guess next best would be the Riverside Pub. It’s nice enough, and there’s food, if you’re—”
“All booked.”
He stared at her. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Her voice crackled with irritation. “I called. They said they’re full up. Them, and the Forrest Glen retreat too. There’s no vacancy anywhere I tried.” Her voice wobbled. “I really don’t want to drive all the way back to Sydney—”
“Did you try the caravan park?” It was the only other place he could think of, though why everything else was full he couldn’t understand. Christmas was just under two weeks away, and though Bindarra Creek had been trying hard to attract visitors ever since the pandemic, it wasn’t exactly a tourist mecca or a booming metropolis.
“A caravan park. What’s that?” Her brow furrowed.
Heath pulled out his phone, quickly typing the name of the park into his browser. “For motorhomes and camping.”
She dropped her head in her hands. “I don’t have a tent. Or a sleeping bag. Or a blanket. I’ve got a dog bed and a neck pillow.” She sounded like she might start crying again.
“I think there’s some cabins. Simple affairs, mind, nothing fancy, but…”
