‘Tommy, come on, mate, you don’t nonetheless consider that BS your grandfather instructed you about me being concerned along with your dad and mom’ deaths, do you?’

Silence was Jarrah’s solely reply as Tommy stormed out of the tack shed.

Bitter disappointment, coupled with overwhelming damage, swept by means of Jarrah. However as a lot as he wished to have it out as soon as and for all along with his temperamental nephew, he zipped his mouth shut. Phrases stated in warmth have been normally regretted. There’d be no profit in arguing with him. Step by stomping step, Tommy wasn’t solely burning his bridge right here at Riverside Acres, he was basically blowing it to smithereens. There was solely a lot of this perspective he might take, earlier than sending Tommy on his merry means. The very thought despatched his coronary heart plummeting. Then there was the aching weight of Millie. He wanted to go over to the roadhouse and attempt to clean over any remaining uncomfortableness together with her. They have been pals. And he or she labored for him. He didn’t need her leaving right here any prior to she deliberate to as a result of it felt awkward between them. Once more.

His strides lengthy and deliberate, it didn’t take him lengthy to achieve the again display door. ‘Howdy doody, Millie.’ The display slapped closed behind him as he stepped into the excitement of the kitchen.

She turned to him, flour smudges upon her cheeks. ‘Oh hey, Jarrah.’

He was going to get straight to the purpose. ‘I’m sorry about final night time.’

‘Don’t fear about it.’ She bit down on her backside lip, and saved it clamped between her tooth as she unpacked the dishwasher.

Her silence destroyed any hope he’d had of them going again to some type of normalcy. With all his coronary heart he wished to shut the gap and provides her a hug. However he was anxious if he risked touching her, she would flicker like a picture upon water, then disappear like a mirage, leaving him aching much more to know what might have been if he’d held his horses and allowed issues to fall into place.

Say one thing, King, something to fill this horrible silence …

‘Are all of us good, Millie?’ It was pretty evident they weren’t, however he didn’t know what else to say.

Nodding then plonking the cutlery basket on the bench, she rested a hip towards the aspect of the counter as she began to unpack all the pieces, however nonetheless stated nothing. Jarrah’s voice of purpose roared. This was so laborious. She felt so far-off from him and he hated this gaping divide. It was taking each little bit of willpower he might muster to not seize her and declare all the pieces over again, extra passionately this time, within the hope she’d stand up on her tippy toes, wrap her arms round his neck, and kiss him like she by no means wished to let him go. He might try to clean issues over all he wished, so they may return to being pals, however he couldn’t deny that he was loopy about her. Really, he was crazier than loopy. He was boots over head, inevitably, undoubtedly, falling tougher for her as every day handed.

‘What’s it, Jarrah? I can see you’ll want to inform me one thing else.’ She threw a look in his path. ‘So simply say it, please.’

He fidgeted slightly, wishing he might come proper out and converse his fact, however worry of a second rejection halted him. ‘I used to be simply going to ask in case your Jimny is operating good now.’

She shook her head and her blonde ponytail swept over her shoulder. ‘I see what you’re doing and I’m not taking part in that sport.’ She went again to the dishwasher and dumped the empty cutlery holder inside earlier than shutting the door and turning all her consideration to him. ‘I do know I principally ran off final night time, and I’m sorry about that. It’s simply, I wasn’t prepared so that you can inform me one thing so intense, and I panicked.’

‘Me liking you doesn’t must be so,’ he grimaced on the means she’d pronounced it, ‘intense.’

‘I’m not planning on sticking round right here, Jarrah, so there’s no use in us making an attempt to make one thing out of this, wouldn’t you agree?’

‘Sure, and no.’

‘Which one is it, Jarrah?’ She huffed. ‘Sure or no?’

‘Truthfully, it’s each.’

Scruff had joined them, and was wanting from one to the opposite, his type brown eyes clouded with fear and his brow puckered.

Millie hunkered right down to his top. ‘It’s okay, buddy, we’re all good right here.’ There was extraordinary compassion in Scruff’s eyes as she gave his head a loving ruffle.

Witnessing simply how a lot Scruff adored her, a pang of craving struck Jarrah’s coronary heart, robust sufficient to ship his hand to his chest to try to by some means soothe it. With all her consideration on Scruff, he closed his eyes, taking a second to will the feeling away. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Millie’s comfortable sigh had him opening his eyes to fulfill hers.

‘I’m guessing there’s quite a bit we don’t learn about one another, Jarrah, and we’re not going to peel again the layers within the quick period of time I’m right here.’ She positioned a mild hand on his arm. ‘Subsequently, I don’t wish to step over any extra boundaries, as a result of I don’t wish to damage you, and I don’t need you to harm me.’ Despite the fact that she was softly smiling, there have been tears in her eyes.

The ache of witnessing her despair nearly snapped him in two. ‘I completely perceive, Millie.’ He cleared his throat and nodded. ‘I’ll depart you to get again to it, then.’

Earlier than she might bear witness to his personal uncooked feelings, he strode out and into the sunshine, determined to catch the breath she’d simply stolen from him. Tomorrow, he’d return to his motto of by no means wanting again, as a result of he wasn’t going that means. Not ever. Not even for Tommy. And as for him and Millie, that dreamlike night time was a factor of the previous too. Their probability was gone. And there’d be no second probabilities. For any of them.

***

The next morning, Millie couldn’t get sufficient of the salty sea breeze because it tossed rolling waves onto the shore and tousled her free hair. Good imprints of her naked toes and Scruff’s paws trailed behind her within the comfortable, moist sand as she made her means in the direction of the jetty. Her plan was to take a seat on it for a short while, her legs dangling over the sting and her consideration within the second. As a result of after pining over Jarrah the final couple of days and mendacity awake half the night time crying about what they may have had below totally different circumstances, she wanted to centre herself, and the one means to do this was to get away from Riverside Acres, and Jarrah, for a few hours. And what higher place than the seashore to come back and air out her coronary heart on her break day?

Above, seagulls dipped and dived, calling to at least one one other. She loved the crunch of sand between her toes as she wandered the horseshoe-shaped shoreline. Tilting her floppy straw hat to thrust back the golden rays of daylight, she gazed dreamily in the direction of the place the water met with the horizon. The breath of the ocean was serving to to appease her soul, together with placing issues into perspective. Yet another week, that was what she was giving this enterprise, earlier than she packed her baggage, stated goodbye to Jarrah and Scruff – no want for such sentiments for Tommy – and headed again to Sydney. Staying right here any longer would solely complicate issues additional. After nearly three weeks there, she was none the wiser as to who had despatched the letter, and why she’d been instructed to come back there. Woefully, she was beginning to consider it had been a waste of time, and whoever was behind the letter had identified that, and the sick son of a bitch was having fun with controlling her life as if she have been a puppet.

Scruff raced forward of her, his nostril poking into the holes that the little crabs had escaped into. She wished she might strip off, race to the water’s edge and plunge beneath the waves, however who knew what was lurking there. The crocodile warning indicators, in addition to the newspaper clippings Jarrah had pinned behind the bar, had labored on her – not like another individuals who dared to courageous the water. Even Scruff was being continuously reminded to get away from the sting of the water. She’d been hesitant to carry him, however Jarrah had insisted, saying Scruffball would hold her secure from any weirdos. She discovered his want to guard her endearing. Not that she was going to permit the sensation to unfold. He’d gotten beneath her armour as soon as and she or he couldn’t let him do it once more.

Reaching the jetty, she referred to as Scruff again to her aspect. ‘Come on, buddy, let’s go and ponder the that means of life for slightly bit, hey.’

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