He laughed. “Okay, I promise not to do that.”
She chewed on her lip. “I hear you saying it, but I’m not sure it’s really convincing.”
“What do you want me to do? How can I reassure you?”
“I don’t know.” She wandered back to his desk and perched on the edge of it. “Do you think you’ll miss your career?”
“Probably,” he admitted.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“It’s fine, though. Of course there’ll be things about it that I’ll miss. But I won’t miss having to live out of hotel rooms, or chase down leads, or push a microphone into grieving people’s faces. There are plenty of aspects to the job that I’m glad to give up.”
“Because you don’t have to do it… You don’t have to give it up for me.”
“I know that.” He looped an arm around her and pulled her close. “I want to. I need a break. It’s not just about you—this is a chance for me to do something different with my life. And who knows? Maybe I’ll go back to it one day. But for now, it’s time for me to go in another direction.”
There was a knock at the office door, and Charmaine poked her head inside. “Penny?”
Penny hurried to meet her. “I’m in here.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting you two lovebirds,” Charmaine said with a shy smile.
Penny laughed. “Not at all. Come with me. We can talk in my office.” She blew Rowan a kiss and led Charmaine down the hall to her private office. It was small and cramped, with filing cabinets lining the walls and photographs of her with a variety of animals in mismatched frames hung above the cabinets.
Charmaine’s large grey eyes swept around the room, taking it in. “I love seeing the way you take care of these animals. You’re a hero to them, you know?”
Penny’s face warmed. “I don’t know about that.”
“Definitely a superhero.”
“That’s very kind of you. I love them, so I do what I can to help them. It’s the best job in the world.”
“You’re lucky. I haven’t really found work that I’m so passionate about. Although I’m beginning to enjoy arranging flowers and wedding planning.”
Penny sat at her desk and indicated for Charmaine to sit across from her. “What other types of work have you done?”
“When I left school, I didn’t know what to do, so I worked in retail for a couple of years. But then I discovered archaeology, and I decided to give it a try at university. It was great, but in the end, not for me.”
“What happened?” Penny leaned back in her chair.
“My mother died. After that, I couldn’t really concentrate on my studies anymore.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Penny said. “That must’ve been hard.”
“She was my family. I don’t have anyone else—no one who cares enough to stick around, anyway. So, after she died, I quit university, sold up everything I owned and left town.”
“Which town was that?”
“Newcastle.”
“Do you miss it?”
“It’s been a few years since I left. I’m twenty-five now. But I think about it every now and then. The memories are getting less sad with each year that passes. Maybe one day I’ll go back—I don’t know. I like it here now.”
“Coral Island will definitely grow on you,” Penny admitted.
“I remember you saying you’ve spent your whole life here — did you ever leave?”
