“Okay,” Bella says.
“What if there’s a dog?” Cami is already glancing wistfully to the camp three sites up where a golden retriever is lying next to the tent chewing on a toy.
“If there’s someone around, you can ask if you can pat it,” Danika says. “But not otherwise.”
Cami nods, and the two of them scamper off, straight toward the golden retriever.
Kim’s heart picks up a faster rhythm.Alone at last. She’d like to say that to Danika—flirtatiously, suggestively—but she’s not sure yet if that’s what Danika would like. She thought so, but there’s still that lingering hesitation in Danika’s body language. Instead, she holds up the opened bottle of wine. “More?”
“Yes, please.” Danika’s sigh is heartfelt. She picks up their glasses for Kim to fill.
They sit facing the river, at an angle that allows them to watch their kids. The sun is nearly gone, a soft lilac twilight is stealing in, and already wisps of mist rise from the river. Somewhere a kookaburra chortles, a fish jumps, and a dog barks once before its owner shushes it.
Kim looks for Cami and Bella, who—no surprise—are crouched and petting the retriever. Its owner hands each girl something, and they offer it to the dog, who takes it gently. At least Kim assumes so—both girls still have their hands attached.
“This is a lovely spot,” Danika says. “Thank you for suggesting it.”
Kim sips her wine. It gives her the courage to say, “Thank you for coming.” She turns so she can see Danika’s face. “The last camping trip was wonderful. I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed getting closer to you, Dani-anni.”
“Stop.” Danika’s mouth twitches up in a smile. “That woeful nickname will not get any more airtime.” She reaches out a hand and touches Kim’s knee. “I got to know you too. More than I ever thought I would.”
Kim freezes. That sounds as if Danika is signing off. A sort of thank you for having me. Except they didn’t get that far. “We have tonight. And tomorrow.” She covers Danika’s hand with her own and presses it to her leg below the hem of her shorts.
“Yes,” Danika says, but there’s a hitch in her voice that says she’s not as wholehearted about this as she was the last time.
“I meant it,” Kim says. She releases Danika’s hand. “We can roll into our individual bags and go to sleep.”
Danika removes her hand from Kim’s leg. She’s staring at the dark river. “You must think I’m… What’s the equivalent of cockteaser when it’s a woman? Pussyteaser?”
“I don’t know. It’s never come up before.” She winces. That sounds as if she’s pressurising Danika.
Danika is silent for a moment. “Where are the girls? It’s full dark—I think I’ll go look for them.” She gets to her feet.
Kim rises too. The words, “I’ll come too” remain unsaid as Danika strides off along the riverbank. Instead, she gets out the flour and mixes the dough for damper, then finds the honey. When Danika and the kids return, she’s peeled the bark from some green sticks ready to cook the damper.
Bella’s an old hand at this, and she takes charge, showing Cami how to mould the dough in a long sausage along the peeled stick and hold it over the fire to cook. A twist breaks it free from the stick, leaving a hollow cylinder of dough, which they fill with honey and eat. It’s messy, it’s fun, and uncooked damper has never tasted so good.
By the time they’ve each had one, the girls’ eyelids are drooping, and they willingly go off to bed.
Kim holds up the wine bottle. “Another?”
Danika shakes her head. “I’m beat. I’m going to bed as well. Goodnight, Kim.” She gets her bathroom bag from the car and heads off to the amenities block.
Kim pours herself a glass and remains sitting, staring at the fire. She doesn’t look around when she hears Danika return, when the tent zip opens and closes. She sips her wine and gives Danika time to get into bed, to fight her inner demons and either feign sleep when Kim comes in, or maybe, just maybe, be ready to welcome her kisses again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Danika
Danika lies on her back, her fist resting on her forehead. She should have made an excuse, cancelled this camping trip simply so she didn’t have to deal with this…conflict inside her. One part of her wants so badly to pick up where they left off at Johanna Beach. Oh, they can’t do more than kiss—the kids are just a couple of metres away—but kissing is all Danika wants at this stage. Her mind fizzes to white as she considers anything past that.
But Kim’s kisses make her want to push past that blank in her mind and find out what comes next. She wants to feel Kim’s mouth on other parts of her body—and she wants to learn what Kim’s body feels like under her hands, under her tongue. How it tastes.
But how can she do that when she’s holding a secret from Kim, one that could break their closeness, shatter them apart? Money comes between so many people, and this isn’t an argument over whose turn it is to buy dinner. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake.
If only Chris had left a bloody will.It’s the hundredth time she’s thought that. When there was no will at the solicitors. No will in their household safe, nor in his sock drawer, or in theeffects that came back from work. Nada. Nothing. And if she cursed him then for not taking care of them that way, she’s thought it again a hundred times since then. Since her mum reminded her, starkly and silently, that the division of Chris’s estate was wrong. And unfair.
Leaving aside the house—which is legally Danika’s regardless of any division of the estate—there is just over eight hundred thousand dollars to take into consideration. There’s fifty thousand in trust for Cami. Danika has the rest. Once she paid off the mortgage, there was still around three-hundred thousand left over.
