‘Hope you’re hungry,’ he said, kissing her cheek as he entered. ‘My other mates reneged on lunch at the last minute, and Bette and I barely made a dent in the food because we were worried about you.’
‘Sorry about that. Did Bette mention anything?’
‘No. She said you’d explain.’
Once again, Ferne couldn’t believe she’d made such a good friend in under a week. Her friends in Rosevale Grove thrived on gossip and would’ve feasted on her misfortune. She hadn’t minded their penchant for mindless chatter, because the more Mae and Lori nattered about other people in town, the less she had to talk or divert their beady eyes from her.
What kind of person did that make her, that it took a new genuine friendship to realise she’d been acting the entire time in Rosevale Grove? Pretending to be okay with the sad situation in her marriage, faking it for her friends, assuming a role of a farm owner invested in the region, when in reality it had been a sham. All of it.
Maybe confronting Jesse had brought more clarity than she’d thought?
‘You’re a million miles away,’ Taj said, placing containers into the fridge. ‘Perhaps you want to talk first and eat later.’
‘Sure.’
Watching him move around her kitchen with ease triggered something unexpected in Ferne. Did she want this? A man she’d once loved wholeheartedly re-entering her life and slipping into comfortable domesticity hot on the heels of escaping a life that had encapsulated exactly that?
Did Taj realise this couldn’t be more than a fling for her? That she craved travel and freedom like her next breath? That she’d never give up her dreams for a man ever again?
Then again, perhaps she was overthinking this. Taj had given her zero indication he was thinking about the future. How could he, when they’d only discovered each other again?
She needed to ‘calm the farm’, as Mae used to say. No point stressing about something that may never eventuate.
‘Can I get you anything?’ Taj asked as he sat opposite her.
‘No, I’m good, thanks.’ She clasped her hands together in her lap. ‘I’m guessing you want to know what happened this afternoon.’
He nodded, the lines at the corners of his eyes crinkling with concern. ‘Were you really sick or did being in my place freak you out?’
‘Nothing like that. But you’re right, I wasn’t sick. I needed to get out of there, because Jesse was Mac’s lover.’
He gaped at her, shocked, before closing his mouth and shaking his head. ‘How did you … I mean … Wow.’
‘Long story short, Bette brought dinner over the day I fell, I loved it and asked where it was from, she mentioned the restaurant’s name, and I put two and two together because of the restaurant’s proximity to the flat and Mac’s lover being called Jesse Lee. So I went down there and recognised him, and he recognised me too. Then when he walked into your place today … I had to get out of there.’
‘Understandable. I’m sorry you had to go through that.’
‘I invited him over here this afternoon and he came. We talked.’
‘That must’ve been tough.’
‘It was, but I’m glad I did it.’
Taj’s stunned expression morphed into one of concern. ‘Being in this apartment, knowing they conducted their relationship here, must be hard on you, so I have an idea. What if you moved in with me?’
It was her turn to gape as he continued, ‘I’ve got plenty of room. There’s a guest bedroom downstairs so you wouldn’t have to tackle the steps. And I can look after you while your ankle heals, plus it gives us time to get reacquainted. What do you think?’
He looked so excited, so hopeful, that Ferne almost said yes. Before common sense kicked in and she responded with the only sane answer.
‘I can’t.’
Refusing Taj’s offer for her to move in with him had a surprising effect on the man Ferne once harboured dreams of marrying: tears filled his eyes.
‘You can’t or youwon’tmove in with me?’ he asked, crossing his arms.
‘Taj, while I appreciate the kind offer, we’ve only just re-entered each other’s lives.’
‘Isn’t that reason enough?’
