Page 40

“This is such a great beach. It’s exactly the same as I remember it,” Lucas commented.

“I love it.” Josie took a sip of wine.

“You should move here then,” Sam joked.

“Funny that, I actually am,” Lucas said. The group went silent, unsure if he was joking or being serious. “I am. This isn’t a joke. I’m over the city.’’

Hazel looked at Serena and saw her friend’s pursed lips and the irked expression on her face. Serena caught Hazel’s stare and quickly relaxed her mouth, forcing a tight smile.

Sam sat up, gently pushing Hazel up with him. “Serious?”

“Yeah. Bells is kind of like home to me, and I need a change. When I head back to Brisbane, I’m going to start finalising everything up there. I’ll be moving down in the next few months.”

“That’s great news!” Sam grinned. Josie patted him on the back.

Hazel was shocked. Lucas had just been praising the city. Why was he now moving here? She supposed that, as a writer, he could work anywhere, while she couldn’t.

Staring out over the water, she thought back to their earlier conversation. Lucas had been praising the city and all the opportunities city life had. She couldn’t understand how he had just said all of that, while he was actively planning to move to Bells?

Sam squeezed Hazel’s arm gently. She wondered if he could sense her unease. He eased her into him, so she was lying against him. Settling herself against his warm body, she focused on the feel of his steady breathing. He laced their fingers together, and Hazel felt the lovely warmth she now expected at his touch. Her heart was beating steadily, and wrapped in his arms, she realised she felt, safe.

Josie was deep in conversation with Lucas, while Serena and Sam chatted about something behind her. Maribel was still asleep, wrapped in her towel against Serena.

The sun had nearly disappeared behind the mountains. The sky above the ocean was a lavender tinted pink. The tide was high and had climbed halfway up the beach. Watching the waves coming closer, Hazel thought about the weeks long internal war that had been raging between her head and her heart. She supposed she was like the beach, indecision changing like the tides. Stay. Climbing higher up the beach for a little while, before it was time for the water to recede and her mind was changed again. Go.

The crackling fire was warm against the chill of the wind. Glowing amber in the night, Sam and Lucas sat in the fire pit watching the flames lick dry timber.

They’d headed home shortly after sunset. Sam had carried a still sleeping Maribel to Serena’s car before they left with Josie.

Lucas had offered Hazel the front seat for the short drive back to Molly’s, which she had graciously declined. It was only a short trip. She was happy in the back.

When Sam had pulled up to Molly’s, he’d walked Hazel to the door, lingering as long as he could. He’d held her tightly, peppering her forehead with kisses as she smiled and leaned into him, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Lucas had watched the exchange from the front seat of the truck. The entire afternoon had left him dumbfounded. He had never seen Sam behave like this.

Hazel was lovely. After all, he’d known her since they were small. Sam’s feelings for her must be strong from the way he was acting around her. He’d held his tongue until now.

In the light of the fire, he finally broached it. “You love her.”

More of a statement than a question, Sam was caught off guard. “Hazel?”

“Yes, Hazel. I’m not blind, mate. And as someone who’s known you since we were twenty-two, I can tell you do. Deny it all you want. You’ve never acted like this with a girl. In fact, you’ve never even had a serious girlfriend.”

Sam dragged his hands down his face. He supposed it would be a shock for Lucas to see the way he acted around Hazel. He’d dated, certainly. But he’d never been with a girl for longer than about three months. Not because he treated them badly, or there was something wrong with him. He wondered if he had ever set the record straight with Lucas.

“I know. You’ve met a few of the girls I’ve dated. But I never felt like it was going anywhere with them, and it felt like I’d be leading them on when I knew there was no future. I was trying to do the right thing. I never felt, there wasn’t, I don’t know how to explain it. There’s been chemistry, of course there has, but,” he trailed off. “I really don’t know if there’s a word for it. The minute I met her, there was just this energy between us. As soon as I saw her, it was like a bolt of lightning hit me. She’s it.”

Lucas was silent, pondering. He knew that feeling. The crackling flames mesmerised him, his eyes fixed. Eventually he spoke. “That’s great, man. I guess Smithy was right when he said, when you know, you know.”

“I always thought he was full of it whenever he said that. But then I felt it.”

Lucas smiled at his friend as he picked up the beer that was resting on the ground next to him. He took a swig.

“She says she’s leaving.” Sam started, a frown on his face.

“Leaving?”

“Long story short, her life kind of blew up, so she came back here. Apparently she has every intention of getting another job and moving somewhere else.”