out of the phone’s tiny speakers and the bird froze, a little seed rolling out of his beak. As the song started playing, he stretched up to full height and fanned out his crest before leaping onto the railing that enclosed the small deck.
“Go on, little guy,” Trent encouraged him. “You know you want to.”
As the song neared its famous chorus, Jos started bouncing his head and waving his foot up and down in time with the beat. Then he went into full head-banger mode, bowing and rising with the time of the music, giving a little shake every so often as if enjoying the music so much that his whole body was alive with it.
Cora let out a delighted laugh. “Joe Cocker…Joe Cockatoo. Clever.”
“I was working on the house not long after Liv bought it, before she’d even moved in, and I had some old rock music blaring. This little guy came to the window and got his groove on.” Trent grinned at the memory. “Now I always try to play something for him so he’ll come visit.”
“I can’t believe anyone would leave you behind.” Cora made a clucking sound and Joe chirped in response.
“Bugger it!”
Cora laughed and looked at the bird. “I was about to say you were a total sweetheart, but then you had to go and curse me out.”
“Seems the previous owner didn’t have much of a verbal filter,” Trent said. “He’s got quite the repertoire.”
“Maybe I can teach him a thing or two while I’m here.” She rubbed her finger against the bird’s feathered breast. “Give him a few nice things to say. Or at least some American curses.”
At that moment, Joe decided the hangout was over. He launched himself into the air with a powerful flap of his white wings and, a second later, disappeared into the densely packed trees behind Liv’s property. Cora scattered what was left of the seed onto the grass.
“On that note, are you ready for a change of scenery?” Trent asked.
“Sure.”
His smile broadened. “Good. Throw your bathers on. I’m taking you to the beach.”
…
Fifteen minutes later, Cora followed Trent down a set of wooden stairs that led to the Patterson’s Bluff beach. The sun was out in full force, and it beat down on her shoulders and back and arms, as if recharging her. There was something so invigorating about the beach, something so…restorative.
The planks were warm beneath her bare feet, and the cool breeze brought the briny scent of sea and sunscreen to her nostrils. There were plenty of people out enjoying the glorious weather. Young families frolicked at the water’s edge, and a group of teenagers battered a giant beachball around in the waves. There were even a few dogs enjoying themselves, chasing tennis balls and carrying sticks and doing all kinds of adorable doggy things.
Trent waved to a group farther up the sandy stretch. A group of men and women were all in beach gear—board shorts and swimsuits and bikinis. It was like an Australian tourism ad, bronzed beautiful people with salt-drenched hair and tanned skin and beaming smiles. Suddenly Cora felt like an outsider—like she was intruding on their perfect world.
“I didn’t know we were meeting people,” she said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. When Trent offered nothing more than a cavalier wink, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of Cora’s stomach. Uh-oh. “Why do I have a feeling this is sports related?”
He laughed and bumped her arm, walking close to her. He’d showered before they left, and the scent of citrus soap was still fresh on his skin. “You know me so well already. Like I said yesterday, my cricket team is down one.”
“You asked them if it was okay for me to join, right?” she said. Back home, in her parents’ social circles, everything was invite-only, exclusivity worth even more than money. And turning up unannounced was not only frowned upon, but a quick way to become a social outcast.
Back in the Cabots’ world, a person had to earn their place.
Trent looked at her, his brows wrinkled in confusion. “It’s a public beach; everyone is welcome here.”
“Right.” She adjusted her sunglasses. “I just… You don’t have to babysit me, is all. If you want to hang out with your friends, you don’t need to let me tag along.”
Trent stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her, placing his hands on her upper arms. The warmth of his touch infused her with a lightly sparkling quality, like someone had tipped champagne into her bloodstream.