“See aforementioned comment about being an old spinster.” Maddy laughed. “Seriously though, it took a lot of work. There was a period of time that we didn’t speak at all, and it was hard. But the time apart made me see that I didn’t want to lose her from my life. We needed to find a middle ground.”
“I’m not sure there is a middle ground with my mother.” Cora sighed. “I feel like I’ve tried everything—confronting her, avoiding her, trying to play nice…”
“Finding middle ground only works if both sides are willing to try. If you’ve given it all you have and she’s still not meeting you halfway…” Maddy shrugged. “As you said, you can’t be responsible for her. You need to live your life at some point.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I came here to do exactly that and I feel like I’ve spent the whole time thinking about relationship troubles.”
“Maybe you need some more distraction, then.” Maddy tapped the books in Cora’s hands. “A little steamy romance should do the trick.”
But the way she said it, with a twinkle in her eye, made Cora wonder if her new friend was talking about more than romance between the pages of a book. Maybe Cora needed some real romance. A true no-strings vacation fling. Who knew? Maybe it might even help get her creative juices flowing for her manuscript?
Perhaps it was time to woman up and stop overthinking everything.
And so what if it was a bit of a rebound? She deserved some fun for all the heartache she’d been through lately. And really, it’s not like there would be any consequences—she wasn’t going to stay in Australia past the end of the month, and it didn’t seem like Trent was looking for anything serious. Nobody had to know, either. It wasn’t anyone’s business.
What are you waiting for?
Cora would put her perfect family dream on hold—for the next few weeks there would be no TV-family fantasies. No white-picket-fence visions. No imaginary husband to give her perfect imaginary babies. No desperation to get her father to believe in her.
None. Of. That. Shit.
All that mattered was the here and now and doing stuff that made her feel good. She’d earned it.
Chapter Thirteen
Cora made her way back to Liv’s house, eager to see Trent after making her decision about collecting on their sexual chemistry. Anticipation burned through her veins, churning her up inside. So what if this was about scrubbing the memories of her bad relationships away? So what if it was for nothing more than feeling good and wanted and desired, even if it meant absolutely freaking zip in the long run?
As she drove, her eyes widened at the darkly shifting shapes overhead. Trent had told her summer storms could sneak up quickly, shattering the sky and drenching the earth before disappearing as quickly as they came.
This is not a bad omen. This is not a bad omen.
She barely made it to the house before the storm hit. It was incredible to watch the sky shift from vivid blue with fluffy marshmallow clouds to roiling shades of inky navy and rich, deep purple split only by streaks of pale gold lightning. She jumped out of the car and made a break for the front door, head bowed to the pelting rain. The cool droplets were almost a relief from the heat, but they came so thick and fast that she was drenched in seconds.
Cora gasped as her sandals skidded on the wet concrete, and when she looked up, she saw the front door was open and Trent was standing there.
“Come on,” he said. “It caught me, too. I only just beat you home after picking up some tools from Nick.”
“This rain is no joke.” Cora’s breathing came a little hard from the shock of being wet and cold after a long day of bone-melting heat. Her white T-shirt was all but glued to her skin, and her hair trickled chilly droplets down her back as she stepped into the house.
“One of the quirks of the weather here,” Trent replied, raking a hand through his hair and shaking off the excess water.
His T-shirt was also glued to him. It clung to every muscle in his work-honed body, from the broad “carry the world” shoulders to the hard pecs, rounded biceps, and rippled abs. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was desert dry. Even his shorts were clingier than normal, the light tan fabric dark in patches. As