no excuse.
Maybe Trent and his dad could keep this little secret between them. Cora didn’t have to know, did she? Ugh, of course he was going to have to tell her.
“I can’t believe you did that,” he said, though whether it was directed at his father or himself, he wasn’t totally sure.
“I know, I know.” His dad threw his hands up in the air. “But there’s good news to hopefully smooth over the fact that I didn’t tell you first. He wants to talk to your friend.”
“The editor?” Trent blinked.
“Yep. He told me he read it in one day and he loved it. Said there’s some work to do, of course, like with all new authors, but he wants to help her.”
“Holy shit.” Trent shook his head. “That’s amazing.”
“Yes, so I’ll email you his details and you can pass them along. Please tell her how much I enjoyed the story. It’s so invigorating to see young people going after their dreams. I hope she’s not too angry with me.”
“I’m sure she’ll forgive you,” Trent said with a smile.
And hopefully me, too.
Trent’s dad slapped him on the back in a hearty Walters family fashion and then led him out to the backyard. Nick looked up and waved with his free hand, the other turning the snags on the barbecue. There was some salmon there, too, and long skewers holding prawns and chunky slices of capsicum and red onion.
“Hi, Trent.” Liv waved and came over to give him a hug. Her long hair was tied into a bouncing ponytail and she wore a printed blouse with denim shorts and wedge heels. “I have to say thank you again for fixing the shower at my place. It works like a dream now. In fact, it was so good, I managed to drain my entire hot water tank with one shower.”
“I’m forgiven for squatting in your house, then?” He shot her a cheeky smile.
“Totally.” She leaned in and gave him a big hug, but there was something sluggish about her movements. Dark shadows circled her under-eye area.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Uh-huh, just tired.” Liv smiled, but it didn’t seem completely genuine. “Cora was messaging me yesterday saying she’s working super-long hours, too. The post-holiday backlog is a killer.”
He swallowed against the lump in his throat. He’d been doing the same—drowning himself in work, so the memories would stop playing on repeat.
“Thanks for taking good care of her,” Liv added. “She told me that you really made her feel welcome. I can’t believe you threw her a birthday party.”
“It was nothing.” And by nothing, of course, he meant everything. Now he was going to have to contact her, like that wouldn’t be awkward as shit.
Ugh, how do you get yourself into these messes?
“It wasn’t nothing. It was a really sweet gesture. You’re good people.” She squeezed his shoulder. “And I still can’t get over all the things you fixed in my house. I’ll pay you back for everything.”
“No, you won’t. It was a gift.”
“But that’s so much money, Trent. You’re supposed to be putting it all toward your own place.” She looked at him with a crinkled brow and worried eyes. “I mean, I know you tradies seem to earn more money than us white-collar folks these days, but still. I didn’t expect you to go all Grand Designs on me.”
“Probably more like one of those dodgy cable renovation shows, if we’re being honest,” he joked.
Liv swatted him. “Stop it. Those lights in the bathroom were magnificent; you have great taste. I can only imagine how beautiful your house is going to be when you build it. Emphasis on the when.”
“Don’t you start, too. You’ve been back in the country a few weeks and already you sound like Nick.”
“Sorry.” She held up her hands in peace. “It’s easier to think about everyone else’s future sometimes instead of worrying about your own, you know.”
Did he ever. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Liv. You’ve got four walls and a roof to call your own…and a cockatoo who won’t leave you be.”
She grinned. “Don’t you dare say anything bad about my baby Joe.”
“Ha, baby nothing. That guy is a stone-cold food-motivated master manipulator.”
At that moment, the final guests arrived. Big brother Adam and his wife, Soraya, walked through the back door into the yard, waving and calling out their hellos. Usually, at family gatherings, Trent felt a sense of restorative peace. His family was the most important thing in his world, and he loved spending time with them.
But