road early and had stopped for breakfast. She pegged the parents as mid-thirties, wearing the harried expressions of those who’d already weathered too many ‘are we there yet?’ choruses. The kids, a motley crew of three ranging in age from a toddler to a teen, were making enough noise that her head started pounding again. They should’ve annoyed her yet somehow the sight of the tight-knit family travelling together brought a lump to her throat. She wanted that: a guy she could depend on; a guy interested in a relationship; a guy who could make her feel secure in a way her wealth couldn’t. And if she were lucky enough to have kids, she’d make sure she treated them a damn sight better than her mother had treated her.
‘Ready for that cuppa?’ Ruby touched her shoulder and Jane gathered her wits. Bad enough she’d been caught out by Ruby, she didn’t need to add a weird crying jag on top of her one-night-stand shame.
‘That sounds good.’ She followed Ruby to a small table set up near the office. Along with a teapot, Ruby had laid out a plate of scones and tiny bacon quiches and, to Jane’s surprise, a pang of hunger made her stomach gripe.
‘I’m hungry,’ Ruby said, taking a seat. ‘I thought you might be too.’
‘Thanks for all this.’ Jane sat opposite and helped herself to a scone, dolloping locally made raspberry jam and cream on top, before pouring a steaming cup of peppermint tea. She inhaled deeply, the familiar minty fragrance soothing her head and settling her tummy.
‘You okay?’ Ruby pinned her with a steady gaze surprisingly devoid of judgement, and for the second time in as many minutes, Jane’s throat tightened with emotion.
‘I screwed up last night and I’m not proud of it,’ she said, taking a sip of tea, wishing it would cool faster so she could down the entire cup. Though she knew her rumbling tummy had more to do with nerves at having this kind of conversation with Ruby than the remnants of a hangover.
‘We all make mistakes.’ Ruby shrugged and if she weren’t being so nice, Jane would hate her.
Jane snorted. ‘What mistakes have you made lately?’
Ruby’s mouth eased into a wry grin. ‘We’re talking about you, not me.’ She hesitated, before continuing, ‘Look, I know we’re not close and your private life has got nothing to do with me, but that guy you hooked up with didn’t seem your type.’
‘I had a bad day and came in here to chill. Then that truckie started paying me attention and—’ Jane shrugged. ‘You’re so smitten with Connor you wouldn’t get this, but that guy gave me the validation of being wanted …’ She trailed off and took another sip of tea so she wouldn’t sob. Crazy, to be sitting here offloading to a woman so perfect everybody in town adored her. Like Ruby would ever understand what she’d been through.
‘I get it,’ Ruby said, so softly Jane wondered if she’d imagined it. ‘You forget, I ran away from this town. I knew no one in Melbourne and I often dated guys who were wrong for me, just for attention.’
Surprised by Ruby’s admission, Jane leaned forwards. ‘The stupid thing is, I don’t sleep around, I just like flirting because it makes me feel noticed, you know?’
Ruby nodded. ‘Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.’
‘But what you don’t know is how the small-town mentality of many around here assume that flirting leads to more.’ Jane grimaced. ‘I haven’t helped myself over the years because I didn’t correct the misconceptions. Some of Mum’s cronies, the old biddies who think she walks on water, got me so mad I flaunted myself on purpose just to get a rise out of them.’ She tapped her temple and made circles. ‘Crazy, huh?’
Confusion creased Ruby’s brow. ‘Why didn’t you leave?’
How could Jane answer that honestly without reinforcing how crazy she was? Ruby had always had a great relationship with her mum. She’d never understand that Jane stuck around to make Gladys’s life a misery.
‘I ask myself that question every day.’ Jane forced a flippant laugh but could tell Ruby didn’t buy it. Thankfully, they weren’t close enough for her to push the issue.
‘For what it’s worth, there’s something to belonging in a town like this.’
Jane’s throat tightened so she aimed for levity again. ‘Are we actually having a bonding moment here?’
‘Don’t push it,’ Ruby said, with a smile. ‘I hated your guts for so long—but life’s too short to hold