“Yeah, I’m still here.” And I feel so far away. I wish like anything I was back in Brisbane. Back with Luke.
“Are you okay over there? I worry about you. Talk to me and don’t leave anything out.”
Admitting when I’ve made a mistake isn’t something I do easily. I’m so damn stubborn and will keep plodding along in the direction I’ve chosen. Within two months of arriving in LA, I knew I’d screwed up. And not just because I missed Luke like crazy. “I don’t fit in here, A. I love writing, but I don’t love writing as part of a team for a TV show. And the people are all so… fake. I can’t tell who at work actually likes me for me, or whether they think I can do something for them and that’s why they like me. And don’t get me started about the coffee here. I miss Aussie coffee.”
“Oh, babe, why don’t you come home if you’re not happy?”
“I don’t want to be a quitter. Maybe it will get better.” I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince the most here.
“It’s not called quitting if you make a decision for the right reasons.”
“It’s also damn expensive to pack up and move home. Trust me, I’ve calculated it. And then I’d have to get a job and find somewhere to live… It all just feels too hard and too much.”
“Callie, stop and breathe for a moment. Everything can be sorted out. You can live with me until you get on your feet. You can even work with me in my eBay shop. My sales just keep growing and we could definitely expand it and do more if I had you working too. I can help you out for money—”
“Avery, you need your money to pay for the baby.”
“Just shut up for a minute, okay? I’ve been saving like you wouldn’t believe over the last six months and things have really turned around for me. I’ve been telling you this for months. I could help you out for a little while.”
She has been telling me this, but still, I hate the idea of taking money from my friends. “I’ll think about it.”
“I swear I will come over there myself and get you if you don’t either start loving life again or come home by yourself. Some days I can totally understand why Luke used to get so frustrated with you.”
I sag against the counter. “Did you have to mention his name again?”
“My bad.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got Harvey.”
“Oh, God, you’re back on him?”
I never stopped.
“Let’s make a pact—no more talk of men for this conversation. Talk to me about Estelle’s wedding. What are you wearing? I need to know everything so I can get ready.”
We spend the next half hour talking about everything under the sun, except for Luke or Tyler. When I hang up the phone, I curl into a ball on my bed and cry myself to sleep.
I thought breakups were supposed to get better with each passing day and month. Mine isn’t. Luke Hardy has taken up residence in my heart and my soul, and I don’t know how I’ll ever get over him.
44
Luke
“Daddy, you’re late!” Sean flies into my arms the minute I enter the kitchen. His excited features cause a smile to spread across my face. Coming home to my son is always the best part of my day.
“How was school today?” I ask, still holding him. I figure it won’t be long now until he stops wanting me to hold him so I’m making the most of every minute I have with him at this age.
“Jacinta May got into a fight with me. She always fights with me.” I chuckle. My son is learning that girls can be a handful at an early age.
I let him down and eye my family sitting around the dining table. Paris is deep in conversation with Avery while Tyler shakes his head at something they say, and Mum is laughing flirtatiously at something George has said. Paris looks up and smiles. Waving me over, she says, “Luke, we need your input on this.”
Sean drags me to the table and I take the seat next to Mum. “What’s up?”
Avery rolls her eyes at the same time that Tyler says, “Avery wants to go sailing while we’re at the Whitsundays—”
Avery jabs her thumb towards Tyler. “And he says it’s not safe. For God’s sake, I’d just be sitting on the damn boat. I wouldn’t go snorkelling or anything so I don’t see how it could harm me or the baby.”
Tyler turns to face her. I’m sure all she sees is him arguing with her, but what I see is a man so in love with a woman and the child they’re having that he is desperate to keep them safe. “What if the water gets choppy? Or you stand and lose your balance? You could fall and then we’d be stuck out at sea with no way of getting you to the hospital.”