this guy?’
Sam nodded. Carl left.
‘Boyfriend?’ Ethan asked lightly.
‘Ex.’
‘Huh. How long ago?’
‘A year ago now.’
‘He doesn’t know who I am.’
‘Should he?’
Ethan shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’m comforted. If you can sit by a bonfire with him you can sit by a bonfire with me. Are you on good terms with all of your exes?’
Sammy ignored this question, choosing instead to drink.
He waited. ‘He’s not your type.’
She sniffed. ‘What’s my type?’
‘I’m your type.’
‘Who says?’
‘Two years together says I’m your type.’
‘I was with him for three.’
‘Liar.’
Sammy shrugged and looked away.
They sat together in silence. Ethan wasn’t sure if it were a comfortable one or not – Sammy had always been hard to read. But he enjoyed her company all the same.
‘So are you a carpenter or something?’ she finally asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Officially?’
‘I’ve got my trade licence, so yeah.’
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘Lithgow.’
‘Lithgow? That’s where you’re living now?’
‘Yep.’
‘Why don’t you come back more?’
‘It’s hardly close, Sammy-doll. But I have my reasons for only wanting short doses of this place.’
‘Tell me them.’
He looked at her, really looked, and thought she might understand. He even thought he could trust her with his secret. But years of repression barred the words from his tongue. ‘I can’t.’
She stood. Looking at him, her mouth downturned and her eyes full of disappointment, she said, ‘You’re a coward.’
As she walked away, he began to nod. ‘That’s one of the reasons.’
Caleb watched his old best friend comfort himself with a beer. Ethan had watched Sam walk away until the crowd had swallowed her, and now he looked at his feet. Sam was a closed book if ever there was one, but Cal could count on a few subtle tells.
When Ethan was in town, she didn’t suffer or hurt, but thrived. Sam became the best version of herself imaginable. Chin up, sass on, the woman was a force to be reckoned with. And because Ethan was so rarely in these parts, he had no idea that it was mostly an act. Sam was strong, there was no denying it, but she wasn’t Wonder Woman, as she no doubt had him believing.
Sam hurt like any other. But she was the ultimate survivor. It set her apart from the people who drowned in grief or got in their own way. It made her a woman to admire and to aspire to be like. But it also made Cal worry.
If Sam was still putting on this act for a man who had left her in his dust over a decade ago, then clearly he still mattered. And if he still mattered, she still hurt.
Cal set his jaw and excused himself from the conversation he’d been pretending to be part of. He crossed the loose circle of people surrounding the unlit bonfire and stood where he loomed over its host.
Ethan looked up, blinked and pushed to his feet. Cal’s height advantage was lost.
‘You hurt my sister.’
Ethan pressed his fingers to his eyes and sighed. ‘Christ, Cal. Memory lane, really?’
‘She deserved better.’
‘We all know that. You think I don’t know?’ He threw his hand to his side. A sign of frustration that intrigued Cal. He filed it away for later examination. ‘Besides, I think she’s fine about it. I think she was always fine about it.’ Ethan muttered something unintelligible and Cal raised his brows.
This was new. Or was it old?
Ethan looked into the distance as Cal processed.
Eventually Cal settled for a threat. ‘Hurt her again and there will be more than metaphorical blood between us. I’ll break every bone in your face, and then some of your ribs for the hell of it.’
Ethan arched a brow. ‘Message received.’
Satisfied that he’d done his due diligence, Cal’s demeanour changed. He slapped Ethan on the back. ‘Help me light this sucker.’
They hunted down Dean, who was all too happy to extract himself from a conversation about spirit wolves with the local spiritualist,
Sam nodded. Carl left.
‘Boyfriend?’ Ethan asked lightly.
‘Ex.’
‘Huh. How long ago?’
‘A year ago now.’
‘He doesn’t know who I am.’
‘Should he?’
Ethan shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’m comforted. If you can sit by a bonfire with him you can sit by a bonfire with me. Are you on good terms with all of your exes?’
Sammy ignored this question, choosing instead to drink.
He waited. ‘He’s not your type.’
She sniffed. ‘What’s my type?’
‘I’m your type.’
‘Who says?’
‘Two years together says I’m your type.’
‘I was with him for three.’
‘Liar.’
Sammy shrugged and looked away.
They sat together in silence. Ethan wasn’t sure if it were a comfortable one or not – Sammy had always been hard to read. But he enjoyed her company all the same.
‘So are you a carpenter or something?’ she finally asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Officially?’
‘I’ve got my trade licence, so yeah.’
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘Lithgow.’
‘Lithgow? That’s where you’re living now?’
‘Yep.’
‘Why don’t you come back more?’
‘It’s hardly close, Sammy-doll. But I have my reasons for only wanting short doses of this place.’
‘Tell me them.’
He looked at her, really looked, and thought she might understand. He even thought he could trust her with his secret. But years of repression barred the words from his tongue. ‘I can’t.’
She stood. Looking at him, her mouth downturned and her eyes full of disappointment, she said, ‘You’re a coward.’
As she walked away, he began to nod. ‘That’s one of the reasons.’
Caleb watched his old best friend comfort himself with a beer. Ethan had watched Sam walk away until the crowd had swallowed her, and now he looked at his feet. Sam was a closed book if ever there was one, but Cal could count on a few subtle tells.
When Ethan was in town, she didn’t suffer or hurt, but thrived. Sam became the best version of herself imaginable. Chin up, sass on, the woman was a force to be reckoned with. And because Ethan was so rarely in these parts, he had no idea that it was mostly an act. Sam was strong, there was no denying it, but she wasn’t Wonder Woman, as she no doubt had him believing.
Sam hurt like any other. But she was the ultimate survivor. It set her apart from the people who drowned in grief or got in their own way. It made her a woman to admire and to aspire to be like. But it also made Cal worry.
If Sam was still putting on this act for a man who had left her in his dust over a decade ago, then clearly he still mattered. And if he still mattered, she still hurt.
Cal set his jaw and excused himself from the conversation he’d been pretending to be part of. He crossed the loose circle of people surrounding the unlit bonfire and stood where he loomed over its host.
Ethan looked up, blinked and pushed to his feet. Cal’s height advantage was lost.
‘You hurt my sister.’
Ethan pressed his fingers to his eyes and sighed. ‘Christ, Cal. Memory lane, really?’
‘She deserved better.’
‘We all know that. You think I don’t know?’ He threw his hand to his side. A sign of frustration that intrigued Cal. He filed it away for later examination. ‘Besides, I think she’s fine about it. I think she was always fine about it.’ Ethan muttered something unintelligible and Cal raised his brows.
This was new. Or was it old?
Ethan looked into the distance as Cal processed.
Eventually Cal settled for a threat. ‘Hurt her again and there will be more than metaphorical blood between us. I’ll break every bone in your face, and then some of your ribs for the hell of it.’
Ethan arched a brow. ‘Message received.’
Satisfied that he’d done his due diligence, Cal’s demeanour changed. He slapped Ethan on the back. ‘Help me light this sucker.’
They hunted down Dean, who was all too happy to extract himself from a conversation about spirit wolves with the local spiritualist,
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