Read Online Playing for Love (Summer Beach Vets 1) - Escape Down Under by H.Y. Hanna - Free Book Online

food was fantastic. I had this white fish called barra… barra… barramundi, which was absolutely delicious. And I don’t know how they do their hand-cut chips, but they were amazing. Nothing like those processed fries we get back in the States; this tasted just like real, old-fashioned potato—”
    “Sara! I’m not interested in a food review of their menu!” said Ellie with an exasperated laugh. “I want to know what happened with Craig.”
    “Nothing happened!” said Sara. “I mean… I had a really nice time and he’s great company and… and he said he’d call me today…” She caught Ellie’s eye. “Okay, okay, I really like him, but…”
    “But?”
    Sara shrugged helplessly. “Well, I’m leaving to go back to the States in two weeks. This can’t go anywhere… Anyway, why are you so interested? I thought only last night you were warning me that it was too soon after what happened with Jeff and everything.”
    “Yeah, well… I don’t know. It was different when I saw you together.” Her cousin looked at her thoughtfully. “You were sort of… glowing. I never saw you like that with a guy before. Not even Jeff when you first met him.”
    Sara didn’t try to hide her blush this time. “Craig is special.” She took a deep breath. “But like I said, it can’t really go anywhere.”
    “Why not?”
    “Ellie! I live on the other side of the world!”
    “So? Move here.” Ellie tilted her chair back, a mischievous grin on her face.
    “What? You want me to give up my life in L.A. and just move here?”
    “ I did.”
    “But that’s different! You moved here for work reasons. I… I’d be moving here for a guy. I’ve been stupid about a guy before. I’m not making that same mistake again.”
    Ellie raised her eyebrows. “Different guy. Very different guy. Come on… you’re always telling me how much you wish you could escape sometimes, to go live in another culture, another country. You don’t really enjoy your job, you don’t like the L.A. scene so… what have you got to lose?”
    “What about Coco?”
    Ellie waved her hands. “A bit of quarantine won’t kill her. She’d love the lifestyle here—she’d have so much more space to run around in, beautiful beaches to walk on… and you’d have so much more time for her too. The work hours here are a joke compared to the States.”
    Sara looked at her cousin in surprise. “How come you’re suddenly so keen for me to move over?”
    “Well, selfishly, I’d really like you to be closer. I miss hanging out together. And you’re a much better cook than I am, so if you lived here I could scrounge leftovers from you all the time.” Ellie grinned. “But seriously, I do think if you’ve met someone special… well, you’d be stupid not to grab it with both hands.”
    “Yeah, you’re a good one to talk,” said Sara dryly. “I can’t believe you are giving me advice on my love life.”
    “Hey, I’ve met my special someone,” said Ellie chuckling. “His first name is Microsoft and his last name is PowerPoint.”
    Sara rolled her eyes.
    “Anyway, think about it,” said Ellie, getting up and putting her empty mug in the sink. “You know you can stay with me as long as you like. Even if you decide to get your own place eventually or whatever, you won’t have to worry about somewhere to stay when you first come.”
    “And what about work?” asked Sara.
    “Oh, you can always find positions in HR. Besides, this resort I’m working for might have something suitable—they’re really growing and expanding. I can ask around if you like.”
    “I don’t know…” Sara said hesitantly.
    As her cousin went off to take a shower, Sara made herself some breakfast and thought about what Ellie had said. Could she do it? Leave everything and just move over here? Wasn’t this what she was fantasising about at dinner last night? But that was the whole point: it was a fantasy … everyone fantasised a bit sometimes… it didn’t mean