and empathy. Don’t stop wanting better things for people but don’t expect them all to be like you.’
Luci got off her high horse. She knew all that. She didn’t have to look too hard to find the similarities between her situation and Melanie’s. She understood how much effort and energy and strength it took to leave the familiar. She hadn’t left Vickers Hill without a push from Flick, and her circumstances were far better than Melanie’s. She’d only had to leave behind an ex-husband—one who had never beaten her, just one who’d decided he wanted a different life. She knew she couldn’t be critical of Melanie or Seb.
‘Now, let’s talk about something else,’ Seb said as he turned onto the main road. ‘Something happier. What are your plans for the weekend?’
‘I should be studying,’ she replied, as she tried to put Melanie and her circumstances out of her mind. Seb had said he would monitor the situation and she had to trust him to do that. ‘I have an assignment due Monday.’
‘How long do you need?’
‘I’m not sure. Why?’
Seb shrugged. ‘You said you’ve never been to Sydney before. I have a free day tomorrow. If you like, I could show you around.’
She should get started on her assignment but when faced with a choice between spending her day with a gorgeous tourist guide or her laptop it was a no brainer. If she got started on her assignment tonight she should be able to finish it on Sunday. She’d get it done on time even if it meant staying up all night. She wasn’t about to knock back Seb’s invitation.
‘I’d love that, thank you.’
* * *
There was a sticky note from Seb stuck on the kettle. In two days he’d figured out that the first thing she did every morning was switch the kettle on. She smiled as she read the note and waited for the water to boil.
Meet me on the beach at ten a.m. Bring togs, a hat and sunglasses.
Excitement swirled in her belly. She knew she needed to get her assignment finished but she’d just work all day tomorrow. She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity for sightseeing or spending time with Seb. In just a couple of days she could already feel herself changing, becoming the person she thought she could be. She was leaving the old Luci behind. Leaving behind the doubts and the failures. This was her time to start again, to step through the doorway and into her future, and it felt like Seb could help open the door.
She slipped a white cotton sundress over her black bikini, sunglasses over her eyes and a soft, straw hat onto her head. Figuring she’d need a towel if she needed her bathers, she stuffed one and some sunscreen into a bag and headed to the beach across the road.
The beach was small, really only a cove, and apart from a couple and their dog it was empty. Luci scanned up and down along the sand but she couldn’t see any sign of Seb. Assuming he wouldn’t be far, she sat on the sand and looked out to sea. Little boats bobbed on the water at their moorings, but there were a lot fewer than normal. People must have headed out for the day. The weather was perfect for boating, the sky bright blue and cloudless, the water relatively calm, and the sun was already warm.
Movement to her right caught her eye and she watched as a man rowed a dinghy towards the shore. He had his back to her and was bare to the waist, and she watched the muscles in his back flex and relax as he pulled the oars through the water. As the boat got closer she realised the oarsman was Seb. She barely knew him and it wasn’t like she could recognise his movement patterns or even the shape of his shoulders and torso yet, but she recognised the funny fluttery feeling in her stomach that she got when he was nearby.
The boat ran aground and he stowed the oars and jumped out in one fluid and graceful movement. He turned and smiled when he saw her waiting there. His hair was wet, it looked darker than his normal chestnut, and his bare chest was lightly tanned and perfectly sculpted. His swimming trunks were damp and clung to his thighs. She swallowed as the fluttery feeling in her stomach intensified.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted her.
‘Good morning,’ she replied, hoping the sun was hiding the blush that she could feel stealing over her cheeks.
He reached out a hand and helped her to her feet. His hand was warm and strong but his grip was gentle. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy.
‘You’re ready?’ he asked her.
‘Where are we going?’
‘Out on the harbour.’
Luci looked doubtfully at the boat at the water’s edge. ‘In that?’
Was he kidding? The boat was barely ten feet long and had no motor.
‘At first.’ He was laughing at her discomfort. ‘You’re not a sailor?’
‘I grew up in the country. This looks a little small,’ she said, as she stood and surveyed the little vessel.
‘It’s okay. I have a bigger boat.’ He smiled at her and Luci noticed that his eyes were the same bright blue as the sky. ‘This is just the tender to get us out there. Hop in.’
He took her bag and held her hand as he helped her into the dinghy. Her body came to life with his touch. The butterflies took flight and swarmed out of her stomach and lodged in her throat. She didn’t think she could breathe. But he had to let go of her to push the boat off the beach and then she was able to inhale a lungful of salty sea air.
He spun the boat around and jumped in, sitting on the seat opposite her. Their knees were almost touching.
He gripped the oars and pulled through the water. She could see his muscles straining. His biceps and triceps alternately tensed and relaxed. His pectoral muscles flexed in his chest. His abdominal muscles were taut. She could feel a blush deepening on her cheeks. She looked out at the harbour as she tried to get herself under control.
‘What is your boat called?’ she asked, as she scanned the yachts, reading the names painted on the hulls.
‘She doesn’t have a name yet. She needs a bit of work and once she’s finished I’ll work out what to call her. It will depend on how she feels.’
‘She?’
‘All boats are female.’
‘Why is that?’
‘I’m not sure.’ He grinned and she suspected he was about to spin her a story. ‘Probably because no matter how much money you spend on them, it’s never enough.’
‘Hey, that’s not fair,’ she argued, as he laughed. ‘We’re not all high maintenance.’
‘Well, I hope you’re not because you might be disappointed by today if you are.’
Luci doubted that. In her opinion the day was already off to a very good start.
Seb pulled the dinghy to a stop beside a sleek white cabin cruiser, then secured the tender before stepping on board and reaching for her hand. Luci was prepared for her reaction to his touch this time and managed to take a deep breath before she took his hand. He helped her on board and then picked up a boathook and dragged a mooring rope closer and tied off the tender.
