He clapped, which could have come off as condescending, but didn’t. He seemed genuinely delighted with my little performance. With a smile on my face, I bowed my head to acknowledge my audience. He lifted his glass and I lifted mine.

“To Sarah, who takes my breath away with her beauty and hidden talents.” My inner voice didn’t make a peep and I accepted the compliment with a clink of glasses and a self-satisfied smile. We each took a sip, James watching me over the rim of his glass.

“That’s spectacular,” he said, then took another sip.

“Why thank you.”

“Definitely worth the whole twelve pounds.” I laughed. “Now come around to this side. I don’t like you being so far away.”

I moved around the other side of the bar and sat on the stool next to James. He sipped his cocktail and looked at me as though he was also drinking me in. His left hand stroked up and down my leg.

“How was your meeting today?” I asked, like a proper girlfriend.

He smiled. “Good, yes. There were several, actually, and the gist is, they want me to curate a collection of contemporary artists, both from Australia and abroad.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!”

“Which would mean …” he said, putting his glass down and clasping my legs between his hands. “That I’ll be spending quite a lot of time in Sydney over the next few months.”

Oh. My. God.

“And,” he added tentatively, “I was thinking that while I’m in Sydney, you could come and stay with me here, at the Ovolo.” The words hung in the air, his eyes filled with hope and excitement and locked onto mine. I knew I needed to say something, but my mind was brimming with thoughts, each competing for my attention—We’re going to be together, just like he promised. Wait, does the Ovolo allow pets? Why doesn’t he just stay at my place? Would he want to stay at my place? And then this one—But what about me and Josh?

I must have looked as dumbfounded as I felt, because he broke into a self-deprecating smile and shook his head a little. “Anyway, nothing has to be decided now …”

Crap, I’d hesitated too long, and I’d hurt him. “No—sorry, James, I just …” I leapt off the stool and threw my arms around his neck. “It’s wonderful news—really.” He hugged me back, his warm throaty laughter echoing throughout the cavernous room. At least one of us believed me.

*

Dinner that night was at Aria. Aria! I’d never been, but it was high on my bucket list of Australia’s best restaurants. Walking in, I felt like I did the two times I’d been upgraded to business class—trying to look like I belonged while simultaneously gawping at the opulence.

We were seated at a table next to the window, an unobstructed view of Sydney Harbour laid out before us.

There’s something you should know if you’ve never been to Sydney. There’s simply no other cityscape that is quite as spectacular as Circular Quay with its flurry of ferry traffic, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge together in one vista.