‘That’s okay. I hope it works out for you, Luke, I really do. Being apart makes it harder, that’s all. If you’re truly in love, I mean. On the other hand, when it’s just attraction, well, it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind.’

‘Yeah? Isn’t absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder?’

‘For a hermit,’ Tilly agreed, ‘or maybe an eighteenth-century sailor. They didn’t have much choice, did they? Didn’t really apply to their sweeties back in town though.’

Luke looked hurt. ‘When did you get to be such a cynic?’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said penitently. ‘Of course she’ll wait for you. I don’t mean it, it’s just we do that here, don’t we – argue for the sake of it? Otherwise we’d run out of things to say. You keep the faith, Luke. You deserve to be happy.’

‘So do you,’ he said soberly, stirring his tea, ‘but things don’t always work out the way they should.’

Not if you choose badly. The words almost escaped her. Biting her lip instead, she asked, ‘See anyone you know in town?’

‘Nope. I was at the hospital, then down the caravan parks looking for a lift out. So where is everyone?’

‘Well, Connor’s gone. And Matt and Sophie are at the camp. She’s planning on doing your night walk this evening. Matt’s fixing the pump.’

‘What’s wrong with it?’

‘It’s not working. He said something about – do pumps have glands? It seems unlikely, but that’s what he said.’

‘Search me. When you say Connor’s gone – gone where?’

Tilly shrugged. ‘Away. He left early yesterday.’ She had come back from feeding Harry and the joeys to find him carrying his bag down the steps.

‘I made my lunch,’ he’d said. ‘Hope that’s okay. I’ll be back but I’m not sure when. I’ll let you know though.’

‘Right. Bye then.’ A little surprised, for he had said nothing about leaving, she waved him off, then climbed the steps. She would miss him, she realised. Visitors broke the isolation of their lives. Not that you could call them isolated with forty-odd people camped only five kilometres away, but the four of them didn’t share much of their time or their thoughts with Binboona’s customers. Unless you counted Luke’s recent romance, of course.