‘The Emersons own The Lobster Factory and they invest a lot in the local infrastructure. Dan is Stephen Emerson’s youngest son and runs the family business with his domineering father, his arrogant brother and his stuck-up sister.’

‘They sound like a nice bunch,’ I said, unable to reconcile Jedda’s description with the man I’d met on the beach. He’d seemed friendly enough, and I remembered the slight anxiety in his voice as he’d mentioned his boss and not wanting to be late for work. Had he been talking about his own father?

‘Do you want a refill?’ Jedda asked, nodding towards my mug.

I downed the last couple of dregs and nodded. ‘But it’s my turn to do the honours.’

I went inside and emptied the last of the bottle into our mugs. Our conversation flowed easily for the next hour or so as we finished the wine, then Jedda decided that she’d better take Bindi home.

‘Thanks for a wonderful night,’ I said, giving her a quick hug after helping her lift the pram off the porch.

‘No, thank you,’ she replied. ‘Now that I have this one, I don’t get out much. You’ll stop by in the morning on your way out of town, won’t you?’

I promised I would—‘I’ll need my coffee for the drive’—and then waved her and Bindi off into the night.

Chapter 18

18

Perth

After giving Jedda and Bindi quick hugs goodbye, I hurried to my car. I’d dawdled on my morning walk—wanting to soak up my last bit of serenity—which meant by the time I’d packed the car and locked up the shack, it was midmorning. And then I’d lost over an hour sharing coffee and cake with Jedda, reluctant to say farewell to this beautiful town. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited about seeing the kids, but as I drove out of Ragged Point, I found myself a little despondent. In the end, my week’s escape had been both relaxing and invigorating. It had almost been like I was living someone else’s life. Hayley would be delighted and smug when I told her.

But did that mean she might be right about other things? Like me trying to get a job or signing up for Tinder?

No. I shuddered at the thought of the latter. Quite aside from the fact that the thought of hooking up with another man—and wasn’t that what Tinder was all about?—made my skin go all clammy, it would also mean admitting defeat on my marriage.

And, while I wasn’t ready to do any such thing, I had to concede Hayley might have a point about the job.