Ramesh gave her a tight but sympathetic smile. “This means her son will be in your and Nick’s care overnight.”

Libby punched for an outside line and dialed the social work department of BRHS.

For the first time in a week, Alice wished she’d accepted Dan’s offer to stay with him for a few days instead of fleeing Pelican House for Burrunan and Libby. Not that she’d told Dan the exact reason she was taking time out from Peter and Karen and he hadn’t asked. However, he had taken her on an overnight hike in Croajingolong National Park. It had been the perfect distraction. The physical exertion the walk demanded, the beauty of the coastal scenery, the delicacy of the wild flowers and the wildlife—all of it had filled her mind and pushed the distressing truth of her conception aside for a while.

“We’re really friends, aren’t we,” she’d said as they lay on a groundsheet gazing up at the space haze floating lazily in front of the Milky Way.

“Did you doubt it?”

“Our parents are friends, but don’t you think when we started this, we were more acquaintances?”

“No.”

She elbowed him. “We’re way past a charm offensive.”

He sighed and rolled over to face her, his features cast in shadow. “I’ve always considered you a friend, Alice. Don’t you remember the summer I broke my leg? You sat next to me on the beach every afternoon.”

Alice did remember that summer. Peter and Karen had refused to let her stay at home alone and she’d hated being stuck on the beach while Libby did lifesaving training. “I remember sitting next to you, but I don’t remember us talking much.”

“We didn’t say much, but I liked watching you draw.”

“I found being a teen pretty confusing. Books and art were the only things that made any sense to me.”

“Well, you were the only person who bothered to keep me company. It took the edge off my frustration that I was sidelined for the summer.”

She laughed. “And the moment the plaster came off you abandoned me.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. Fifteen wasn’t my most introspective period.”

“Fifteen?” she teased.

“Despite the stories the gossips like to peddle, I’m not that shallow.”

“You know, I could always tell people the true story of Dan van.”

“Nah.” He grinned, his teeth flashing white in the dark. “Happy to leave it as our secret.”

Cocooned in her sleeping bag, she’d slept well that night. She’d woken to find they’d rolled into each other for warmth. It was as close as they’d ever come to breaking the “no snuggling” rule.

Now, standing in the family room at Burrunan with tension dripping down the walls as Nick and Libby engaged in a stand-off, Alice missed Dan’s uncomplicated company.