Alice got a hitch in her chest. With his dark curly hair and ebony eyes, he looked like the baby she’d always imagined she and Lawrence would have, except of course he looked like Jess—all bar his mouth. Jess had a small, bee-sting pout that Alice knew from experience could lurch from playful and sexy to hard and determined. Leo, on the other hand, had thick lips that stretched widely across his little face—a mouth he’d grow into one day far into the future. Meanwhile, it gave him a delightful albeit mostly gummy smile and Alice was a sucker for it. He was a gorgeous kid, but right now his body heat was raising her already elevated skin temperature.

“How about I get someone to man the cooler for the last fifteen minutes and we go inside to the air-conditioning? The kids can play in the ball pit and boost their gutter immunity and we can supervise and enjoy a G&T.”

Surprise flitted across Libby’s face. “Since when do you drink spirits?”

“According to Rod, I’m known for it, so I need to keep my reputation intact.”

“Sounds great to me.”

Thankful she could use her staff discount, Alice bought the drinks while Libby settled the kids. “I asked for plastic glasses so they look like lemon and soda. This way we can drink inside the play enclosure and keep your reputation intact.”

Libby laughed. “You’ve got my back.”

“Always. How are things?” Despite the broad question, Alice was hoping for some long-anticipated pregnancy news.

“Yeah, good. Busy. You?”

A curl of sadness rose into her for them both. “Same. Juggling jobs is keeping me sane and driving me crazy. I turned up to Jake’s the other day when I was supposed to be here.”

“That’s what all those colors on Google Calendar are for.” Libby sipped her drink. “Are you worried that straight after Australia Day most of your work will vanish?”

“It won’t vanish. It will just slow. The weekends will still be busy, especially Saturdays.”

“Don’t you miss having a real job?”

Alice’s hand tightened around the tumbler and the plastic creaked. “I waitress. I work behind the bar. I put up with crap from people who think they’re the only ones on vacation in this town. And I clean boats and empty marine toilets. How much more real do I need to get?”

Libby held up her hand in surrender. “Okay, so “real” was the wrong word. But Alice, you’ve worked too hard and come so far to be content doing all these menial jobs.”