“They married after being together for ten years, divorced a year later. There are no guarantees in love and life, Kel. You just have to trust your instincts and make the most of every God given day.”

Never had a truer word been spoken. Kelly of all people knew the truth of it.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, cupped Lucy’s cheek, and kissed her on the lips.

Overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotion, Kelly blinked back tears. “There you go again.”

“Huh?” Lucy furrowed her brow.

“You, stealing my breath away.”

Whatever Kelly had done to deserve such a wonderful, intelligent, and loving woman, was beyond her. But, she would heed Lucy’s words and enjoy every minute they spent together.

The distant rumble of a vehicle grew louder.

They both froze.

With her heart hammering in her chest, Kelly met Lucy’s wide-eyed gaze and held a finger to her lips.

The crunch of tyres on gravel was unmistakable.

“Shit, that car’s heading this way.”

Slowly, as if the slightest sound would alert someone to their secret cubby-hole, Kelly uncurled her legs and climbed to her feet. Once she had her jeans on and Lucy had secured the towel around her body, they huddled close and made a beeline for the riverbed, and their clothes.

A heavy silence hung in the air as they quickly dressed. Once they were clad in the clothes they’d arrived in, Lucy exhaled a relieved sigh. Kelly let out a nervous giggle, Lucy snorted, and within minutes they were both laughing.

“I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.” Kelly slung the backpack over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

Lucy stared at the dense foliage. “What if we come face to face with someone on the other side of the blackberry bushes?”

Kelly shrugged. “So what? We’ve been for a swim.”

After a beat, Lucy relaxed and winked. “Swimming in lust.”

Giddy with happiness, Kelly stepped in front of Lucy and parted the blackberry vines. “Follow me.”

“Always.” Came from over her shoulder.

That one simple word wrapped around Kelly’s heart and squeezed tight.

Chapter 22

The following week was bittersweet for Kelly. One minute she was flying high, the next she crashed and burned. However, the highs surpassed the lows and kept her buoyant.

As much as she understood, and respected Lucy’s need for discretion, keeping their relationship on the downlow was proving harder than she’d anticipated.

Work kicked Kelly’s arse. The best thing about that was Friday arrived in record time. Just as she was about to leave for the day she was summoned to Jennifer’s office.

“The boss wants to see you.” Jacinta grabbed the dishcloth out of Kelly’s hand. “She didn’t look happy, perhaps she’s going to give you a DCM slip.”