Page 52 of Outback Secrets

Trying to stay cool, he grabbed another and proceeded to do exactly what she’d done moments earlier. He blinked as the warm Milo shot up through the Tim Tam, giving him a gooey chocolate rush. But then he took too long to act and the rest of it slipped from his fingers and plopped right into his mug.

Henri thought this hilarious.

He glared at her while secretly relishing the sound of her laughter. ‘That was intense.’

‘But good intense, right?’

He nodded, unable to tear his gaze from hers. Thank God there was a dog and an armchair between them.

After what felt like five hours but was probably nearer five seconds, Henri licked her lips and then cleared her throat. She felt it too, he knew it, but that didn’t mean they should act on it.

‘I can’t believe you’ve lived ten years in Australia and no one has showed you how to do a Tim Tam slam before.’

‘Almost eleven years,’ he corrected.

‘That’s right …’ She settled back into the couch, placing one hand on Sheila. Once again, he found himself a little jealous as he watched her fingers absentmindedly slide through the dog’s fur. ‘Whereabouts in Australia did you travel before stopping in Bunyip Bay?’

‘I started in Sydney, bought an old ute, explored the area where my mom grew up a bit, then headed up to Queensland and across the top, before driving down the coast and ending up in Bunyip Bay.’

For a while they exchanged stories of sights seen and people met. Henri’s tales of the quirky characters she’d worked with all over the world amused him and, although he’d been exhausted when he came upstairs, her laughter as he described some of the interesting backpackers he’d met in hostels gave him a second wind.

‘You can tell me to mind my own business if you want, but why haven’t you had a serious relationship since you’ve arrived?’ asked Henri.

He swallowed. ‘Who said I haven’t?’

She gave him a look. ‘Nothing goes unnoticed in Bunyip Bay. You can’t even change your underwear around here without someone finding out and making sure everyone else knows about it as well.’

Despite the tightness in his chest, he couldn’t help but laugh. Were there ever any truer words said?

‘Well, like your job,’ he said, ‘mine isn’t really conducive to a relationship.’

‘Don’t you ever get lonely?’

‘Don’t you?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Do you ever answer a question with a straight answer?’

He cocked his head to one side. ‘Do you?’

‘Let’s play a game,’ she suggested.

‘What kind of game?’

‘Kind of like Truth or Dare …’

It sounded like dangerous territory, but also fun. Normally he played things pretty safe, but Henri made him want to live on the edge.

‘But without the dares.’

He groaned. ‘Where’s the fun in that? Not scared of a good old dare, are you?’

She glared at him but her eyes were smiling. ‘Fine—truth or dare. Your turn first. What’s it to be?’

‘Dare. What do you want me to do? Run naked down the main street? Steal flowers from Eileen Brady’s garden? Do ten Tim Tam slams in a row?’

‘I dare you to answer this question truthfully.’

‘That’s cheating!’