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I frown. “What?”

“I’m coming with you.”

My mouth drops open. “Oh! You don’t have to do that.”

He shakes his head. “I do and I am. You won’t convince me otherwise. I can get a hotel, and you don’t have to see me if it’s too much, but I want you to know that I’m right there if you need me.”

“Oh, Luke!” I’m crying again. Just when I thought I’d got a hold of myself. He holds me and acts like I’m not being a massive drama queen. He leans back against the truck and lets me cry it out until I’m finished.

What on Earth did I do to deserve a guy like this? It makes me wonder how I ever thought Oliver could be the one.

“Come on. Let’s get you inside and get you a cup of tea and something to eat. You didn’t eat at Coral Breeze, did you?” Luke keeps his arm around me as we walk to the front door and I let us in. There’s not much to pack, really. A couple of things I had with me and some dirty clothes. Somehow it doesn’t feel like going home, though. It feels just the opposite.

I’m glad Luke’s coming with me. I don’t want to go back to the apartment Oliver and I share, and I can’t face staying with Mum and Dad either. Not until I’ve sorted out what I’m going to tell them. Which I have to do. Oh, God. It feels like dealing with another break up all over again when I think about how they’ll react to me ending things with Oliver. It has to be done, though. I’m so glad Luke is in my corner. There’s only one other person in the world who has my back like that.

By the time Luke’s made me a cup of tea and I’ve shoved my things in a bag, I’ve decided what to do. Picking up my phone, I call Tegan.

“Hey Teegs.”

“Hey!” Her tone is too bright, like she somehow knows I’ve just been crying and she’s already trying to cheer me up.

“I’m heading back to Sydney today.”

“You’re not going back to him!” My best friend practically shouts this and I have to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment.

“No, I’m not. So I need somewhere to stay, and I don’t want to stay with Mum and Dad.”

“Say no more. My spare room is all yours. You know you don’t even have to ask, right?”

I smile. “Yeah. I know. But I thought I’d better check this time, because... I’m bringing someone with me.”

I glance up at Luke who is watching me from across the counter. He gives me a grin.

“What!?” Again, I hold the phone away from my ear when Tegan’s shriek nearly bursts my eardrum. “Yessss! Get it girl! I am getting out the pinot as we speak and I want all the goss!”

I can’t help laughing at the easy way she accepts this news. Luke reaches across and squeezes my hand.

“I can get a hotel if it’s going to be a hassle.”

I shake my head. Tegan is already talking on the other end. “Is that him now? Please tell me it’s the hot tradie. It’s the hot tradie, isn’t it?”

Luke, who can clearly hear her, raises his brows and his grin grows wider. “Hot tradie, huh?”

I giggle. “I may have mentioned you a few times.”

“I like that.” He comes around the counter and spins me on my stool so he can step inside my thighs. “I want you talking about me. Thinking about me. I’m always thinking about you. The last ten years I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”

I blush, squirming on my seat at his words. “Really?”

“Didn’t you get that when you met my family? I thought they were going to ruin my chances, letting you know how much you had me wrapped around that little finger of yours already.”

I laugh. “Never.”

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Tegan’s outraged tone from the other end of the phone makes me jump and I realise I’ve been totally focused on Luke.

“Sorry! I’m a bit distracted. I promise we’ll talk when I get there, OK? We’ll be about three hours.”

Tegan huffs a huge sigh, but I know she’s faking. “Ugh, fine! You owe me drinks, though.”

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