Page 79 of In Full Bloom

“I — I didn’t expect to see you,” she says, stumbling over her words. She looks fantastic, not at all like the last time I saw her, when she was heartbroken and exhausted.

“You knew where we were, though. You know we live here. Why are you here?”

Something flashes across her face and I want to punch myself for how that came across.

“I have a job interview,” she says. “I was going to see how that went, then get in touch.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” I run a hand through my hair. “A lot of stuff has just happened.”

“That girl, is she okay?”

Katie. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Are you going after her?”

“Yes, I have to, but … God, Abi, we need to talk.”

“I know we do, but it looks like you need to go after her first.” I nod. “First though, can you give me some directions?”

“Of course, walk with me. I need to catch up to Katie.” I turn and head for the door, hoping Abi will keep pace beside me. She does.

We head out into the sunshine. There’s no sign of Katie. Iexpect to see her waiting beside my ute, but the carpark is empty.

My ute is gone.

My heart rate spikes, adrenaline flooding my body.

“Shit,” I curse and kick at the gravel. I took too long. I was too slow. She thinks I wasn’t coming after her.

I go to pull my phone out of my back pocket, but it’s not there. Because I left it in the centre console of the ute when we went inside.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” I thrust my hands into my hair and grip the strands so tightly it stings.

“Dallas.” Abi presses a hand to my forearm, dragging it down. “Take a breath. Where’s she gone?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to her house, maybe the farm.”

“Come on, I’ll drive you.”

“You have your interview.”

“I’ll let them know I’m running late due to an emergency and if they have a problem with that then I really don’t want to work with them anyway.”

I crack a tiny smile. That little bite of sass is so much like the old Abi, the one I first fell in love with. It’s nice to see the part of her we lost after Sadie’s accident.

“It’s so good to see you,” I say and wrap an arm around her in a quick, tight hug.

“You don’t hate me?”

I blink down at her and shake my head. “I don’t hate you Abi, but we do have to sort some things out, especially if you’re hanging around. Sadie’s going to have a lot to process.”

I slide into the passenger seat of her car. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s clean and relatively modern. She must be doing alright for herself. I’m relieved. I always worried where she was at and if she was okay.

“I know she is. Does she know about you and …?”

“Katie.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair again as Abi pulls onto the road. “Not yet.” I twist to face her. “You’re not …” I trail off, unsure how to phrase the question without sounding like a total jackass. Instead of finishing my question, I show Abi where to turn so we can drive past Katie’s house. If she’s there, then perfect. If not, I have to hope she’s seeking refuge with Olivia and Flynn at the farm.

“No, Dallas. I’m not back to cause trouble in your relationship.” She gives me a soft smile. “I want you to be happy, and I know I lost my chance with you when I left you and Sadie.”

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