Rayne wanted to. She wanted to yell and rant at the injustice of putting up with Noel’s abuse for so long. But she couldn’t speak. Her tongue had swelled, filling her mouth. At least that’s what it felt like, and when she remained mute, Pauline offered her an understanding smile.

  ‘Any time you want to talk, my door is always open. And it doesn’t have to be at my practice in Inverloch; you can drop by my place for a cuppa and a chat anytime, okay?’

  Touched by the woman’s offer, Rayne nodded and handed over her purchase. ‘Thanks.’

  Pauline took the bag and Rayne willed her to leave, but the counsellor hesitated. ‘I know this is none of my business because we don’t know each other that well, but for what it’s worth, you’re a treasure in this community and you didn’t deserve to put up with the likes of him.’ She made Noel sound like a pile of steaming dog crap.

  ‘Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Did you make assumptions about Noel in your professional opinion?’

  Pauline’s eyes lit with understanding and Rayne exhaled in relief. The counsellor knew what Rayne was really asking: Am I damaged in some way and does it show?

  ‘Like I said, I’ve seen various versions of Noel over the last two decades. Or more to the point, the devastated partners they leave behind.’ She paused and eyeballed Rayne. ‘The lucky ones who get out.’ Pauline swept her arm wide. ‘You’ve created a wonderful business here, Rayne, and you’re a strong, capable woman. The only reason I guessed is because of Noel’s behaviour all those years ago and …’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I’ve come to recognise the look,’ Pauline said, with a little shake of her head. ‘I dislike the label “victim” but there’s a haunted quality in a victim’s eyes.’

  ‘And I have it,’ Rayne said, a statement rather than a question, not sure what annoyed her more: that this woman had guessed her secret or that she displayed it to those discerning enough to look.

  ‘Like I said, if you ever want to talk, drop by any time.’ Pauline brandished her paper bag. ‘Thanks for this.’

  Rayne mumbled a noncommittal answer and waited until Pauline left before gulping the rest of her lukewarm tea. It did little to ease the tightness of her throat. Thoughts of Noel never failed to elicit fear, even after all this time. And she was tired of the flashbacks. They didn’t happen often but when they did, they left her shaken. Having one in front of Heidi had really rattled her. They hadn’t happened in front of anyone before and she didn’t want a repeat.

  Maybe Pauline coming into the shop today not long after the flashback Heidi witnessed was fortuitous, a nudge towards finally getting a grip on her past once and for all? She thought she’d moved on. But was Pauline right? Did she give off a victim vibe to those smart enough to recognise it?

  Nobody in town knew her secret, bar Heidi, and she intended to keep it that way.

  CHAPTER

  14

  Since when had Jy turned into a schmuck?

  He could be having dinner with a beautiful woman right now. Instead, he’d declined Summer’s offer in favour of getting a start on this bloody report. Sure, he could blame it on his dedication, to his wanting to toe the line in order to get a promotion, to not wanting anything to stuff up his long-service leave. But he knew the real reason.

  He’d never bonded with a woman so quickly and his ease with Summer had him in a funk.

  Wanting to learn more about the town and how it affected the kids’ grades was one thing; hanging on her every word another. She could’ve told him carrots grew from trees and potatoes budded like lemons while touring the community garden this afternoon and he would’ve believed her, that’s how smitten he was. Ludicrous, considering he had a job to do and he couldn’t afford the distraction. But what a sexy distraction Summer was and he’d be damned if he’d be stuck here for another few weeks lamenting that he hadn’t done something about the attraction between them.

  Her invitation had surprised him. Until that point, she’d skittered away when he’d pushed the flirting boundaries. She’d changed the subject or rolled her eyes or deflected with humour. Yet something had changed between them in the car on the way back to town after the grand tour of Serenity and rather than throw caution to the wind and accept her invitation, he’d done what he always did. Apply logic, carefully weigh his decision, before doing the opposite of what he should’ve done.

  Muttering a curse, he closed his laptop. He’d put in a few solid hours’ work and had the first part of his report done. He could do with some exercise and a bite to eat, anything to distract from his self-flagellating thoughts.

  As he exited the motel and strode along the beachside road towards Main Street he inhaled, savouring the briny tang of sea air, taking in the view. He loved Melbourne, but there was something to be said for walking out your front door and seeing the endless ocean stretching towards the horizon. Though he lived bayside, by the time he got home most days he could barely summon the energy to heat a frozen dinner let alone go for a walk along Brighton Beach, so it rarely happened. Between his long work hours, requisite guilty visits to the gym and the endless admin, he rarely made it out of his house of an evening let alone weekends.

  His lack of a social life had been a major sticking point with Aggie and one of the many reasons she’d flung in his face when leaving him. She’d been okay with it when they’d met but when she switched careers and schmoozing became part of her marketing job description, she’d harangue him into accompanying her to dark, subterranean bars in inner-city laneways or openings of trendy art galleries in Brunswick. But he couldn’t attend often because of his workload and resentment soon set in. She started jibing at his job, subtle at first, but with increasing vitriol that more often than not resulted in rip-roaring arguments.

  He often wondered if she’d planned it that way, to make him look like the bad guy when she’d already made up her mind to leave. As for cheating on him, she swore she hadn’t but considering the speed with which she entered into a relationship with Chester—a mere fortnight after walking out on their marriage—he didn’t believe her.

  The downward spiral of his marriage should’ve angered him, made him furious, but by the time Aggie left he’d felt nothing but soul-deep relief.

  A seagull swooped low, its loud cry dragging Jy back to the present. Thoughts of Aggie only served to sour his mood and he’d be better off focussing on the here and now. In particular, his date with free-spirited Summer tomorrow night.

  As he walked along Main Street, he smiled at a few evening strollers but his reputation as the town ogre must’ve preceded him, as only one or two returned it. Most glared at him with narrow-eyed suspicion, the same way Hugo and Jill had when they first met. He had a meeting scheduled with the teachers on Friday after school and he knew what they wanted: for him to allay their fears. Sadly, he couldn’t do that, but he wanted to be upfront about his presence here and what he intended on doing. Being completely honest with the Education Department. Full disclosure. The rest was up to them.

  He knew Hugo, Jill and Summer would view that as a cop-out, him doing his assigned job then washing his hands of the situation. What did they expect? He’d been sent here to do a task, end of story. Besides, once he left, what did it matter what they thought of him?

  Considering his interest in Summer, and his intentions to make the most of his time in town with her, he knew it wouldn’t be that easy to be so dismissive. He didn’t want to be a prick and, unfortunately, that’s exactly what she’d think of him if they fooled around, then he left and his report got her school shut down.

  He’d make sure she knew the score over dinner tomorrow night. Then again, didn’t she know already? He’d laid it out for her: why he was here; the report he had to give; the department’s intentions. Yet she’d made the first move? He still had to make it clear so there could be no misconceptions.

  As he neared The Knick-Knack Shop, a woman who could’ve been Summer’s older sister stepped out. Must be her mum, who she’d mentioned owned the shop. It would be rude not to introduce himself so he approached as she locked up.

  ‘Hi—’

  The woman yelped and jumped away and he held up his hands in apology. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Jy Atherton, a friend of Summer’s. She mentioned you own this shop; you must be her mum?’

  Wild-eyed, the woman pressed a hand to her heart. ‘Yes. I’m Rayne.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you.’

  ‘Likewise,’ she said, lowering her hand to stick it out so he could shake it. ‘I’m always a tad jumpy when locking up.’

  Jy thought the crime rate in a town this size would be relatively low but what did he know? ‘My bad. Sorry.’

  She waved away his apology. ‘It’s fine. So how do you know Summer?’

  He didn’t know whether to be miffed or relieved Summer hadn’t mentioned him to her mother. ‘The Education Department sent me here for a month, to provide a report on the school. I’m a principal in Melbourne.’

  Nothing, not a flicker of recognition, which meant one of two things: Summer hadn’t deemed him important enough to mention to her mum, or the two of them weren’t close.

  ‘It’s been a busy week and I haven’t spoken to Summer, but sounds to me like you’re here to do the department’s dirty work. Let me guess, they want to shut down the school.’

  He grimaced. ‘Something like that. But like I told your daughter, I’m here to give a fair, accurate representation of the schooling in this town. The rest is out of my hands.’

  One eyebrow arched. ‘You sure you’re not a politician? Because that sounded like a trite pass-the-buck response those suits usually give.’

  He should’ve known Rayne would be like her daughter: pulling no punches. ‘I’ve been assigned a job; I’ll do it to the best of my capabilities.’ Jy struggled not to wince. He did sound like a company man trotting out platitudes.

  ‘I’m sure you will,’ she said, eyeing him with speculation. ‘To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still here and Summer hasn’t kicked your arse out of town.’

  He laughed, relieved to see a twinkle in her light-brown eyes. Summer’s eyes were blue, and Rayne’s hair was a rich auburn compared to Summer’s blonde, but they had the same high cheekbones, slightly largish noses and a way of looking straight through him.

  ‘She’s tried, but I’m stubborn.’

  ‘Then you’re well met.’ Rayne’s gaze slid away, but not before he glimpsed a flicker of pain. ‘Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Jy, but I’ve got a friend coming over tonight so I must dash.’

  ‘No worries, I’ll let you go.’

  However, as he was about to stride away, Rayne stopped him with a hand on his arm. ‘A word of advice?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Summer may come off like she’s tough and independent and can handle anything, but she loves this town. It’s in her blood, and if you mess with it, you’re messing with her.’

  Rayne’s stare bored into him and he got the message loud and clear. Don’t hurt my daughter.

  ‘Noted,’ he said, admiration for these fierce women making him more determined to set the record straight with Summer tomorrow night.

  ‘And one more thing?’

  He waited, feeling like a teen being grilled by a parent on his first date.

  ‘She likes those handmade caramel-filled chocolates Nev stocks at the Vegan Vault.’

  With a wink, Rayne left him standing in Main Street, unsure whether he’d got a tick of approval from Summer’s mum or not.

  CHAPTER

  15

  Karly plucked a giant chip from the torn-open packet between them and brandished it. ‘Isn’t Gullie’s kid in year six at school?’

  Summer nodded and finished chewing a mouthful of succulent flake from the only fish and chip shop in town before answering. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because if Gullie’s Seafood ever closes, I’m moving away from Acacia Haven and following that man wherever he sets up.’

  Nev laughed and plucked a fried scallop from the pack. ‘You and your obsession with fish and chips.’

  Karly appeared affronted. ‘I’ll have you know these aren’t just any fish and chips. Even old Maxie at the pub can’t cook them like this and he’s no slouch in the kitchen.’

  Hearing Karly mention the pub immediately reminded Summer of her date with Jy tomorrow night. She hadn’t mentioned it to her friends yet, but the night was young. They regularly caught up for fish and chips on the beach, hanging out at Serenity Cove in the same spot they used to since they were twelve and hoping the cute surfers would notice them. Now, like then, the conversation eventually turned to boys but she wanted to enjoy her fish before the girls interrogated her.

  There was no doubt they would. The moment they heard how she’d spent her day, and that she’d lost her mind and asked Jy out, the questions would come thick and fast.

  After snaffling another scallop, Nev said, ‘Remember that time when your dad caught us wagging school so we could grab lunch at Gullie’s?’

  A sudden chill settled over Summer and it had nothing to do with the blustery breeze blowing off the ocean.

  ‘I remember,’ Karly said, grabbing a handful of chips and juggling them because of their heat. ‘He went apeshit.’

  ‘And we never wagged again.’ Summer had made sure of it, because she’d never seen her father lose his cool like that before. He’d gone ballistic, threatening them with all sorts of punishments, from being grounded for three months to not being allowed to attend the sports carnival in Inverloch. But it hadn’t been his threats that had frightened her so much as his temper. He’d really lost it and for a minute he’d looked plain mean.

  She’d only seen him like that twice more. The first, about a year later, when she’d asked if she could take a bus to Sale with Karly, Nev and some of the boys in their class. Technically, it had been a date, the girls’ first, and her dad had figured that out pretty quick. He’d gone nuts and she’d struggled not to cower in the face of his fury. The second time he’d lost the plot, when he’d heard about her kissing that boy.

  A week later, he’d left town and never come back.

  Realistically, Summer knew his leaving had nothing to do with her, but no matter how many times she asked her mum what had happened, she never got a straight answer. A small part of her had wondered if he’d blown up at Rayne like that before and that had been part of the reason. But she’d never witnessed it. If anything, her dad had doted on Rayne to the point when Summer hit her teens she thought it was a tad gross how much he wanted to be with her mother all the time.

  ‘Hey.’ Karly snapped her fingers in front of Summer’s face. ‘Where’d you go?’

  ‘Just thinking about that time and how we never wagged again.’

  Nev, the more sensitive of her friends, touched her arm. ‘Do you ever hear from your dad?’

  ‘Never.’

  Summer’s response held no malice. She’d given up expecting anything from her father a long time ago. Because of his job, he’d never had a social media presence. She knew because she’d tried looking him up a few times during those awful years at boarding school in Melbourne. Part of her wished he was living in the city and he could come rescue her, or take her out for weekends, reconnect like the old days. But once she turned eighteen and he still showed no interest in finding her, which he could if he wanted to considering he was a cop, she gave up.

  No great surprise where her trust issues with men stemmed from, but she wouldn’t let talk of her dad ruin her evening with the girls. And she knew just the way to distract them.

  ‘I’ve got a date tomorrow night.’

  ‘What?’ Karly and Nev screeched in unison and she laughed.

  ‘Jeez, we’re thirty years old. Think you can calm the enthusiasm?’

  They chuckled, and Karly said, ‘Exactly how often do any of us get a date around here?’

  ‘Good point.’

  ‘So? What’s the lowdown?’ Nev wiggled her eyebrows. ‘Though do we need to even ask? You’ve had the hots for that pretty-boy principal since he showed up.’

  ‘He is hot,’ Karly said, with an emphatic nod. ‘I’d do him, if he wasn’t already smitten with this one here.’ She pointed at Summer. ‘You have all the luck.’

  ‘Hey, didn’t you meet a whole bunch of hot suits at that real estate conference last month? And isn’t one of them coming to town?’

  A surprising blush stole into Karly’s cheeks. Her confident friend didn’t embarrass easily. ‘Maybe. But let’s not waste time talking about possibilities, when you getting it on with Jy is a certainty.’

  ‘It’s a date, not a guaranteed bonkfest.’

  ‘Gotcha.’ Karly grinned. ‘Getting it on is a far cry from a bonkfest, so the fact you’re thinking that way means you have it real bad for this guy.’

  ‘I have to agree with Karly on this one,’ Nev said. ‘And considering how the guy looks, I’m jealous. I’d give anything to have a bonk these days, let alone it turning into a fest.’

  ‘You and me both, sister.’ Karly high-fived Nev, but when their chuckles petered out, they turned their attention back on her.

  ‘Not that I’m a spoilsport, but are you sure you’re doing the right thing, hon? Getting involved with the enemy?’

  Summer hated having Nev’s logic echo hers. ‘It’s dinner. A screw if I’m lucky. That’s not getting involved.’

  Karly let out a hoot. ‘Who are you kidding? Even now you’ve got a look in your eye I haven’t since since Chad, so that means you’re hoping for more than one night with this guy.’

  ‘Well, he’s in town for a few weeks, so more than one night is preferable.’ Summer fanned her face. ‘Who’d say no to a fling?’

  ‘If that’s all it is.’ Nev eyeballed her. ‘Karly’s right. Even mentioning the date has you more buzzed than I’ve seen you in years, and it’s a slippery slope to heartache if a fling turns into you wanting more.’

  Summer made loopy circles at her temple. ‘You’re both insane. I’m not stupid. Whatever happens, he’ll head back to the city. My life is here. He’s fling material, that’s it. Easy peasy.’