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  Part of her wanted to reach out and say ‘I’ll do it! Pick me!’ Hannah hated having to say no, to anything. She’d declined any requests for work after May until she knew what she was doing, and said she’d keep her repeat clients informed. ‘I would if I could, but until I confirm my situation in Sydney I can’t commit to anything. Even so, I’d need to focus on packing up the house before moving.’

  ‘I know, it’s okay. I’ll manage. But if you’re anything like the Hannah I remember, I know you would have been great at it.’

  She shrugged. ‘Timing, huh?’

  He nodded. ‘Timing.’

  It seemed it was never on her side.

  ‘Speaking of timing, I better start heading over to the station. I want to make sure time is on my side today.’

  ‘Oh yes, let’s go.’

  Let’s?

  ‘I’ll personally take you there and make sure you make it, and if not, I’ll drive you to the next station, and the next, until you catch one, and if not, I’ll keep driving until we’re in Sydney, so nothing to worry about, you’ll get to your interview.’

  ‘Ha, no need, I’ve still got plenty of time. And anyway, I thought you were bummed that I was leaving.’ She sipped the rest of her coffee as they walked down the hill, then put it in a bin.

  ‘I am. But who am I to stand in the way of your dreams, Sydney will be lucky to have you.’

  ‘Well thanks.’ They walked briskly, and as they passed the restaurant premises she said, ‘Don’t you have a lot of work to get back to?’

  He shrugged. ‘Sure. Soon. When I get home, my temporary home at least, I’ll try to channel Miss Hannah Delaney and create a plan and timetable for the launch. But for now, I’ll see her off at the train and hope that some of her skills will rub off on me on the way.’ He grinned, and his smile arched into his cheeks, the winter sunlight accentuating his angular jaw.

  He was still the chatty, friendly guy he’d always been. And she loved how he had grown into and filled out his tall, broad frame, and how the dots of stubble on his jaw were like tiny sprinkles of pepper spicing up his face.

  ‘If you have some basic questions, I don’t mind answering them,’ she found herself saying, as they turned and began walking up the street to the station.

  Hannah, you have enough to do.

  ‘I can recommend some local tradespeople, some suppliers, resources, etcetera.’

  Don’t make things complicated for yourself. Stop now.

  ‘Feel free to run any of your plans by me for a quick check.’

  What on earth are you doing?

  ‘Wow, thank you,’ he replied. ‘That’s very kind. But I would want to pay you, I don’t expect you to help me out for free.’

  ‘Oh no, I couldn’t accept payment for giving you a bit of general guidance.’

  ‘Then I will manage perfectly fine on my own. You have enough to do without giving away your valuable time and advice for free.’

  ‘True, but—’

  He held up his hand. ‘No buts.’

  ‘Okay, I hope it all goes well anyway, keep me posted.’

  ‘I will. I mean, I would, but I don’t have your number.’ He nudged her gently, like he used to do sometimes in class when pointing out something amusing like a twig in another student’s hair, or the teacher with a mark on his forehead from the whiteboard marker.

  ‘Then you’ll have to wait for me to contact you for updates.’ She nudged him back.

  ‘Hannah Delannah,’ he said with a shake of his head. ‘You still have a touch of that cheekiness in you.’

  She turned to look at him and laughed. ‘No one’s called me that in years.’ She too shook her head. ‘Luca Antonuca,’ she added.

  Oh my God, what’s happening? It was like they’d stepped into a time machine and landed in the past.

  ‘Ha!’ His laugh was like a glorious burst of flavour inside a chocolate truffle. ‘Same for me. And anyway, no one else, as far as I know, used to call you your rhyming name, only me.’

  ‘I know. Like I said, no one’s called me that in years. Twenty years to be exact.’

  ‘Well I’m going to. Unless you’d prefer to be called something with a more modern feeling to it, like... HD.’

  ‘They’re my initials, nothing exciting about them.’

  ‘Nothing exciting about High Definition? Technology is a lot better now than it was when we were at school, HD are pretty cool initials to have if you ask me.’

  She chuckled. It was as though they were walking home from school, backpacks bouncing against their backs, bubblegum popping between their words. ‘If only your initials were LR instead of LA.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘Then I could call you Low Resolution. And I’d be much more advanced than you, being all HD and stuff.’

  Another of his delicious laughs burst from his mouth, and she wanted another, and another, and another. Like chocolate truffles, one was not enough.

  How could she even try to avoid him now that he was back? She missed this. The talking, laughing, and just hanging out together. It was like barely any time had passed at all. But it had, a lot of it had. And things were different now. And she couldn’t let herself fall under his spell again, no matter how tempting. It wouldn’t lead to what she had wanted years before; if it were to happen, it would have happened a long time ago. He had clearly never thought of her in that way, only as a friend, and although that was still nice, she knew it would lead to her wanting more. And she couldn’t let that happen. Not now, not when she was starting to take control of her life. It was time to move on, starting with the eleven o’clock train to Sydney.

  Chapter 5

  After grabbing some lunch, Luca went back home. Although it wasn’t home, it also wasn’t not home. It was just a place to stay until he found a house of his own, a small but modern two-bedroom townhouse only a couple of minutes’ walk from the main street. But choosing his own house wasn’t a decision he could make lightly. Hannah’s place would be wonderful, just what he’d love, but he’d have to think carefully about the maintenance involved.

  ‘Hey, mate,’ he said to his housemate, Nathan, who was grabbing his keys from the hall table and about to head out by the looks of it.

  ‘Hey. Just on my way to a job.’

  ‘Same place as yesterday?’ he asked.

  ‘Nah, that was a one-off. Today is some garden maintenance at South Haven, a B&B not far from Serendipity, that health retreat at the entrance to town.’

  ‘Ah yeah, I’ve heard about Serendipity. I think their restaurant might be a bit of competition, not many other fine dining options in town.’

  ‘Unless you count Bayside Brasserie.’ He shrugged. ‘But it’s more of a casual set-up.’

  Luca nodded, and a slight rush of cold made him shiver inside. He’d already checked out all the eateries in and around town before confirming his lease. Bayside Brasserie was in the next block down from his premises. They specialised in buffet dinners, with an à la carte option. But they were also in the premises that his parents had secured in the past. So, had his father not died, Bayside Brasserie might not even exist or may have been set up elsewhere, and Viata might have been there instead. The thought sent more shivers up his spine. He could have trained with his father and ended up working side by side with him at the lively and homely family restaurant. But, ironically, given the Romanian meaning of the restaurant’s name, life had not turned out the way they’d expected.

  ‘Anyway, dude, enjoy your afternoon,’ Nathan said. ‘Back around sunset.’

  ‘Leave dinner to me,’ Luca said. ‘A thank you for letting me shack up here while I look for a place.’

  ‘How can I say no to that? My last roomie was a baked beans on toast kinda guy.’ He chuckled.

  ‘Ew. I bet you had to keep the windows open a lot.’

  ‘Ha-ha, yep. Anyway, thanks, mate.’ He went for the door then turned around. ‘How many places have you looked at so far, by the way?’

  ‘Se
eing a couple tomorrow, but I’ve only seen one so far. A chicken farm up on Jasmine Road, you know it?’

  His eyes went wide. ‘Hannah’s place? It’s for sale?’

  He nodded. ‘Yep, you know Hannah too?’

  ‘Helped out with the garden for a few years when she needed an extra hand. Haven’t been there for several months though. Figured she was handling it well enough on her own.’

  ‘She’s done well by the looks of it, but she’s planning to move to the city.’

  ‘No way, Hannah? She’s as much a local as Tarrin himself,’ he said. ‘I only moved here in my twenties but I know she’s been here her whole life. Wait, you know her already?’

  ‘I lived in town for a couple of years in my teens. We were schoolmates.’

  ‘Ah.’ He tilted his head back. ‘Blast from the past for you then, huh.’

  ‘Indeed.’ Luca had even woken up with a twenty-year-old song in his head... he couldn’t remember the name of it but knew the tune. By the time he’d awoken it had slipped away from his consciousness. ‘Anyway, see you after work.’

  ‘Sure thing.’ Nathan left and Luca sat at the kitchen table, opening his laptop.

  ‘Where to start, where to start?’ he mumbled to himself, opening a word document. He then opened a spreadsheet, but it only confused him, so he went back to the plain white virtual sheet of paper.

  Restaurant To-Do List, he typed.

  Get kitchen built—process already started.

  That was the main thing, everything else revolved around getting that done right. He’d organised a commercial kitchen company to come down and work on it for a week or two, based on how long they said it would take.

  Create menu & organise suppliers.

  That was the fun part, he could have anything he wanted, as long as it made good use of local produce as he’d heard that was important to those who lived in Tarrin’s Bay, and it was also a drawcard for visitors who wanted to experience all that the town of new beginnings had to offer.

  Hire staff.

  Well, he couldn’t do it all on his own. He hoped he could find some decent permanent staff and a few casuals to help during times of demand.

  Create website.

  His brother was good with anything techy, but had signed him up to a free website provider so he could start writing his content before publishing it to the internet. So far all it said was: New Tarrin’s Bay restaurant—coming soon! At least it was a start.

  Order furniture and décor. Decide on furniture and décor first. Work out table arrangements.

  The more he added to his list, the more it grew, along with a sense of overwhelm.

  Decide on a NAME.

  He wrote it in capital letters because it was a crucial step and needed to be decided upon asap so he could register the name, get the website domain, plan the colour scheme and design around the theme, and get a sign made to put up out the front of the premises to start attracting attention.

  He opened a new document...

  Name Ideas:

  Ocean View

  Seascape

  Bay Vista

  Luca’s

  They all sounded either too clichéd, not specific enough, or were already overused names in the hospitality industry. He didn’t want to use the same name his parents had chosen, Viata, because although it was tempting, he wanted it to be his own creation, and also an English word so that the majority of people could tell immediately on hearing the name what sort of restaurant it was.

  And also, he didn’t want to jinx it.

  He drummed his fingers on the table, random words running through his mind. None of them caught his attention enough. Hmmm. He wondered if he could at least ask Hannah if she had any name ideas, that wasn’t a big ask. Oh, but he didn’t have her number.

  He opened Facebook, searched her name, and on recognising her photo he clicked her profile. He smiled. It was a picture of her with her arm draped around Scarlett, the dog with a wide smile as natural as hers. He hardly used Facebook, he could never sit still long enough to look through all the posts, and preferred talking face to face, but he may have to start if he wanted to take advantage of social media marketing.

  He scrolled a little, though nothing was public except her profile pictures. He’d also never looked her up until now. He’d thought of her over the years, yes, but never searched for her. Up until now he had always wanted to keep his Tarrin’s Bay time in the past, as even though it held some fantastic memories, the ones that lingered were the ones that hurt. And it was easier to leave them behind than associate with anything that reminded him of that time.

  But here he was now, facing his past. Starting anew right where it all began, and ended, for his parents’ life dreams. He owed it to them to give it a shot. Owed it to himself too. He’d always liked the idea of owning his own restaurant, but the commitment had scared him. Not because he didn’t think he could stick to it, he knew he could, even though many other people who knew him probably thought otherwise. It was because he didn’t want to get it wrong. Didn’t want to make any mistakes. Didn’t want to fail.

  It had been the same with women. He’d never stayed long enough with anyone to fail at a relationship. If he didn’t stay, he didn’t have to fail. And he didn’t have to risk losing yet another person he loved.

  But now, at thirty-five, he was feeling the pressure of time getting away from him lately. Faster than it ever seemed to. Not that anyone was pressuring him with anything, but something just seemed missing from his life. Some kind of stability, certainty, and... companionship. Not just casual companionship, but deep, connected, meaningful companionship. Love, some might call it.

  He closed down her profile without sending a message or friend request.

  He put his To-Do List back on the screen. He needed to get to work. He could do this. And he would come up with a great name by himself.

  Despite those longings that had been starting to simmer in his mind, or his heart, for a while now, in the foreseeable near future he wouldn’t have any time or mental energy for companionship, for distractions, or even the possibility of the L word with someone.

  There was only time for one thing.

  His promise.

  He didn’t make promises often. But when he did, he kept them.

  Chapter 6

  ‘How did it go?’ Karen asked, when Hannah met her at the entrance to the office building just after four o’clock.

  ‘Great,’ she replied. ‘Let’s discuss over a cup of tea, where is a good place?’ Hannah glanced around. While waiting for Karen to finish work, she had wandered around the city streets looking at various stores... brand-name clothing and handbags, shiny sparkly things, and luxury items everywhere; so different to the coastal-themed homewares, quirky ornaments, handmade candles, and local artists’ creations in Tarrin’s Bay stores.

  ‘Right here.’ Karen pointed across the road. ‘I think you need their Restore tea blend, after your interrogation by my boss.’ She winked.

  Hannah chuckled. ‘She wasn’t that bad. But extremely... direct. And... well, does she ever smile?’

  ‘Ha-ha, yep, she does sometimes, maybe an average of three-point-three-three times per month.’ They waited for the pedestrian crossing to light up green then walked across. Tarrin’s Bay didn’t even have crossings like these, just a couple of zebra crossings. ‘Usually coincides with when I bring her a surprise slice of cake or something.’

  ‘That would make me smile too.’ Hannah eyed the menu when they got to the cafe. ‘Restore tea, huh?’

  ‘Definitely. My shout. And something to eat?’

  ‘Hmm.’ Hannah tapped her chin. ‘Slice of cake, now that you mention it. Vanilla cream.’

  ‘Oh yes. Make that two.’

  Karen ordered and they took their seats with a smile that widened when their tea and cakes were set down on their table by the window; people rushing past in suits, others wearing fancy backpacks, headphone cords trailing down from their ears like extra appe
ndages.

  ‘So by the end of the week you should know?’

  ‘Yep. There are a couple of other applicants with similar experience to me, although I bet most are not from a chook farm down south.’

  ‘But your varied experience should set you apart. You’ve handled many different types of events and in different locations, so you’d have some fresh ideas.’

  Hannah nodded. ‘We’ll see I guess. So if it’s a yes, should I move in as soon as possible or do things bit by bit?’ Hannah took a bite of the cake and the heavenly texture melted in her mouth. ‘I’ve never moved house before.’ She mumbled.

  ‘I know,’ Karen said. ‘It’s like you’re fresh out of high school, starting life as an adult.’

  ‘Tell me about it. I feel so strange, but it’ll be good.’ She took another spoonful. ‘Speaking of high school...’ She leaned in closer across the table, as though speaking too loudly would cause everyone in the cafe to turn towards her and point. ‘Guess who showed up in town the other day, and might be interested in my property?’

  ‘Benedict Cumberbatch?’

  Hannah chuckled and shook her head.

  ‘Idris Elba?’

  ‘Guess again.’

  ‘The Queen herself?’

  Hannah curved her hand beside her mouth and whispered. ‘Luca Antonescu.’

  It took a while for Karen’s face to register recognition. Then her mouth opened a bit. ‘Oh! As in, high school Luca? Your two-year-long crush you never got to follow through with?’

  ‘Yes, that one.’ Hannah’s cheeks flushed.

  ‘Wow, long time no see. Where’s he been all these years, why didn’t he come to our ten-year reunion? Has age treated him well? What’s he doing back? Wait, he wants to buy your place?’

  ‘Hang on, hang on.’ Hannah poked her fork towards Karen. She took a sip of the fruity herbal tea. ‘All I know is that he’s been working as a chef in Sydney, and is opening up a new restaurant in Tarrin’s Bay, so he’s looking for a place to live. Likes the idea of supplying his own eggs, and growing some produce I guess. And his mum recently passed away.’

  ‘Oh no, how sad. Poor guy, both his parents now.’