Outback Reunion (Bunyip Bay #6)

Chapter Twelve

Gabi had never seen Luna look so happy as she did after their Sunday matinee show when she ran towards Heidi and threw her arms around her. The younger girl had been waiting with her parents and baby sister until Gabi and Luna were done with their after-show selfies duty.

‘I’m so happy to see you! What d’you think of my act?’ Luna asked.

‘The dancing dogs were so funny!’ cried Heidi, joy radiating off her smiley face. ‘Can I pat them?’

As Luna introduced Heidi to her animal entourage, Adam greeted Gabi. ‘Nice to see you again. This is my wife, Stella, and you’ve already met Lily,’ he said, gesturing to the baby sleeping in the sling attached to his chest.

‘Hi, Gabi.’ Stella’s smile was almost as wide as her daughter’s as she offered Gabi her hand. ‘Heidi’s been talking non-stop about you and Luna since she and Adam got home from the beach yesterday. You’re both amazing. I can barely skip on normal ground, never mind up in the air on a rope.’

‘Thanks. It does take a bit of practice but I’m glad you both enjoyed the show.’

‘Mum,’ Luna called, ‘can I take Heidi to look around?’

‘Of course. We did promise a behind the scenes private tour.’ Gabi looked back to Stella and Adam. ‘That’s if you have the time.’

They nodded, then Adam said, ‘This feels like going backstage after a rock concert. Can I get your autograph?’

Gabi laughed. ‘It’s not as glamorous as you might think.’ She covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a yawn. ‘Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.’

She’d managed a grand total of forty-two minutes before Luna had woken up demanding a morning trip to the beach. Once there, she’d almost drifted off in the early morning sun while lying on her towel. Somehow, she managed to stay awake until she could finally convince Luna it was time to go back and eat an early lunch before their midday show. She’d wondered if Mark might show up again, but after scrutinising every face in the audience to no reward, she guessed he must have taken her ‘no’ for an answer.

More disappointed than she should be, Gabi had never wanted a show to be over sooner. All through the performance she’d been dreaming of collapsing on her bed afterwards and catching up on much-needed rest, but for Luna’s sake, she had to be polite and friendly to their visitors.

The three adults followed the kids and dogs back into the Big Top to find Luna already trying to teach Heidi how to do handstands in the ring, hard enough without Russell and Princess trying to join in the fun. Eve and Lorenzo were also there, smiling at their granddaughter and her little friend. These days—aside from when he was in the ring or schmoozing with the audience—Lorenzo only smiled around his granddaughter.

Gabi introduced them all and Lorenzo asked Stella and Adam about their farm while Eve gushed over the baby.

‘Do you mind if I hold her?’

‘Course not.’ Stella unclipped the sling and passed Lily over.

‘Aw.’ Eve rocked the tiny girl in her arms as she gazed down at her. ‘Aren’t you the cutest little thing? I miss having babies around the circus.’

Eve had been a godsend when Luna was born, doting on her as if she were her own and helping and encouraging Gabi, who would have been a nervous mess without her.

‘Looks like we have another circus star in the making there,’ boomed Lorenzo, chuckling as Heidi tried to do another cartwheel.

Stella was laughing. ‘She’s not very coordinated,’ she said softly, ‘but what she lacks in motor skills, she makes up for in enthusiasm.’

‘Time for my afternoon nap,’ Lorenzo said. ‘Lovely to meet you both.’

Eve reluctantly handed Lily back and followed her husband, leaving Gabi and Luna alone under the Big Top with their guests.

As Adam started snapping photos of the hilarious lesson, Gabi smiled. ‘Are there any gymnastics or dancing classes for Heidi to do around here?’

‘Unfortunately, there aren’t many options,’ Stella replied. ‘Although she’s desperate to join the new junior girls’ footy team.’

Adam nodded. ‘We’re trying to convince Mark to be their coach. Maybe you could put in a good word for us?’

Gabi could already feel her cheeks heating in the way they did whenever she thought of him. ‘We barely know each other,’ she said, trying to sound nonchalant. ‘I doubt I have any pull.’

Stella made a noise through her teeth that was hard to decipher.

‘Luna,’ Gabi called, trying to distract herself and Stella from the topic of Mark Morgan. ‘Call the dogs off. They’re not really helping Heidi,’ she added, as Russell jumped up again as she attempted a handstand.

‘Russell. No .’ Luna’s voice was sharp, and the five-year-old Jack Russell immediately dropped his paws to the ground, looking chastised. Luna pointed at him and the rest of her canine crew, then thrust her finger to the back of the ring. Immediately, the four dogs trotted to the back and made an obedient line.

Adam whistled. ‘Wow. That’s impressive. Even my sheepdogs aren’t that obedient.’

‘She was born with a knack with animals,’ Gabi said. ‘She’s mostly self-taught although whenever we have an animal act join us, she pesters the trainers for tricks. She’s been doing some training with the Saad sisters and their camels recently.’

‘It’s hot in here,’ Heidi complained, wiping her hand across her forehead.

‘That’s why we take a month off in February, which tends to be the hottest month all over Australia—the air con really struggles then, although it’s been switched off now,’ Gabi added apologetically. ‘Why don’t we take everyone outside and show them the caravans?’

Luna grabbed Heidi’s hand and they disappeared through the back of the tent, Gabi, Stella and Adam following after them. They found the girls by the camels with Jasmine Saad, who’d offered to give Heidi a ride around the lot on their most amenable animal.

‘Are they safe?’ Stella asked, her gaze following as Jasmine led Luna and Heidi away on Lenore, a fifteen-year-old dromedary with sandy beige fur and a gentle spirit.

Gabi nodded. ‘Yes, Lenore’s a sweetheart, and they’re in good hands with Jasmine. Now, can I get you two a drink or something? I don’t entertain much, but I can rustle up a cold soft drink or a cup of tea.’

‘A tea would be lovely, thank you,’ Stella said.

‘Coke for me, please.’

‘Will Diet do?’ Gabi asked Adam as she started towards their caravan. From there they’d be able to watch until the girls got bored, or Jasmine and Lenore had had enough of them, whichever came first.

‘Yeah, perfect. Thanks.’

When they got to her little home, Gabi fought the urge to apologise for their simple, rustic existence, but Stella and Adam appeared in awe of it.

‘This is so cute,’ Stella cried as she looked around inside.

Gabi opened the tiny bar fridge and grabbed a can of Diet Coke. ‘It’s a little bit cramped, but you get used to it.’

Adam cracked the can open. ‘I think it’s great. I’ve been seeing lots about tiny houses lately and it makes you realise how much crap most of us collect just because we can.’

‘Does that mean you’re ready to part with your old bottle collection?’ Stella asked her husband.

He narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Don’t even joke about such things.’

Stella laughed and Gabi put the kettle on, wondering briefly if they had cheated on each other. Or if at least one of them had. No matter what Eve said, Gabi couldn’t see either of these two even looking at someone else.

When each of the women had a cup of tea in hand, the three of them took their drinks outside and wandered over to Jasmine and the girls. Her sisters Amina and Dalia had joined them, as had Desmond, a couple of tent boys and a few of the other performers. It felt weird having guests on the lot; generally, the only people who came behind the scenes apart from the family and employees were journalists, but everyone seemed totally besotted with the adorable Heidi.

Gabi introduced Adam and Stella.

‘Your baby is so cute,’ said Amina.

‘Can I hold her?’ asked Dalia.

‘Me first,’ squealed Amina.

While Desmond pulled a few hacky sacks from his pockets and tried to show Heidi how to juggle, poor Lily was passed between the Saad sisters as if she were a doll.

When she began to fuss, Adam and Stella decided they should be getting home.

Luna looked like she was about to burst into tears or a tantrum at this news, but Gabi was secretly relieved. She was all peopled out and wanted to head back to the caravan, curl up into a ball and go to sleep. She’d never been more grateful in her life that they didn’t have an evening show scheduled. After a powernap, she was planning to get takeaway fish and chips from The Palace, then eat them on the beach with Luna, watching the sun set before a very early night.

‘Can Luna come back to our place for a sleepover?’ Heidi asked, tugging at Stella’s hand.

Luna’s eyes lit up. She looked to her mum as if she’d just been offered front row seats to Taylor Swift’s next concert, but Gabi’s heart squeezed.

A sleepover! She’d never been without her daughter a day in her life, but more importantly, these people were strangers. Albeit very nice strangers, but you could never be too careful.

She couldn’t say yes, but it was going to break Luna’s heart when she said no.

As if sensing Gabi’s hesitation, Stella said, ‘Why don’t you and Luna come for dinner instead. It won’t be anything fancy, we’re just having a barbecue.’

Adam nodded. ‘But we’d love to have you. And we’ve got a pool so you can bring your bathers and cool off.’

They could also do that in the ocean after fish and chips, but as much as she wasn’t in a mood to socialise any longer, Gabi couldn’t deny her daughter this one normal childhood experience of a playdate. ‘Okay, thanks. That would be lovely. Can we bring anything?’

Adam and Stella shook their heads as baby Lily began to cry. While Adam took her ahead to the car, Stella gave Gabi their address and her phone number. ‘We’ll eat dinner about six, but feel free to come over as soon as you want. The kids can have a swim before we eat.’

‘Oh, I was hoping to have a nap this arvo, I’m exhausted,’ Gabi said, ‘so it’ll probably be an hour or so.’

Luna groaned loudly beside her. ‘You’re always tired these days.’

‘If you want, we can take Luna back to our place now and you can come once you’ve had a bit of time to yourself,’ Stella suggested.

‘Are you sure?’ Gabi asked, already imagining laying her head on her pillow.

Stella smiled reassuringly. ‘I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.’

Two and a half hours later, after a shower and a siesta, Gabi threw on her maxi dress—the only bit of clothing she owned that was suitable for the occasion—and said goodbye to Loud Mouth, who uttered a few rude words about her absconding.

‘I won’t be long,’ she promised, hoping this was the case. As lovely as Adam and Stella were, she felt nervous socialising with people outside the circus. The rare occasions she did so, she always felt drained afterwards.

She waved at her in-laws who were coming back from a late afternoon walk along the beach—still unable to look at either of them without thinking of their pretty-much-open marriage—then climbed into her old wagon and punched Stella and Adam’s address into the GPS app on her phone. The car made a coughing sound as she turned the key in the ignition, no doubt hot after spending the day sitting in the sun.

‘Come on...’ she coaxed. ‘We’re not going far.’

This time when she tried again, it started properly, and she caressed the steering wheel in thanks. Gabi put Luna’s favourite tunes list on Spotify—it consisted of a lot of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo—and then followed the directions down the main street of Bunyip Bay and onto the highway. About five minutes north, she turned right onto a much rougher road, but thanks to their travel around the country, she was an experienced driver on many terrains. It amazed her that there could be paddocks and low shrubbery on either side of the road when they were so close to the beach. She could still smell the sea air through her open window, yet now there were also strong scents of dust and something else she couldn’t put her finger on.

When a white cockatoo swooped down to investigate some kangaroo roadkill on the bitumen, Gabi swerved around it. As she did so, she noticed a farm sign out of the corner of her eye. Wondering if she’d arrived at Adam and Stella’s farm faster than the GPS said, she slowed to read the names on the sign: ‘T and M Morgan’.

Her pulse accelerated. Were they Mark’s parents? Was this Mark’s farm?

Hadn’t Adam said they were neighbours?

Sensing movement in her rear-view mirror, she looked up to see a car towing a caravan behind her and quickly moved on. It wasn’t long before she spotted another sign, this time announcing Burton it was one of the few things she seemed to be good at that Dante couldn’t do. He hadn’t liked it—he was jealous that Luna was the centre of her world now and had suggested bottle-feeding so his parents could sometimes have the baby overnight, but she’d been adamant in her refusal.

In hindsight, it might have been one of the few times she’d ever stood up to him.

‘Now, where were we. That’s right, Heidi’s father,’ Stella said.

Apparently, she and him were only in their teens when they fell accidentally pregnant.

‘That sounds a little similar to my mum’s story,’ Gabi said, and then filled her in.

Stella shook her head. ‘I honestly can’t imagine how any parent can turn their back on their children like that. I’d kill for my girls.’

‘Same.’ Gabi looked over to where Luna and Heidi were now playing with a football, imagining how different her life might have been if her grandparents hadn’t pushed her mum away when she’d gone back to them asking for forgiveness and help.

‘And what about Luna’s father?’ asked Stella. ‘Is he in the circus too?’

Gabi hoped Luna hadn’t heard the question—the last thing she needed was a reminder of her loss and grief when she was having such fun—but thankfully, she seemed too enthralled by Heidi trying to show her how to kick the ball.

‘He was. You met his parents this afternoon—Eve and Lorenzo. But Dante, their son, my husband, died last year.’

‘Oh, my goodness.’ Stella’s eyes widened with shock and pity. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how tough that must have been for you.’

Gabi swallowed, once again guilty at the assumption that she must be upset over her husband’s death. Of course, she was sad for Luna and her in-laws, but her relief was stronger. Did that make her a monster?

‘Thanks,’ she said simply.

Thankfully, Adam appeared not long after that, his hair still damp and an open bottle of beer in his hand. He was wearing a fresh pair of board shorts, a polo neck t-shirt and thongs; he was unquestionably good looking. Gabi couldn’t help thinking there must be something in the water around Bunyip Bay, because if he and Mark were anything to go by, they had an unfair proportion of hot men.

He crossed over and kissed both Stella and Lily on their heads. ‘Thanks for letting us borrow Luna this arvo, Gabi. She’s a great kid.’

‘Thank you for having her.’

‘Yeah,’ Stella echoed. ‘Heidi is super friendly but there’s more boys than girls around her age at school so it’s nice for her to have another girl to play with.’

Gabi sighed. ‘Same for Luna. We don’t currently have any other kids in the circus, and sometimes I think she forgets she’s not a grown-up. It’s good to see her spending time with someone closer to her own age.’

Adam’s gaze drifted to the girls. ‘Has Luna played footy before?’

Stella shook her head. Just another thing to feel guilty about; Luna had never played any kind of team sport.

He whistled. ‘Looks like she’s a natural then.’

Gabi shrugged. ‘She’s always been pretty coordinated and flexible and although she hasn’t played sport as such, her circus work probably helps.’

‘I’ll say,’ Adam said as the ball flew their way and veered dangerously close to the baby. His reflexes were quick; he caught it and hurled it back to the girls, even more impressed when Luna skilfully caught it. ‘Pity you’re not staying. We could use her on our new girls’ footy team. Anyway, I’d best get started on the meat.’

Adam headed over to get the barbecue going, and when the steak and sausages were cooked, Stella put Lily back in her bassinet under the flynet, then brought out two massive bowls of salad and a tonne of fresh, homemade bread rolls.

‘Can you light the citronella candles?’ she asked Adam as he put a squeezy bottle of tomato sauce onto the outside table. ‘The mozzies are killers at this time of the year.’

While casual dinners with friends were clearly regular occurrences for the Burtons, the experience was new for Gabi and Luna. They often ate with Eve and Lorenzo and the other circus people, but she couldn’t remember ever going to dinner at someone’s house. Luna was having the time of her life—eating her fill and chattering with Heidi—and Gabi found she was enjoying herself more than she’d imagined. She and Stella got along well, and she wondered, hoped, that maybe they could stay in contact after she and Luna moved on. Maybe Heidi and Luna could email each other and maybe they could come back to visit one day.

At least next time, she’d be prepared for the possibility of running into Mark.

After they’d enjoyed pavlova for dessert—Luna scoffing three servings—Adam announced he was off to give Lily a bath and Gabi helped Stella pack the dishwasher. When they were done, they found Luna and Heidi watching some animated TV show in the lounge room.

‘Time to go, munchkin,’ Gabi said.

Luna’s happy smile vanished, and Heidi burst into tears. It was the first time Gabi had seen her so much as pout and the sight nearly broke her heart.

‘Oh, angel,’ Stella said, drawing her daughter into her arms. ‘Maybe we can see Luna again before she leaves?’

Gabi nodded. ‘I’m sure she’d love that.’

‘Maybe we can even go to the circus again,’ Stella added.

‘I want her to sleep over now!’ Heidi said, struggling out of her mum’s embrace.

Luna’s eyes lit up as she did a little jig on the couch. ‘I want that too.’

Stella took Gabi aside for a moment. ‘I totally understand if you’d rather Luna didn’t stay, but she’s more than welcome, and I promise we’ll take care of her like she’s one of ours.’

Gabi’s stomach tightened. After only a few hours in Stella and Adam’s company, she believed Stella’s words, but she still felt sick at the thought of a night without her daughter.

And she knew what Dante would say: What kind of mother leaves their child with strangers?

It was this thought that started to sway her. Damn him for making her question her parenting!

‘Are you sure you want to stay, sweetheart?’ she asked.

‘Yes! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! I’ve never wanted anything more.’ Luna sprang up and gave Gabi a massive hug.

And as her daughter’s little arms tightened around her waist in a way they hadn’t done in months, she knew she’d made the right decision.

‘Okay then. You can stay, but promise me you’ll be on your best behaviour. I don’t want you giving Stella and Adam any trouble. You go to bed as soon as they say, don’t keep Heidi awake talking too much and remember, you need sleep for the show tomorrow.’

Luna nodded solemnly, vowing to be an absolute angel.

Gabi and Stella arranged for Stella to bring Luna back to the circus in the morning, then the girls stood alongside Stella waving Gabi goodbye. The homestead had barely disappeared in her rear-view mirror before she started to second guess her decision. Since Luna was born, she and Gabi had barely been apart for an hour, never mind a whole night. The thought of sleeping in their caravan without her daughter made her heart race.

What if something happened to Luna while she wasn’t there? People thought circuses were dangerous, but she knew for a fact that far more injuries and deaths— shudder —occurred on farms.

At the end of the long gravel driveway, she almost turned around. Only the knowledge that Luna would never forgive her made her wipe her eyes and force herself to drive on. She’d just have to pray her daughter would be safe and try to find something to distract her foreboding thoughts for the night.

Seconds later, the answer came to her in the form of the sign to Mark’s farm.

She deliberated mere seconds before slowing and turning into his property.

This time as she drove up a gravel track almost identical to the one at Adam and Stella’s farm, she didn’t notice any of the scenery on either side of her. Although her heart pounded at the prospect of what she was about to do, although it was probably a crazy-stupid idea, none of those thoughts and feelings were as strong as her desire to see Mark again. All day she’d been thinking about him and what might have happened if she hadn’t fled from that kiss—Eve’s little pep talk hadn’t helped—and now fate, or rather Stella and Adam, had gifted her the chance to rewrite the night.

And she deserved this! One evening without Luna to live out her wildest fantasies with the man who’d got under her skin like no other.

She only hoped he hadn’t changed his mind about wanting her .