Outback Reunion (Bunyip Bay #6)

Chapter Nineteen

‘You have a gorgeous smile,’ Mark told Gabriela as she grinned at him. Her hand in his felt pretty much perfect and although he had a mountain of farm and house stuff to do before his parents came home, he was glad he’d remembered Gabriela and Luna’s morning beach ritual.

Waiting until tonight to see her would have been torture. Even seeing her now without being able to do exactly what he wanted to her was its own kind of torment.

She squeezed his hand. ‘And you’re a sweet talker.’

They smiled at each other like a couple of lovesick teens and he somehow managed to resist the urge to lean in, press his mouth to hers and give her something more to smile about.

‘What was Dante like?’ he found himself asking. He didn’t mean to upset her and part of him didn’t want to know, but there was another part that felt like this dead guy was his competition and he needed some intel.

Gabi took a moment to reply. ‘He was a great dad and a talented performer. He was very charismatic. A real charmer. Everyone that worked in the circus loved him and the audience couldn’t get enough either.’

‘And what exactly was his role? What were his acts?’

‘He did lots of things. We performed together on the highwire; he could do the Wheel of Steel and he wasn’t bad in the Globe of Death either. He believed that the boss of the circus should be able to do as many of the acts as possible.’

Mark couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy. ‘He sounds like an amazing person.’

‘Was your knee giving you grief out there?’ she asked.

It was an obvious change of subject as if speaking about Dante was too painful for her, but she’d chosen his least favourite topic of conversation.

‘Nah, it’s fine. After my op, and with regular physio, it’s not that bad now.’ He forced a chuckle. ‘Well, when I say, “not bad”, I mean... clearly, it’s not good enough to play properly again, but it doesn’t hurt much anymore.’ Only when someone asked him about it. ‘I can do all the farm work and everything just fine.’

She frowned, a small crease appearing on her otherwise silky-smooth forehead. ‘I thought that might be why you were reluctant to go kick the footy with the kids.’

Mark’s chest squeezed as he realised he’d just dropped himself right in it. ‘Would you believe me if I said I just didn’t want to be away from you?’

Gabriela laughed. ‘No.’

‘Well, that’s also true but... I haven’t touched a footy since I left Melbourne. It’s...’

He looked down at the sand, unable to finish his sentence. He didn’t want her to know what a dark place he’d been in lately—he didn’t want to dampen their short time together with boring life shit—but she finished the sentence for him. ‘Too painful? Not physically, but emotionally?’

‘Something like that,’ he admitted, digging his heel into the sand. ‘It probably sounds pathetic, but I loved the game so much. There was nothing like the feeling I got when I had that ball in my hands and my sights on the goal posts. I thought I had a few more years... I thought my best years might still be to come... and it’s easier to avoid thinking about all that if I avoid football altogether.’

‘It doesn’t sound pathetic. I’m guessing that’s why you don’t want to coach the local girls’ team?’

Mark’s head snapped up to look at her. ‘How’d you know about that?’

‘When Stella found out we knew each other she asked if I could put a good word in for them.’

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘This town!’ Not merely content to pester him about his life choices, now they were dragging near strangers into their scheming.

Gabriela laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I told her you wouldn’t listen to me.’

‘But you think I should do it?’ He could tell by the tone of her voice and her pensive expression.

‘It’s not any of my business what you do, but have you considered that maybe cutting footy completely out of your life isn’t good for you either?’

His phone rang and he’d never been happier to be saved by the bell, until he dug it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Not again . Tahlia had already tried him twice that morning and both times he’d let the call go to voicemail. Someone must have died; that was the only possible explanation for why she’d be contacting him, but she had that prick Alex to comfort her now.

‘Problem?’ Gabriela asked as he scowled.

‘Nah.’ He shook his head, rejected the call, shoved his phone back into his pocket and focused on her. He wanted to lighten the mood again, so instead of returning to their conversation about football, he changed the subject. ‘Who’s your celebrity crush?’

She blinked, then half-laughed. ‘Why do you want to know?’

He shrugged—not about to tell her it was one of the questions in the article his mum had sent him . If only he’d seen the questionnaire before proposing to Tahlia, things might never have got that far between them. Then again, she’d lied about lots of things. He didn’t plan on asking Gabriela all the deep and meaningful questions, but some of them were fun. ‘Go on, tell me, who is he? There must be someone.’

‘Paul Rudd.’

‘What? Ant Man? Isn’t he a bit old?’

She shrugged. ‘He’s aged pretty damn well.’

Stupidly, Mark felt jealous of a celebrity that neither of them would probably ever meet.

‘Who’s yours?’ she asked.

‘Angelina Jolie.’ He still had a poster of her as Lara Croft in his walk-in robe and it was probably no coincidence that she could be Gabriela’s doppelganger.

‘She’s old too!’

His phone started ringing again. This time he ignored it.

‘Sounds like someone really wants to talk to you,’ Gabriela said, nodding towards his hidden phone.

He sighed. ‘It’s my ex.’

A flicker of something that almost looked like jealousy crossed her face. ‘Do you still talk a lot?’

‘Hell no. We haven’t spoken since before I left Melbourne. She sent a text message wishing me a Merry Christmas as if we were old acquaintances, but we haven’t had any more contact than that. I have no idea what she wants, but she can wait.’

All of a sudden, Gabriela frowned and snatched her hand from his. For a second, he thought it was because of the phone call, but he followed her gaze to see Jai racing up the sand towards them.

‘I think Luna’s drowning!’

‘Oh my God!’ She sprung up, kicking sand into his face as she did so, but Mark was right behind her, uncaring of the granules stinging his eyes.

Only about ten metres out, he saw Luna’s small red head tilted back, just bobbing above the water. The wind wasn’t terrible this morning and the waves weren’t as rough as they sometimes could be, which had clearly lulled Luna and Jai into a false sense of security, and either she’d been caught in a rip or wasn’t a strong enough swimmer. Maybe both.

‘We’re coming,’ he shouted, his heart slamming against his chest as he saw her head slip beneath the surface just a metre or so from a buoy.

Hold on , he prayed, overtaking Gabriela, swimming as fast as he could towards her daughter. If he didn’t save Luna, Gabriela would never forgive him for distracting her.

Hell, he’d never forgive himself.

Time seemed to slow as his arms churned through the water and he knew that every second she was under could be fatal.

His heart burning from exertion, he came close to the buoy and glanced around. Dammit, Luna. Where the hell are you? His eyes stung as he plunged beneath the surface, keeping them open as he searched under the water.

Thankfully, he found her quickly, grabbing her tiny limp body and pushing them both to the surface.

‘Luna!’ he shouted, squeezing her shoulder, but there was no response. Fuck.

Gabriela was suddenly upon them. ‘Oh Jesus. Is she okay?’

Mark couldn’t bring himself to reply, as he swam past her as fast as he could to the shore. He was going to do everything he damn well could to try and make sure of it.

‘Someone call an ambulance,’ he shouted as he dropped to the sand, rolled Luna into the recovery position and checked her pulse. It was faint, but he could feel it. Thank God.

Seconds later, Gabriela sank down onto the sand beside them. ‘We need to do CPR. Do you know CPR?’

‘Yes,’ he said as he opened Luna’s mouth. ‘I just need to check her airway.’

As he did so, water spilled out and then she spluttered and began to cough.

‘Luna! Oh my God, baby.’ Sobs interspersed Gabriela’s words and although they weren’t out of danger completely just yet, Mark grinned.

He’d never been happier in his life to hear someone cough.

And when Luna shakily sat up and vomited onto the sand, he felt like he’d won the lottery. This was a very good sign.

As Gabriela drew her daughter against her chest and whispered ‘I love you’ over and over and over again into her wet hair, a husky voice sounded above them. ‘Is she okay? Do you need anything?’

Mark looked up to see that a small crowd had gathered—all tourists, no one he recognised. ‘A couple of towels would be good,’ he replied.

The man, who turned out to be Jai’s dad, rushed over to their beach umbrella and returned with two large, colourful towels. ‘Here.’

Mark draped the towels around Gabriela and Luna—who were still joined together as if they never wanted to let each other go—then stepped back slightly to take a much-needed breather. He’d never been more terrified and then more relieved. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he doubted he’d have felt more of either if Luna was his own child.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and bloodshot. ‘Is Rookie okay?’

He hadn’t even thought about the dog but as he glanced back towards the ocean, he saw Jai standing a few feet away from them, his mum’s hand on his shoulder and a soggy dog struggling in his arms. Rookie must have rushed into the water after them.

‘She looks fine to me. The question is, how are you feeling?’

Luna sniffed. ‘I feel stupid.’ She looked up at Gabriela and started to cry. ‘I’m sorry, Mum, I know I’m not supposed to go swimming by myself, but I was with Jai. I thought I’d be fine.’

‘Oh, sweetheart, shh, it’s okay. Don’t worry about any of that, I’m just glad you’re safe. I love you so much.’

‘I love you too,’ Luna sobbed. ‘I thought I was going to die.’

‘Not gunna let that happen,’ Gabriela choked.

The drama apparently over, the crowd dispersed, and Mark walked across to Jai and thanked him for rescuing Rookie, then took the dog back to Luna, whose eyes lit up as he approached. ‘Someone else is real happy you’re okay.’

Sniffing and shuffling away from her mum slightly so she could open her arms, Luna cried, ‘Rookie.’

The dog all too happily climbed into her lap—looking bigger than usual against the small girl—and the two of them were still snuggling, Rookie against Luna’s chest and Gabriela’s arm tight across her daughter’s shoulders, when sirens sounded coming into the carpark.

Moments later, two volunteer ambulance officers hurried down the sand towards them.

‘Hey!’ Mark lifted a hand to wave as he recognised Henri’s older brother, James, and Sam, the female plumber who’d recently moved to town.

He took Rookie and stepped to the side as James and Sam introduced themselves to Gabriela and Luna and checked her over. Although she seemed okay after her terrifying ordeal, both agreed that as she’d been unconscious for a short time, it would be best to take her to Geraldton Hospital to get checked out.

‘I’ll collect your things and follow to Gero,’ Mark told Gabriela as she glanced back towards their stuff on the sand. ‘Don’t worry about anything. You’re in good hands with these guys. See you soon.’

‘Are you bringing Rookie with you?’ Luna asked.

Dammit. Despite the leash in his hand, he’d almost forgotten about the dog, but he couldn’t take her into the hospital and nor could he leave her in the car with the windows open. He wanted to be inside in case Gabriela needed his support.

‘I’ll quickly drop her at home and be there as soon as I can,’ he said as Sam and James started ushering them up the sand towards the waiting van.

‘Don’t tell me that’s your dog?’

Mark turned and couldn’t help grimacing at the sight of Eileen Brady behind him, wearing a bright green swimming cap and a swimming costume that sadly left little to the imagination.

‘Yeah, you got a problem with that?’

She blinked, clearly shocked that anyone would dare speak to her in such a manner. ‘I’m surprised, that’s all. She doesn’t look like much of a farm dog.’

Mark’s hackles rose. Rookie might not be the most conventional farm dog, but he felt an affinity for her—they’d both been tossed aside.

‘Looks can be deceiving, Mrs B. Anyway, if you don’t mind, I’ve—’

‘I’ll look after her,’ she interrupted.

‘Seriously?’ Was there a catch?

She nodded. ‘You go with your girls and come and collect her from my place when you can.’

‘Oh God, thank you.’ He could have kissed the old busybody.

Maybe there was a heart beneath that tough exterior after all. Now that he thought about it, Eileen Brady was a little like Mary Poppins—all knowing and seemingly always in the right place at the right time.

Leaving Rookie in her hopefully capable hands, he quickly collected Gabriela and Luna’s belongings, then hightailed it to the ute so he could get to them as soon as possible.

Only family members were allowed into the A some things never changed. He used to beg his parents for one every time they went to Geraldton or Perth and had collected the plastic toys in a shoebox.

Gabriela snapped on her seatbelt. ‘We don’t have time. We have to get back and get ready for the show.’

‘You’re not seriously going to make her perform after today?’ Mark asked.

She glared at him. ‘No, of course not, but I still need to.’

He blinked. ‘Don’t you think you deserve a break too, after what you’ve just been through?’

Gabriela rolled her eyes. ‘Haven’t you heard, “the show must go on”? It’s not just a saying to us.’

‘Aw, please , Mum,’ Luna whined. ‘I’m so hungry. I might die of starvation and I thought you didn’t want me to die!’

At this, Mark struggled not to smirk.

‘Fine,’ Gabriela said. ‘But we’re getting drive through.’

Feeling as victorious as Luna looked, Mark drove the short distance to McDonald’s and put in Luna’s order for a Cheeseburger Happy Meal and a large Quarter Pounder meal for himself.

‘What do you want?’ he asked Gabriela.

‘Nothing. I can’t eat too much before performing.’

She insisted on paying, and Mark unwrapped his burger before they left the carpark, then drove one-handed as he ate.

Luna was quiet while she scoffed her burger and the fries she’d chosen instead of apple slices or cherry tomatoes—what kid would willingly choose either?—but when she’d finished, she immediately turned her attention to him. ‘Do you have a girlfriend or a wife or something?’

‘That’s none of your business,’ Gabriela warned, retrieving the bottle of water from her bag.

‘It’s fine.’ He smiled into the rear-view mirror at Luna. ‘I was married, but we’re getting a divorce.’

The smile that had been on her face since Gabriela had agreed to Macca’s fell. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. That must be hard.’

‘Last year was a bit of a tough one,’ he admitted, ‘but things are starting to look up.’

Luna smiled again. ‘I’m glad. You seem like a nice man.’ She took a sip of her apple juice.

‘Thank you.’ Mark felt a lump form in his throat. He couldn’t help wishing Luna was his. Not just because it would mean a connection to Gabi, but because she was exactly the kind of kid he’d always envisioned having. Sporty, funny, brave and full of life.

Luna had more questions as they drove. She wanted to know what it was like being a famous footballer, but as that subject still hurt, he quickly changed the topic, asking her instead about the circus, which she was more than happy to chat about. There were so many things he hadn’t considered about living on the road, like not having permanent running water or electricity. She told him they had a generator that switched off every night at midnight and didn’t go back on until eight o’clock the next morning.

The life Gabriela and Luna lived wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

And everything was still very gender specific—the men in the circus did the heavy lifting, such as carrying and setting up the seating, whereas the women did lighter tasks like putting up the curtains and setting up the ring mat. Apparently, every Big Top was different, and caravans were passed down from generation to generation.

‘It’s kind of a rite of passage thing,’ Gabriela explained. ‘Our caravan belonged to Dante’s great-grandparents and is almost a hundred years old.’

What Mark found most amusing were the unspoken rules. There was a hierarchy in the circus which dictated whose van drove onto a new lot first. Usually this would be the ringmaster or owner of the circus, unless his parents were still around, like Lorenzo’s mother Muriel was. Even if they were no longer running the circus, respect was always shown to the elder of the ‘family’.

It sounded a little like the Mob to him, but he had the good sense not to say so.

Luna was halfway through telling him about one day in Far North Queensland when the tent was flooded so badly, they had to use buckets to try and scoop the water out when she went quiet mid-sentence.

Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder to see Gabriela holding a finger to her lips.

‘She’s asleep,’ she whispered, smiling. ‘She hasn’t slept in the car since she was a toddler. She used to always nap on our long trips from town to town.’

‘She’s probably exhausted from the shock.’

Gabriela nodded and they drove the rest of the distance in silence, neither of them wanting to disturb Luna. Mark peered into the rear-view mirror every few minutes, his heart feeling both full and weirdly empty at the sight of Gabriela gazing down at her daughter, gently stroking her vibrant red hair.

‘Thanks again for everything you did today,’ she said when they arrived at the lot.

‘Let me carry her in for you.’ He got out of the car before she could object and opened the back door. Trying not to wake Luna, he scooped her gently into his arms and let Gabriela shut the door behind them.

Her mother-in-law hurried over when they entered the gates that led to the back trailer area. ‘What’s happened? Is Luna alright?’

Gabriela put her finger to her lips. ‘She’s fine. Just had a bit of a fright down at the beach. I’m going to put her to bed so she can get some rest before tonight’s show, then I’ll tell you all about it.’

She hurried on and Mark followed to her caravan where she opened the door.

‘Hello, hello, hello,’ squawked Loud Mouth from the large cage just outside the caravan.

‘Shut up,’ Gabriela hissed as she opened the door and gestured for Mark to go inside.

‘Can you put her on the bed, please?’

He did so as if he were holding something breakable, then stepped back.

Luna made a tiny noise, almost like a cat, and curled into a ball. Something in his chest squeezed at the sight. The few interactions they’d had so far had been full of her sass, but asleep she looked so innocent and vulnerable. Suddenly he understood what his mum had meant when he was a kid and she used to joke that she loved him the most when he was asleep.

Gabriela touched his arm lightly, then nodded towards the door. Mark blinked before following her outside.

‘I can’t thank you enough for today.’ She went a little misty eyed. ‘I wish there was something I could do to show you how grateful I am.’

She looked exhausted, still beautiful, but exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and tell her she could lean on him, but he was all too aware of her mother-in-law and the terrifying older woman he guessed must be Lorenzo’s mother, Muriel, watching them from a few caravans away.

‘You don’t need to do anything. I’m just glad she’s okay. What are you going to do with her during the show tonight? Do you want me to stay and sit with her in there while the rest of you are performing?’

He wanted to stay, he didn’t want to leave them just yet, but Gabriela shook her head, not meeting his gaze. ‘She’ll be awake by then and she can watch from the audience or stay backstage. You’ve done more than enough. Thank you, Mark.’

There was a don’t-mess-with-me finality in her voice that scared him. It felt like he was being dismissed and he wasn’t nearly done with her.

Suddenly he wasn’t sure whether he’d ever be.

‘I’ll see you later,’ he told her, then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.