Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
We hope the universe will smile at us and give us the girl of our dreams.
Then Dawn tells us she wants to travel to see Kyla in Sydney, and all seems lost.
She disappears from our lives in a cloud of coach fumes, with no return date confirmed. The whole of Cloud 9 feels like it has fallen back to earth in a catastrophic tumble.
We receive a one sentence message, confirming she’s arrived safely and then we don’t hear from her again.
No phone calls.
No more messages.
Nothing.
All nine of us walk around like bears with migraines.
In a strange way, it feels as though Dawn was just a figment of our collective imaginations, just a dream we shared.
Except Chantelle is still here, and when the article that Dawn’s journalist friend wrote is published, all hell breaks loose.
The bar is inundated with other reporters seeking interviews, and we have to close to protect Chantelle from the onslaught.
Without work, Dawn’s absence hits even harder. Jared and Joshua lose themselves in surfing. Thomas composes a melancholy melody and won’t stop strumming it on his guitar. Logan, Cooper, Lachlan, and Mitchell exercise to dull the pain. And me and Bradley take long hikes up to the lighthouse and back, restless with nervous energy.
No one says what we’re all thinking. What if she doesn’t come back?
What if this is it?
No one contemplates what we’d do next if it is.
Then, as if she never left, Dawn appears, with Kyla and three huge, tattooed dudes, bounding into the chill-out area where me and Bradley are playing cards, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me passionately. When she moves to do the same to my brother, I stare at her back, blinking because I half expect her to disappear again.
"Did you miss me?" she asks. In her gym leggings and slouchy yellow shirt, with her hair scraped into a messy bun, she exudes life and vitality, and once again I say a silent prayer to the universe that she’s clear of the worries of the past.
"Of course we missed you," Bradley says, hauling her into his lap and beaming like a kid at Christmas. She squeals and wriggles in a half-hearted attempt to escape. Then, she remembers the people she brought with her and flushes pink.
"Bryce. Bradley. This is Carl, Noah, and Dex. Three-eighths of Kyla’s boyfriends."
Carl, a big dude with blond hair tied in braids like a Viking, and eyes the color of sea ice, holds out his hand, and I stand to shake it. "Carl," he says with a serious expression and fierce grip that reminds me a lot of Lachlan.
Noah follows, smiling enough for both him and Carl. Dex is last, and then Kyla kisses me and Bradley on the cheek.
"So," I say. "How was Sydney?" But I’m not interested in the answer. Not really. I just want to know if she’s back for good or if this is the proper goodbye.
"Sydney was fantastic," Dawn gushes. "We climbed Harbor Bridge and went to look around the Opera House. We rollerbladed through Centennial Park and made fools of ourselves trying to surf at Bondi Beach. We ate some seriously weird food." She counts off her fingers. "Crocodile, snake, wild boar, ostrich. Did you know you can eat snake?"
"I did," I say. "I wouldn’t choose to, but I’ve seen it on menus."
"Crocodile was tasty. It was cooked with ginger." She wrinkles her nose as though she’s not sure about whether or not she should have enjoyed the dish.
Carl grimaces. "Crocodile was weird. I think I’m happy to stick with chicken and beef."
"You can take the American out of the USA…" Dawn trails off, smiling as Carl shrugs.
Dex looks pointedly at Dawn. "We had a fun time, but Dawn couldn’t shut up about you guys. We’ve forgiven her because she’s the one who set Kyla on a path into our lives, but damn. If I hear another story about how awesome you guys are, I’m going to have to plug my ears."
When I meet Dawn’s eyes, they’re as light as sun dappled grass, and her expression is soft and warm. "Is it true?" I ask.
Bradley doesn’t seem to need any confirmation because he plants a firm and lingering kiss on her cheek.
"It’s true," she admits.
"What’s true?" Mitchell asks, as he appears behind Dex, Noah, and Carl.
"Dawn’s obsessed with you," Dex says, totally deadpan.
Kyla swats at his arm. "Less of the dropping statements that might make men run for the hills."
"These men aren’t going anywhere, are you?" Noah asks with a knowing grin.
"We aren’t," I say. "The bigger question is whether Dawn’s going to stick around."
All eyes focus on the girl who’s driven us crazy in the best and worst ways since she drifted into our bar looking like sin and sunshine. She turns to look at Bradley, then at Logan, Cooper, Thomas, Jared, Joshua, and Lachlan, who must have all heard voices and come to find out what the fuss is about. Finally, she looks at me.