Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Cabarita Beach
Bindi frowned at the computer screen. The cursor blinked beside the numbers on the spreadsheet and she rubbed her eyes with her fingertips.
She was starting to go cross-eyed staring at spreadsheets.
With a grunt, she stood to her feet and reached for her empty tea cup — another cup of tea was what she needed. Perhaps it would help wake her up.
There was a tap at the office door and she looked up to see Josh coming through with a smile. He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She grinned. “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I finished my shift and thought I’d surprise you. I’ve hardly seen you lately, maybe we can grab something to eat at the pub.”
She nodded. “Great idea, but what if we eat here? The restaurant isn’t fully booked tonight and it’s so lovely outside. We could sit on the verandah and have a delicious chef-cooked meal for free.”
“I love it. Yes, that’s perfect. Let’s go for a walk in the Cove first. It’s cooling off and the waves are perfect today.”
They linked hands and walked down the short path to the Cove.
Castle Rock rose black against the azure water, with white spray splashing around it with each crashing wave.
The sand was warm on Bindi’s bare feet but with the sun dipping towards the land behind them, the oppressive heat of the day had passed and instead, a cool breeze teased her ponytail.
A few guests wandered along the shoreline. Some children built a sandcastle in the wet sand. And one man sat beside a surfboard, his hair dripping salt water onto the beach around him.
“I love it here,” Bindi said.
“Me too, it’s a special place.”
She stopped, her heart in her throat. She’d promised Reeda she’d talk to Josh, but had put it off over and over again. It was time. She had to do it.
Josh looked at her with a quizzical expression, his blond hair was cut shorter than usual and it made his square jaw look even more angular. “What’s wrong?”
She inhaled a quick breath. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Oh?” He looked concerned.
“It’s not a big deal. An issue I’m having, that’s all. There’s a man at uni, Brett. I’ve been hanging out with him and his friends pretty regularly and I think he’s developed a bit of a crush on me. I’m not sure how to handle it.”
His eyes narrowed. “A crush?”
Her heart raced and her words hurried after one another. “A little crush, I’m not even sure. Maybe it’s not a crush. I might be imagining things. But if it is a crush, what do you think I should do?”
He dropped her hand. “How long has this been going on for?”
“Nothing’s going on.” She pushed a smile onto her face. “I’m not sure why I’m even bringing it up. Only Reeda said…”
“You spoke to Reeda about this?” His brow furrowed more deeply.
She bit down on her lower lip. This wasn’t going well. She should change tact. Make light of it. Move on. “Yeah…”
“Before you spoke to me?”
“Sorry, I guess I didn’t realise…” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Anything she uttered now would come out wrong and make things worse.
His jaw clenched. “I think you should stop seeing him. That’s what I think.”
“Okay, I understand that. Only, he’s in my friend group at my university. So, we’ll probably run into one another.”
He studied her a moment. “Do what you like, Bindi. But you’re married — do you remember that? We said vows.”
“Of course, I remember it clearly. I haven’t done anything wrong, Josh. I love you, you know that.”
He hesitated and then forced a smile. “No, you haven’t done anything wrong. As you said, it’s not a big deal. I’m sure he’ll get over his crush. Let’s keep walking, I’m getting hungry and I’d love to eat soon.”
She fell into step beside him. Even as the sound of the crashing waves echoed in her ears, the silence that fell between them was deafening.
She wished she hadn’t mentioned Brett. All she’d done was upset her husband over something trivial.
She’d had no intention of spending more time with Brett.
She’d dodged his calls and texts for days and she would keep doing the same until he got the message.
But she hated that her own actions had brought this small rift into her marriage.
She loved Josh with her entire heart. He’d been there for her through one of the hardest times of her life.
He was kind, good and everything she wanted in a husband.
She’d never let anything threaten their bond again.