Page 89 of Exchange of Heart

‘Yes.’ I stared at Corey, my eyes and mouth wide enough that he rolled his eyes and told me to ‘have at it’.

A fourteen day, all-expenses-paid holiday for two in the Northern Territory during the dry season, including business class air fares, a 4WD to visit Kakadu, Litchfield, and Alice Springs, all bundled up with luxury accommodation. Before I could even lift my arm, paddles all around me were in the air. This was a numbers game, and I was a damn expert. As the bidding increased, the number of paddles in the air decreased until only one remained.

Me.

I received an enormous round of applause, and an even louder groan from Corey. He leaned in close, his half peppermint, half citrus scent creating our own little bubble of magic.

‘Nine thousand dollars?’ He raised an eyebrow.

‘You’re such a generous man.’ I smiled.

‘I’d better be on that plane next to you, considering I’m the one paying for this.’ He leaned in close enough for his breath to tickle my neck.

‘Sorry, I plan on taking this gorgeous rock I found at the park the other day.’

He rolled his eyes.

‘It’s smooth, and large, and it even has these glimmering flecks when the sunlight hits it just right.’

‘Nora,’ he interrupted.

‘Yes?’

‘Shut up.’ He laughed.

‘Who knows, you might even have your body back by then,’ I whispered, disappointed at the thought of missing out on the trip.

Corey nodded, staring at the wall behind me. ‘I’ll make you a deal then. No matter which body we’re in, we go together.’

My heart warmed at the thought of being with Corey in my own body, even if he didn’t mean it intimately. I held my hand out, and his warm palm clutched mine as he shook it. ‘Deal. Two weeks from now, we sip champagne in the sky on our way to the top of Australia.’

I couldn’t stop smiling as we pulled out our phones and added an alert in our calendars. Relief softened my shoulders knowing we’d spend more time together, even once we’d switched back. I’d gotten so used to having him around, I couldn’t picture myself without him anymore.

‘I’ll wait for you at the airport.’ He grinned.

Once the last item had been auctioned off, people left their seats for the dance floor. At the edge of the crowd, Oliver twirled Diane, her nasally laugh echoing above the wealthy chatter of holidays in Italy and boarding school fees. From the corner of my eye, a figure stumbled closer.

‘Oh no,’ Corey groaned.

‘Corey, Corey, Corey,’ Ben slurred.

‘Ben, come back here.’ Steven stormed over, his daughter in his arm, his wife’s short legs racing after them.

Ben didn’t stop walking when he reached me, and his shoulder ploughed into my chest. I wasn’t experienced with this sort of brotherly drama and couldn’t gather my thoughts quick enough to respond.

‘That’s too far,’ Steven yelled from behind him.

‘He’s too far.’ Ben stabbed his finger into my chest.

A silver gown swished next to us.

‘That is enough,’ Vivienne hissed. ‘We are at a charity event in the public eye. Do not cause a scene.’

Ben raised his hands in the air with a scowl like an escaped prisoner, realisation dawning on him that he’d gone too far. He stepped back, bumping the table behind him.

‘Whoops.’ He reached his hands behind to lean on the table and steady himself, grabbing the tablecloth and slipping to the floor on his drunken legs.

Plates smashed, drinks spilled, and fire erupted where the candelabra met the alcohol.