Page 37 of Outback Hearts

Three weeks until she could be in Jake’s arms, even if it was only for a dance.

Three weeks, and then—

Well. Then they’d see what happened.

The outback had its own magic, Brian had said. Its own way of bringing people together.

Amelia was starting to believe it.

Chapter Eight

‘Absolutely not,’ Sophie said, holding up the dress Jill had just pulled from her bag. ‘You’ll look like you’re going to a funeral, not a party.’

‘It’s navy blue!’ Jill protested. ‘Navy is perfectly acceptable for evening wear.’

‘Navy is perfectly acceptable for your grandmother’s bridge club,’ Sophie corrected, tossing the dress back. ‘We’re going to meet and mingle at an outback pub. You need something with colour. Life. Personality.’

It was Thursday evening, two days before the big event. The three girls had spread their limited wardrobes across the van’s interior, attempting to assemble appropriate outfits from their backpacker collections.

Amelia sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag, holding up two tops. ‘Which one says “I’m fun and approachable” without saying “I’m trying too hard”?’

‘The blue one,’ Sophie said immediately. ‘Though honestly, you could wear a hessian sack and Jake would still look at you.’

Amelia blushed furiously. ‘He does not—’

‘He absolutely does,’ Jill said. ‘Yesterday, when you were explaining that roof measurement thing? I thought he was going to spontaneously combust from trying not to stare at you.’

‘That’s—we were working,’ Amelia managed. ‘Professional discussion.’

‘Professional, my arse,’ Sophie laughed. ‘The man is completely smitten. Question is, are you?’

Amelia was quiet for a moment, folding and refolding the blue top. ‘Maybe,’ she admitted finally. ‘Is that stupid? We’ve only known each other for three weeks.’

‘Three weeks of working together twelve hours a day,’ Jill pointed out. ‘That’s more concentrated time than most people get in three months of casual dating.’

‘Plus, he’s gorgeous,’ Sophie added. ‘Those arms? That focused intensity when he’s teaching? The way his voice goes all soft when he’s explaining something complex? If you weren’t interested, I’d worry about your pulse.’

‘It’s not just that he’s attractive,’ Amelia said quietly. ‘It’s—he makes me feel capable. Like I can do things I never thought possible. He believes in me in a way that makes me believe in myself.’

‘That’s lovely,’ Sophie said, her teasing tone gentling. ‘Really lovely, actually.’

‘Though wasn’t it Dylan you were mooning over a month ago?’ Jill asked, grinning. ‘My brother, who you met exactly twice via video call and turned into a stammering mess around?’

Amelia groaned, covering her face. ‘Don’t remind me. That was—God, that was embarrassing. I built up this whole fantasy about someone I’d never actually met in person.’

‘You went bright red every time my phone rang,’ Jill said, laughing. ‘Just in case it was him. It was adorable.’

‘It was pathetic,’ Amelia corrected. ‘Classic me, though. Create an elaborate daydream about someone completely unattainable rather than actually pursuing real relationships.’

Sophie tilted her head, studying her friend. ‘You don’t date much, do you? Like, back home in England?’

‘Not really,’ Amelia admitted. ‘There was Oliver in sixth form, but that barely counted. And James, for about two months after school, before he decided I was too serious to be fun. Mostly I just—I don’t know. Dating always seemed like something other people did whilst I was busy with school or work or family obligations.’

‘So you’re not exactly experienced with this sort of thing,’ Jill said, not unkindly. ‘The whole romance, attraction, relationship dance.’

‘I’m twenty-two, not a nun,’ Amelia protested. ‘I understand how it works.’

‘Understanding it theoretically and actually doing it are different things,’ Sophie said gently. ‘And Jake—he’s not some awkward university boy who doesn’t know what he wants. He’s a man. Thirty-two, established career, knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s a different league, Amelia.’