‘We promised you a peach blossom and here we are.’ Sam held open the café door for Sarah and the kids. The cool of the air-conditioning made her skin sigh with relief as the door swung shut behind them.
Friday afternoon in Longreach was as sleepy as any other day since she’d been here. Today Sam had insisted on picking the kids up from school and taking her for afternoon tea. She’d been delighted at the thought of them all spending time together and, for the first time in a very long while, she felt like she was exactly where she ought to be.
Sarah took in her surroundings. A simple, homey café with a handful of tables and chairs scattered about the room, floral curtains framed the windows and the smell of fresh coffee and baked goods filled the air.
Maddie bounded to the closest table and dragged out a chair. While she appeared to be recovered from her scare with Wayne, Sarah thought there was a new subdued air about her that hadn’t been present before.
‘Can I have a coke with my peach blossom?’ Levi plonked himself down next to Maddie. It was good to see these two as thick as thieves again. Maybe there was a chance for a budding high school romance. They would have to wait and see. Sarah hoped she was around when it happened.
‘Same for you, Maddie?’ Sam asked as he pulled out a chair for Sarah. ‘And for you, Sarah?’
The table, covered with a thick plastic cloth, had a drinks menu tucked between the salt and pepper shakers. She read it quickly. ‘I’ll have a cappuccino, please.’
‘And peach blossoms for everyone.’ Sam went to the counter to order.
‘You’re going to love these,’ said Maddie, clearly excited by the prospect of sinking her teeth into the dessert. ‘They make them with real cream here.’
‘Personally, I like the fake stuff,’ said Levi.
‘I don’t do fake,’ said Maddie with a sniff and Sarah had to suppress a smile.
‘Righto,’ Sam returned and took a seat, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, ‘who’s ready for a sugar rush?’
‘You know how much I love cake,’ said Sarah.
‘Second only to pasta,’ said Levi.
‘How did you know that?’ Sarah asked, wondering if the boy had peeked at his father’s emails.
Levi gave a little grunt and reached under the table. ‘Just a wild guess,’ he said in a strained voice as he glared at Maddie.
‘Who doesn’t love pasta, right? I mean it’s, like, the ultimate comfort food,’ Maddie chimed in.
‘Yay, the Italians,’ said Levi, shooting Maddie another dark look Sarah couldn’t interpret. Those two were clearly still sorting things out.
‘Gotta love the nation that gave us pizza,’ said Sam with a wink. His buoyant mood lit up the whole place like a floodlight.
‘Still waiting for that pizza with pork crackling, hey.’ Sarah leaned over and gave him a little nudge.
He looked startled before a smile broke out. ‘What a bloody good idea, Sarah Lewis. You’re a genius. I’m going to spend the rest of the day trying to work out the best way to make that happen.’ A little frown creased Sarah’s brow. Hadn’t the pork crackling pizza been Sam’s idea? How could he forget?
‘Oh look, our food is here,’ said Maddie, knocking over the salt shaker in her enthusiasm. Salt cascaded across the table.
‘Look out,’ said Sam, leaping to his feet. ‘Let me get some help to clean this up.’
The waitress, a teenage girl from the high school, deposited their peach blossoms. ‘Enjoy. I’ll be back with your drinks and a cloth for that mess.’
‘Thanks, Tina,’ Maddie called after her. ‘I’m such a klutz.’
Sarah studied her peach blossom. She picked up a knife and cut it in two. A small vanilla cake, filled with cream, had been dipped in partly set raspberry jelly then rolled in desiccated coconut. ‘I have never seen anything like this.’
‘You don’t know what you’ve been missing,’ said Sam as he took a giant bite and closed his eyes to savour the flavours.
‘Never a dull minute out here,’ muttered Levi as he bit into his cake.
‘You should definitely put these in your novel,’ said Maddie, licking the cream off her fingers.
Levi stopped eating and stared at her. ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’
‘What novel?’ asked Sam with his mouth full.
Sarah looked at them all. How did Maddie know about her aspirations to be a novelist and Sam didn’t? And what did Levi mean?
‘Do you like your peach blossom?’ Maddie asked quickly.
‘It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before,’ she said.
‘Is it a thriller?’ asked Sam. ‘Plenty of places to hide a body out here.’
‘I think I mentioned it’s supposed to be a big sweeping family saga set in the countryside.’ Sam must have forgotten and who could blame him. Everything had moved so fast in the few weeks they’d known each other. Sarah didn’t like talking about her novel because, after fifteen years, hardly any of it had been written. Embarrassing. She sipped her coffee and thought of ways to change the subject.
Sam nodded while he chewed. ‘Of course. Be great if you could fit a murder in there too.’
‘I’d like a car chase, if you don’t mind,’ said Levi.
‘Give me a love story. Maybe two families who feud and their kids fall in love,’ said Maddie.
‘The boy is accused of sheep stealing,’ said Sam, getting into the spirit of things.
‘And the girl chooses him over the guy she’s supposed to be with,’ said Levi, studiously ignoring Maddie while he finished his peach blossom.
‘I’m sure all that’s happened, and more, out here at one time or another,’ said Sam as he sat back and rubbed his belly. ‘That was bloody good.’
‘You should come and stay while you write your book,’ said Maddie, ‘you know, for authenticity.’
Sarah smiled. ‘I might consider that advice.’
‘Sounds like a good idea to me,’ Sam winked, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
‘We could turn the spare bedroom into an office for you,’ said Levi. Sam and Maddie both looked at him with unmistakable exasperation. ‘What?’ he said.
Sarah laughed. ‘Let’s see how my article on love in the outback goes first. One thing at a time.’
‘But even if you go, you will come back, right?’ said Maddie and Sarah could hear a wistfulness in her tone.
She covered Maddie’s hand with her own. ‘Even if I’m not here, I’ll be in easy reach,’ she said. ‘Always.’
‘What say we call in at the butchers and see if he’s got any pork belly? We can have a go at Sarah’s pork crackling pizza,’ said Sam.
‘Sounds like a brilliant idea,’ said Maddie, pushing her chair back, eager to get going.
‘We’ll need something to drink,’ Sarah said to Sam. The three of them including her in their banter made her heart swell with happiness, the kind she’d been searching for all her life. The kind she hadn’t been able to find in her old world. ‘Beer, of course.’
‘As if there’d be any other choice,’ said Sam as he leaned in for a kiss and her thoughts dissolved into happy mush.