Leaving Rock Union was a nightmare.Traffic lights were out for a few blocks, causing cars to move at a snail pace for over an hour. At some point, they came to a complete standstill, and with nothing else to do, Natalie cranked up the volume, Emily lowered the roof of her car, and they sang along and danced to the music, their arms in the air.A red Jeep pulled up beside them, and two guys around their age stuck out their heads through the passenger window and blew kisses at them.Natalie and Emily flirted right back, and just for those few minutes, they were like any normal kid their age, happy and carefree.Then a slow jam came on, something about misunderstandings and running away. Natalie melted in her seat and sighed, thinking about Levi.Was he still at the office, working hard?What did he actually do?Attend a bunch of meetings, then maybe play golf and go on dates?The thought of him going on dates with a woman who wasn't her upset Natalie deeply."Are you okay, kiddo?" Emil
Levi's reign of terror began when one of the devs from the R&D team picked up a bug during a beta run of the new game, causing a crash to desktop seconds into startup.The devs tried to sort it out themselves in the basement. But by the time the news of the bug hit the tenth floor, they were already swimming up shit creek with no solution in sight.An unexpected bug and an incompetent team of developers were the perfect outlets for Levi's rage, which had been brewing quietly since his confrontation with Natalie.He grabbed his laptop, raced to the basement and announced everyone would work through the night if they had to. Nobody was allowed to so much as scratch themselves until there was a fix in place.He took up residence in one of the meeting pods and joined the fray.Angela came in a couple of times to check on him, leaving behind a cup of coffee each time. By the time he looked up from his screen, there were six or so lined up on the table and two unopened sandwich packs.He ya
Natalie had barely turned her key in the lock when the front door burst open, and her siblings ran out, squealing their joy, "Nat, you're home!""I told you not to wait up for me!" she scolded them but still allowed them to smother her with hugs and kisses before they turned their attention to Emily.Both fell in love with her friend instantly, but for very different reasons.Amber liked Emily's weird sense of humour, and she couldn't stop gushing her gratitude—and relief— that Natalie had someone looking out for her back in the big bad city.Jamie had hearts in his eyes every time he looked at her friend, and Natalie was pretty sure it had very little to do with the collection of past game copies of Speed Freak—all signed by the lead developer—she'd brought him.After a few minutes of catching up, Amber ushered them to the back of the house, where a modest breakfast spread awaited them in the kitchen.Natalie and Emily were ravenous since the last meal they had was at the first bus st
Sparrow Beach was so small it took tourists a little over an hour to cover it in its entirety, and that's how long it took Natalie to show Emily around."So why is it called Sparrow Beach? I haven't seen a single sparrow since I've been here?" Emily asked as they paused in the town square, and she snapped photos of the statues of the founding fathers.Natalie shrugged. She'd spent twenty-four years of her life here but couldn't remember seeing sparrows either. There were lots of gulls, though. "I suppose it sounded better than Gull Beach?"The sun beat down on them hard as they walked around the square, sipping their lemonade. Natalie fanned herself with her hand to drive away the unyielding heat. The humid weather all year round was probably the only thing she didn't miss about this place.She took her friend to Long Street next, the longest road in town and the only way to get in or out. It was also home to the grocery store, pharmacy, butchery, barbershop, pub, coffee shop, bakery
Natalie stopped at the pharmacy to fill out her script before she joined Emily at Joe's. She found her playing pool with Casey, surprised they were getting along like old friends."Looks like you guys have met," she said as she placed their drinks at a nearby table.Casey lost interest in the game as soon as he saw her. He rushed to her side and caressed her cheek. "Natalie Taylor, how I've missed you.""Casey Landon, it's always good to see you!" Natalie touched his hand gently and smiled.A light flashed in their direction, and they turned to see Emily taking photos."God, Em. I'm starting to feel like I'm at the zoo here. How many pictures have you taken so far?""Not nearly enough! Now cuddle closer!" she instructed them, and Casey was only too happy to do her bidding and pose for a couple more photos.Natalie pulled away from Casey when her phone chimed incessantly with notifications, immediately wishing the world would open and swallow her up when she looked through the messages
Levi stopped at the shopping centre not too far from his place and wasted too many minutes trying to decide what to get Liam and Eden.He didn't know what married people liked or needed. Hell, other than Liam, all his buddies were still flying solo.Unable to decide between a pop-up toaster and a fancy kettle, he grabbed both and stopped at the toy store next. There, he knew what to get. After all, he was a big kid at heart.Ten minutes later, he was at Liam's penthouse.Dave, his pal's longtime butler, buzzed him in, almost crushing him to death with his enthusiasm as he gave him a gigantic hug. "If it isn't the young Mr Van Holt, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!""It's great to see you, too, Dave." Levi swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat when bittersweet memories of all the days he'd spent at Liam's childhood home in Glen Eagles stirred to life."Come in." The older man ushered him inside and led him to the open plan living area.For a bewildering moment, Levi thoug
"I'm sorry," Levi said when they were alone. "I thought it would be a great keepsake for him.""I appreciate the thought," Liam nodded. "But three years on, it's still so hard to look at anything that has to do with that part of my past. You must think I'm pathetic.""No, I think letting go of your first love is never easy," Levi shook his head. He knew it had almost killed his friend when he had to quit racing and take over as the CEO of Anderson Logistics."I don't regret it," Liam carried on. "I mean, I wouldn't have met Eden. I guess things happen for a reason.""Of course," Levi agreed as he grabbed his laptop and followed him to the patio.His place was a few blocks away, but from up here, the view of Green Point's hiking trail and the surrounding hills was truly unparalleled, and he took a moment to really appreciate it."So, what can I do you for?" Liam asked when they'd arranged themselves around the table in front of the sparkling lap pool.Before Levi could dive into his pr
They stopped on Long Street and grabbed some takeaway pizza from Joe's Pub.Amber was in the living room painting her nails and watching reruns of some daytime soap when they got home. She helped them settle Jamie down on the three-seater couch for his afternoon nap, and the three of them huddled around the kitchen table for an early supper.Two hours later, they sat on the bleachers in the soccer field of Natalie's old high school. Amber had declined to tag along, and Casey was only too happy to take her spot beside Natalie.For ninety minutes, they cheered every time Sparrow Beach High scored a goal and booed whenever the away team got the ball, but the game ended in a draw, much to Jamie's disappointment.They made their way to the beach for the post-match get-together. The bonfire was already raging, and the party was in full swing when they arrived. Jamie drifted off to hang out with his crew while Natalie caught up with a few old friends. Suzanne and Emily, both self-proclaimed