The truth was Courtney had, for the most part, accomplished what she’d gone to Australia to do—mend her broken heart and finally get her freelance career off the ground.
“Well, that’s a relief. But—really? You’re not in any sort of trouble?”
Courtney straightened her shoulders and sat up straighter. “No. Why would I be in trouble?”
Here we go.
“Is it your credit cards?” She looked around at the tastefully furnished cottage. “Have you racked up a balance again? Do you need help? You know we’re—”
“No, Mom. My finances are fine.” Although, her bank account hadn’t exactly runneth over in the past several months.
Australia had been very expensive. In fact, she was all but broke, although she still had a few freelance payments coming. “I snagged this place for a steal, and it came fully furnished. None of this fancy stuff is mine. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be getting paid monthly here, so you don’t need to worry about a thing. I’m writing mostly sponsored content. Businesses pay to be written about. It’s basically glorified ad copy.”
Her father visibly relaxed. “That’s fantastic, honey.”
Her mother hesitated. “Then, is it Austin again?”
Courtney tilted her head and shot her mother a look. “No,” she said, lowering her brow. “I haven’t talked to Austin in, like, seven or eight months.”
“So you didn’t come back for him?”
“You mean the guy I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with who I found on the couch with my roommate? No, I didn’t come back for him.”
Tall, dark, and handsome, Austin McDermott was a go-getter with more than his fair share of charisma and a promising career as an advertising executive.
Courtney had dated him for almost a year in Chicago. Twenty-five at the time, she believed they’d buy that house in the burbs with the white pickets and the tree swing someday. Raise three kids, host dinner parties, vacation every summer at the beach.
She had fallen hard. What an idiot she’d been. Six months into their relationship, he hadn’t approved when she left the security of her copy-editing job to go out on her own. Nor had he approved of her choice to take an evening job waiting tables to make ends meet when the articles weren’t selling.
The problems between them had just snowballed from there. They’d started spending a lot less time together because of Courtney’s new schedule, and when they did see each other, things were just—well, distant between them. And then of course, she’d walked in one night after a late-night shift to find him with her roommate, Alicia.
Courtney shuddered.
But all of that was behind her now. She took a deep breath.
Courtney’s mother sat back. She knew the story. “Did someone else break your heart then, honey? You can tell us. Australia’s a very romantic setting. All those beaches—”
“Mom— I’m fine! Why can’t I just be ready to come back?”
Her mother looked away. No one spoke for a moment.
Many a day in Australia, Courtney wished things hadn’t come undone and that Austin could’ve been there with her—the way things used to be. How did her mother always manage to get inside her head?
There, she said it—but only to herself. It had been a lonely trip, in some ways.
“Courtney,” her father began.
Things were different now. She’d been ready to leave Australia because she felt like she could finally face home again without him. She had moved on. Courtney looked at them and softened her tone. “I’m sorry. But Mom, I’m fine, okay? Better than fine.”
She gestured around the room. “Look at this place. I can take care of myself. And I’m over Austin. He’s a jerk, and I’m not running around getting my heart broken every time I turn around! I’ve learned my lesson.”
Courtney’s mother sat back. “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry, honey. We just worry about you. It’s what we do.”
Courtney reached out and put her hand on the table. “I know. It’s fine,” Courtney said. “Sorry I got upset.”
Her mother grabbed her hand and gave her an affectionate squeeze.
An hour later, Courtney waved as her parents drove back down the long driveway in her dad’s car. They were stopping to visit their grandchildren at Courtney’s older sister, Morgan’s house in Green Bay on their way home.
Love you!” Courtney waved as a little twinge of sadness rushed over her. Yes, it was time for another fresh start, but was she crazy to do it all over again?
Four
The vast, sparkling blue waters of Lake Michigan peeped through a line of leafy trees a hundred yards ahead. Wow.
Thursday morning had arrived, and Courtney pulled her Camry into a parking spot at Cave Point County Park. She climbed out of the car and took in the view. A sweet smell of cedar and hemlock wafted in on the fresh breeze.
She was told she’d meet a guide and a videographer at the park for her first assignment. They’d be exploring the well-known limestone cliffs off of Door County’s rocky eastern shore by kayak.
Apparently, the cliffs on this side of the peninsula had eroded over time to create a maze of underwater cave formations. The views were supposed to be particularly beautiful from the water.
She glanced at her phone. 8:50.
Ten minutes early. Take that, Beecham. She really wasn’t a late person—typically. The sooner he knew it, the better.
Courtney had yet to meet the videographer she’d be partnered with. She didn’t even know whether to expect a man or a woman. Beecham had given her very limited information, but she hadn’t wanted to bother him for more. He didn’t need any other reasons to be upset with her, so she’d just taken what he’d given her and assumed it would all work itself out.
She took a trail bar out of her bag in the car and devoured it. The jet lag was still messing with her appetite. She’d been to the market yesterday and stocked her refrigerator. Breakfast was only an hour ago and she was hungry already.
The story she was supposed to write after today’s trip should discuss the kayaking opportunities available in the region. What not to miss on a trip like this, what to bring, what to expect, what sort of adventurer these kinds of excursions were best suited for.
Then she’d sprinkle in some information about the state park and the other regions that the tour company served, maybe include some interesting geological history about the cliffs, and of course, provide the necessary links for more information and reservations.
She jotted a few questions for her guide into her notebook. At least she’d been given the name of the tour-guide company. But that was about it.
She took out her visor and pulled her brown ponytail through the opening in the back, then slathered sunblock on her face and shoulders.
She zipped her yellow parka over her camisole top. The sun would warm things up later, but under the trees, it was still brisk this early.
She figured she’d recognize her guide when he or she pulled up in a truck carrying some kayaks. Maybe the truck would have the name of the company on the side? Possibly not.
If she were the gambling type, she’d bet her guide was a leathery old guy with a fishing hat and a pair of Birkenstocks. She’d met her fair share of tour guides in the outback and some other popular outdoor destinations in Australia, and most had fit that description.