Page 58

‘So if you’re still interested,’ Alex continued, his voice carrying clearly through the now-silent pub, ‘I’d like to offer you the position of manager for The Happy Outback Hotel. Full-time, proper salary, training provided, starting next week, so you can learn the business from the ground up as we prepare to open. What do you say?’

For a moment, Jill couldn’t speak. Then she stood, her chair scraping back, her face flushed with emotion. ‘Yes,’ she managed, her voice cracking. ‘Yes, absolutely yes. Thank you, Alex. I won’t let you down.’

The pub erupted.

Cheers and applause filled the space, genuine and thunderous. Sassy was on her feet, clapping and crying simultaneously. Tom was whistling. Brian was pounding the bar in approval. Even Harriet was smiling broadly, nodding her approval.

Jill was immediately surrounded—Sassy hugging her fiercely, Bill Patterson shaking her hand and welcoming her officially to Garnet Creek’s business community, and Tom offering congratulations and advice about dealing with difficult guests. The locals who’d been wary of the backpackers were now embracing Jill as one of their own, accepting her into the community properly for the first time.

‘Our manager!’ Sassy announced proudly to anyone who’d listen. ‘Our Jill!’

Amelia and Sophie stood back, letting Jill have her moment, both beaming with pride and happiness for their friend.

‘She’s staying,’ Sophie said, her voice thick with emotion. ‘She’s really staying. This is really happening.’

‘She’s going to be brilliant at it,’ Amelia said, watching Jill laugh through happy tears as the congratulations continued. ‘Look at her. She belongs here already.’

Jake appeared beside them, smiling. ‘Dad made the right choice. Jill’s going to transform that hotel into something special. I can already tell.’

The celebration continued for another hour—more toasts, more congratulations, more plans being made. Someone bought a round for the whole pub in honour of Jill’s appointment. Brian produced a cake from the pub kitchen, and the band started playing again, upbeat and joyful.

But eventually, the evening wound down. People began filtering home, calling goodbye, promising to see each other tomorrow. The pub gradually emptied until only the core group remained—Alex, Jake, Tom, Sassy, Brian, and the three girls.

Amelia noticed Jill glancing towards the door repeatedly, her smile becoming slightly strained.

‘Looking for someone?’ Amelia asked quietly, moving to sit beside her friend.

‘What? No,’ Jill said quickly. Too quickly.

‘Where’s Ryan tonight?’ Amelia pressed gently.

‘We’ve decided to cool things,’ Jill said, her voice carefully neutral. She was still smiling, but her eyes had gone bright with unshed tears. ‘Or I did. We’re just—it’s better this way.’

Sophie, overhearing, moved closer. ‘What happened? You two seemed—’

‘He’s married,’ Jill interrupted, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper, ‘separated, but not divorced. He said—’ She stopped, swallowing hard. ‘He said he’d been meaning to tell me sooner, but didn’t know how. That he and his wife have been separated for eighteen months, that the divorce is in progress, but it’s complicated because of property settlements and—’

Her voice cracked, and the first tear spilled over.

‘Oh, Jill,’ Amelia said softly.

‘He said he has real feelings for me,’ Jill continued, wiping angrily at her eyes. ‘That the separation happened long before I arrived, that the marriage was over years ago, really. That he wants to be with me but understands if I need space while the divorce finalises.’ She laughed, but it came out bitter. ‘Space. As if space will change anything. As if waiting a few months will make him less married.’

‘Technically, he’s not—’ Sophie started.

‘He’s still married,’ Jill said firmly. ‘Legally, officially married. And I don’t—I can’t—’ She stopped, took a shaky breath. ‘I’ve watched my friend go through this. Fallen for a man who swore his marriage was over, that the divorce was just a formality. Three years later, he went back to his wife. Broke her heart completely. I promised myself I’d never be that woman. Never be the one waiting whilst he sorts out his complicated situation.’

‘But if he’s genuinely separated—’ Amelia said carefully.

‘Then he can come back when he’s genuinely divorced,’ Jill said, her voice hardening with resolve even as more tears fell. ‘When there’s no complications, no wife in the picture, even on paper. Then we can see if this—whatever this is—is real. But not before. I won’t do that to myself.’

She wiped her eyes again, straightening her shoulders with visible effort. ‘I got the job I wanted. I’m staying in Garnet Creek. I’m building the life I dreamed of. That should be enough. That has to be enough.’

‘But you love him,’ Sophie said gently. ‘Don’t you?’

Jill’s face crumpled for just a moment before she pulled herself together. ‘I could love him,’ she admitted. ‘If I let myself. Which is exactly why I can’t. Not whilst he’s still married. Not whilst there’s any chance—’ She stopped. ‘I’m doing the right thing. I know I am. It just doesn’t feel right.’

Sophie pulled her into a fierce hug. ‘You are doing the right thing. Setting boundaries, protecting yourself—that’s brave, not cowardly.’