Rayne barked out a laugh. ‘Ayce?’
‘I know, right? Some parents have a lot to answer for when naming their kids.’
Rayne hesitated, as if unsure how to broach an unpleasant subject, and Heidi prompted her. ‘Go ahead, Ray, tell me what you’re thinking. You’ve never held back before.’
Rayne’s nose crinkled. ‘Are you saying I’m too blunt?’
‘I’m saying we’ve been friends for forty years, and apart from that period when I was a complete idiot for blaming you for Bert’s unrequited crush that lasted beyond high school and we didn’t talk, we’ve always been close, so you can say anything to me.’
She nodded. ‘Okay then. Are you happy?’
‘Of course.’ Her automatic reassurance came too quickly and they both knew it. ‘How can I not be happy when I’m dating on Happy?’
Rayne shook her head. ‘Be flippant all you like, but I know you, and something happened tonight that has you on edge.’
‘Nothing bad happened, if that’s what you’re asking. I just realised something.’
‘What?’
‘That I want more.’
Understanding lit her friend’s eyes. ‘I wondered when you’d get tired of dating younger men.’
‘I’ve been so busy trying to embrace my newfound freedom that I’ve forgotten all the things I like about being in a relationship.’
‘Is that something you want?’
‘Maybe.’ Heidi shrugged, hating the flicker of fear at the thought of being in a serious relationship again. She’d lost herself in her marriage, had lost her sense of identity, and no way would she do that again. ‘I don’t know, to be honest. I just see you and Leo together, and the ease between you, and I miss that. The intimacy, you know?’
‘I get it.’ Rayne placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. ‘The thing is, I never had a real relationship until now, and I never would’ve found Leo if it hadn’t been for you urging me to step outside my comfort zone. You’re the most courageous person I know for wanting to try a dating app in the first place, so I have full confidence you’ll figure out what you want to do next.’
‘Stop being so bloody wise,’ she said, fighting a sniffle and losing.
Thankfully, Leo re-entering the room with a platter in one hand and a wine glass in the other put paid to any further emotional revelations. But as she regaled them with tales of Ayce’s boring skateboarding obsession and her run-in with a younger doppelgänger, and drank two glasses of the sublime merlot, she began to relax.
She also watched the way Leo piled Hungarian salami and a wedge of brie on a cracker how Rayne liked it, the way Rayne glowed when Leo talked about their plans for a weekend away in Acacia Haven soon, the way their gazes were drawn to each other constantly, like they couldn’t get enough of each other.
By the time Leo had topped up her glass for the third time, Heidi had come to a decision.
No more shallow hook-ups with young guys.
She needed to be open to the possibility of a real relationship again, no matter how terrifying the prospect.
CHAPTER
4
When Hudson set his mind on something he didn’t dither, so after supervising those four auctions yesterday he’d headed home and booked accommodation in Acacia Haven for Monday and Tuesday night. He always spent a few days in towns where he wanted to acquire a local agency, getting a feel for the community, seeing where improvements could be made. So far, he’d acquired agencies in Torquay, Anglesea, Ocean Grove and Warrnambool—coastal towns like Acacia Haven, which would be his first acquisition on Victoria’s east coast. He’d already been looking into expanding there—investors in the region would be more likely to shell out money if he had a presence in the area—and after Karly had mentioned it to him and he’d investigated, it looked like Acacia Haven Agency was ripe for the picking.
Visiting the town in person would also give him an opportunity to discuss business with Jeremiah Vogel, the proprietor of the agency, considering his granddaughter didn’t want to listen to him. She’d fumed during their conversation yesterday. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam coming out of her ears like some cartoon character. Not that he deliberately set out to antagonise her, but he didn’t like the way she lumped him in with other business owners in the industry. Sure, he’d dealt with his fair share of smarmy agents over the years, but for every smooth talker looking to make a quick buck there was a dedicated, hard-working crew who liked helping people find their dream homes.
What would Miss Judgemental think of his sponsoring housing developments for homeless youth? Of how he’d never forgotten living out of a car in his teens, how he wanted to give back?
Not that he intended to tell her. He liked to keep his charity work private. He didn’t need the recognition or the accolades. He did this for the kids.
As he entered the small community in Carlton, pride filled him. He’d achieved a lot here in under a year, buying out an old rec centre and the surrounding land, converting it into low-budget housing—fifteen single bedrooms—with a communal dining room and bathrooms. The place had been filled since the doors opened, and he was currently overseeing three more similar projects in Ascot Vale, Clifton Hill and Fitzroy, with plans to expand into country Victoria. They cost a bomb but he didn’t care. No kid deserved to sleep outside in the frigid icy winter, or any time of year for that matter, and while he couldn’t help them all he hoped that eventually he could get investors onboard and expand.
That’s what acquiring the Acacia Haven Agency was about. He needed to broaden his acquisitions into eastern Victoria to get investors from that part of the state onboard, and Karly’s agency was the only one where the proprietor seemed remotely interested in selling, if his research was correct. It should make the process smoother.