Andy chewed on the last of his chicken and shrugged. The safe option, as Sloaney had jibed before he joined in Lincoln’s digs about needing to catch their dessert as it crawled along the crater floor. It was fun while it lasted, until Eliza had shot him a glaring look. He’d taken things too far.
Lincoln studied Andy in the flickering firelight. The go-getter with money behind him seemed to be half the man he used to be, living in a shell that had doubled in size.
Bree’s head shaking had started when the plates of kangaroo were handed around. It still shook. “How can you eat something so cute and adorable?”
Lincoln chuckled. “Tell that to the deer we hunt.”
Eddie’s voice grew louder and he appeared again in the firelight. “All good—she just likes to know where I’m up to with everything.” He turned to Eliza as he sat. “You’d love her. Just a wonderful wealth of wisdom lives in that woman.”
Eddie stretched with a yawn. “Most tourists can’t believe we eat kangaroos, but they’re everywhere up here. Tomorrow we’ll show you how to find some bush tucker and give you a taste of the real outback.” He crossed his legs and laced his fingers behind his head. “There’s something about a fire that starts conversations. The fire can draw the truth out of you like it draws the cool from the evening, and your honesty can last as long as the fire is kindled. So why don’t you tell me your story?”
Four sets of eyes peeked around the group as if testing the water before jumping in. Lincoln sensed his opportunity in the awkward silence and raised a finger. He held the eye of everyone around the fire to ensure the attention was absolute. He spoke over the crackle of burning wood. “I’ll go first. For me, life’s very good. Good money and great bonuses. Apartment in Nob Hill and a boat on the Bay.”
The flames danced in Eddie’s eyes, as his gaze rested on Lincoln. “Do you enjoy it?”
“Loving every minute of life at the moment.” Lincoln leaned back onto his swag, as an uncomfortable thought buzzed around him and jostled his pride.
Every minute up until the letter.
Andy’s voice drifted across the fire. “I’m a bit out of the loop here, but did you go back to Africa?”
Lincoln jammed down the indignation that demanded to burst free. Why should he talk about his life when Andy clearly didn’t want anyone prying into his? “No. I moved on to other things.” Lincoln forced his gaze onto Andy to stop his glance from drifting to Eliza.
In the crackling silence Eddie gestured to Bree. “So tell me your story.”
Bree crept closer to the fire as she pulled the sleeping bag tighter around her. “We’re old friends from back in college, and we managed to get through unscathed. Eliza and I kept in touch over the years, but this is the first time we’ve all been together since.”
Sloaney scratched at the earth with a stick. “So what do you do?”
“I’ve got a part-time job at a recording studio, and when I’m not working, I’m Mom to two and wife to one.”
Eddie cocked his head in the half-light. “Do you enjoy it?”
“It’s okay. It pays a few bills, and at least I’m still near to music in Nashville. I had a dream to become a musician, but that hasn’t really worked out like I hoped.”
Eddie shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. Do you enjoy being Mum to two and wife to one?”
Bree brightened in the dancing orange light. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t swap my family for anything in the world.”
Lincoln zoned out of the conversation. What would Eliza reveal when she played her hand? He shuffled the cards he might play next.
“Great to hear about your little ones. Good for you.” Eddie’s exclamation brought Lincoln back to the crackle of the fire as he gestured to Eliza. “So tell me your story.”
Eliza rolled her shoulders and fixed a gaze on Eddie. “I’m in fashion, second-in-charge with a fashion company in Los Angeles called Virgo.”
Eddie poked at the coals and a shower of sparks burst from the ring of stones and flew up into the night. “Do you enjoy it?”
Eliza hesitated, an answer half-escaping from behind tight lips, before she appeared to rein it back in. “Why do you keep asking that?”
“I asked you all to tell me your stories, but so far all you’ve told me is what you do. That’s not your story; that’s your job. Your story is where you’ve come from, which has led to who you are.” He raised his hands in defense. “Please don’t think I’m having a go—we get so many people out here on a tour, and they all misinterpret the question. They start the trip telling us how important they are, but after a week out here, they’re suddenly rethinking what their story is or where they are on the road of life.”
Eliza nodded with great enthusiasm. “I appreciate that. I really do. Well, if you want honesty rather than my LinkedIn profile, I’ve been asked to take over management of my company. I don’t want to, and I would like to know why. I feel like my life is lacking something—like I’ve reached the point where the wood and the trees are virtually indistinguishable. That’s the main reason I came.”
Lincoln’s ears pricked. Now was the moment to insert himself back into this conversation. “I feel you, Lize. Actually when I think about it, work is moving so fast at the moment, it’s a lot like a runaway train.”
Lincoln’s crafted honesty hung in the air unacknowledged as Eliza continued. “So that’s me. I’ve reached a point in career terms where I’m at the perfect place. People want to be where I am, but I don’t. That’s why I asked about this walkabout—” She paused with a headshake. “I’m sorry, this journey. It sounded like that sort of discovery would be perfect for me right now.”
A silence draped over the crater as Eddie released another shower of sparks into the night air. “You will discover yourself being out here for a while.” He swept an arm upward. “Sleeping under the stars. Disconnected from being bothered every five minutes by messages that don’t really matter from people you aren’t really with. Away from the barrage of overselling of stuff you don’t need. Taking a moment to appreciate our world and your place in it.”
Andy grunted as he leaned over to grab some wood to throw onto the fire. “Didn’t you say on the plane that you wanted to disappear for a while?”
Eliza moved around the campfire closer to Eddie, clearly not willing to let this drop. “So tell me, how do these journeys start?”
“Like all journeys out here. With one step into the desert. For some people, they discover who they really are when it’s them alone.” Eddie jerked his head toward the darkness. “Out there.”
Lincoln’s cackle echoed around the crater. “Lize, he’s already said we’re not doing it.”
Her nose crinkled, a sign her heels were sinking into whatever position she couldn’t be budged from. “I know, but I want to learn more. I’ve reached a place in my life where I need to discover who I am. Back in college I was driven and had so much potential and honestly, I was happier. I’m not now.”
Bree jumped to her friend’s defense. “But you’ve got the perfect life.”