Lincoln chimed in. “Back in college she won a chance to record a CD in New York—”
“Wow! New York. You must be great! It’s a shame Eddie didn’t bring his guitar on this trip.”
Bree’s eyes glistened in the campfire light, as a twitch tugged on the corner of her lips. Eliza felt compelled to step in, once again the den mother. “New York is the toughest market on earth to crack, but the fact she didn’t crack it doesn’t make her less of a musician. She gave it her best shot.”
Bree winced and stared into the fire, her mouth moving in silence. It was like she was traumatized. Bree should have moved on by now. Unless Lincoln had said something in the darkness fifteen minutes ago . . .
Andy’s brow knotted as he reached out a gentle hand. “It’s okay if the audition didn’t work out.”
Lincoln sipped from his glass. “I imagine the audition was hard, Breezy; that’s okay. Still, you got to play at the . . . What was the venue?”
Bree eked out in a whisper, “The Apollo Theater.”
“What was that like?”
“It was . . .” Bree’s sentence trailed off, almost as if she wanted it to drift away on the thin smoke from the campfire. Eliza had to know what was going on. Why couldn’t Bree get over this?
“Can’t you give me a few details? I was the guy who lent you the money after all.”
Bree was silent after Andy’s subtle guilt trip dressed up as an innocuous comment. They were all silent.
Lincoln zeroed his spotlight gaze to Andy. “Well, that’s it, Andy. You were rolling in money in college. What’s happening with you now? We all shared where we are coming from, but we didn’t get an answer from you. What’s going on?”
Andy stared into the coals.
“Come on, buddy. How about some honesty with your old friends?”
Bree’s chest heaved, and her breath became ragged as she shot a look loaded with daggers across the fire at Lincoln. “You’re one to talk about honesty.”
Her curiosity piqued, Eliza verbally lined up behind her friend. “What is going on?”
Lincoln drained his glass, then stormed out of the circle of light surrounding their campsite, the glow of his phone disappearing into the darkness.
Eliza sighed. She’d come on this trip to find answers to her own questions. But it looked like she’d be called on to fix other people’s problems first.
Like she’d always done.
Ten
Lincoln crunched along the rocky track that clung to the cliff wall. He dodged razor-sharp ochre rocks hurled down an age ago. Ahead of him, Eddie’s huge backpack disappeared as he bounded down the path like a gazelle, seemingly immune to the constant watch Lincoln needed to keep on his feet.
Bree appeared at his shoulder, as they negotiated a steep section where the path dipped away, sliding down large boulders. The silence was loud.
“Lincoln, I never saw what was in your letter.”
Lincoln’s chest heaved, and not from the hiking. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you. It was nothing.”
The track took a bend around a sagging gum tree, and Lincoln held back its branches to allow Bree through. Behind them, Eliza was deep in animated conversation with Sloaney. Andy puffed along in their wake. Their vehicle was now a tiny figure at the top of the ridge.
Bree skidded to a halt and turned on him, arms folded. “It seemed more than nothing.”
The riverbed rose to meet them as they descended. A wide stretch of sand littered with animal tracks spearing off in every direction. Lincoln had to play it cool, but his self-control failed him. “You were intruding—”
Bree flushed as she angrily waved away a squadron of flies from her face. “But I didn’t read anything. What is in it that makes it such a big deal?”
Lincoln measured her for intent and found little evidence of it. “I’m sorry I snapped at you like I did. I guess I’m nervous about talking about a failed marriage, that’s all. Can I count on you not to mention it to Eliza? I want to tell her myself.”
Bree was quiet for a moment. “If you’re serious about rekindling things with her, then you have to tell her. Be honest.”
A tiny part of Lincoln flared at that comment, and he had to restrain himself from revisiting old wounds. “Okay, thanks.”
Crunching footsteps grew louder and another voice appeared behind them. “Is everything okay?” Eliza.
“Sure.” Lincoln angrily charged ahead to catch up to Eddie, who leaned against a stack of fallen rocks, his canteen in hand, as he pointed at the riverbed. “Down there.”
Lincoln leaped the final few feet and landed ankle-deep in river sand, throwing a glance over his shoulder. Now Bree and Eliza were deep in discussion. He wanted to believe she would honor her promise, but he couldn’t be 100 percent sure.
* * *
Eliza’s shoes sunk into the soft sand of the riverbed as she waved away the flies and tugged on her cap. “So what happened?”
Bree trudged alongside and joined her in what Sloaney kept calling the “Aussie wave.” “It all started when we were at the four-wheel drive. Lincoln was having trouble finding that bottle he bought at the airport and an envelope fell out of his suitcase and landed at my feet. I picked it up and handed it back. It’s like he changed in a heartbeat, Lize. He blew up and accused me of opening it. I mean, how could I do that? I wouldn’t read it anyway.”
Harsh screeches descended on them as a flock of white and pink flashed above. The galahs that Sloaney had promised they would see.
“Why would he get so angry?”
“I don’t know. I’m hurt that after being honest with him, I get accused of lying.”
“I’ll confront him.”
“No, don’t ruin the vacation because of that. It’s only a small thing.” Bree stopped. “Oh, the crinkle is back. I know what that means.”
Eliza huffed as her wave grew more insistent, seemingly attracting more flies than it dispersed. Bree’s eyes stayed fixed on the ground. Her lips pursed.
“Was that it?”
Bree seemed to be measuring her words, or restraining them. “Yes. That’s all.”
“I sense there’s more.” Eliza looked down at her oldest friend. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Bree looked up at her, tears again pricking her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about how unhappy you were?”
“I’m sorry, Breezy. I told you last night was the first time I’ve had that thought.”
“But you’ve got everything.”
The riverbed widened and Eliza first felt the welcome coolness of water on the air before she saw it. The water hole was a cool oasis in a hot land. A long stretch of deep blue-green water separating pebbles and fine sand from scarred, blood-red rock. Trees dotted the ground, reaching out from under the canopy of the jagged rock wall that rose high above them like a sentinel. Eddie chewed at a gum leaf, his legs swinging from a low limb. Lincoln was nowhere to be seen.
Bree took out her phone. “This is beautiful. Sam would love this and it’s definitely Instagram-worthy.”
Eliza moved toward Eddie. “Are there many of these gorgeous water holes around the outback?”