One afternoon in October, during her final year at school, Jess arrived at Pelican House to discover that Peter had taken the twins to the trampoline park as a treat after a weekend spent studying. Karen invited her in, offered her tea and cake then immediately put her to work helping her peel potatoes for the Sunday night roast. Karen did this sort of thing a lot and Jess was never sure how she felt about it. Part of her thought it was slave labor but another part enjoyed it, especially on the rare occasions she got Karen to herself.
“How were the practice exams?” Karen asked.
“Pointless. I skipped them.”
Karen’s hand paused on the knife she was using to peel a pumpkin, her breath seeming to slow. “They’re a tool to show you where you need to concentrate your study.”
“Study is sooooo boring.”
“Anything that doesn’t interest us is boring, but sometimes we have to play the game to get what we want. You’re a clever young woman, Jess. If you think school is boring, how do you think you’ll find life at the co-op shucking oysters?”
Jess thought of her mother. “There’s no way I’m working at the co-op.”
“Great. There’s your first goal.” Karen returned to the pumpkin. “But if you want options, you have to work hard for them. You need to create opportunities for yourself. Passing Senior Year is the first step to avoid working at the co-op. Passing it well enough to go to university is even better. You can do whatever you set your mind to, but it’s totally up to you.”
The thought of being stuck in Kurnai Bay while Libby and Alice got to live in Melbourne propelled Jess back to serious study. When she received an offer from Monash University, she suggested to Libby they share a house close to campus. Of course, the Hunters insisted Alice share too. Jess wasn’t thrilled about that, because underneath Alice’s arty and distracted personality was an obstinacy that had gotten in the way of her and Libby’s plans more than once. Jess had never fully trusted Alice not to tell Karen and Peter about some of their wilder adventures.
But for once, Alice’s obstinacy had worked in her favor and Alice had moved somewhere closer to the Victorian College of the Arts. The absence of her disapproving aura freed up Libby to join Jess in experimenting with everything student life offered. This included Dylan, one of their housemates, who was also their first shared boyfriend. Those years in the house had been some of the best of Jess’s life. They’d shared so many things they’d never told anyone else and Jess always got a fizz of delight knowing she was closer to Libby than her twin. She was the sister Libby had picked—she was finally part of a real family, one of her own choosing.
Those years were also the ones that chiseled Jess’s determination that her future lay far away from her mother’s debilitating demands and the isolation of the bay. She was going to live a financially independent life, free from the sacrifice men and her biological family demanded. She was never going back.
And for a time, she’d gotten exactly what she thought she wanted.
Libby’s touch on her arm brought Jess’s thoughts back to the present. “Sorry, what?”
“I said, I’m glad you moved here too but I’m even happier you’re back for good. I’m so glad you actually listened to me for once.”
“I always listen, I just don’t always agree. But this time you were right. Every single parent needs the sort of backup you and Nick give me.” A complicated mix of emotions—mostly appreciation, but with a pinch of ingratitude—snagged her. Libby’s offer of work meant her return was possible and yet … She took another sip of wine and gave herself a shake. She needed and wanted their help—the early months with Leo had taught her that. “Are you okay if I do the payroll tomorrow instead of Friday?”
“Sure, no problem. By the way, Nick mentioned that Enza’s retiring. I almost suggested he hire you to do the books but I thought I better run it past you first.”
“That’s sweet of you, but I think I’d feel funny doing the Pirellis’ books.”
Libby sat up. “Why? You’ve done amazing things for the practice. And you got us up to speed on compliance. You’ve saved me money.”
“Thanks, but if I do the books for Pirellis too, there’s not much I won’t know about your financial situation.”
“So? We trust you not to blab the information all over town, which is more than we can say about some people.”
“Thanks, but …” She spun the stem of the wine glass between her fingers, not sure which words could explain it best.
“I thought you were looking for new clients and you’d jump at the chance for more work.” Libby’s confusion and disappointment hung in the air. “I know things are a bit tight for you at the moment, but if you’re serious about buying your own place—”
“Of course I’m serious. I’m totally over renting. And I feel bad that Nick always ends up doing the repairs my landlord never gets around to.”
“Don’t waste any time worrying about that. You know he’s always happy to help. So how far away from buying are you?”
Jess really didn’t want to discuss her house plans. “There are so many variables it’s not worth predicting.”
Libby’s face was a mix of love and frustration. “And one of those variables is money, right? So take the job.”
“Lib, you and Nick are like family to Leo and me. I don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”
“You are family! And it won’t jeopardize anything. In fact, it makes sense. Nick’s already told you how
