Cassie and Brian shared a look, one full of heat at the memory of how they met the first time. Cassie hadn’t been able to look at tequila, salt, or limes the same way since.

“Irish picked me up in a bar,” Cassie said and he laughed heartily. Maree smiled uncertainly.

“It’s true,” he told his mother. “I walked into a bar one night in Melbourne after a particularly bad day dealing with CASA and there she was. Fortunately, there was an empty barstool beside her, so I took it.”

“Yes,” Cassie said, picking up the commentary, “and I was just coming out of a messy break-up and was trying...