Chapter 27

CHAPTER

27

‘Rose! Rose!’

Rose followed the sound of the voices. Kelly from the store was sitting in the far corner of the bar with two women from the knitting club and a couple of children.

‘Hi.’ She greeted them with a smile as she joined them. ‘It’s good to see you.’

‘Charlie, get up and give Rose your chair,’ Kelly told one of the children.

‘It’s fine.’ Rose waved the boy back into his seat. ‘I’m just stopping by. I’m waiting for a plate of Jake’s lasagne to be delivered.’ She nodded to the other part of the bar where she’d been sitting.

‘I saw. Bree and Matt are having dinner together. Again.’ The words were accompanied by a wink so overdone, Rose almost laughed.

‘I guess they are. Although Vicki is there too, and—’

‘It’s like a family dinner.’ Deb joined them, a tray of drinks in her hand. ‘It’s really good to see Matt getting out more. He’s spent far too much time alone since Kim died.’

The women nodded their heads sadly as Deb moved on to deliver her load to another table.

‘She was such a joyful person,’ Kelly said. ‘I’m sure she would be happy to see Matt and Vicki getting on with their lives. And she would have liked Bree.’

‘Now, don’t go getting any ideas, Kelly,’ Rose warned.

‘Me?’ Kelly raised her eyebrows, the picture of innocence. ‘Not me. No. Never.’ The women all laughed. ‘But it occurs to me that, after she’s eaten, Vicki might like to come over and spend some time at our place. She can play with my kids, give Matt and Bree some time to … you know. Be alone.’

‘Well, they’re not exactly alone.’ Deb was passing again, this time with some empty plates. ‘Rose, didn’t I see that gorgeous shearer dancing with you last week?’

‘You might have,’ Rose said archly.

‘He’s not local, is he?’ another woman asked.

‘No. I met him when he came to shear Bree’s alpacas.’

‘He can shear my sheep any time,’ someone else said, accompanied by a waggling of eyebrows.

‘Oh, stop it,’ Rose protested, but she didn’t disagree. ‘Will I see you all at the next knitting club meeting?’

There was a chorus of affirmatives. ‘Good. We may have some news for you.’

Rose walked away. There would be news, but not on the subjects her friends seemed most interested in. Today, she, Bree and Matt were celebrating the agreement for her to buy the empty shop and the cottage behind it. Soon Bree would have a shop and the knitting club would have a home. Tomorrow, after knitting club, Rose would head back to Sydney and put her apartment on the market, not that she needed to sell it before buying the new place. She expected she would be a resident of the Ridge by the end of the month. She hadn’t told Mike any of this yet and she had asked Bree and Matt to keep it secret until she had the chance to tell him. She was planning to do that tonight.

Her steps faltered as she looked at the table where the others were sitting, waiting for their food to arrive. She was on a double date with her granddaughter. How had that come to pass? The initial shock faded quickly. I’m on a double date with my granddaughter. That’s pretty cool. She slid back into her seat and felt a tiny frisson as Mike gently touched her hand by way of welcoming her back.

Before the conversation could resume, Jake appeared at their table, two plates in his hands.

‘All right. The very best lasagne in the house. Who’s it for?’

‘Me.’ Bree held up a hand.

‘Me too,’ added Rose.

Jake put the food on the table. ‘I’ll be back in a moment with the rest.’

Conversation about everything except how good the food was slowed to a trickle as the four adults and Vicki tucked into their meals. Beside Rose, Mike washed his steak down with a beer. He ate and drank as he seemed to do everything else in life, with great gusto and enjoyment. His attitude was contagious and Rose tucked into her lasagne with enthusiasm. Even Vicki displayed none of a child’s fussiness over food, downing her child-sized portion of chicken with every sign of great enjoyment. How this contrasted with the delicate but expensive meals at some of the restaurants Rose had frequented in her previous existence. Her future was uncertain at the moment, with the move and the shop and this unexpected man by her side, but whatever came, she was certainly ready for some change and maybe a bit of adventure.

‘That was great,’ Mike told Deb as she collected their empty plates. ‘I think I need to come here more often.’

‘I’m sure we’d all be very happy to see more of you.’ Deb winked at Rose as she set off in the direction of the kitchen.

Rose downed the last of her glass of wine. If they were going to gossip about her, she might as well give them something to talk about. And besides, she’d had two drinks now. Mike was by her side and outside there was a spring evening waiting to be enjoyed.

‘Mike, there’s something I want to show you. Bree, I’ll see you at home. I’m sure Mike will be happy to drive me back to The Gums.’

‘Of course I will.’ He got to his feet.

Ignoring the glances being tossed in their direction by the ladies of the knitting club, Rose took Mike’s hand and they left the bar.

‘Well, that’ll get them talking,’ Mike said, still holding firmly to her hand as they walked down the town’s main street.

‘They already are. I don’t mind. I hope you don’t?’

‘Why would I mind my name being linked with yours, Rose? Quite frankly, for a crusty old shearer like me, it’s an honour. But are you sure you want them thinking what they’re probably thinking about you and me?’

‘They’re my friends, Mike. At least, they’re quickly becoming my friends. There’s no harm in them. I can guess what they’re thinking, and I don’t mind it at all. In fact—’ she glanced up at him, ‘—I might be thinking similar thoughts.’

As he looked down at her, his smile broadened and he squeezed her hand. ‘I’m glad. Because that makes two of us.’

A minute later they were at their destination and Rose stopped. ‘Well. What do you think?’

‘I’m not sure what you mean, Rose. It’s an empty shop.’

‘Not for much longer. Bree could use a shop to sell her yarn. And an easy-to-find place for people coming to the alpaca walks. And it’s perfect for the knitting club meetings too.’

‘So Bree is taking it on? That’s great.’

‘Not Bree. Me.’

‘You, Rose? That’s also great, but why?’

‘I’m bored in Sydney. I’ve had more fun since I started coming here to visit Bree than I have since I lost my husband. I think maybe this is the right place for me now.’

Mike shuffled his feet a little uncomfortably. ‘Rose … if this is about—’

‘Oh, Mike.’ Rose gently slapped his arm in an affectionate fashion. ‘Don’t panic. It’s not about you. It’s about me—my need to build a life that is right for me. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life sitting alone in an apartment in Sydney. I want my life to include the things I enjoy. Being with my granddaughter. Having friends and doing something fun and creative and useful with my time. And if I were to find you popping up in my new life, I don’t think I’d mind.’

‘You really are something else, Rose, you know that, don’t you?’

Whatever Rose did or did not know was forgotten in an instant when Mike pulled her close and kissed her. His kiss was like him, strong and exciting; warm and caring and filled with the promise of good things to come.

She leaned into him as she kissed him back, enjoying the feel of his firm body against hers. It was a very long time since she had felt that.

***

The hotel bar was still busy. Conscious that she had to drive home, Bree ordered a lemonade, lime and bitters.

‘Same for me,’ Matt said.

‘But you’re not driving.’

‘No. But I have to pick Vicki up from Kelly’s place soon and take her home. So …’ He shrugged.

‘You never drink too much when you’re looking after her.’

He nodded.

‘Matt, when was the last time you really relaxed? Without worrying about Vicki?’

‘Well, she’s nearly seven. And these last couple of years … Being a single dad is wonderful sometimes, but it’s hard as well. She is the most important thing in my world and I never want to let her down.’

‘The only way you will ever let her down is if you don’t look after the person she loves most in the world—and that’s you.’

Matt lowered his eyes to stare at the wedding ring on his left hand. He twisted the ring around his finger a few times then his hands stilled. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with so much sadness, her heart almost shattered. Sally’s threatening letter had added a layer of stress over the top of that sadness, and he looked like he was about to fall apart. If ever a man had needed to let go, it was Matt.

She reached out and picked up his phone from where it lay on the table, waiting, as it always was, in case his daughter needed him. She handed it to him.

‘Matt, ring Kelly. Arrange for Vicki to stay overnight. Kelly would be more than happy to have her and I’m sure Vicki will love a sleepover.’

‘No, I can’t—’

‘You can. If you don’t, I will.’

‘Did anyone ever tell you that you can be very bossy?’ He smiled as he said it, but he took the phone from her. The call was short.

‘All right. Now you can relax. As I’m the one being bossy, it’s my shout. What will you have? And don’t you dare say coffee.’

‘Well, if you’re going to insist. How about a Bundy and Coke?’

‘Deb.’ Bree waved to catch her attention. ‘Can you bring my friend here a drink?’

Across the room, Deb grinned and nodded. ‘On the way.’

Matt didn’t seem to notice that Bree kept to lemonade in that round and the next.

As they left the bar, Bree decided Matt could use a hand getting home. She couldn’t remember when she’d seen someone succumb so quickly to a couple of drinks.

‘Come on, let me walk you home.’ She took Matt’s hand. The night was warm and the town’s few streetlights lit their way as they walked towards Matt’s office and the cottage behind it. Matt talked about the town and how he’d started his career in real estate here pretty much by accident.

‘I’m originally from WA. After college I was travelling, seasonal jobs here and there. Fruit picking, driving grain trucks at harvest, that sort of thing. I grew up in Perth, but I liked rural areas. Especially here in the east. I was a delivery driver, and got stuck in Wagtail Ridge when the truck broke down. I spent the night at the pub and at the table near me, there was a family who had just bought a property here. They were so happy and filled with dreams for the future. Listening to their conversation made me smile a hell of a lot more than delivering supplies to supermarkets.’

They reached his office. He stopped outside the darkened window and put a hand gently on the glass. It was a gesture of affection. ‘By the time the truck was fixed, I’d fallen in love with the Ridge. I went to Newcastle and studied to become a real estate agent. Then I met Kim. Soon after that, I found this office. Things were pretty tight for the first couple of years, but I got it working. Or rather, Kim and I got it working.’

His words slurred a little as he spoke and Bree guessed he wasn’t going to be on his feet much longer.

‘She was a city girl. From Newcastle. We met one day at a park. It was a lovely day. Sunny but not too hot, you know? She was selling food at a stall. I never believed in love at first sight, thought it was a load of rubbish. Until I met Kim. She was so beautiful. And her smile … The moment I met her, I knew I wanted to wake up every morning to see that face and that smile. After the first words she spoke, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life listening to her voice.’ His words were broken by grief. ‘And I never got that chance. That foul, filthy disease took her from me. From me and from Vicki. And there was nothing I could do to save her.’

In the dim light, Bree saw the tears in his eyes.

‘It isn’t fair.’ The whispered words were a scream of pain from the very depths of his soul. His shoulders started to heave.

Bree put an arm around the sobbing man and led him away from the office to the house behind.

When they reached the door, Matt fumbled in his pocket and found his keys, but he struggled to get them into the lock.

‘Here, let me.’ Bree took the keys and opened the door.

Matt was unsteady on his feet as they walked into the lounge. Bree helped disentangle him from his jacket and he made a beeline for the sofa.

‘Oh, no.’ Bree took his arms and steered him gently away. ‘I think we need to get you straight into bed.’

‘Okay.’

Bree got Matt down the hall to his bedroom. She didn’t switch the light on as he staggered into the room; the light from the hallway was enough for her to guide him to the bed and push him gently down.

His eyes closed immediately and he rolled on his side. He reached out towards the empty side of the bed and Bree thought she heard him whisper Kim’s name. His breathing became slow and deep. She took his shoes off and placed them on the floor, aware of the photograph on his bedside table. She looked at the smiling woman in the silver frame.

‘You were very lucky to have love like his,’ she said. ‘Even for such a short time.’

A gentle snore from the bed followed her as she left the room.