Chapter Seven

He hadn't seen Helen for three days. Ed glanced over at the pub as he clicked the locks into place on his bowsers at the end of a long hot working day. The lights had just come on in the bar. He could see people moving around inside, but not clearly enough to know if one of them was Helen.

He wasn't sure why he was able to almost count the hours since he had last seen her, but he could. It seemed to him a foolish thing for a man his age. But perhaps it had been prompted by the events of the last few months, events that had culminated with that brown envelope on his kitchen table. He had signed the paperwork last night and sealed the envelope provided by his very expensive solicitors, who had also thoughtfully already placed sufficient postage stamps in the top right corner. All he had to do was slip that envelope into the post box, and the final round had begun. In a few weeks Steph would officially be in his past.

It was well past time.

He had wasted too many years after Steph left. Wasted them in anger and bitterness. He'd lost his son, and he'd lost himself too. Anger and lies had cast a shadow over his life, and distanced him from everything that mattered. The long road back from that dark and lonely place had begun when he was reconciled with Scott. Now he was ready for the next stage. Well, almost ready. All that remained was the paperwork. His divorce was pretty much a formality, according to the solicitors. A quick hearing in a court, and he would be a free man.

Free perhaps to invite a woman to dinner.

Ed finished locking up and went back to the house. He was greeted at the top of the stairs by a plaintive meow.

‘I know,' he said. ‘It's cat feeding time. Don't worry. I have it under control.' He paused briefly to stroke his grey friend before digging into the cupboard for a can of cat food. That important task dealt with, Ed changed out of his work overalls, replacing them with jeans and a blue short-sleeved cotton shirt. He picked up the brown envelope as he left the kitchen. As always, he just pulled the door shut behind him, not bothering to lock it.

He walked quickly across to the small town square. The post office was on the far side, next to the police station. He stood for a very long second in front of Coorah Creek's only post box.

It was the right thing to do, he told himself again. He had loved Steph and she had left him. He had kept his vows, and she hadn't. And it was all so long ago; it was foolish to let it still haunt him. He needed to do this. He should have done it a long time ago. But still, it wasn't easy. It was an admission of something … failure, perhaps. Ed didn't like to fail.

The sound of voices interrupted him just as he was about to slip the letter through the slot. He turned his head to see Helen and her daughter walking towards him from the back of the police station. Max was a step or two behind.

Helen was laughing at something Tia had said. She looked relaxed and happy and so beautiful that Ed's heart jumped.

‘Hello, Helen. Tia,' he said.

‘Ed.' Helen's face was glowing. He hoped that maybe seeing him might have something to do with it, but he suspected it was really all about her daughter. Obviously the reunion had turned around, and things between the two of them were looking up. He was so very pleased about that.

‘Hi, Ed. How's things?' Max joined them.

‘Fine, thanks.' He smiled at Helen. ‘It's good to see you again.' He hoped she understood what he was really saying. That it was good to see her looking happy.

‘It's good to see you too, Ed,' Helen said. Even her voice seemed to have changed. She sounded younger and more carefree. Ed's heart did that thing again. He wished he was one of those men who always seemed to have the right words to say. But he wasn't. He struggled to find words that just weren't there.

‘We're just going to look at the new house Max and Tia are building,' Helen said. ‘Then we were going to have dinner at the pub.'

Was he imagining it, or was there something in her voice? Something that suggested she was hoping that he too might be planning an evening in Coorah Creek's main meeting place?

‘I might see you there.' Even to his own ears, Ed's voice sounded croaky. ‘I was thinking of grabbing something to eat too.'

He was rewarded with an even brighter smile. ‘Oh, that's nice,' Helen said.

‘See you there, then,' Tia said as the three of them turned away.

‘All right.' Ed looked down at the envelope in his hands and then he looked up to see Helen glance back over her shoulder at him as she walked away. He slid the envelope into the post box.

When he arrived at the pub, he found Trish Warren standing in the middle of the bar, giving orders.

‘Jack, there'll be a load of kegs coming this week. And some wine. Make sure the wine boxes get stored properly. Helen is staying for a few more days, I think. And we've got one more booking, starting tomorrow. A Mrs Wills. She's travelling alone. But I suppose that's not so unusual these days as it used to be. Anyway, put her in room number five.'

‘It's OK, Trish. I've got it.' Behind the bar, Jack North smiled in a tolerant fashion. ‘I've done this before, you know.'

‘Yes, but I've always been here to make sure you did it right.' Trish pointed a finger in Jack's general direction. ‘Without me or Syd, this place is likely to just go to rack and ruin. I don't want to come back and find that we've gone broke, or the pub has burned down. Or you've got Fosters coming out of the VB tap.'

‘You're going away?' Ed couldn't hide his shock. He couldn't remember Trish and Syd ever leaving the pub.

‘Just for a week,' Trish said. ‘Syd's sister has taken a house on the coast. She's bringing the whole family with her. Kids, grandkids. The lot. They asked us to come too, and we thought we might as well. It's a good chance to see them all. Mind you, some of those grandnieces and nephews need a bit of taking in hand. I'm not so sure about these modern ideas about parenting. I'm no expert, of course, but you know what they say …'

Trish's voice droned on, but Ed was no longer listening. He took a seat at the bar in a position where he could sip a cold beer and watch the door for Helen's return.

‘It's going to be beautiful,' Helen said in a quiet voice.

‘There's a lot of work to do before it deserves to be called beautiful,' Max said. ‘But I think one day it will get there.'

‘Mum's right.' Tia reached out to take Max's hand. ‘It's beautiful already. I can't wait until it's finished.'

The three of them were standing beside a half built structure that would one day be a large and airy home. The main body of the house was surrounded on all four sides by a wide bull-nosed veranda. The high roof suggested that the rooms would be light and cool even in the hottest summer. The house was set at the crest of a slight rise in the surrounding land and the big sliding glass doors at the front looked down over a line of tall gums and bright willows that shaded Coorah Creek.

‘And you are doing this all by yourself?' Helen asked Max in wonder.

‘Not all of it,' he replied. ‘I needed help with some of the structural stuff. But the bulk of that is done now. It's just the interiors. I'm doing all the timber work, and Jack North, a local guy, will do the electrics for me.'

‘We are going to do all the painting ourselves,' Tia said, her voice warm with affection. ‘If we can agree. So far the only colour we have agreed on is that the ceilings will be white.'

Her laugh was cut short when Max took her gently by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

‘I will do you a deal,' he said. ‘You can paint the place any colours you like. I'll even agree to the purple bathroom – just marry me before we move in.'

Tia froze. ‘What?'

Helen's heart skipped a beat as Max took both of Tia's hands in his.

‘Surely this isn't a surprise? Why do you think I was so pushy about getting Helen and you together? You needed to sort out your past before we could have a future. Together.'

Max took his eyes off Tia just for a moment, and looked at Helen, who nodded as tears began to run down her cheeks.

He turned back to Tia. ‘I think maybe you're ready now. And I sure as hell don't want to wait any longer. I'll get down on one knee if that's what it takes, but I am asking, Felicity Walsh, if you would please stop beating around the bush … and marry me. I love you and I promise I will always love you. More than anything else this world has to offer, I want to share my life with you. Please just say yes.'

‘Yes.'

Helen's eyes swam with tears as her daughter flung herself into Max's arms and kissed him. She stepped back a fraction, so as not to intrude on their most private and passionate moment. She was so happy for them both. She had only known Max for a few days, but she believed and trusted him. For that matter, she had only known Tia for a few days really, but one glance at the two of them told her they were very much in love.

Happy as she was for them both, one small part of her was terribly jealous. No man had ever looked at her the way Max looked at Tia. She thought back on the men in her life. Tia's biological father, who had vanished the day he found out that Helen was pregnant. She could barely remember his face. There had been too many others … men with whom she had sought refuge, trading herself for a home and safety for her daughter. Ending with the one who had driven them apart. No man had ever made her feel the way Tia looked right now. She hated herself for feeling that glimmer of jealousy, but she couldn't help it. She turned away to walk down to the creek and leave the two of them alone, but had only taken a couple of steps when Tia's voice called her back.

‘Mum. Let's go. We will go into town and celebrate.'

‘All right.' Helen blinked away her tears before she turned around to follow them back to Max's car.

It didn't take long to drive back to the Creek. They pulled over at the pub, and Tia led the way inside.

The first person Helen saw was Ed. He was sitting at the bar in a place where he could see anyone who came in through the pub's front door. As he spotted Helen, he smiled at her.

Did she see something there? Something that was not all that different from the look in Max's eyes when he looked at Tia. No. That couldn't be right. Max loved Tia. Ed didn't love her. He'd only met her a couple of times. They were strangers.

Slowly Ed rose from his stool and walked towards her. This time, Helen didn't try to fight the flutter of excitement. He was a handsome man. The lines on his face just added to the strength of it. And his smile reached all the way to his eyes. And he was looking at her. If not with love, at least with interest. When had a man last looked at her with even a flicker of interest?

‘Hi, Helen.'

‘Hi.'

Helen struggled for something to say. Something that would make her seem funny or clever or whatever would make Ed stay there with her. That might keep that look of interest from fading away. They stood in silence for a few seconds, until a ragged cheer interrupted them.

Ed frowned as people started crowding around Max and Tia, with some enthusiastic back-slapping and hugging. He looked at Helen and raised his eyebrows.

‘I guess they've just told everyone about the wedding,' Helen explained.

‘At last!' Ed said, his face breaking into a smile. ‘We've been expecting that for quite a while. Good for them …' He paused before continuing. ‘Does this mean you'll be staying around for the wedding?'

‘They haven't said anything about a date,' Helen said, wishing her heart would stop beating quite so fiercely. ‘But, yes, I'll be here for the wedding.'

‘I'm glad.'

There was nothing she could say to that. Thankfully someone thrust a glass of champagne into her hand, giving her a moment's respite to gather her scattered thoughts.

‘If you are going to be around for a while,' Ed continued, ‘can I ask a favour?'

‘Of course.'

‘I am thinking of getting a new dog. I'm going to look at some puppies tomorrow evening. Will you come with me and help me choose?'

‘But I've never had a dog. I don't know anything about them.'

‘You don't need to. Dogs know about people. I think the puppy will be the one making the decision.'

‘Oh yes, I'd love to.'

Further conversation was hindered by another rousing cheer, and together Ed and Helen raised their glasses to toast the soon-to-be bride and groom.