The Cottage at Rosella Cove Page 22

  ‘Well, girl?’ Charlie said gruffly.

  ‘I’m just trying to work through some things.’

  ‘Bugs me to say this, but you’re a smart kid …’

  Nicole smiled.

  ‘… you’ll figure it out.’

  ‘Oh, that’s helpful.’ Nicole raised her eyebrows.

  ‘It’s all you get.’ Charlie grunted as he stood up.

  Nicole stood too and Charlie looked at her strangely.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

  ‘Thought I’d walk back with you.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Why not?’

  They walked to the boatshed in silence. As Charlie veered off, Nicole stood on the path and watched him open his door.

  He turned around to look at her.

  ‘I can get into my own place, you know.’

  ‘At your age,’ Nicole spread her hands open in front of herself, ‘one can never be too careful.’

  ‘Bugger off home,’ Charlie barked.

  ‘Have a lovely day.’ Nicole bowed extravagantly and started towards the cottage.

  ‘Oi,’ shouted Charlie.

  Nicole walked back towards him. He held out a big yellow envelope.

  ‘This is the letter you asked me about the other week?’

  He nodded. ‘Can you send it?’

  ‘Of course.’

  He handed it to her and took her hand. Looking straight into her eyes, he asked, ‘Are you happy here?’

  Nicole shrugged her shoulders. ‘I guess.’

  Charlie shook his head. ‘Don’t guess. Know.’

  He turned and closed the door to the boatshed.

  It was a simple question – was she happy here – but Nicole knew it was an important one. So much depended on its answer.

  A hint of a smile crossed Charlie’s face as he watched her go. Once she was out of sight, he moved round the boatshed slowly to the bench. He sat on the left side, as he always did, and conjured an image of Ivy sitting beside him – her wild hair blowing in the breeze, her bare feet tracing abstract shapes in the dirt, her warm green eyes smiling at him as they always did. He was now the same age as she was back then, thereabouts anyway, and the irony of that wasn’t lost on him.

  He wanted to reach out and touch Ivy’s cheek, the same way he’d wanted to back then, but couldn’t. She would never have seen him as anything other than a soul to save, and he’d accepted that. He would never have touched her so. Never dared. And not because of their difference in age, though that was significant enough, but because he wasn’t worthy of her love. He knew how lucky he’d been to have her care for him in any way at all. That was enough and more than he was due. Men like him didn’t get second chances. Especially not with women as special as Ivy.

  ‘She’s looking after the place just fine,’ he said to the ethereal image beside him. ‘She’s got your feistiness about her.’

  He shook his head and smiled.

  ‘She’s doing up the cottage real good so far as I can tell and it won’t be long before she’ll be able to fix this place up, too,’ he waved his hand at the boatshed behind him.

  ‘I’m sorry I let you down, but I’m setting it right now.’

  He turned his head to the water and watched the waves.

  ‘I’ve just got to see one more thing through.’

  He turned back to look at Ivy, but saw only the wooden seat beside him.

  The morning of the painting bee arrived and with it Nicole’s nerves. Soon everyone would be here, including Danny.

  A familiar yodel sounded from the front door. Mandy and Trevor had arrived.

  They brought with them brushes and rollers, as arranged, and bowls and plates of salads and sandwiches. Many bowls and plates.

  ‘Painting’s hungry work,’ Mandy said as she distributed the food among the shelves in the fridge and across the bench space.

  Jack walked in carrying an esky and Mandy directed him to put it on the floor next to the fridge.

  ‘Dad reckons it’s not a real painting bee without beer.’

  ‘Too right,’ Trevor said, and winked.

  ‘Righto.’ Danny’s booming voice announced his arrival. ‘The cavalry is here. Let’s get to work,’ he said, placing a six pack on the table.

  He stepped towards Nicole and it was all she could do not to collapse into his arms. She stopped herself – not until he knew the whole truth.

  She couldn’t lead him on like this – it wasn’t fair. He didn’t have all the essential information.

  He reached his hand out and brushed her hair aside. ‘Is everything okay?’ He asked, frowning. ‘I’ve kind of missed you this week.’

  Oh, God. He didn’t deserve this. ‘Yes. Everything’s fine. Just a little overwhelmed.’

  ‘Ah, don’t be. We do this stuff all the time. We’ve got you covered.’ He winked and went to pick up his paintbrush and move to his allocated position.

  ‘I thought you’d be half done by now,’ Jim said as he and Cheryl walked in carrying a salad and apple crumble.

  ‘Wouldn’t want to start the fun without you,’ called Danny.

  Trevor assigned everyone their jobs and, before too long, shades of Rain Cloud and Powder Puff were making their way across the walls.

  Three hours into the bee, the first coat done in the living room and hallway, a voice called through the front door. ‘Anyone home?’

  ‘Come in, Jacqui!’ Mandy shouted from the living room.

  ‘Hope you don’t mind,’ she said, turning to Nicole, ‘I said they could stop by for lunch.’

  Nicole must have looked terrified at the thought, because Mandy continued quickly. ‘Not the whole clan. Just Jacqui and Jason and the baby. Lord knows what little Joshua would do to the place with all this paint lying around.’

  Nicole put her brush down and went up the hall to greet the latest arrivals and took the fruit salad from Jason and popped it in the now very full fridge.

  Jacqui held out baby Amy for Nicole to have a hold.

  ‘Oh, no. Babies and I don’t get on,’ Nicole protested. But it was in vain, as Jacqui shoved Amy into her arms, leaving her no option but to hold on to the soft, pink bundle.

  ‘See,’ Jacqui said, ‘you’re a natural.’

  Nicole held Amy in the crook of her arm, petrified. Her terror gave way to heartache as she held the tiny bundle.

  She looked down at the large, dark eyes staring back at her.

  Nicole was mesmerised and they locked eyes and for a moment she was enchanted. Then Amy burped. And then she vomited. Right onto Nicole’s shirt.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ said Jacqui, wiping the milky liquid with a towel she had been carrying.

  ‘Pretty much the standard reaction I entice from little ones,’ Nicole said, grinning. ‘Lucky I’m in my painting gear.’

  Danny walked in. ‘What’s that awful smell?’

  ‘Me, I’m afraid,’ Nicole said. ‘I’ll go change.’

  She handed Amy to Danny and his fingers brushed against her arm.

  ‘Did Aunty Nicole make you sick?’ He cuddled the baby. ‘She’s quite nice once you get to know her.’ He gave Nicole a cheeky grin.

  ‘Watch it,’ Nicole warned, ‘or you might just find this shirt makes it into the back seat of your car before I have a chance to wash it. Windows up, hot day …’

  ‘Wouldn’t be the first lady’s shirt lost on his back seat.’ Jacqui laughed.

  Danny shot her a look.

  ‘I’m going to get changed.’ Nicole walked out, shaking her head, her happy facade falling once she was out of sight.

  When she returned Mandy suggested they set up the lunch tables outside. ‘It’s such a beautiful day.’

  ‘I don’t have any tables or chairs out there yet,’ Nicole said, frowning.

  ‘That’s all right,’ Trevor chimed in. ‘We brought some with. We’ll get set up, hey?’

  Everyone headed out the front. Except Danny.

  ‘I’ll bring the good stuff,�
� he said, moving to the esky.

  ‘And I’ll …’ Nicole raised her arms feeling quite useless.

  ‘Rustle up some glasses?’ Danny suggested.

  ‘Yes.’

  As he bent down to pick up the esky, he stopped and stood back up letting out a long, slow whistle. ‘They’ve bred.’ He read each new list on the side of the fridge. ‘Man, you really do need a new hobby.’

  Nicole grimaced.

  ‘Of course, you are excelling magnificently at this one.’ He tapped the side of the fridge. ‘So, why mess with things?’

  ‘What can I say?’ She smiled. ‘I like a bit of order, and a list never hurt anyone.’

  ‘I don’t know. I wrote a list once. Got me in a whole heap of trouble.’

  ‘I don’t think I want to know.’ Nicole laughed.

  ‘Probably best you don’t.’ A look of mock seriousness fell across his face.

  ‘Well, my boring lists are the product of a chaotic mind and the need for some stability,’ Nicole said.

  ‘I think it’s cute.’

  ‘Cute? I’ve been called many things before, but cute isn’t usually one of them.’

  ‘I said your lists were cute, not you.’ He smiled, closing the gap between them.

  Nicole’s cheeks burned.

  ‘But, if I were to pick some adjectives to describe you, stubborn might come to mind.’

  ‘Stubborn?’

  ‘Have you forgotten the benchtop incident?’

  Nicole shook her head and tried to move away, finding herself pressed against the kitchen bench, with no route of escape.

  ‘Mysterious,’ Danny continued.

  ‘I’m very flattered.’ Nicole smiled nervously.

  Danny leaned in and whispered, ‘Intelligent, talented, beautiful.’

  He raised his hand and brushed her right cheek gently with his thumb.

  Nicole could feel his warm breath on her face. He kissed her and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his kiss intensified.

  ‘What’s taking so long with those darn drinks, hey?’ Trevor burst into the kitchen.

  Danny practically jumped back, and Nicole turned and busied herself with the glasses by the sink that all of a sudden needed rinsing.

  ‘Hold your horses, mate.’ Danny bent down and picked up the esky. ‘Good things come …’

  ‘Good things are in that there blue box,’ Trevor said.

  The men headed outside.

  Nicole stayed back for a moment to collect herself. She had to put the brakes on this. They couldn’t take things any further until she told him the truth about her past.

  The sun shone warmly down on the motley crew gathered on Nicole’s front lawn. There was enough food to feed the entire cove. It was laid out across the two trestle tables Trevor and Mandy had brought. The sweet aroma wafting off the mini pork and pumpkin sausage rolls filled Nicole’s nose, and she couldn’t wait to try them. The tuna salad was an explosion of fresh pink fish and green spinach and yellow capsicum. But the dish Nicole really wanted to try was the fluffy white coconut cream cake that sat in the middle of the spread.

  The painting bee volunteers sat around the tables on a mix of wooden fold-up chairs and plastic moulded stools, chattering in between munches. Everyone except Nicole.

  She looked at the happy, animated faces around her. She caught snippets of tales and idle gossip, heard giggles and guffaws. She felt a sense of warmth and contentment unlike anything she’d ever known.

  A light breeze rustled the gum leaves overhead. Cheryl served everyone a second helping of her famous spinach and pine nut salad as she continued to discuss with Danny the trip she was planning to Paris later in the year. Danny recommended a few smaller, boutique museums Cheryl might be interested in, and his favourite gallery.

  Beneath the table Danny’s hand found Nicole’s and he squeezed it gently.

  Jacqui cradled a sleeping Amy in her arms as she talked tactics with Jack for the upcoming match against Woodville. Jason and Mandy compared notes on the previous evening’s episode of Let’s Cook, both lamenting not only the producers’ need to insert ad breaks at the most inopportune times, but also their penchant for spending the first five minutes back from commercial breaks recapping what they had just seen.

  Nicole took a sip of water and sighed.

  Mandy, sitting beside her, leaned in.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she whispered and Nicole realised a tear was running down her cheek.

  She nodded. She was okay. For the moment.

  She was beginning to realise how lucky she was to have ended up here, knowing what loneliness could do; lucky she had this lot to care for her. And it seemed they really did care. It was almost like a family.

  Family. The definition had changed quite dramatically for Nicole over the years. Growing up, the concept had been simple. Family was blood. Family was everything. When her parents died, family was Jane. Then came Mark. Her new family. A duo to protect and hold tightly to, and family became all about love and hope for the future. And then it turned to dust and Nicole stopped believing in the notion altogether. Could this be her new family?

  She only hoped she had the strength to hold onto them.

  There was one person missing still, though: Charlie. She would have liked him there. Maybe one day he’d feel comfortable enough to join them, just like he must have done when Ivy was around. Maybe once Nicole learned more about his history with Ivy, she’d be able to crack his defences properly. Maybe.

  Laughter and chatter filled her garden, smiles filled the air. Yes, with this crew around her she would be okay. She would finish Ivy’s story. She would break down Charlie’s walls. She would figure out what her next move was. She would find a way to tell Danny the truth.

  Under the table he ran his fingers along her leg, sending a shiver up her spine. She should have stopped him, but she couldn’t. She enjoyed his touch. And once she told him her secret, he may never want to touch her again. Today she would take whatever came her way.

  And tomorrow she’d tell him everything.

  When lunch was over, everyone made a team effort to cover up all the food and carry the containers back into the kitchen and divvy them up among the cooler bags Mandy had brought them in. Cheryl and Jim started putting the first coat on the second bedroom. Mandy had sent Jack home to finish a TAFE assignment due the next day that he hadn’t even started, and Lord help him if she got home and found he hadn’t knocked it over. Nicole was putting the second coat on the living room with Trevor and Danny and Mandy.

  ‘Can you hand me that cloth please, Nicole?’ asked Danny.

  Nicole reached down and threw the rag to him.

  ‘Coming up a treat, isn’t it?’ He smiled, as he wiped some Rain Cloud from his hand. ‘We’ll be finished in no time.’

  ‘If you can get more paint on the walls than yourself.’ Nicole laughed.

  ‘Picking on the slave labour,’ he said, threatening her with his paint-soaked roller.

  ‘Don’t you even think about it.’ She backed up.

  ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’ He winked.

  Thank goodness they weren’t alone, distance a little easier to maintain.

  As the afternoon fell, the last lick of paint went on, and they started cleaning up. Jim and Cheryl took charge of washing out the brushes and rollers, Mandy folded up the drop sheets. Danny packed the paint away. Within minutes they were all done, each with a cooler bag of leftovers to take home.

  Nicole hugged Cheryl at the door. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What are mates for?’ Trevor gave her a kiss on the cheek and jumped down the verandah steps.

  ‘Act your age,’ Mandy called after her husband, embracing Nicole before following him.

  Danny was the last to leave. He lingered at the front door making small talk, clearly not wanting to go.

  She didn’t want him to leave, either. But she was exhausted. And if he stayed she’d have to tell him everything now. But she still didn’t know how to do it.

/>   ‘Would you … maybe we could have a picnic tomorrow?’ she suggested. She had to get this over and done with. ‘We can make a dent in all those leftovers.’

  Danny laughed. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  He kissed her softly on the cheek and walked off into the dusk.

  It was amazing the difference the finished paint job made to the place. A mix of joy and sadness washed over her. It was like home. But once the outside was finished, she’d have to find somewhere else to live. Even if that was in Rosella Cove, it wouldn’t be Ivy’s cottage.

  The thought was daunting, but she knew she’d be okay. Nothing could ever be as hard as starting over after she left Mark. Nothing could ever be as hard as leaving Mark.

  This was just a fork in the road.

  There was still twenty minutes of daylight left, so Nicole went for a walk along the peninsula. It was her favourite time of day – she loved the way the soft light bounced off the trees, bathing everything around in a pale yellow glow, the scores of rosellas flitting from tree to tree to find their evening rest spot. She loved the sense it gave that one day was behind you and another one, a fresh one, was just around the corner.

  She passed the boatshed on the way back home and saw Charlie’s light on. She sighed at the thought of him in there all alone.

  Coming up the path, Nicole could hear music wafting on the breeze from the cottage. Which was strange, given she didn’t own a stereo. Maybe Danny couldn’t wait for their picnic.

  She quickened her step, but as she reached the verandah she realised what the music was, and stopped dead.

  No. No, no, no. She tried to run but fear filled her feet with lead.

  Adele’s husky tones wafted through the door, familiar lyrics assaulting her ears.

  Thirty

  'Oh, Nicky.’ Mark burst through the cottage door and ran down the verandah steps. He threw his arms around her. ‘I’m so glad I found you. I’ve been worried sick about you, princess.’