from any harm.
‘Yeah, I suppose so.’ She may as well say it. He’d obviously heard most of it from Simon already. ‘I don’t want you to think that it was all Simon’s fault. Mum wasn’t the easiest of people to live with. We each dealt with it differently. I gave in to her on the things that didn’t matter and held out for the things that did. But Simon couldn’t do that. They used to have the most awful rows.’
Reece nodded her on. He seemed to understand that she both wanted and needed to say this to someone. And he was all she had right now.
‘It all came to a head when Simon said that he wanted to travel for a year after he’d done his degree in architecture. Mum had been pushing him away for years and then when he did leave she was so angry with him that she never mentioned his name again, even when she was dying.’
‘Simon told me that your father leaving had a pretty big impact on her.’
‘I don’t remember that. I was just a baby.’ Gran had told her about it, though. ‘I’m told she just shut herself off from everyone, became totally focussed on showing that she was better off without him. She threw herself into work and built up a successful company from nothing. She used to say all the time that my father was unreliable and weak …’ Too much information, perhaps.
‘And that’s what she said about Simon too?’
‘Yes.’ It felt good to be able to say it, even if it was hard. Sara swallowed down the lump in her throat. ‘It’s not true, though, is it?’
‘No. That’s not the friend I know.’ The look in his eyes was almost unbearable. Liquid blue, as if she could somehow plunge into his world. Luxuriate in the safety of those cool, soothing waters. ‘And you and Simon kept in touch. That has to say something, doesn’t it?’
‘Yeah. Not sure what … but, yes, it says something.’
He seemed to realise that she’d had enough, and that she couldn’t talk about this any more. He nodded towards her plate. ‘Eat. It’s been a long day already, and it’s not over yet. And this is too good to waste.’
‘Thanks. There are some more potatoes in the kitchen if you want them. I always make too much.’ She reached for his plate, but he was already on his feet.
‘I’ll go. You want some?’
‘No, I’m fine with this, thanks.’ Sara went back to her food, smiling as she heard the sound of a pan being scraped from the kitchen. She loved cooking, and having someone with appetite enough to scrape the pan was a welcome novelty.
‘Do you like Australia?’ When he returned to the table, he seemed as intent as Sara was on lightening the mood.
‘I love what I’ve seen so far.’ She shrugged. ‘Simon and I have been keeping ourselves to ourselves since I arrived. You and Kath are the first real Australians that I’ve met.’
‘Well, I hope we’ve not let the team down.’ He grinned at her then looked at his watch. ‘We’ll get going as soon as we’ve finished lunch. Simon will be wanting to see you.’
CHAPTER FOUR
AS FAR as appearances went, they’d fallen effortlessly into an easy routine. Up early so that Reece could do the forty-kilometre round trip to drop Sara at the nearest station before he went to work. Catching the train into Melbourne to spend time with Simon, then shopping and a tram ride back to Flinders Street Station, and home to cook for Reece.
The truth was a little different. Waking early and wondering if Reece was awake yet. Imagining the lazy flutter of his eyelids followed by the first sight of those clear, almost iridescent pools of blue. Three early nights in a row to escape the magnetic pull, which seemed to grow stronger as the sun fell in the sky and the moon rose.
The smile she liked best, held tight in her imagination during the day, was the one he gave her when he arrived home each evening. Today it was broader, more expectant, as if Reece had a surprise for her. ‘We’re going for a day trip tomorrow.’
‘Really? Aren’t you working?’
‘No. It’s Saturday tomorrow, in case that had escaped your notice. I’ve swapped shifts with one of the other doctors in the practice, and I have three days off.’
Something about the tone of his voice told Sara that he’d done that for her and she flushed with pleasure. ‘That’s great. So where are we going?’ The distance to the local shops and the station was almost enough to be called a day trip at home.
‘We’re going to Simon’s place.’
‘The authorities have issued the all-clear?’ She always waited until Reece got home so that she could check the news reports with him, telling herself that he could explain the things she didn’t understand. But in truth she’d been living in a bubble, cushioned in his world, and now reality was calling. Earth to Sara. Time to wake up now, and get to grips with life.
‘Yes. There are no more fires in that area now, and it’s safe to return.’
‘And the house? Do you know what’s happened to the house, Reece?’
He shook his head. ‘The fire went through that area, but I haven’t been able to find out what happened to Simon’s house.’ His look of frustration told her that he’d tried. ‘The house is surrounded by grassland, and there aren’t too many trees on the property. The worst fires didn’t get that far so there’s a good chance that it’s not badly damaged.’
He was giving her as much encouragement as he could, but he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear. But at least she wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out. ‘Thank you. That sounds promising.’
‘I found out where Simon’s car is as well. We can pick it up on the way, it’ll give you some mobility.’
Slowly the bonds that tied her here were unravelling. A car. And if everything went well, a house to live in too. For one brief moment Sara wished that Simon’s house was somehow uninhabitable, and then cursed herself for her petty selfishness. ‘So Trader and I might be out of your hair, then.’
‘No. I said a day trip. You can’t go back there.’
‘Why not? If the fire’s already been through, then there’s no more danger, is there?’ The thought of a lonely house, in a blackened landscape, frightened her. Served her right. How could she have even thought about the possibility of a problem at Simon’s house, however small and easy to fix, just so she could stay on here?
‘That’s not the point. We’ll go back to the house, find out what’s happened and salvage what we can. Then we come back here.’
He was giving her orders. She’d had enough of those from her own family, and Reece wasn’t going to start that with her. He was about to turn away when she reached forward, catching the sleeve of his shirt. ‘I’m grateful for everything you’ve done, but I can make my own decisions.’
‘Not with this, Sara.’
‘I’m not afraid.’ Okay, so she was afraid. But she wasn’t about to give Reece any more reasons to keep her here. ‘If the house is okay, I’ll stay there.’
‘Right.
