Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
F reya drove straight to the café and parked in the staff parking. She didn't want her mum or dad to pick up on her post-coital glow and tease her about being out all night.
She wanted to keep her budding new relationship with Justin private—for a little while longer at least. She wanted to revel in their love bubble as long as she could without having to think about what might happen tomorrow.
The café was bustling with the breakfast crowd. Tourists often came up for a hearty meal of bacon and eggs or pancakes before touring the working dairy farm.
The guides were as entertaining as they were informative, and guests were often so happy by the end of the tour that they’d stop by the shop and fill a cooler bag or two of Emerald Hills produce. They’d buy milk, yogurt and cheese to take away with them, and share the stories and experiences they’d enjoyed with their family and friends.
Freya made her way to her office, a small little room near the kitchen, where she shut the door and opened her laptop. She had advertising campaigns to review, videos to edit, and media releases to send off. All the jobs she should get done, instead of daydreaming about Justin and their incredible lovemaking.
She was roused two hours later by a rapping on the door and looked up as Greer walked in with a steaming cup of coffee.
"Good morning." Greer gave her a wink and handed her the cup, which Freya sipped gratefully.
"Thank you. I really needed a caffeine hit."
Greer sank into the couch opposite. "Late night?" She quirked an eyebrow at her sister.
Freya peeked at her from behind the cup while trying to hide her smile.
"That good, huh?"
Freya nodded. The idea of spending every night in Justin’s bed—sharing life’s delights and challenges—took root.
"I'm so jealous. I miss being in love." Greer's voice was lined with despair. She hid it well, but Freya knew her sister better than anyone. "So, when are you going to see him again?"
"We're meeting for lunch."
"Overnight visits, then a lunch date? It’s getting serious."
"Hopefully." Freya's phone pinged beside her and she smiled when she saw Justin's name on the screen.
Her expression fell, and her stomach clenched, as she read his message.
"Is that him? What's wrong?" Greer asked.
"He has to cancel lunch. Apparently, he's got a meeting with his lawyer."
"Maybe they're working on the lease agreement. I know how keen Dad is to take it on."
Freya hoped that was the reason. It would be great for Emerald Hills to run Boyd's farm—hell, it would be great for Maleny. Keeping farms in the community meant keeping local jobs and opportunities. Plus, Justin would still have a link to them—a reason to visit and check in on things.
But her gut told her it was something else. “I have a bad feeling.”
“I’m sure it will be okay.” Her sister walked around the desk and hugged her. “He’ll probably call you later with good news.”
Freya smiled at her, hoping she was right.
Greer headed back to the kitchen to prepare for the lunch rush, and Freya tried to concentrate on her work. The potential for disappointment and the niggling sensation that something was wrong kept her preoccupied.
What if he was having second thoughts? Or regretted their night together?
What if he was one of those guys who lost interest in a girl after sleeping with them?
She didn't think he was that kind of man. Nothing he had said or done had made her think he was anything less than honourable. Normally she was a good judge of character and could tell if a person was being honest or not.
She had always had such a good feeling about Justin.
Why did he suddenly need to meet with his lawyer? Especially when he had been so eager to be with her that morning? Surely the leasing paperwork could wait.
What could possibly have changed?
Justin's heart and head pounded as he drove up the dirt driveway to the Montgomerys’ house. Pulling up next to Freya's car, he was greeted by Denver. As he closed the car door, he bent down and scratched the dog's head, hoping he would receive as friendly a greeting from the residents inside.
The door swung open, and he looked up to see Freya standing in the outline of the doorway, the light from inside shining around her silhouette, throwing a dark shadow across her face. He took his time climbing the stairs, practising what he would say in his mind.
"This is a nice surprise." Freya reached for him and he moved into her embrace. He held her tightly, breathing in the scent that was so perfectly her.
He wanted this. He wanted her, but the news he brought could change everything. What would she say? How would they all react? His chest tightened uncomfortably.
After a long time, he pulled back. “Is your father home?”
She nodded and looked at him with questioning eyes. “What’s wrong, Justin?"
"I have news. News I need to tell all of you."
He watched as she swallowed, then held the door open for him to come in.
Her father greeted him with his usual friendly handshake and waved him onto the couch. They sat and exchanged niceties while Freya rounded up her sister and mother.
Justin declined the drink Mark offered, thinking once they heard his news, they may not want him to stay.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Nina said when they were all gathered.
Justin took a deep breath before sharing his news. "I spent today with someone who has made an offer to buy Boyd's farm."
He was met with raised eyebrows and open mouths. He continued, "It's a property developer from Noosa. They are very interested in buying it."
The silence was deafening. He could see their faces falling as though this was the worst news they could have received.
"I appreciate you telling us this,” said Mark. “Are you going to accept the offer?"
"There are still some details to be looked at before they can finalise the offer, so I honestly don't know. But I wanted to be honest and open with all of you. From my perspective, it would be easier for me to sell the farm and use the money to invest and help my family."
"But a property developer—they'll turn it into a housing estate." Freya's voice was quiet but serious.
"The region is growing, Freya." Nina turned to her daughter. "People need somewhere to live."
"But they need the dairy farms too. What's going to happen when they all close, and this land becomes housing? It'll be just another suburban jungle like down the range."
"Emerald Hills will still be here, sweetheart," her father said. "We're not going anywhere; you're making our business too profitable for us to have any reason to sell."
Mark turned back to Justin with eyes full of understanding. "Thank you for telling us. We appreciate your honesty and openness. My offer to lease the farm is still good. I'd love to be able to buy it, but I'm sure what the developer is offering is more than we could ever afford."
The figure that Stephen had mentioned was more than most people could afford. It came with a lot of digits. Justin would be set up for life; he could stop working if he wanted to. His whole family could. The developer still had to dot some i's and cross some t’s, but they had already done substantial research and planning. Stephen suggested that they had had their eye on Maleny for a long time, just waiting for a suitable property to become available.
It was hard for Justin to wrap his head around. Boyd had been dead for less than two weeks, and there was already an offer of lease on the table from Mark, and now this purchase offer.
He tried to avoid listening to the niggling whispers in the back of his mind. What would Boyd want?
Nina stood and opened her arms to him. He hugged her briefly and thanked her for understanding.
"I'm here if you need to talk about anything." Mark shook his hand.
Greer wished him luck before Freya walked him to the door and down the front stairs. The silence between them was almost unbearable. He wished she'd say something. Anything.
When they reached his car, he lingered at the door, wanting desperately to fix this, to touch her and tell her everything would be okay.
"Thank you for telling us." She regarded him with huge brown eyes overflowing with something he didn't want to see—disappointment.
"Everything was going so well." He reached his hand out to stroke her cheek. “We've only just begun."
She placed her warm hand over his and pressed against it, her eyes closed. "This doesn't have to be the end …"
He wanted to believe her. Maybe he would have if only she'd looked him in the eye when she said it.
He knew he should drop his hand, walk away, and leave her to get on with her life. But he was caught, held by a need he wished didn’t exist. "I'm sorry. I really am."
She let go of his hand and took two swaying steps backwards. "So am I."
And with those simple words, his heart broke.