Five
Rachel had spent the last hour in her garden making up for lost time. It was difficult to do any work there when she was minding the twins and, while she loved her granddaughters to bits, the plants needed regular trimming and the weeds seemed to appear from nowhere. She straightened up and put one hand to her back, the ache a reminder she was getting older. Molly, frolicking at her feet, seemed to have no such challenge, and was ready for a walk.
‘Okay,’ she said to the little dog, ‘but I need to have a seat first, and maybe a cup of tea with a slice of the carrot cake I made yesterday.’ That was the problem, she thought, too many slices of carrot cake, banana bread and blueberry muffin s , but Gemma and Indie loved her baking so much, and the cakes and slices went so well with a cup of her favourite lemon and ginger tea. Just one slice, she promised herself, opening the tin, cutting a generous serving, and vowing to start a diet tomorrow, as she always did. But tomorrow never came. Rachel sighed. What did it matter? At her last checkup, her doctor told her she was healthy, and there was no man in her life for her to please. Though, when Kirk was alive, he didn’t mind her adding a few kilos – he called them her love handles. She tried to forget that these days the love handles had expanded to form a definite muffin top.
Drinking her tea, Rachel thought again about Alexander. While she was delighted he’d be home for Christmas, she couldn’t help wondering about the surprise he was bringing with him. It had to be a woman, but why couldn’t he just say so, rather than keep them all in suspense? Steph had received the same brief text as she and Jess and was equally puzzled. A nurse, Steph had been on night duty since returning from Tasmania but tonight she and Chloe were coming to dinner, and Rachel was sure Alexander would be one of the main topics of conversation. It wasn’t like him to be so mysterious. He was normally an open book, unlike his sisters had been with their relationships.
Her tea finished, Rachel rose, much to the delight of Molly who had been waiting impatiently at her feet.
Taking Molly’s leash from its hook, and popping on a wide-brimmed hat, Rachel and the dog climbed down the steps to the beach. This stretch of beach was more secluded than the main Pelican Crossing beaches, protected as it was by the headland. This morning it was practically deserted, only a few surfers sitting out waiting for a wave to bring them in to shore. Rachel loved it when it was like this, when she could almost believe she and Molly were the only two living creatures on the planet. She raised her face to the sun and breathed in the salty air.
Her peace was disturbed by her phone ringing. It was Jess wanting to know if Rachel could take care of the twins that afternoon. Of course she agreed, but it would mean she’d need to take time to shop this morning. She sighed but knew how much it meant to her to have both her daughters here in Pelican Crossing and to be able to help out when necessary. Without them and her B&B guests, her life would be very empty. She might even envy her friends who had found love a second time around.
An hour later, Rachel had completed her shopping and was ready for lunch. She’d left Molly at home, but knew the little dog would be happy in the yard for a bit longer, so decided to treat herself and made her way to her favourite café. Lou, the owner of Books and Coffee was a good friend of Rachel’s. She had been one of her sister’s best friends at school and, when Becky married and moved away, she and Rachel had become friends, drawn together by their mutual love of books.
‘Good morning, Lou,’ Rachel said to her friend, stopping for a moment as she passed through the bookshop section of the shop which, as its name suggested, was a combination of bookshop and café. Lou managed the bookshop section, while the café was run by Ron and Denny, a couple of guys who cooked the most delicious food and whose witty repartee was legendary in Pelican Crossing.
‘Rachel, how lovely to see you. Here for lunch?’
‘I am. I don’t suppose you have time to join me?’ Rachel glanced around the bookshop which, given it was Monday, wasn’t busy. She saw Lou’s assistant – a young woman called Zoe – busy tidying and dusting the shelves.
Lou’s eyes followed hers. ‘Why not?’ she said. ‘I have to eat sometime. Can you take over here, Zoe?’ she called to her assistant, before joining Rachel.
Rachel was pleased Lou was able to join her. They didn’t often get the opportunity to have lunch together and it was several weeks since they’d last spoken.
‘What news of Becky?’ Lou asked, when they were comfortably seated at a corner table and had both ordered panini – Rachel’s with grilled chicken and avocado, and Lou’s with turkey, pear, bacon and cheese. Both women also ordered coffee.
Rachel’s lips turned down. It had been three years ago when she’d received an email from her sister to say she was having memory problems, two since the shock news Becky had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. ‘It’s not good, Lou,’ she said, a tear coming to her eye. ‘She hasn’t been able to talk to me on the phone or use the computer for ages. She seems to have gone downhill so quickly. I can hardly believe it. I have no way of contacting her. It’s as if she’s died.’
The two sat in silence for a few moments, remembering the bright young woman who had always been so full of life, the first in her group to try something new.
‘Oh, Rach!’ Lou put a hand on Rachel’s arm. ‘I’m so sorry. It doesn’t seem possible.’
‘I know.’ Rachel wiped her eyes and sniffed. ‘Sorry. It just gets to me sometimes. Andy’s good at keeping me in the loop, but there’s nothing I can do. Last time I visited we were able to chat and go out for afternoon tea. I’d like to go down again before Christmas, but Adelaide’s such a long way away and…’
‘I know… your guests and the grandchildren. They’re well, Jess’s three littlies?’
‘Very well, thanks. I don’t know what I’d do without them.’
‘And it’ll soon be Christmas, a lovely family time.’
The mention of Christmas reminded Rachel. ‘Alexander’s coming home for Christmas,’ she said, ‘with a surprise.’
Lou’s eyes widened. ‘He’s found someone at last?’
‘It’s the obvious explanation but being Alexander, he’s keeping all of us in the dark. What about you?’
‘Christmas? Oh, you know. I’ll have a few days off from here, spoil myself, then come back and do it all over again.’ She grinned, but Rachel knew her grin hid a hurt Lou would never talk about.
‘Here you are, ladies.’ Denny placed their coffee and paninis on the table with a smile and a wink. ‘Taking it easy for a change, Lou?’
‘Less of your cheek, young man,’ Lou said but her tone was affectionate. ‘He and Ron are like family to me,’ she said when he’d left. ‘ I don’t know what I’d do without them . But there’s something up.’ She followed Denny with her eyes. ‘The pair of them have been very mysterious for the past few days. They’re keeping something to themselves, and I’m determined to find out what it is.’
Rachel laughed, her earlier mood broken, ‘You’re like my Molly with a bone when you get something into your head. I pity those two if you’ve got them in your sights. You must let me know if you discover their secret.’
‘Mmm.’
Rachel didn’t really think the two young men had a secret, sure it was all in Lou’s imagination, but she was happy to humour her. She often felt sorry for her friend who didn’t have any children or grandchildren to keep her mind occupied. The two guys who manned the café were a poor substitute for children of her own.
Rachel was still counting her blessings when she returned home to Molly’s enthusiastic welcome, the welcome she received from the little dog whether she’d been gone for five minutes or an hour. She picked her up and gave her a cuddle. ‘I have you too, Molly,’ she said rubbing her nose in the dog’s wiry coat, ‘and we have Gemma and Indie arriving soon and Steph and Chloe coming to see us tonight.’ She pictured Lou going home to her empty home and shivered at the thought it could have been her life if she hadn’t had Kirk, if they hadn’t had children, if…