Chapter Ten #2
‘I was upset when Cam announced he was leaving university, but he was adamant his studies were delaying what he really wanted to do: work on the land. And given there were good opportunities in Summerfield due to the closure of the mine, this was a sensible place to start. He scrimped and saved to buy his first four hundred acres and has added to it since. I’m proud of what he’s achieved. ’
‘It’s a beautiful property.’ I feel Julia’s gaze as I slice another piece of cake.
‘Was there anything about this town that you missed?’
‘I missed Atticus, the horse I found not long after we came to Summerfield. He’d already been abandoned. I hated doing that to him again.’
Julia is about to say something and stops herself. Then: ‘I recall Atticus was known for biting innocent bystanders over the fence.’
‘Occasionally, yes.’
When Cameron pulls a cord to start the hedger, the cicadas cease their chirruping. Is Cameron here because Julia can’t afford to pay Jimmy and a second gardener?
‘Atticus was head shy because he’d been mistreated. He also had scars on his legs and belly like he’d been caught in barbed wire.’
‘Why did you name him Atticus?’
‘I wanted him to be admired and respected like Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird .’
Julia smiles. ‘Bravo.’
‘He also had to have it in his heart to forgive misjustice. It was an aspirational name for a horse that everyone had given up on.’
‘Except for you.’
‘I had a stubborn streak.’
Lifting the hedger to chest height, Cameron cuts a line through the viburnum. At the corner of the garden, he puts the hedger down and rolls his shoulders. I feel Julia’s gaze again.
‘Do you think you’ll ever forgive him?’ she asks.
I don’t pretend not to know what she’s talking about. ‘Coming back here, seeing him again …’ A very deep breath. ‘Yesterday he confirmed that he wasn’t involved, but I’d already decided he wouldn’t have been capable of it.’
‘When he owned up to what he’d said to you, I’ve never seen him so upset.’
‘We’d ignored each other, glared, turned our backs, but that was the first time he’d been deliberately unkind. I bundled that up with what’d happened with the roundabout.’
‘That was understandable.’
‘I was bloodied and bruised. I didn’t want Cameron to see me like that.’
‘You were vulnerable, Amelie. There was no hiding it.’
I grip the cup with both hands. ‘It wasn’t his fault that he found me afterwards. It wasn’t fair to be angry with him.’
‘You were a child.’
‘He was only two years older.’
Julia opens the lid of the teapot before closing it again. ‘What are you doing for Christmas?’
‘My parents live in Thailand, not that they celebrate Christmas anyway. My grandparents passed away a few years ago.’
‘A friend? A partner?’
‘No.’ I check my phone for no reason. ‘It’s no big deal, really.’
‘Would you like to join us for Christmas?’
I stand so quickly my knee bangs the table. ‘I don’t do Christmas.’
‘Would dinner on Christmas Eve make a difference? Anna, Adam and the children will be here. Also, Cam, Jimmy, Milly and Benedict. Sometimes others come along.’
I’m grateful to Julia and I like her. I also like Anna, Jimmy, Milly and Benedict.
But when my fingers tangled with Cameron’s yesterday, I felt something different from like.
Even watching him in the garden makes me jittery.
My feelings for him have always been complicated. Nothing has changed in that.
‘Thank you, Julia, but me and Keith Urban will be fine on our own.’
‘There’s no need to decide now.’ Julia places her cup on the saucer. ‘Simply keep it in mind.’
Cameron intercepts me on my way to the ute. If I hadn’t left Keith Urban at the cabin on account of the piggery owner’s mastiffs, I could distract myself by opening the door to let him in or by ruffling his fur or—
‘How’re you feeling?’ The hat, the jeans, the shirt. Even sweat suits him.
‘Thanks for your help yesterday.’ I nod politely. ‘Julia hasn’t changed, not … inside.’
‘Did she invite you to Christmas Eve?’
‘I’m afraid I can’t make it.’
‘You don’t have to bring presents.’
‘Shouldn’t you get back to your hedges?’
‘Just because your parents didn’t—’
‘I have to go.’
He steps back and then, mouth tight, searches his pockets and pulls out a scrap of paper. ‘I had a meeting with the builders this morning. As I was leaving, I saw Maggie Bates outside the vet practice. I told her I’d pass on her number.’
When I hold out my hand, he drops the note into it. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘Her cat got hit by a car and she can’t afford the surgery. Rocket is in pain, and she wants him euthanised.’
‘Dr Brown’s surgery is set up for straightforward operations. Maybe I can help.’
‘The cat has a busted leg. She’s been quoted ten thousand dollars to get it pinned.’
‘Not straightforward. Poor Rocket. And Maggie. I’ll call her now.’
‘A person like you …’ His jaw is working hard. ‘You don’t have to hate Christmas.’
‘I don’t hate it. I just don’t do it.’
He takes off his hat and pushes back his hair. ‘Christmas isn’t all bad.’
‘We agreed I’d pay rent in kind. When do you want me to do that?’
‘Do you change the subject mid-conversation with everyone?’
‘When, Cameron?’
He puts on his hat again, pulls the brim low so it shadows his face. ‘My calves are due for vaccinations the week after next. They can also be tagged, and the boys castrated.’
I search through the diary on my phone. ‘Friday week at eight o’clock? Send me the details before then.’
Hi Alex,
I heard you made it through your second round of surgical exams. Congratulations!
I’m doing a locum job in Summerfield ( four hours from Sydney) and will be here till the end of January.
After that, I have job offers in Sydney and Perth but haven’t decided which way to go.
Do you have any contacts who might be interested in a country GP position in Summerfield?
It’s a thriving practice, but the current GP, Julia McLeod (she’s great), can only work two days a week.
Short term, she needs someone to share the load.
Long term, there are opportunities to buy into her practice and work here permanently.
If you know anyone who might be interested, can you ask them to get in touch?
Amelie