Eight
Erica had been in Pelican Crossing for three days now and had spent most of them either in tears or lying in bed, her eyes tightly closed. So far, she’d refused to talk about what prompted her sudden decision to leave her husband. Joe was determined that, when he returned home from the office tonight, he was going to try to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to help his sister, but as long as she refused to disclose what was worrying her, he felt helpless.
Coco’s presence was the only thing that appeared to soothe her. The dog seeming to sense her distress had started following her around.
So, Joe had left his pet at home and missed her comforting presence in the office, as did the office staff who wanted to know where she was and why Joe hadn’t brought her into work. It was confirmation, if any was needed, that Coco was welcome there.
Joe had been in meetings most of the day, so it was a relief when Debbie popped her head round his door in the late afternoon to say Cam Mitchell wanted to see him. ‘Show him in,’ he said, rising and coming out from behind the desk.
‘Cam,’ he greeted his old friend, ‘what can I do for you?’ It was a few weeks since they’d had lunch together, after the launch of the new paper.
‘Joe, good to see you too. I’ve come on a mission, from Poppy.’
Joe was puzzled.
‘You may remember last time we met, when we had lunch, I mentioned you coming to dinner.’
Joe nodded, having only the vague recollection he hadn’t been keen on the idea.
‘I said as much to Poppy and she’s been on at me, telling me it was time we set a date. So here I am, to fix a time with you.’
‘Oh!’
‘Problem?’
Joe hesitated. ‘It’s Erica, my sister.’
‘How is she?’
Of course, Cam would remember her. They all grew up together here in Pelican Crossing. Erica was younger and used to want to tag along with Joe and his mates.
‘Not good. She’s here in Pelican Crossing. She’s left the no-good man she married. Got here several days ago, and I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet. But I intend to.’
‘Oh! Well, maybe you could bring her along… to dinner. I’m sure Poppy would remember her too. And Erica would know Poppy.’
Joe smiled. Everyone in Pelican Crossing knew Poppy. She had been such a livewire as a teenager… she and Jack, her late husband, Cam’s best friend. There had been the four of them, Jack and Cam. Poppy and Gail. He and Jamie Whittaker had been around too, but never part of their tightknit group. ‘Maybe…’ he said, wondering if perhaps the prospect of dinner with a couple of old friends would pull Erica out of her depression. ‘Can I let you know?’
‘Sure. Poppy was thinking of Saturday. Now she’s given up going into the restaurant so often, we can enjoy our weekends.’ He chuckled.
Joe smiled. He knew how, after her husband’s death, Poppy had thrown herself into building up Crossings , the restaurant she and Jack had built together. It was only after she and Cam got together, that she’d begun to ease off and take time to herself. ‘I’ll talk to her tonight and call you,’ he promised.
‘Good man.’ He looked around the office. ‘Are you tied up here or have you time for a beer? No Coco, today?’
‘She’s home with Erica, and…’ Joe looked across at his desk, at the pile of paperwork sitting there. There was nothing that wouldn’t keep till tomorrow, and he’d welcome a break before going home to face Erica. ‘A beer sounds good,’ he said.
*
By the time he reached home, Joe was feeling mellow. One beer had morphed into two as he and Cam proceeded to put the world to rights, and Joe shared the dispute about the dog beach and Finn’s plans to feature it in The Echo .
To his surprise, the aroma of cooking greeted him. For a moment, the years fell away. It was as if Barb had come back. But it wasn’t Barb; it never would be again. Erica was in the kitchen, Coco at her feet, hoping for some titbit to come her way.
‘Feeling better?’ he asked.
‘Yes, thanks. Sorry I’ve been such a misery. It was…’
‘It’s okay. You can tell me later.’ Joe patted Erica’s arm awkwardly. ‘Something smells good.’
‘I thought it was time I earned my keep. It’s good of you to…’
‘Don’t be daft. Where else would you go?’ Joe wondered why he had been Erica’s first port of call, not her son. Perhaps she wasn’t on good terms with her daughter-in-law, or had she wanted to get as far away from Geoff as possible? You couldn’t get much farther from Perth than Pelican Crossing, unless you left the country.
‘I had a beer with Cam Mitchell after work,’ Joe said after they’d enjoyed the spaghetti Bolognese Erica had prepared from what Joe had in the fridge. ‘Remember him?’
‘The awesome foursome.’ Erica smiled. ‘That’s what we used to call them. Cam, Jack, Poppy and Gail. They were in your year, three years older than me, always together. Didn’t Poppy and Jack marry, and Cam and Gail?’ Her brow furrowed.
‘They did. You may not have caught up, but Jack died almost six years ago now, and Gail and Cam divorced. She formed a relationship with a woman she taught with. She’s passed now too. And Cam and Poppy are together.’
‘Wow, I am out of touch. It’s been a while.’
‘Too long.’ Pelican Crossing was a long way from Perth, but that was no excuse for brother and sister not seeing each other, unless Geoff… ‘I’ve been remiss since Barb passed,’ Joe said. ‘I should have made the effort to visit.’
‘Best you didn’t.’ Erica’s lips tightened.
‘Want to talk about it?’
‘Not really,’ she sighed, ‘but you deserve to know. Geoff… he… he wasn’t violent… not at first. But when it escalated, it’s when I knew I had to leave. It started with the little things, finding fault with me, refusing to allow me to see my friends – they didn’t stay friends for long once they’d got the edge of his tongue – keeping a tight grip of our finances, telling me I couldn’t understand them, forcing me to give up work. The list goes on. But when he started to hit me, it was the final straw. Then…’ Her voice broke. ‘That’s when I left and called you.’
‘Kieren?’
‘He’s in his dad’s pocket, works in the car yard with him. He doesn’t know.’
‘Any of it, or that you’ve left?’
‘Geoff’s his hero, always has been. I didn’t dare tell him I was leaving, but…’ she bit her lip. ‘Briony, Kieren’s wife… she’s pregnant… my first grandchild. I wish…’ A tear trickled down her cheek.
‘Come here.’ Joe pulled Erica into a hug while she sobbed.
‘Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t do this again.’
‘Sometimes it’s good to cry, to let it out.’
‘Thanks, Joe,’ Erica sniffed. ‘You always did know the right thing to say. Barb was a lucky woman.’
‘I was the lucky one.’
Coco, clearly feeling she was being ignored, let out a low whine, breaking the sombre mood.
‘Coffee?’ Joe asked.
‘Please.’
‘You were telling me about having a beer with Cam Mitchell,’ Erica said, when they had moved into the living room with coffee, and Coco was settled happily at Joe’s feet, her head on her paws.
‘Yeah, he’s invited us to dinner on Saturday, or rather, Poppy has.’
‘But she didn’t know I was here.’
‘I may have mentioned it. He talked about my going to dinner some time back, and I wasn’t keen, but it was difficult to refuse this time. You’d be doing me a big favour if you come with me. I feel out of it with couples these days. You will come?’
‘I remember thinking Poppy was the epitome of what I wanted to be like when I was older,’ Erica chuckled, her earlier distress seemingly forgotten as the memory surfaced. ‘It will be interesting to see what she’s like now.’
‘Still elegant, even though she’s now a grandmother.’
‘She and Jack took over her parents’ restaurant, didn’t they?’
‘ Crossings .’ Joe nodded. ‘She still owns it, though isn’t so active in it these days since she and Cam got together. He manages the marina and owns Pelican Marine – boat sales and chandlery.’
‘I wonder who else is still around,’ Erica mused.
‘From the old crowd? Jamie Whittaker from my year plus a few others… and…’ Joe closed his eyes and tried to think, ‘… you used to go around with the Grace girl, didn’t you?’
‘Livvy Grace? She’s still here? We lost touch when… Oh, I’d love to catch up with her.’
‘She works as a counsellor in the Medical Centre.’ Over the past few days, it had crossed Joe’s mind to suggest Erica visit her professionally. Till now, he’d forgotten they used to be friends.
‘Livvy Grace,’ Erica said again. ‘We used to do everything together, Livvy, me and Rhana Gordon. I suppose she’s married now and moved on.’
‘There’s a Rhana Black breeds spaniels in the hinterland,’ Joe said, remembering Finn telling him where he bought a pup for his grandson. ‘It’s not a common name.’
‘It could be her. She always wanted to work with animals. Imagine if we all got together again?’ Erica’s face lightened, and Joe saw a trace of the Erica he remembered.
‘Thanks again, Joe,’ Erica said, when they rose to go to bed. ‘It’s been a tough, few weeks, few years actually, but I’m glad I’m here in Pelican Crossing. I’m glad I’ve come home.’
Joe was glad too. It had taken his sister’s misfortune for it to happen, but for the first time since Barb died, he felt he might have a future.