Thirty-three
Joe was glad it was the weekend. He’d promised to help Erica get the garden into shape and, to his surprise, was looking forward to it. He regretted letting it go after Barb’s passing but hadn’t had the inclination to do it without her. She’d been the one to take the lead, the gardener in the family. He had just been her willing assistant. Now he’d be Erica’s.
It was time, he decided, time to move on, not only to get the garden into shape, but maybe time for him to move on in his life too. As he drank his morning coffee, Coco waiting impatiently for him to finish, Joe thought about the previous evening. Dinner had been good, Gill’s company even better. But she was still a bit of an enigma. During the meal, he’d thought he was getting through to her when she admitted to putting up barriers, and to him managing to get through them. Then, later, she’d closed up again. It was as if the shutters had come down.
He was aware she was still married, going through a difficult divorce. He understood how she might find it challenging to become involved in another relationship. And while for the present he was content to remain friends, he hoped things might change. From time to time, he caught a hint she might have feelings for him, then the barriers went up again. He saw it with Erica too, how everything was going well, then suddenly things changed.
Coco nudged Joe’s leg again, reminding him it was time for her walk.
‘Okay, Coco,’ he said, then turning to Erica. ‘I’ll take Coco for her walk then I’m all yours.’
‘I thought we could go to the garden centre first,’ Erica said. ‘You’ve let a lot of plants die. We need to replace them, maybe with something hardier you won’t be able to kill off,’ she chuckled.
This was the first indication she’d given that she might not stay with Joe. He gave her a puzzled look.
‘I won’t be here for ever,’ she said. ‘Once things are settled with Geoff…’ Her voice trailed off at the possible realisation it could take some time and might never happen. ‘Well, whenever.’
‘You can stay here as long as you want. You know that.’ Joe hugged her.
‘I know what you said, but this is your home, not mine. I can’t stay here for ever. I need my own place, Joe. But I’m grateful to be here.’ She hugged him back. ‘Now off you go on your walk, and I’ll make a list of what we need to buy.’
Once away from the house, Joe set off in the direction of the beach. It was one of his favourite spots, and Coco loved it too. He was so glad of the council decision to retain the area for dogs to run free. The two councillors who were against it were still unhappy but there wasn’t much more they could do after the vote had gone against them. Though it didn’t stop them from complaining loudly whenever they were in Joe’s presence.
This morning, the beach was a hive of activity. Joe had forgotten it was the Pelican Crossing kitesurfing championships, and the beach was filled with onlookers. For a few moments, Joe watched as the brightly coloured kites billowed in the breeze, pulling the surfers along, before saying, ‘Not for us today, Coco.’ He was about to turn around when he caught sight of Gill and Freya. Coco spied his new friends too and pulled on his leash.
Gill was busy watching the surfers and their kites, but Freya must have noticed them. ‘Look, Mum,’ he heard her say. ‘It’s the mayor.’
Gill turned quickly and a blush rose on her cheeks.
Heartened, he said, ‘Hey Gill, Freya. Good to see you. I’d completely forgotten about all this.’ He gestured to where the crowd was now cheering.
‘Freya insisted on coming,’ Gill said, as if embarrassed to have been caught there.
‘I did a bit of kitesurfing in the States,’ Freya said. ‘They didn’t have this in Pelican Crossing before I left.’
‘It only started up a few years ago,’ Joe said. ‘It’s the brainchild of Gary Whittaker. You may remember him and his brother, Rory? Rory works at Pelican Marine , and their dad runs a fishing charter.’
‘I remember Rory,’ Freya said. ‘He’s still here? He always said he couldn’t wait to leave, didn’t want to end up like his dad. Oh, look!’ she said, as one of the surfers came a cropper.
‘Thanks for last night,’ Gill whispered while her daughter was otherwise occupied. ‘I enjoyed it. I may not have said so at the time.’
‘I enjoyed it too. Sorry If I came on a bit strong.’
‘No, you were right. I sometimes…’
‘Did you see that?’ Freya interrupted them. ‘Oh, I’d love to get involved again. How do I contact Gary Whittaker?’ she asked Joe.
‘He runs things out of a shed next to his dad’s charter business. It’s by the marina, close to Pelican Marine .’
‘And Cam Mitchell owns and manages it,’ Gill said. ‘A lot’s changed since you left.’
‘So it seems. I need to get caught up.’
Joe was about to ask the pair if they’d join him for coffee, when he remembered Erica would be waiting for his return. ‘I should get back,’ he said. ‘I promised Erica, but…’ he thought quickly, ‘… if the two of you are free this afternoon, how about you join me for coffee?’
‘Sorry, I’m catching up with some old friends, but Mum’s free,’ Freya said with a twinkle in her eyes.
‘Gill?’ Joe asked, his heart leaping at the prospect of spending more time alone with Gill, although he sensed her embarrassment.
‘Mum?’ Freya prompted.
‘I guess so.’
It wasn’t the enthusiastic response Joe might have hoped for, but it wasn’t a refusal.
‘Great. How about we meet in Books and Coffee around three? You don’t mind if I bring Coco, do you?’ he asked, feeling the dog nudge him.
‘Of course not. She’s a sweetie.’ Gill bent down to ruffle Coco’s ears. The dog gave a whine of pleasure.
‘She really likes you too,’ Joe said. And so do I , he thought.
*
As soon as Joe left, Gill turned to Freya. ‘Why did you say that?’ she asked. ‘You made it impossible for me to refuse.’
‘Did you want to? I saw you blush. You enjoyed your dinner last night, didn’t you?’
Gill glared at her daughter. When did she become so annoying? ‘Last night was one thing, but… it’s too soon.’ Despite her denial, she experienced that flutter in her stomach again at the prospect of spending more time with Joe.
‘It’s only coffee,’ Freya said, ‘and it’ll get you out of the house. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you gravitate to your study and become engrossed in work.’
‘I’m sorry. I should be spending more time with you.’ Gill was overcome with guilt. She had meant to reduce the time she spent working while at home, but old habits die hard.
‘I don’t mind really, but I hate to think it’s how you spend your time. You need to get a life, Mum. Dad has, and while I may not like what he’s doing, it’s heaps better than burying himself in his work.’
Gill almost laughed at the idea of Max burying himself in his work. If he had, he might have been offered the principal’s position he’d been so eager for. He’d always preferred the easy life. It had been what attracted her to him in the first place. But she’d soon tired of his lackadaisical attitude, wishing he shared her ambition. What Max had never understood was that life didn’t hand you success. You had to work for it. And she had, still did. But had she become too work focussed?
‘Your dad…’ she began.
‘Okay, Dad was a bad example. But take the mayor. He doesn’t seem to spend all his time worrying about council business. He takes time out, time with his sister, his dog… you, if you’d allow him.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t call him the mayor.’ But Gill knew she was ignoring Freya’s point. Her daughter was right. For years, she’d allowed work to take over her life. Spending time on the problems of her clients had blinded her to her own, to the failings in her own marriage. Was Freya right about Joe? Should she give in to the fluttering she experienced in his presence, when she heard his voice on the phone? Should she let her guard down and damn the consequences? It was a scary thought.
When Freya had left to meet her friends for a girls’ afternoon at Tara’s – Amber and Jess’s husbands had agreed to take care of the children – Gill made herself a cup of calming camomile tea and stared out at the ocean. The competition was over, but there were still a few kitesurfers out there, swooping and circling over the sea like giant multicoloured birds. She hadn’t known Freya had gone kitesurfing in California. There was a lot about her daughter’s life there Gill didn’t know. Maybe now she was back, Gill would be able to grow close to her daughter again, fill in the gaps in her life and recapture the close relationship they’d once enjoyed.
Checking the time, Gill realised she needed to leave if she was to meet Joe at three as arranged. She dragged a comb through her hair, renewed her lipstick and grimaced at herself in the mirror. Was this how Joe saw her – a middle-aged woman with grey-streaked hair who had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth? Today, the loose top she wore over her jeans hid the spare tyre which had appeared in recent years, but she had managed to keep reasonably trim with her early morning swims. Not too bad for someone who’d never see fifty again , she thought.
By the time Gill reached Books and Coffee , she’d decided this was a good idea. Joe was already there, seated at one of the outside tables, Coco lying at his feet. When she walked up, the Labrador rose to greet her, pushing her wet nose into Gill’s hand.
‘Hello to you too,’ she said, bending down to pat the dog, before raising her eyes to meet Joe’s. ‘Hello,’ she said, suddenly shy.
‘I’m glad you made it,’ he said with a smile, half rising to greet her.
‘Of course.’
‘Coffee?’
‘Thanks. Cappuccino.’
Joe disappeared inside to order, leaving Gill with Coco. ‘I wish I knew what your master is thinking,’ she said, but Coco only settled herself more comfortably. Gill sighed and gazed at Joe’s back as he stood at the counter to place his order.
‘What’s Erica doing today?’ Gill asked, when Joe returned. She wanted to keep the conversation away from the sort of personal issues they’d touched on the previous evening.
‘Gardening.’ Joe sighed. ‘We bought up half the garden centre this morning, and I helped her for a bit, but I’m no gardener. I suspect I was more of a hindrance than a help. The garden was always Barb’s province. I’m afraid I let it go after… She’d be pleased Erica is taking it in hand.’
‘I’ve never been much of a gardener, either,’ Gill confessed, wondering if her focus on work had prevented her from becoming involved in many of the pursuits which other women enjoyed. She thought of Liz with her deck full of plants, and Rachel’s luxuriant garden.
‘It takes all sorts,’ Joe said. ‘I’m sure you have other attributes.’
‘I’m not sure I do,’ she said ruefully. ‘My work seems to have taken over my life.’
‘Well, we’ll have to see if we can do something about that,’ Joe said, as Denny appeared with their coffees and a plate containing two delicious looking raspberry and white chocolate muffins.
‘Thanks, Denny,’ Joe said, in reply to Denny’s ‘Enjoy!’
‘Wow, these look good,’ Gill said, her mouth-watering at the sight of the muffins. ‘Ron’s muffins are the best.’
‘He said they were just out of the oven, and I couldn’t resist them. They’re still warm.’
‘Yum.’ Gill bit into the muffin, then took a sip of her coffee. This was fun. She wondered why she’d had doubts about coming. It was lovely sitting here in a patch of sunlight with a companion who… if she was being honest with herself… she was becoming increasingly fond of.
‘To get back to what we were talking about earlier,’ Joe said, when they’d demolished the muffins, and Coco had enjoyed a treat.
‘What was that?’
‘Doing something about your life. It sounds as if you need to get out of your comfort zone, try something new, have an adventure.’
Gill stared at him in amazement. Was this the conservative mayor of Pelican Crossing talking? Then she remembered Barb and he had travelled around Australia in an old caravan, how Barb had recounted their experiences to the book club. Maybe he wasn’t so conservative after all. ‘What do you have in mind?’ she asked.
‘I’ve got into a bit of a rut too. After the business with the developer, and saving the newspaper, I was at a bit of a loss till Erica arrived. But I can’t rely on my sister to solve my problems. So…’ he took a deep breath, ‘… how about we try a few things together? I suspect you’re as lonely as I am. I resorted to spending all hours in the office, to fill in the emptiness in my life and…’
How did he know ? It was only recently that Gill had admitted to herself she was lonely… then Freya had come home.
‘I have Freya home,’ she said. But she knew her daughter wasn’t the answer to her loneliness. Freya would want a life of her own, one that didn’t necessarily include her mother. It was what she wanted for her daughter, wasn’t it?
‘Like I have Erica. But they’ll eventually want their own lives,’ he said echoing Gill’s thoughts. ‘Why don’t we live a little? Pelican Crossing offers all sorts of activities for the adventurous tourist. We may not be tourists, but we can still enjoy hot air ballooning, paragliding, kitesurfing, scuba diving. The list goes on. What’s your preference?’
Gill gulped. She’d never considered any of those, assuming they were designed for younger people. Then she remembered that Liz had gone hot air ballooning, and Poppy learned to scuba dive, so maybe… ‘You choose,’ she said, her heart racing.