6. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
BETHANY
Bethany stood next to Lachlan and his four Navy buddies behind a trestle table filled with breakfast foods. Her father had convinced them to serve the homeless for an enlightening experience. Thing was, two volunteers hadn’t showed. Dad had a way of roping people into free labor. Dad stood tall behind the end server, glancing above his spectacles to the sleepy crowd of homeless people.
Beth peered from the corner of her eye at Lachlan’s strong forearms. His erect spine might be from habit, or perhaps the wary expressions Dad sent their way made him tense. Lachlan’s thigh kept brushing against hers which broke Dad’s six-inch rule. Lachlan just had bulky legs, likely from all the Navy exercise regimes he took part in. Dad would always be overprotective.
When mum had passed, she’d obliged her dad by returning to live with him in the family home. Beth had moved out two years ago and could finally breathe again. Although, living with Melissa and her toddler wasn’t precisely freedom. Occasional tantrums echoed from Melissa’s side of the house. Something Beth found all too familiar, having grown up in a large family.
What did Lachlan think of her father? Did he have a close relationship with his parents? He seemed like a caring person. She smiled to herself and let out a small sigh of admiration.
Lachlan nudged her and angled his neck to the side without taking his eyes off her dad. “What’s the big sigh for?”
“Huh?”
“You sighed. Loudly,” he whispered-yelled.
Dad glanced their way, raised his brows, and continued serving. Gee. He didn’t miss a beat. After all the years of her filling the role of a co-parent, Dad still treated her like a kid. The fact became more evident when others were around. Like now. Total embarrassment. Thankfully, Lachlan remained respectful but not intimidated by her father’s stiffness. Her fast introduction had avoided interrogation, with little time before the doors opened. Dad was likely happy to have five extra volunteers. If Lachlan had come alone, he’d be more suspicious of the Navy counselor’s intentions with his daughter. Beth bit back a smile.
Lachlan smoothed his hands over his long khaki slacks, then returned his grip to hold a serving spoon. The tiniest spots of perspiration on his forehead glistened from the dangling industrial lights above. What were his intentions? Friends via email to help him combat loneliness? A female friend to confide in? Or something more? Her insides flipped at the possibility of a developing relationship.
“Can the next table come now?” Dad’s words interrupted her musings.
Old Ben and Anthony, their Saturday regulars, picked up their plates first and the rest of their table followed. Her heart went out to the men. They had a sad story to tell, but she’d seen a change over the last few months. Beth kept asking each week how many days sober they were. They hadn’t broken their streak yet. Forty-eight days.
She glanced at Lachlan. He liked to help people too. A strange urge to lean into him surprised her. Lachlan was the type of guy she could see herself with, but reality told her that he wouldn’t be the one. Gone tomorrow, occupied for another two years, a citizen of America. Too many obstacles prevented Lachlan from joining her in her corner of the world. Why did she even entertain the idea? Fairy tales.
A soft touch to her lower back startled her.
“Thanks for inviting me to come today to see all this.” Lachlan whispered.
Beth tippy-toed and leaned into Lachlan’s shoulder. “I think you invited yourself.”
Soft creases formed at the corners of his eyes. “You didn’t protest.”
“I’m glad you could make it.” Her voice came out all breathy. What the heck?
He seemed not to notice and scooped up a spoonful of scrambled egg. Beth startled at Old Ben in front of her, pushing his plate to bump the pan of bacon.
She snapped her tongs to attention. “Two rashers coming up.”
The hour had passed quickly and clean up went well with the extra help from Lachlan’s crew. Once the regulars finished making rude jokes with the sailors or about Americans—which they handled pretty graciously, they were only a handful of volunteers left.
Dad approached Lachlan and shook his hand again. “Thank you for serving our community, young man.”
“Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir.” Lachlan swung his hands behind his back and stood with his legs apart like he was reporting to a sergeant. “I did find it enlightening as you promised, sir.”
Beth held back a bark of laughter.
Dad’s chest puffed out as he nodded. “Wonderful.” He glanced at her with a raised brow, then back to Lachlan. “How did you meet my daughter again?”
“She threw up on me, sir.” He let out a chuckle at Dad’s shocked expression. “So, I repaid her by assisting her to—”
“Dad, I told you.” She nudged in front of Lachlan and patted her dad’s arm. “The counselor helped me with my sea legs. I had a spell on the ferry. He asked me about my necklace and we got chatting. Long story short, he’s here to see more of Fremantle.” She eyed Lachlan to leave out the finer details and turned back to her father. “I’ll take him out to lunch to thank him for his kindness.”
“Will you now?” Dad’s forehead lined.
Beth turned to Lachlan. “Are you free this afternoon? There’s a great restaurant nearby. I know the owner, and he’s American. You can bring your friends, of course.”
Lachlan hesitated as he looked at her dad’s frowning face. “I’ll see what the others want to do.”
“Great.” Beth grabbed his arm and steered him away from her father and headed to the other sailors. She mumbled under her breath, “Now you can see why I’m still single at thirty-one.”
A glint sparkled in Lachlan’s eyes. “Over-protective daddy?”
“Yep.”
He gave a reassuring smile. “He loves you. Wants the best for his girl.”
“Well, he doesn’t need to worry about you then.” Oops. Please, don’t read into that.
Beth wriggled into the circle of volunteers, making room for Lachlan. Dana seemed entranced by one of the sailor’s stories. Watch it, Dana. Don’t get sucked in as she had. Who would’ve thought Bethany Michaels would fall for a sailor? Huh? She wasn’t falling for anyone. Gone tomorrow. Gone.
Lachlan had asked the men what their plans were. Clive spoke on behalf of the others, “Going to Pot Black to play Snooker. You comin’?”
Lachlan shook his head. “Beth has an American friend she wants me to meet. I’ll see you guys back on the ship.”
“All right.” Clive, Ted, and two others—she’d forgotten their names, headed to the back doors. Dana and Clara followed—no surprises there.
Seated together before the floor-to-ceiling windows at Bayside Manna, Beth sat back with satisfaction, enjoying the view of the foreshore and The Fremantle Yacht Club in the distance.
Lachlan browsed the menu. “This all looks amazing. They feed us reasonably well on the ship, but this is five-star.”
“Wait ‘til you taste the food.” Beth kissed her fingers for effect. “Magnifico.”
Lachlan smiled. “Call me a traditionalist, but I’d like to pay. Plus, we don’t get to spend our money on deck, so I’m happy to splurge. Order what you’d like.”
She sat upright and collected her menu. “Okay. A lady doesn’t need asking twice.” Beth ran her fingers down the plastic-covered menu. Where was that dish she had last time? There. “I’ll have the King Ora Salmon, thank you, Lachlan.”
“A woman who knows what she wants.” He adjusted in his seat and studied the menu with further concentration.
“I’ve eaten here many a time. I have my favorites. The first time I ate free. The newspaper sent me to do a sponsored feature article for the owner. They received a lot of bookings straight away, so my boss asked me to look after Bayside as a client and run their coupon specials.”
Lachlan nodded, seemingly impressed.
“I’ve become good friends with the staff here, and the owner introduced me to his wife, who runs a mentorship program. I volunteer once a week at Youth Connect, teaching teens English and journalism. They’ve had more articles published than me. Not paid, of course.”
Lachlan placed his menu on the table. “Wow. That’s great, Beth. You’re making use of your talents, not just to make money for yourself. That’s something I don’t see much of.”
“I love helping the kids. It’s the highlight of my week.”
A waitress approached and took their order. Lachlan finalized his choice for a lamb shank.
Beth touched the young woman’s arm. “Emily, can you tell the chef that I’m here? I want to introduce him to my friend.”
“Will do.” Emily topped up their water glasses and headed to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Chris strode over, dressed in his chef’s uniform and a matching black beret. “Beth, how are—” Chris froze and stared at Lachlan. “Lockster! Is that you? Bro!” Chris rushed forward.
Lachlan pushed his chair back with wide eyes and stood. “Chris, you old man!” They slammed into each other in a brotherly hug.
Chris stood back, holding Lachlan at arm’s length, looking him up and down. “Bro, you filled out.” He scuffed Lachlan’s bristle top hair. “Not the skinny teenager anymore. What are you doing in Australia? What’s this?” He pulled on Lachlan’s khaki shirt. “Soldier—Navy? Dude, who’d have thought, Mark’s annoying younger brother, becoming a marine.”
“Navy Counselor, actually.” He beamed a smile. “I didn’t know you moved to Australia.” He glanced at Beth. “And what’s this about a wife Beth mentioned?”
Chris smoothed his hands over his striped apron. “And a baby. I’m an Australian citizen too. Love it here.” He splayed his palm, showing the room. “Started my own restaurant. I’d traveled the globe, but this just felt like coming home. Perth is a little like San Diego, only quieter.”
“Man, I can’t believe it. You look great, despite the grays on the side.” He winked. “Have you heard from my brother?”
Beth cleared her throat, and they stepped apart to acknowledge her presence. “You two go way back, hey?”
Lachlan straightened his shirt. “Yes. We grew up together in San Diego. Chris is good friends with my older brother.” He glanced at Chris and smiled. “This guy loved to wrestle me. Hold me down. I think I could give him a run for his money now.”
Chris flexed his biceps. “I still have my guns. I admit the gut is growing. Family life does that to a man.”
Beth scoffed. “It’s always the way.”
Lachlan laughed at her. “You’ll keep.”
What was that supposed to mean?
The men continued to chat, catching up on what had happened the last five years, while Beth quietly sipped her water. When Emily reappeared with their meals, Chris returned to the kitchen.
Lachlan pulled his chair in closer as he took the first bite of his mashed potato and lamb. He gulped as if he hadn’t chewed it first and looked up at her. “I still can’t believe, on the other side of the world, I’d bump into Chris. He looks happy.”
“I’d say he is. Always got a smile on his face. He mentors youth as well. Trains them in the kitchen, but teaches them life skills too. That’s how he met his wife, Cassie. She’s the CEO of Youth Connect.” She forked a piece of her salmon.
“That’s great that he can mix that into his role at work.”
“And it’s a beautiful story, how he got together with Cassie. She thought she couldn’t have children, but now they have adorable Johannah. I get to play with her on Fridays. Cassie has a playpen set up when she works in the office.”
Lachlan swallowed more food. “Cute. How old?”
“Two.”
“Wow. Time goes fast. My brother hadn’t mentioned anything about Chris. I don’t get to chat with him too much these days, so I guess we stick to only family news.”
“Tell me more about life back in San Diego.” She dug into her lunch while she listened.
“Mom and Dad run a real estate business together. Mark is seven years older than me. He’s a bathroom renovator. Married. Three kids.” He scratched his chin. “Um, Kayce’s divorced. She has two girls. And I’m the baby of the family. Thirty years old.”
Beth blinked. “Oh, I’m older than you. Only by one year, but the maturity difference is obvious.” She feigned a straight face, took a sip of water, but nearly dribbled, trying not to laugh.
“Ha. You’ll get gray hairs and wrinkles before me. That’s all.” Lachlan placed the last scoop of his meal into his mouth.
Chris approached the table again. “How was the lamb, Lachie? Soft and tender?”
“Amazing.” Lachlan leaned back and tapped his belly. “The best food I’ve had in three years.”
“Whoa. I’ve had rave reviews, but that’d be the best.” He crossed one arm and pointed to Lachlan. “Put that on Google Maps for me, bud.”
“I will.”
“And, Beth, you can put yours in the paper.” Chris winked. “Can I get you dessert? On the house. In fact, the whole meal on the house for my long-lost friend.” He slapped Lachlan on the shoulder. “Hey, didn’t you do hospitality after you finished high school?”
“I did.”
Chris flicked a cotton napkin over his shoulder. “Didn’t like it?”
“I enjoyed working in hotel restaurants. Smorgasbords were less pressure to keep up with. I ended up returning to further studies. I worked dinner shifts to pay the tuition. Then I got this job in the Navy.”
Chris nodded, and then his eyes lit up. “Hey, if you ever want a working vacation, I’d love to have you here. You can travel around the South West, lots of great fishing spots, camping, surfing. You used to like all that. Scouts, I remember. All those badges you had.”
Lachlan laughed. “You have a good memory, old man.”
Chris flicked his gaze to Beth and pretended to whisper, “And if you’re as lucky as me, to meet a beautiful Aussie girl, I’ll sponsor you toward Australian citizenship.”
Lachlan covered his mouth with his fist, coughed, but a smile curved his lips. “You’re a piece of work, Chris. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, man.”
Chris smacked his hands together. “Now, what would the lovely couple like for dessert?” His smile reached his eyes. Chris must be having so much fun, teasing Lachlan.
“Crème’ Brulee, for me.” Beth patted the corners of her mouth with her serviette, hoping to cover any flush on her cheeks.
Lachlan flicked the menu to the back page. “I’ll have Coconut Tapioca, please.”
“Good choice.” He flashed his teeth. “I’ll have Emily bring them out for you.” Chris strode away.
Beth smoothed out the tablecloth, and let Lachlan speak first.
He sipped his water.
She fiddled with the crystal base on the vase.
Lachlan looked out the windows.
A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned on her elbow and watched the boat masts bob on the water in the distance. Wasn’t he going to say anything? Comment on the food? Small talk, at least? The silence between them continued, but soft saxophone music played in the background. Maybe he was feeling full after his lunch. He ate so fast.
Emily came to their table. “Who ordered the Crème Brulee?”
“Me.” She raised her hand.
“I should’ve known.” Emily placed a ceramic dish before her.
“Your Coconut Tapioca, sir.”
“Thank you.” Lachlan straightened in his chair and picked up his spoon.
Emily cleared away their used plates and cutlery, then returned to the kitchen.
“Mmm. This tastes good.” Lachlan took a second scoop.
“Yes, that’s number two on my list of favorite desserts from here. But I’m a sucker for Brulee.”
Lachlan gestured to the windows. “I have a couple of hours before I need to return to the ship. After this, do you want to go for a walk on the beach?”
Her shoulders relaxed. “I’d love to.”