Chapter 13 William
William
“Now, downward dog. That’s it, great job.” Violet, Jasper and Billy were lined up on the grass in front of the motorhome, contorting themselves in all sorts of weird ways in the name of exercise.
Billy, his legs shaking from the effort, turned to Jasper. “Look, Jasper, I’m doing it!”
“That’s the way,” Jasper replied, moving smoothly into the next yoga position.
William averted his eyes as Violet pushed her bottom in the air while she turned to check Billy’s posture.
She really was amazingly spry for a woman her age, but one wrong move and her shirt would be around her ears, and he definitely did not want to be caught gawking.
He placed the water filter on the table Juniper indicated.
She chuckled as she placed the glasses alongside.
“Just be glad she’s doing it with her clothes on. ”
“Jesus.”
Juniper smiled fondly at grandmother and son.
“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”
She turned her gaze back to him. “The world. She saved me in ways I can’t even fully comprehend.
Without her love and support, I’d still be languishing in Melbourne, probably unhappily married, hosting reams of society dinners and hating my life.
” She waved her arm in a sweeping gesture, taking in her house, the shop, the yard… him. “This is better.”
“Amen to that.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips before moving back inside to get the food platters. Leah came out from the back door of the shop, carrying an armful of plates. “Here, let me get those.”
“Thanks,” she said, in her quiet way.
He smiled at her reassuringly. He knew from Juniper that she was doing very well in the shop, allowing Juniper to have a day off here and there.
On top of that, a few of her hand painted ceramics had sold online and Juniper was confident that with a little savvy marketing, she could push more sales, which would take a bit of pressure off the retail outlet and help both Juniper and Leah.
But there was an air of vulnerability about her that made him want to constantly reassure her.
He took the plates to one of the trestle tables set up along the back fence as Leah moved inside to help Juniper bring out the food.
The yoga class was over, the food and drinks were all laid out, it was time to get ready for the party.
“Come on, Billy, it’s nearly party time. You need to get out of your pjs.”
“Oh, but they’re my favorite. They’ve got Bluey and Bingo on them!” He crossed his arms across his body, an angry frown, scrunching his face.
“Exactly, so you don’t want to mess them up. Leah didn’t give them to you so you could get sand and sauce all over them on their first day.”
Seeing no reasonable come back for that logic, Billy followed Juniper inside.
William sat down on the bench seat under the oak tree in the corner of the yard.
It was a warm day, the air heavy and oppressive with the threat of summer rain.
He tensed up when he saw Violet step out of the motorhome and make a beeline for him.
She’d changed into purple slacks and a long, white, flowing shirt.
Her vibrant purple hair was pulled back in a clip and she looked ready to do business.
He blew out a breath of relief when he saw Mikayla, Rafe, Callum, Nora and John come through the gate and amble down the drive at just that moment, preventing the interrogation he was pretty sure Violet had planned.
Billy emerged, properly dressed in shorts and a Bluey t-shirt.
“Hey! It’s my birthday! Did you get me presents?”
“I sure did! What do you think this is?” Laughing, Mikayla held up the big box she was carrying, smothering Juniper’s maternal protest about manners. “But I’m just going to put it over here on the gift table until your Mum says you can open it.”
“Leah let me open her present first thing, when she got here,” Billy protested.
“That’s because Leah’s not as tough as me and doesn’t know how to say no.
” She ruffled his hair as she walked past and laid the box on the gift table, next to the one William had already put there.
Nora, John, Callum and Rafe added their gifts to the table, everyone laughing as Billy’s eyes went wide at the sight of the big pile.
“All for me?” he asked breathlessly, looking beseechingly at his mother.
“At least let everyone get a drink and something to eat first, darling,” Juniper said, moving to the food table and picking up a tray of sandwiches and offering them to the group. Once everyone settled in chairs with glasses of wine or soft drink in hand, Juniper gave Billy the go ahead.
With all the exuberance to be expected of a three old at his own birthday party, Billy ripped into the gifts, exclaiming with delight at the tonka truck Mikayla had given him, a blowup ball pit from John and Nora, a kid’s ukulele from Callum and a toy ambulance from Rafe.
William admonished himself for the twinge of nerves he felt as Billy reached for the last gift on the table.
He found himself moving to the back of the group as Billy ripped the wrapping off and opened the box.
“Frogs!” He yelled, in absolute delight.
“William gave me frogs!” He pulled one out and kissed it, making everyone laugh.
Juniper leaned in and took out the little wooden pool, the lily pads delicately carved, four more frogs sitting in the bottom.
“Oh, isn’t that gorgeous,” Mikayla exclaimed. “Where did you get it?”
William rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, ridiculously uncomfortable. “I ah, I made it.”
“No!” Her brown eyes round with surprise, she got down on her knees next to Billy and helped him set up the frogs in the pond. “Aren’t you just a dark horse?”
“It’s so beautiful,” Juniper said softly, running her finger over a lily pad. “This is more than simple whittling, William.” She raised her eyes to his, the emotion swirling in them undeniable. “How did you know how to do this?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a thing I used to muck around with, when I was a kid. My family has a farm in the southern highlands and the property manager was really into carving, so he taught me.”
“It’s amazing.”
“It’s sealed, so you can put water in it.”
“Can I, Mummy?” Billy asked excitedly.
“Sure.”
“Mikky, can you help me?” Billy picked up the pond.
“Might be easier if you use the hose, mate. You get it and I’ll turn the tap on.”
As Mikayla helped Billy fill up the pond, Juniper moved to William’s side. Wine glass in one hand, she draped her arm around his shoulder and with a stunning smile on her face, pulled him down and pressed a long, lush kiss against his lips.
He smiled at her when she pulled back, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. “If I’d known you were going to give me that reward, I would’ve given him one every day since I got here,” he said, trying to lighten the moment.
“Kisses aside, you should definitely do it more often. You’re very talented.”
He rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Honestly, it’s nothing.”
“I don’t agree, but it’s clearly making you uncomfortable so I’ll drop it.
Kiss me again before I go and clean up all the wrapping paper.
” He kissed her, relishing the feel of her hand trailing down his arm, giving his fingers a squeeze before she moved away.
Turning, he saw Violet watching him, a look of speculation in her eyes.
He sighed at the inevitability of it and, grabbing a coke, moved to the bench under the oak tree.
Violet soon joined him, resting her elbow on the back of the bench and turned to him, surveying him with an unreadable expression.
“You know what I sometimes think about?”
“No. What?”
“What would have happened to my girl if you hadn’t stopped. Can you imagine it? Because I can, and it gives me chills. I can picture her, in pain, terrified, not knowing if the baby was going to be okay. It’s a hell of a picture, let me tell you.”
The thought gave him chills, too.
“When I imagine that picture, I dismiss it, and I replace it with what really was. That she had someone with her, someone who held her, encouraged her, helped her. I can’t tell you how that makes me feel, William, because I don’t have the words for it. So, all I can say is, thank you.”
William nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Violet let the silence play out for a little while, then she said, “Has she told you about her family?”
“A little.”
Violet sighed. “I blame myself, you know. I lost the love of my life when my son was only nine years old. God, I was so heartbroken when Henry died. I went a little crazy, I won’t lie to you.
He’d left me well off financially, so I just checked out of life.
I took Michael around the world, trekking through South America, ashrams in India, abbeys in Europe, all of it.
I just wanted to live, you know, for Henry, because if he taught me nothing else, he taught me that you have to live your best life.
It’s short and it could be over like that,” she clicked her fingers.
“So now I wonder if I made Michael feel insecure.” She sighed.
“Or maybe he’s a changeling because I can’t believe that any son of mine could be so cold, so avaricious, so superficial as to discard someone like Juniper.
Because that’s what he did, you know. He married a woman with a heart colder than a dead fish.
Then they had a little bitch of a daughter, just as cold as them.
But then, the shock of all shocks, they had Juniper, all golden curls and green eyes and joy.
” She paused and William followed her gaze to where Juniper was kneeling on the grass with Billy, laughing as he splashed the frogs in the pond.
“I knew from the moment I saw her she would be mine more than theirs. So, I paid Michael one hundred thousand dollars for the joy of naming her. Can you imagine that? Taking money for something like that?” She laughed derisively.
“But he would have called her something plain and dull and I wouldn’t have it.
” She paused again, looking down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap.
“I did my best for her, but she was like a shrinking violet there. It warms my heart to see the life she’s made for herself here.
It was hard won, and it cost her a lot.” The sad note in her voice suddenly changed, becoming more upbeat, lighter.
“But she’s gained a lot. That baby of hers was sent by angels.
I’m sure of it.” She smiled as she watched Billy, shrieking with laughter, fall back on the grass as Juniper splashed him.
“What about you, William? Are you living your best life?”
The sudden change of tack startled him, which he was sure was her intention. But she’d shared a lot with him in the last few minutes and although his instinct was to deflect, he felt it was only fair to give her question serious consideration. Was he living his best life? “I don’t know.”
She snorted. “Then you’re deceiving yourself.”
Maybe he was. He’d definitely felt, over the last few years, like he’d lost his place.
Lost the certainty he’d felt about his life.
The restlessness that had plagued him churned at his guts, a constant reminder that no, he hadn’t been living his best life, if only he were brave enough to acknowledge it.
When he thought about it, he realized that the churning feeling had lessened recently.
To the point that sometimes he didn’t even feel it at all.
He shied away from that idea, merely responding to Violet with a shrug, “Maybe I’m not.
” It was irrelevant anyway. What could he do to change his life?
He certainly couldn’t abandon his parents and their life’s work.
There was no possible way either of them could run the business without him, and he wouldn’t see them lose it because he wanted to be selfish.
It was duty and love that bound him and there was no escaping that.
“You can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge.” She pushed to her feet, surprising him by leaning over and pressing a kiss on his forehead. “She won’t live in Sydney. She couldn’t do it. Even for you.” She moved away to take a seat next to Nora.
He felt a little thunderstruck as Juniper approached him. “Everything okay?” She sat down next to him, snuggling in when he put his arm around her shoulders.
“Sure. I managed not to tell her about my birthmark.”
Juniper laughed. “She got you thinking?”
“Yep.”
“She does that. It’s her super-power. In my experience, you’re usually better off than before she got you going, if that helps.”
He wasn’t sure it did, but he was saved from replying by Billy walking over, the wooden frogs nestled in his shirt, which he’d folded at the front to hold them. He clambered into William’s lap and proceeded to lay all the frogs out, sharing their name and ages, their favorite foods and colors.