Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
A fter a productive day assembling and painting the new beehives for South Haven and unclogging the gutters after a night of rain, Nathan tidied his hair in the bathroom and patted on some cologne, in readiness for the trivia night that would begin in twenty minutes. He managed to find decent footwear that didn’t have mud or paint stains on them, slid his phone into his pocket, grabbed his keys and wallet, and got into the Ute. He hoped he would be able to answer some questions that weren’t only about nature. He also hoped he wouldn’t have to answer any more about his family background or past.
Nathan entered the bustling school hall. Bright pink lipstick caught his attention first. He approached the table. ‘Hi, Lacie.’ He did his best to avert his gaze to the other members of the family too, as they took their seats at the table. ‘Martha, long time no see. Hi, everyone,’ he added, making eye contact with each.
‘Our nature guru is here,’ Martha said. ‘Let’s hope Penny and her colleagues have chosen some questions my tired brain can handle.’
‘You can handle a lot more than you give yourself credit for, Mum,’ said Lacie. She patted her hand.
‘Nathan, this is Gloria.’ Martha gestured to the older lady at the head of the table to his right. Her pixie-like white-grey hair framed her face, and she offered a kind smile.
‘Thanks for having me. Since Leonard passed, bless his soul, I don’t get out much. But thought this a perfect opportunity to make some new friends and contribute to this wonderful school.’
Nathan grasped her hand gently in greeting. ‘Sorry for your loss.’
She waved his condolences away. ‘Oh, thank you, but it was four years ago now. Still, life must go on.’
‘Indeed it must.’ Nathan nodded.
Once again, he had brought an offering… this time, corn chips and salsa, to add to the smorgasbord of cheeses, dips, crackers, fruits, and sweets lining up along the centre of their rectangular table. ‘Some good brain food here,’ he said, licking his lips as he hadn’t had time for a proper dinner. ‘We should win for sure.’ He winked at Martha, who put her hands in the prayer position. Over Martha’s shoulder he waved at the Delaneys; Hannah’s parents. Mrs Delaney had tried to set him up with Hannah a few times, in a trying-not-to-be-obvious but still-obvious way. She was now most likely relieved Hannah had found herself a good man in Luca who knew with all his heart he loved her. Nathan had only once felt that way about someone, until Tess took that gift away from him. Back then he didn’t know if he could feel, or even trust himself to feel, anything like that again.
Penny, dressed in a smart skirt suit approached the table and leaned in. ‘Hope you Haven Heroes all behave yourselves.’ She smiled.
‘That’s the name we thought we’d use for our team, if that’s okay with you, Nathan? Since most of us are connected to South Haven.’
‘Of course. Love it.’ He smiled.
‘And we’ll have to invite Gloria over for afternoon tea one day, won’t we, Gloria?’
The woman nodded eagerly. ‘I used to make afternoon tea every day without fail for Leonard when he retired. I miss those days.’
Martha offered her an understanding but sombre smile.
‘Oh.’ Penny glanced at Nathan before turning back to the stage. ‘Your prize is all sorted. Thanks for that!’
‘What prize? We haven’t even started yet,’ said Lacie.
‘Nathan generously donated a garden tidy-up as a raffle prize,’ Penny said.
‘Oh, how nice.’ Lacie smiled. ‘Someone is in for a treat.’ She took a sip of water or whatever was in her glass bottle.
‘Ah, it’s nothing. Glad to be able to give something back to the school that supports my work and values outdoor nature play for kids.’
Penny gave his back a quick pat then returned to the front of the hall, waving in greeting at a few other people taking their seats.
Penny tapped at the microphone. ‘Attention, everyone.’ She tapped again and the chatter gradually died down. ‘Thank you, all, and welcome! Glad to have you here on this night of nights. And I’m glad to have a night off from mum duties! Lucky my husband is taking care of the kids tonight, because I can’t be sure he didn’t sneak a peek at some of the questions.’ A few chuckles sounded. ‘But rest assured, all questions have been chosen with the utmost care and security, and none of the contributing staff are allowed to participate tonight.’
Nathan piled some finger food on his paper plate, hoping he didn’t appear too desperate, but his stomach was grumbling. He munched away while Penny explained the rules, and that there’d be a prize for each round, plus a grand prize hamper for the winning table with donated items from local businesses to share between them, and a set menu dinner for eight at Home, Luca Antonescu’s restaurant.
‘If we win, you’ll have to video call me into your dinner, promise?’ Lacie said.
‘Of course,’ Martha replied. ‘We’ll have to see if Steve can take your seat, if we can organise it for one of his nights off work and get a babysitter for Dane and Jessie.’
‘Hey, we haven’t won, yet, Mum,’ Chris remarked.
‘Just thinking ahead, no harm in that.’
Nathan felt like he’d already overdone his quota of family events, and he didn’t want anyone to feel obligated to include him, or get in the way of family discussions, but for some reason they didn’t seem bothered by his presence. He wasn’t used to being part of something bigger than his small circle, which was so small it couldn’t even really be classed as a circle.
‘Okay, everyone,’ Penny said in what must have been her teacher voice, as it was more direct and authoritarian than before. ‘Time for the first round of questions. Each round has a topic, plus a random question at the end, so if a particular topic is not your thing, you’ll still have a chance to earn bonus points from a general knowledge question.’ She cleared her throat. ‘As one of my colleagues – who I won’t name – said, “let’s get the boring questions out of the way first”, so our first topic is… history!’
A few people laughed, and one man called out, ‘Hey, history is the most fascinating area of study that ever existed, I’ll have you know.’ He waggled his finger up and down towards Penny, who raised her hands in the air as if it had nothing to do with her. The man chuckled and took a sip of wine. ‘Bring it on, Penny! We’ve got this round, haven’t we, team?’ They all nodded and leaned in close together to collude.
Penny read out each question with perfect annunciation, so much so that Nathan thought she could probably do a good David Attenborough voice of her own. Martha immediately got the first three questions before anyone else on their table, until the fourth question about the Amazon rainforest when Nathan responded, though a few others chimed in with conflicting answers. Martha was the scribe, jotting down each answer on the scoresheet, and at the end of the round, papers were collected and tallied up, and, not surprisingly, the history buff’s table won.
Nathan often simply observed… people, animals, and general goings-on of life. It was fascinating to him, the differences, similarities, behaviours, and diversity that existed, and he sometimes wondered if he should be a philosopher instead of a gardener.
‘Hey, Ellie, you’re studying philosophy, aren’t you?’
The young woman’s eyes lit up from their often dark gaze, and she nodded. ‘Why do you ask?’
He shrugged. ‘Couldn’t remember and wanted to double check. I find it interesting too.’
‘I’d be happy to recommend some books to you if you like.’
‘Sure.’ He smiled, and so did Ellie, and he was glad that he’d seemed to brighten her mood a little. She was always quiet and lost in thought and, a bit like him, only spoke at length when it was a subject she was passionate about.
‘Will they have a philosophy or books topic, I wonder?’ Lacie asked.
Martha shook her head. ‘Penny said they have entertainment questions, so I guess anything related would go in that.’
‘Philosophy’s not entertainment though, Mum,’ said Ellie. ‘It’s an art and science all rolled into one.’
‘But it’s not really science,’ said Matt, Nathan’s gaze flitting from one Appleby to another. ‘Otherwise the theories would be proven, and most aren’t. They are simply observations and perceptions.’
‘Exactly,’ said Ellie. ‘In my opinion if someone has observed something then it’s true. Even in some way. Even if it’s not true for everyone.’
Matt shrugged.
Nathan was even more fascinated by their interactions, having grown up without siblings.
‘Now it’s time for… entertainment!’ Penny exclaimed. ‘Be careful, folks, we have an ex-Hollywood make-up artist somewhere in the room.’
She pretended to peer around through the crowd as though she didn’t know where Lacie was, while Lacie and her flushed cheeks hid behind her water bottle, and a few excited gasps emerged from the crowd.
Nathan grinned. She was like a pink, glowing bubble of joy. Her eyes sparkled with the light reflecting from the silver lid of her bottle, and she caught his gaze and whispered, ‘Wait till the nature section comes around, then it’ll be your turn in the spotlight.’ She gave him a friendly elbow nudge.
‘You worked in Hollywood, dear?’ Gloria asked.
Lacie nodded. ‘But not anymore.’
‘Okay, question one: what is the name of the third Harry Potter film, or book?’ Penny asked.
‘Ooh!’ someone yelled out from a nearby table, then was shushed by a teammate.
‘ Chamber of Secrets ?’ Matt suggested in a whisper.
‘No, man, it was Prisoner of Azkaban ,’ Chris responded.
‘Ahh, of course.’ Matt rested back against his seat and Martha wrote it down.
‘Know anyone famous?’ Gloria asked Lacie, seemingly uninterested in the questions.
Lacie smiled. ‘Umm, a few. No close friends though, more like passing acquaintances. When you’re on set everyone’s close-knit, until the end and then it’s on to the next film and the next temporary family.’
‘Nothing like real family, is there?’ Gloria clasped Lacie’s hand gently.
Lacie glanced around the table, her eyes glistening even more than before. ‘No. There really isn’t.’ She spoke so softly Nathan strained to hear.
‘Next question! One for the locals. Which instrument does musician Grace Forrester play?’
‘Piano!’ someone accidentally called out, followed by ‘Oops!’ and everyone laughed. Martha wrote it down, shaking her head at the obvious lack of discretion.
‘Is she a local?’ Lacie asked.
‘Her mother is. Dr Greene,’ Martha said.
‘Oh! I didn’t know. I’ll have to look her up later.’
Martha leaned in. ‘She first played a while back at one of the local charity concerts, when Sylvia first introduced Grace as her daughter. She was adopted, came back to meet her birth mother. Such a beautiful story.’
‘Oh wow. That must have been…’ Lacie’s eyes took on a distant look.
Nathan waited but she didn’t continue.
‘Anyway, ten bucks says Mum gets the next question right.’ Lacie placed her elbows eagerly on the table.
And she did, followed by the next, until Lacie, Matt, and Sophia became the clear team leaders during the round. Their table tied first place with one on the opposite corner of the hall, and Lacie straightened up and waved with a smile at the woman who owned the bookstore, Nathan wasn’t sure of her name.
The technology round was blitzed by Chris, with extra help from Ellie, and the table won a wireless charging dock and portable speaker, which everyone agreed Chris should take home.
‘And now for science and nature,’ Penny said.
Everyone looked hopefully at Nathan, and Chris and Matt clapped their hands on the table in rhythm, saying ‘Haven Heroes, Haven Heroes, Haven Heroes!’ making the chips bounce in their bowl.
Nathan laughed. ‘I’ll do my best, guys, but I’m sure you’ll probably know many of the answers too.’
‘Which flower can survive by getting nutrients from the air instead of soil?’ Penny asked.
‘Orchid!’ Lacie said with enthusiasm, just as Nathan opened his mouth to say the same. He clapped in her direction.
‘Next… what is the largest fish in the world?’
‘Whale?’ Sophia said.
‘Shark!’ Lacie said.
‘Close. It’s actually a whale shark,’ Nathan explained.
‘Is that like a crossbreed?’ Ellie enquired.
Nathan shook his head. ‘It’s one hundred per cent shark.’
‘Cool.’
Martha wrote it down and whispered, ‘Thank God you’re here, Nath.’
‘Okay, now which bird can fly backwards?’ Penny continued.
‘Hummingbird,’ Nathan said without a second thought and Martha didn’t even look up to check for any other suggestions. He held back an honoured smile.
There were a few science questions about the human body, medical advancements, and the planets, and then Penny asked, ‘Which flower is most commonly known as the flower of love?’
‘Any flower that Matt gives me!’ Sophia said, patting her boyfriend’s arm.
‘Rose.’ Lacie said it at the same time as Nathan, and they exchanged smiles.
‘Too easy,’ Chris said.
‘Oh yeah, then why didn’t you say it?’ Ellie asked.
‘Wanted to give these two flower gurus their moment.’ He winked.
‘Thanks, bro. I feel so smart now.’ Lacie laughed.
‘May I add,’ Martha said, ‘I think we might get bonus points if we indicate which colour of rose. Which is of course red .’ She wrote it down in confidence.
‘Good idea, Mum,’ Lacie said. ‘Red roses for sure. Though I personally find the Love and Peace rose the most beautiful.’
‘Ah, the one with the yellow and pink petals.’ Nathan knew it well, such a delicate yet definite scent.
‘Indeed.’ Lacie smiled and held his gaze for a moment. ‘Not many guys know such details.’
The table fell silent for one brief moment before Penny continued, and the round ended, Haven Heroes winning a collection of organic seedlings.
‘Perfect!’ Martha exclaimed. ‘Let’s hand them around and, of course, I’m just going to give mine to Nathan to choose which ones to plant at home.’
They took a brief break to nibble, drink and chat, and as he and Lacie were discussing the best types of flowers to plant together versus display together in a bouquet, Gloria was watching them intently.
‘Ah, so nice.’ She focused in on Lacie. ‘He looks at you the same way my Leonard used to look at me, dear.’
Lacie’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed the same pink as a Love and Peace rose, while Nathan’s became warm.
‘How long have you two been together?’ Gloria asked, eyeing both of them.
Nathan gulped.
‘Oh, goodness,’ Lacie said, hand on her heart, ‘that’s so sweet but we’re not a couple, I’m afraid.’
Nathan scratched his head, wishing Penny would start reading out the last round of questions. Why wouldn’t any words come out of his mouth? He hadn’t been presumed to be part of a couple with anyone for a long time. Was he really looking at her in a certain way? He was just interested in what she was saying. That was all. Wasn’t it?
‘Oh, my mistake. Apologies,’ Gloria said, then subtly winked in his direction.
What?
Nathan simply offered a polite smile. ‘Corn chips, anyone?’ He picked up the bowl that only had a few broken fragments left and held them up.
‘Attention, everyone!’
Oh, thank God.
‘Now, there’s no prize for the last round of random questions, but the scores will go towards the final tally to determine who wins. So, it’s anyone’s game!’
The crowd clapped, cheered, and Chris and Matt did the whole ‘Haven Heroes!’ table clapping thing again, and this time Nathan joined in.
The round had some tough questions nobody knew for sure, and some that they did, so it really was anyone’s game.
When the results had been tallied, Penny spoke, ‘Before we announce our winning team, I’m going to draw the winner of our raffle, and they’ll get a professional garden tidy-up and mini makeover from Nathan Sharp Gardening.’ His team mates clapped. ‘And of course, if you don’t have a garden, you may either benefit from a balcony garden design, or you may wish to pass on the prize to a loved one.’
Penny dove her hand into the raffle box and took her time rummaging around, eventually plucking out a ticket.
‘It is blue, number thirty-eight. Mrs Gloria Stenman!’
Nathan’s gaze shot to his right where Gloria sat and laughed. ‘Cool!’
The woman’s hands flew to her gaping mouth. ‘Oh my stars!’ She grasped Nathan’s hand and mouthed ‘thank you’. Gloria stood, but Nathan held out a hand to say ‘wait’. He went up to Penny and took the voucher, then took it back and presented it to Gloria, along with a light kiss on the back of her hand. She fanned her face and said thank you another five times. ‘I think my Leonard is pulling some strings up there,’ she said.
‘And now, it is time…’ Penny held the scoresheets in her hands and straightened them into a neat, upright pile on the surface of the lectern. She grinned. ‘As I said before, we’ve created the night with the utmost professionalism and objectivity.’ She glanced around at each of the tables. ‘And I’m thrilled to announce the winners are… Haven Heroes!’
Nathan let out a ‘woohoo!’ and everyone clapped and cheered. Nathan held up a hand and Lacie high-fived it, and somehow it morphed into a celebratory hug. They all clapped the table again and sang ‘Haven Heroes!’ one last time, then Martha went up to the stage and accepted the large basket courtesy of her daughter.
‘Rigged!’ History Man called out, then laughed. Penny held up her hands as if to say, ‘Hey, I can’t help it if my family is the best!’
‘Okay, let’s share these prizes around, who wants the candle from April’s Glow?’ Martha held up a coastal blue and white themed candle, then other prizes, and somehow managed to figure out who would take home what without too many disagreements. Nathan declined the offer of a prize and said the night was a fun gift in itself, but she slipped the coffee vouchers into his hand regardless.
Another half hour passed as people mingled and chatted, took selfies, and staff cleaned up. Nathan had been introduced to several new people he’d probably forget the names of, but a couple had asked for his business card.
‘I think we probably scraped through thanks to blitzing the nature round,’ Lacie said.
‘Maybe, but that tech round was pretty good too, and who knows, the random round may have been the clincher. It was a team effort anyway.’
‘Yep. I can’t believe I remembered that flower question, it’s been years since I did my basic floristry course.’
‘When you’re passionate about something the information is retained more easily.’
‘So true.’ She yawned.
‘Tired?’ Martha asked as she approached them both.
‘Me? No, not at all.’ She covered another yawn. ‘I’ll have hours and hours to sleep on the plane tomorrow. So glad I’ve got a window seat I can rest my pillow against.’
‘We’re going to head home now, ready?’
Lacie shifted her stance to the other foot and back again.
‘Lace?’
‘What else does Tarrin’s Bay have to offer? I’m not ready to go home yet!’ She glanced around as though some form of entertainment might suddenly pop up.
‘Nothing except the pub or Café Lagoon, my darling, that’s pretty much it. And you won’t be drinking, so…’
Nathan noticed Lacie give her mother a light tap on the arm. Ah, so she probably did hear about the jet lag hangover situation.
Nathan didn’t feel ready to go home yet either. He’d forgotten how enjoyable it was to hang out and interact with a group of great people.
‘Actually, I was planning on grabbing a hot beverage at the café, you’re both welcome to come along if you like.’
‘Not me, bedtime calls,’ replied Martha. ‘But thanks, Nathan. Lacie?’
A small smile grew on her pink lips. ‘I would love a hot chocolate right about now, actually.’
‘Great. Happy to drive you and drop you back home then.’
‘See you in the morning, I guess, Mum. Everything’s ready and I don’t have to leave till eleven thirty, so there shouldn’t be any rush to get to the airport.’
Martha gave her daughter a hug. ‘Oh, let’s not even think about that until the time comes, shall we?’
Lacie nodded, clamping her lips together.
Though they probably only had the next hour to connect, Nathan smiled. He was glad to have some more time with this delightful human, before life would inevitably go back to exactly how it was before she’d arrived.