Chapter Twenty-One #2
His eyes burned, and he wiped a tear. “Haven’t heard that in a long, long time.” Like many Aussie parents, Mum had called him that, but as a child, Bel had too. She’d taken her role as his big sister very seriously.
She blinked rapidly and her voice went hoarse. “I’m always here if you want to talk. You know that, right?”
A few more tears slipped out. “I do. Thanks.” He wiped his cheeks. “And I’m going to talk to a counselor. Council pays for it.”
“As they should. Shit, I hate that you’re alone. I can always come home for a week.”
“This is supposed to be a sabbatical for you. I’m not alone. I mean, I won’t be. Someone’s coming over after our call. Is Auntie Jo joining?”
“Yeah, any minute.” Her brows met. “‘Someone’? Who? Ry?”
“No, actually.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh… There’s this bloke.”
Bel’s face lit up. “You met someone?”
“Just wait for Auntie Jo. I’m not saying it twice.”
“Ohhh. Mysterious as usual. Oh, here she is!”
Auntie Joanne’s face appeared in a third square on screen, and they greeted her before Bel said, “You’re just in time. Lachie’s got himself a man. Or at least I think so?”
He took a deep breath and reminded himself again it truly couldn’t be worse than Ryan finding out. “We should ask Auntie Jo how she is first.”
Jo waved a dismissive hand. “I’m the same. Spill it!”
“His name’s Tim.” He wished he’d grabbed a drink since his mouth had gone dry. “Tim Bullock.”
Jo said, “Wonderful! Where’d you meet him?”
“Bullock?” Bel frowned. “Is he related to Ryan?”
Lachlan was lightheaded and tingly, his foot tapping. “He is.”
Bel blinked at him in obvious confusion. “A cousin? Or… Wait, wasn’t that his dad’s name too? Tim?”
Heart thudding, he nodded.
“This cousin has the same name as Ryan’s dad?” Jo asked. “His parents moved out east, right?”
“Actually, he’s back in Barking. Tim, I mean. Ryan’s dad. He’s taking over for a few months while Teddy has melanoma treatment.”
Bel’s voice rose. “Teddy has cancer?”
“Shit, did I not tell you?” He really had been avoiding talking to his sister. Wincing, he quickly filled her in on Teddy’s diagnosis.
“And Ryan’s dad is running the lifeguards temporarily?” She grimaced. “Ry must love that.”
“About as much as you’d reckon.”
Jo said, “Sorry, I’m a bit lost. What does this have to do with the bloke you’re seeing? He’s…related to Ryan’s father? There’s a cousin with the same name?”
“No, sorry. There’s just the one Tim Bullock, and I’m seeing him.” He was frozen on the edge of the couch as he waited for the pieces to fall into place.
Silence stretched out as Bel stared at him.
And stared.
Her eyes popped wide as her jaw dropped. “You’re fucking Ryan’s dad?”
“Shh!” he said automatically—then laughed at himself. “Yeah. I am. More than. We’re…together. Going to give it a real go.”
“Your new bloke’s your best mate’s father?” Jo whistled. “That’ll have tongues wagging.” She frowned. “There was never anything untoward when you were younger?”
“God, no! Nothing like that, I swear, and I haven’t seen him in fifteen years. When we met in Bali, he didn’t even know who I was, and—”
“Hold the phone.” Bel gaped. “He was the silver fox from the St. Regis?”
“Yep. Then he showed up in the tower as the new boss.”
Jo whooped. “That must’ve been quite a moment!”
“It really was. We tried to stay away from each other, but we couldn’t. You don’t think… You don’t think I’m a terrible person?”
Waving a hand, Jo said, “Honey, people have done far worse. If Tim makes you happy, bugger what anyone else thinks. Including your sister.”
“Hey!” Bel squawked. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around this.” She laughed incredulously. “Didn’t expect this, mate.”
“I know. Me either.”
“He does make you happy?” Jo asked.
Lachlan knew he was grinning goofily as he relaxed back into the cushions. “I really, really like him. So much.”
It was probably too soon to admit he was in love with Tim already.
Though he was.
“I want to spend all my time with him. We can talk and laugh and—” he broke off. “Other stuff.”
Jo grinned. “Quiet little Lachie who barely goes on dates. Talk about zero to sixty.” With her Kiwi accent, it sounded like “suxty.”
“And, hello, what does Ry think?” Bel asked.
“He was angry at first. Understandably.” Lachlan gave them a recap, minus certain details like how exactly Ryan found out.
“He’s being great about it now. He thinks it’s really weird, which I totally get.
He’s not happy for us, but he’s willing to try.
” Lachlan’s chest tightened with a swell of affection. “He’s always been a good mate.”
Bel smiled softly. “He has. If he can deal with this, then I reckon I can.”
“What about the rest of the family?”
Bel shrugged. “Our cousins in the UK are a million miles away. They probably don’t even remember who Ryan is, let alone his dad. It won’t affect our annual Chrissie cards from them.”
“We Kiwis won’t give you any hassle,” Jo promised.
“Do you ever wonder about our family back in Hong Kong?” Lachlan asked.
Jo looked pensive. “I do. I have names, but I’ve never met any of our cousins there. My aunties and uncles are probably passed by now. I always meant to visit and track them down, but… You know how it is. Life gets busy, and before you know it, it’s too late.”
They were all quiet for a few moments before Lachlan asked, “Do you think Dad would be disappointed in me?”
Jo’s brows met in a familiar furrow. His dad had frowned in exactly the same way. “Because you’re dating an older bloke?”
“Yeah. And because of leaving the firm.” He swallowed hard. “Because I was sacked.”
Jo’s face relaxed. “Happens to the best of us, love.”
“What? Sacked? Why didn’t you tell me?” Bel demanded.
“I don’t know. I was embarrassed. Ashamed? Mostly, I just didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to deal with it.”
“You know I wouldn’t judge,” Bel said, before wincing. “I realize I sounded very judgmental there just now.”
He smiled. “It’s okay, really. But what would Dad think?”
Bel and Jo were quiet a few seconds before Jo said, “Well…”
He braced.
“Here’s the thing. I loved my brother dearly, but he could be a real dickhead sometimes.”
A laugh burst out of Lachlan to hear her call his dad a “duckhid.” “Auntie Jo!”
“What? It’s the truth. You two know it, I know it, your mum certainly knew it. He became a lawyer to please our parents—especially our father. But he chose corporate law. Chose to work at that firm.”
“It’s the best in Perth,” Lachlan said.
She sipped from a mug that read: “If it requires pants or a bra, it’s not happening today,” then asked, “Define ‘best.’”
For a second, he was at a loss. “Most prestigious. Most expensive. Most respected.”
“Respected by who? Corporations and billionaires?”
“Um…yes.”
“But is that actually ‘best’?” Auntie Jo asked. “It wasn’t best for your dad, I don’t think. Or your mum. Long hours, high stress. Then you went and got a job there to make him proud, right?”
“Yes. Then I stuffed it up.”
“How?” Jo asked.
He explained about the real estate developer and Doris, adding, “They promised tenants ‘comparable’ units in the new buildings, but they were putting so many conditions on it that I knew it would be almost impossible for the residents to actually get what they were owed. It was just…wrong. But it wasn’t technically breaking the law. ”
“Scumbags,” Auntie Jo muttered.
“I tried to talk to my supervisor about a fairer proposal for tenants, but she basically told me to shut up and do my job. When the time came to file the paperwork with the city… I just didn’t.”
“Good for you!” Bel exclaimed.
He snorted. “Not really. It’s not like I stood up to them. I didn’t say anything—just waited for someone to figure it out. When they did, of course, they sacked me.”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish if you ask me,” Jo said.
Lachlan breathed more easily now that his secrets were out, but a knot of tension remained. “Yeah, it’s easy to say that. It’s not that I don’t enjoy lifeguarding—”
He had to pause to push away thoughts of the drowning. Clearing his throat, he added, “I do enjoy it, but now that I’m over the shock of it all, I think I’m ready to be a lawyer again. Not corporate law, so I’ll still have a lot to learn.”
“Good thing you’ve got that big brain, hey?” Bel said with a grin. “I’m proud of you, Lachie.”
“Me too,” Jo said. “I know Henry and our girls will be. We should plan a trip over to celebrate. Or you lot come here. You haven’t been to Auckland in far too long.”
“What about going to Hong Kong sometime?” Lachlan asked. He hadn’t really thought about it much before, but once the question was out, he loved the idea.
Jo’s face brightened. “I’d love it! You know, the girls have been asking about a trip. Henry’s family’s from Harbin in the north, and we’ve never been there either. We’ll have to go in their summer—too bloody cold otherwise. Bel, you and Mitch’ll come?”
“We’d love to.”
Jo smiled slyly. “Your man could come too, Lachie.”
My man.
Face hot, he couldn’t stop smiling. “Yeah, maybe.”
Bel and Jo laughed. Bel said, “Look at that blush!”
“Okay, okay. I’ve got to go.”
“He’s on his way over?” Bel asked.
“He will be as soon as I text him.” He paused. “Look, thanks. For understanding. Love you both.”
“We love you too, my boy,” Jo said. “I’ll get onto Henry about travel planning.”
After they hung up the call with promises to chat again soon, and Lachlan’s thumbs flew over his screen. Tim replied instantly:
Be there in 10
It was surreal that Tim was coming over. This was something they could do now? Sure, they weren’t public knowledge to everyone yet, but the most important people knew. Lachlan could breathe properly, and he found himself humming as he tapped on a food delivery app and scrolled the options.
It was fifteen minutes before Tim appeared at the side door. He walked through the white fly barrier, the strings catching on his hair. The silver strands here and there were bleached by the sun.
God, he was gorgeous. And he was in Lachlan’s kitchen.
“Hey,” Lachlan said, stopping in front of him. Why did he suddenly feel shy?
Tim carried a foggy glass food container. “Hi. I brought dinner.”
“You cooked?” He hadn’t ordered anything yet, thankfully.
“I did. Such as it is.”
Lachlan took the container and put it on the counter, needing to press against Tim before kissing him. Their tongues met, and Lachlan sighed into his mouth, leaning into the strong warmth of his body. “Want to work up an appetite first?”
“God yes, but we need to eat it now. All the websites banged on about serving it immediately.”
“Okay, now I’m really intrigued.” Lachlan unclasped the lid and gasped. “Risotto? You made risotto? In your tiny kitchen?”
“Didn’t need an oven, so I managed. I was thinking we never finished that MasterChef episode. Thought it was fitting. It’s pumpkin and some of those fancy herbs. It’s probably shit.”
“It smells incredible. You really cooked for me?”
“Ah, look, I’m not exactly an expert.” Tim’s cheeks reddened.
Lachlan had to kiss him again. “Thank you. But when did you do this?”
“Pre-cooked it until it was almost done and whacked it in the fridge. Then did the last bit when you texted.” He frowned at the container so adorably. “I stirred my arse off, so maybe it’ll be okay.”
“It’ll be perfect.” Lachlan drew him close for a kiss. “I’ll get the bowls and pour some wine. Unless you want a beer? Or a Jack and Coke? I bought some tinnies.”
“Yeah, nah. Risotto calls for a bit more sophistication. Wine it is.”
Lachlan opened the cupboard, then hesitated and closed it again. In the small dining room attached to the kitchen, a wooden hutch sat against the wall by the square table. The glass door on the hutch creaked loudly, likely because it hadn’t been opened in years.
The bowls were blue and white, depicting a Chinese pagoda with a river and bridge in front and trees surrounding. He traced his finger over the ring of flowers around the top rim of the bowl.
“These dishes are from when my parents got married. Basically, the only Chinese things we have in the house, and I’m sure they were made by some British company with a colonial history.
Mum loved them, though. Dad didn’t see the point since we only used them a few times a year.
He used to say, ‘Are you waiting for the queen’s visit? ’”
Tim snorted softly. “Too late for that.”
With a laugh, Lachlan took two bowls to the island and spooned the risotto into them. “We should use them more. They make me think of her.”
“The queen?”
Lachlan shoved him gently, his sadness ebbing. “Sometimes, I…” He shook his head. “Sorry, don’t know why I’m feeling nostalgic all of a sudden.”
“What were you going to say?” Tim brushed Lachlan’s cheek with his rough knuckle, sending a shiver through him.
“That sometimes, they seem so far away. For the first few years, I thought about them constantly. Then it faded, I guess. It’s hard to believe I’ve lived almost half my life without them. Give or take a couple of years. But time keeps passing.” He rolled his eyes. “I mean, obviously.”
“I know what you mean. You just have to get on with it, don’t you? Life. But it doesn’t mean you love them any less.”
Lachlan swallowed thickly. “Yeah. Sorry. Don’t know what got into me. We need to eat this risotto.”
Pulling him into his arms, Tim nuzzled his cheek. “We will. From your mum’s pretty bowls.”
On the couch with the on-demand app cued up, they took their first bites. The judges on TV might have found a lot to criticize—it was a little gummy—but Lachlan reckoned he’d never tasted anything better.