Seven
Erica put the flowers she’d bought in a vase and placed it on the table by the window. She’d been living in Livvy’s cottage now for a week and already it felt like home. Her friend had replied to her email immediately, grateful to have someone look after the place, and Erica had wasted no time in moving in, despite Joe’s attempt to persuade her otherwise.
It felt good to have a place to call her own, even if it wasn’t really hers, and now she was working at the hospital again, she was earning an income. After a busy week on the ward, it was good to have Saturday to relax. She’d invited Joe and Gill for dinner – Coco too, of course – and had spent the morning shopping for food. The flowers were an impulse buy, when their scent drew her into a florist on the way to her car. They looked good, brightening up the room and filling it with a delightful fragrance.
Erica’s only regret was that she didn’t have more of her own things around her. They were all still in Perth, in her old house. Kieren had promised to have everything shipped to Pelican Crossing when the house sold, arguing that it would be more attractive to buyers if it was still furnished.
It wasn’t the only thing they’d argued about. When she’d revealed her plans to leave, Kieren had first tried persuasion, then had lost his temper, ranting and raving in a way that scared her and made her glad she was going to the other side of Australia. Briony’s reaction was different and more difficult to cope with. She had burst into tears and pleaded with Erica not to go, saying how she couldn’t manage with Ava on her own and wouldn’t it be wonderful for Ava to have her grandmother living with them. At one point, she almost wore Erica down, but she remained adamant. She didn’t want to stay and become a glorified housekeeper and babysitter for her son and daughter-in-law. For the first time in her life she was free, and she intended to make the most of it.
After unpacking her shopping, Erica made herself a cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch with some sourdough bread she’d bought from the bakery, followed by a crisp apple. Then she started to prepare the spicy chicken dish she intended to cook for dinner, mixing the marinade and pouring it over the chicken thighs before covering the dish and putting it into the fridge. That done, she took her book out into the small courtyard, enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of having no one to please but herself.
Closing the book with a sigh, Erica stared into space for a few moments. She had related to the character in the book, who had set out to start afresh, though her husband hadn’t died, but left her for another woman. But, unlike the woman she’d been reading about, Erica had no intention of becoming involved in another relationship. The saying, once bitten, twice shy , came to her. After Geoff, she’d never be able to trust another man – or trust her own judgment. When she and Geoff met, she’d been sure he was the one for her, that they’d live happily together for the rest of their lives. When he’d swept her off to Perth, away from all her family and friends, she’d had no inkling of what lay ahead, of the months and years of coercive control, until she’d had enough. Then, when she had left him, come to Pelican Crossing, her fear he’d follow her. The shock of his sudden heart attack then death when he did, still haunted her dreams.
Erica took the book inside and checked the time. It was still afternoon. She had plenty of time for the walk on the beach she’d promised herself, before she needed to start cooking dinner. Pulling on her sandals and popping a hat over her short, dark hair, frowning at the sight of more grey streaks and wondering if she should visit a hairdresser, she set off.
The pathway to the beach was across the road from the row of old fishermen’s cottages, of which Livvy’s was one, another plus about the location. As soon as she stepped onto the sand, Erica took off her sandals, and, with them dangling from one hand, made her way down to the edge of the water and dipped her feet into the waves lapping on the shore. This was heaven , she thought, as she wandered along, the sound of the ocean and the salty scent of the sea taking her back to her youth, to her teenage years when everything seemed possible, and to the boy she’d dated. He’d been older than she was, one of Joe’s friends. But, luckily, by then Joe was so wrapped up in Barb, he scarcely noticed what his younger sister was doing or who she was with. Erica was lost in a dream of the tall, brown-haired youth who’d captured her teenage heart before she left town to study nursing in Sydney. It was where she’d met Geoff and her life changed for ever.
The sound of music interrupted her thoughts. Startled, Erica looked up to see a cluster of people some distance away. She stopped, not wanting to interrupt, as she realised a wedding was taking place right here on the beach. As she watched, the young couple embraced, and the music became louder. A beach wedding. How romantic. As a teenager, Erica had wanted her wedding to be like that. Instead, she and Geoff had married in a Sydney registry office, his choice, perhaps a sign of what was to come. She hoped the bride on the beach would have a happier married life than she had but couldn’t help but feel cynical. It was true that Joe and Barb had been happily married for over thirty years, but they had been the exception. Look at Gill, Joe’s current partner, who had recently settled a lengthy and acrimonious divorce and spent her life arranging divorces for others. Not many marriages survived. It wasn’t a route she’d ever travel again.
*
By the time Joe and Gill arrived with an excited Coco, Erica had forgotten all about the wedding on the beach.
‘This is nice,’ Joe said, gazing around the room and walking over to the tall floor-to-ceiling window which looked out onto the ocean, Coco padding behind him. ‘What do you think, Gill? Could you handle something like this? It’s very different from your apartment.’
Gill walked across the room to join him, putting her arm around his waist. ‘Hmm. Different in a good way. I could maybe get used to it. But I don’t expect Livvy’s interested in selling.’ She raised an eyebrow in Erica’s direction.
‘I doubt it. As far as I know, she does intend to return. She’s only extended her stay. She hasn’t moved away for good.’
‘Pity,’ Joe said, as Erica handed both him and Gill glasses of white wine, ‘but there’s a whole row of them. They’ve been here for as long as I can remember, and not all of them have been renovated. I’d be willing to bet some are still with the original family. Maybe…’
‘Listen to him,’ Gill said affectionately. ‘Once your brother gets a bee in his bonnet, there’s no stopping him.’ She chuckled.
Erica smiled. Gill was good for Joe. He’d lucked out twice, unlike her. She remembered the wedding on the beach. ‘I saw a wedding on the beach today,’ she said. ‘Just out there.’ She pointed out the window.
‘That would be Mandy Phillips and Gary Whittaker,’ Gill said. ‘Mandy’s mum, Liz, is a friend of mine. They already have a small baby – a boy, I think. Liz wished they’d married before the birth, but young people…’
‘How is Freya?’ Erica asked. Gill was no doubt thinking of her own daughter.
‘She’s good.’ Gill’s face lit up. ‘She’s loving the university and life in Sydney, planning to be back at the end of the month for Easter.’
‘How lovely.’ Erica knew how pleased Gill had been when her daughter accepted a position at Sydney University after working overseas for many years. She wondered what it would be like to have a daughter, someone to share things with. She’d never been able to share things with Kieren. He’d always been his father’s son, and now… he was in danger of turning into him.
Then Gill’s earlier comment struck her. Last time she’d been here, she’d met Gill’s friend, Liz, had dinner with her and her partner, the editor of the local paper. She’d thought her kind, but perhaps a tad interfering. Then the name of the bridegroom. Gary Whittaker. Could he be related to Jamie Whittaker, the boy she’d been daydreaming about on the beach?