Twenty-two
Jamie stared at Erica’s rigid back as she marched up the path to Livvy’s cottage. He shook his head, trying to pinpoint what had gone wrong. Was it something he’d said? The kitesurfing had been marvellous, much better than he’d expected, and Erica had enjoyed it too. Her grin when they finished had mirrored his own delight at having mastered a new skill.
So, when had it started to go wrong? Jamie puzzled over it all the way to his own cottage, and while he poured himself a beer and took it out into the back yard. Then it struck him. It was in The Grand , when he made reference to the past. But those had been happy times, when they were young and carefree, and while he knew they could never go back and relive the past, surely it didn’t do any harm to remember?
Deciding to do what he always did when things threatened to get him down, Jamie locked up and headed for the harbour. There was always plenty to do there, plenty to take his mind off Erica’s changeable moods.
He was working on repairing a crack in one of the fibreglass boats he hired out, when he became aware of a panting sound close by, and a wet tongue licked his right foot.
‘Coco!’ a familiar voice called.
Jamie looked up to see Joe. It was his friend’s chocolate labrador whose tongue was brushing his foot.
‘Sorry, Jamie. She got away from me for a moment. Looks like you’re busy.’
‘Not too busy for you. It’s about time I stopped, anyway. What are you doing here on the weekend? Thought you’d have other fish to fry, now you and Gill…’ Jamie couldn’t hide the envy in his voice.
‘She’s tied up today. Freya’s home for the weekend and the pair of them are off somewhere. So, it’s just me and Coco. I called in on Erica…’
‘Oh!’ Joe’s presence now made more sense. What had Erica said to have him come here?
Joe rubbed his chin. ‘She said you’d gone kitesurfing together.’
‘Yeah, this morning. We had a lesson from Gary. It was pretty spectacular. You should try it… you and Gill.’
‘We have. Had a few lessons, and you’re right. It’s a sensational experience. But that’s not all. Erica seemed troubled, but when I asked, she changed the subject. You spent the morning with her. I wondered if you could shed any light on it.’
‘Wish I could, mate. It’s got me flummoxed too. I thought things were going well. The kitesurfing was amazing. Then we went to The Grand for a bite to eat.’ Jamie drew a hand through his hair. ‘And somewhere along the line, your sister changed, became distant. It was like she turned off a switch.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ve been trying to work out if it was something I said or did. It’s why I came down here.’ He gestured to the boat yard. ‘Helps me take my mind off things, and there’s always something to be done.’
‘Know the feeling. Women, eh?’ Joe chuckled.
‘Mmm.’ Jamie didn’t want to get into this discussion. It didn’t feel right to discuss Erica with her brother, though perhaps because he was her brother he could help. He thought for a moment then it came to him. It was when they’d been talking about the freedom of kitesurfing, and he’d said… ‘I think it was when I said something about being trapped,’ he said. ‘No, wait. I may have said I was glad she was back, that I’d waited too long. It seemed to trigger something in her. But surely…?’ Could it have been that simple, his reference to their past? Then it dawned on him. He remembered an earlier conversation when Erica had told him she didn’t believe in looking back.
‘That would do it, mate.’ He peered at Jamie who was feeling all sorts of a fool. He should have realised, remembered… ‘You look as if you could do with a drink.’
‘You may be right. Let me finish up here and I’ll join you.’
‘I’ll head over to The Grand and order the beers. Coco and I will be sitting outside.’
‘Cheers, mate.’
When Jamie joined them a short time later, Joe was seated at a table with two glasses of beer beaded with condensation, and Coco was lying at Joe’s feet, a bowl of water within reach. He picked up a glass and took a gulp.
‘It may be time to fill you in on my sister,’ Joe said. ‘She’d wring my neck if she found out I was telling you this, but I think you deserve to know. It may explain her behaviour, why she shies away from any mention of the past and from any attempt you might make to get close to her.’
‘I’m guessing her marriage was unhappy,’ Jamie said. ‘I thought as much when she turned up last year. You were at pains for me to keep my distance then. I couldn’t understand why.’
‘I know. It was difficult. Erica… Last year, she wasn’t herself. I had no idea that she and Geoff… When she rang to say she’d left him, I was shocked. I’d never liked the guy, but he was her choice, and I thought they were happy.’
‘What went wrong?’ Jamie knew all about how an unhappy marriage could eat into you, but Erica had left the guy, and now he was dead.
‘Abuse,’ Joe said bitterly. ‘At first, I thought it was just a case of coercive control, which was bad enough. Then I saw the bruises. I don’t mind telling you, I wanted to punch the daylights out of him. When he came looking for her, I almost did.’
‘He was here when he died, wasn’t he?’ Jamie had heard something about it at the time, but not the details.
‘The bastard fronted up to Gill’s office, threatened her then had a heart attack. He didn’t survive.’
‘Gill?’ Jamie didn’t know how she fitted in.
‘Gill was Erica’s solicitor, though it wasn’t clear if Geoff knew that. I think the fact she was a divorce lawyer was enough.’
‘Wow!’ No wonder Erica was wary of Jamie, of any man. ‘And now…?’
‘I don’t think Erica trusts men, or herself. Geoff managed to fool her at first. He could be very charming. But…’ Joe shook his head. ‘I suspect it’s going to take her a long time to get over that mistake.’
Jamie felt numb. Was there no hope for him with Erica? While his mind went round and round in circles, he realised Joe was speaking again.
‘I actually wanted to talk with you about a project I’m working on.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Jamie pulled his attention back to his companion. Joe was always involved in one project or another. In the past couple of years, he had succeeded in saving the local newspaper, the dog beach, and had been active in identifying the culprit who was poisoning dogs on that very beach. Jamie had imagined that, now he was in a relationship with Gill, his old friend might have settled down. Obviously not.
‘I’m not sure if you’re aware, but many of our residents in Pelican Crossing are forced to go all the way to Brisbane for some healthcare, especially those suffering from cancer. It occurred to me that what we need is a facility right here where they can receive treatment close to home, maybe a palliative care centre too. It’s a cause close to my heart.’
‘Wow, that’s a tall order, but a good idea.’ Jamie could understand Joe’s motivation. His wife had suffered from cancer. Barb had been able to die in her own home but not everyone had that choice. ‘How do you propose to proceed?’ Jamie was sure Joe already had a plan, but he wasn’t sure where he could fit in.
‘I already have Finn on board,’ he said, referring to the editor of the local paper. ‘He’s writing a column to go in the next edition of The Echo , and Cam has promised to get behind it too. Gill and her women friends are aiming to run some fundraising events – a winter fair or some such thing and a coast walk. Liz Phillips’ teenage granddaughter has come up with the idea of a video game tournament, but that might be a bit beyond our capabilities.’ He laughed. ‘All I’m asking for at this stage is your support and a commitment to getting your thinking cap on. We can’t let the women do all the work. Oh, and to sit on the committee,’ he added with a grin.
Jamie had been on board till Joe mentioned a committee. He wasn’t good at committees where you were expected to have ideas to contribute. But Joe was a mate, and it was a good cause. ‘Who else is on the committee?’
‘All the usual suspects. Me, Cam, Finn and our womenfolk. Then there’s Phil from the yacht club, Paul Clark, the CEO from the hospital, Kate, the town planner, and Erica, of course. We’re hoping to persuade one of the medical staff to join us too.’
Jamie had been about to refuse until Joe mentioned his sister’s name. If Erica was on the committee, at least it would provide him with the opportunity to see her, spend time in her company, maybe even break down some of her defences. ‘I suppose,’ he said with a sigh, ‘though I’m not sure I’ll be much help.’
‘Good man.’ Joe clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Finn suggested inviting some of the younger guys in town, but I thought it best to stick with us oldies. We can always co-opt some others if we need them.’
‘Right,’ Jamie said, though he thought Rory and Gary might produce more ideas than he could when it came to fundraising. But he supposed they had busy lives, whereas he… He sighed again, aware of how lonely he often felt. At least this committee would fill in some of those empty hours, and maybe, just maybe, bring him closer to Erica.