Thirty-six
Erica couldn’t contain her excitement as she waited for Briony and Ava’s flight to touch down. She’d spent the morning rushing around, making sure the bed in the spare room was ready, checking out the cot she’d managed to borrow from a work colleague whose daughter had outgrown it, and buying more food to fill her fridge and pantry than the three of them could possibly eat.
She clutched the takeaway coffee she’d purchased and watched as the plane came to a halt on the tarmac, then taxied to the gate. Then she threw the empty cup into the bin and headed to the spot where she would be able to catch sight of Briony as soon as she stepped through the gate.
Briony was one of the first to appear, a smiling Ava in her arms. Erica rushed forward to greet her with a hug and a kiss. ‘Let me take her,’ she said, taking the young child into her arms and giving her a hug. ‘Do you remember me, sweetheart?’ she said, her eyes filled with happy tears, then turning to Briony, ‘Welcome back to Pelican Crossing. I’m so pleased to see you.’
‘And I you,’ Briony said. ‘I was afraid we weren’t going to make it.’
Erica’s eyes widened. ‘What happened?’
‘Oh, it was Kieren. He thought Ava was too young to fly, then he… Anyway, we’re here now.’ Her face broke into a smile. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing everything. Last year there wasn’t time to look around.’
The two women were silent, remembering the dark days before and after Geoff’s death.
‘Let’s collect your luggage,’ Erica said to break the mood, and they headed to the luggage carousel.
Once there, it wasn’t long before they’d collected Briony’s case and a stroller for Ava, one designed with a capsule which could convert into a car seat. Erica was glad Briony had told her about it. It had saved her worrying about a baby seat for her car.
Soon, a delighted Ava was strapped into the capsule and they set off for home.
‘I’d forgotten how pretty it is here,’ Briony said, as they drove up the coast, the ocean on one side, paddocks on the other, some with cattle, some with horses. As they entered Pelican Crossing, a couple of pelicans strutted across the road in front of them as if welcoming the visitors. Ava pointed at them and gurgled happily.
‘Oh, this is lovely!’ Carrying Ava in her arms, Briony followed Erica into the cottage. ‘And you’re so close to the beach. You said it belongs to a friend?’
‘Yes, Livvy. I’ve been lucky. She’s in England right now, visiting her daughter and granddaughters. One of them is around the same age as Ava.’
On hearing her name, Ava let out a little cry. It sounded strange to Erica to hear a baby’s cry in her cottage. She smiled. She wished they were staying for longer than a week but intended to make the most of it.
‘What are your neighbours like?’ Briony asked, walking across to the window and gazing out.
Erica was glad her daughter-in-law had her back to her and didn’t see her blush. ‘I haven’t met all of them,’ she said, ‘only Lou, who owns a combined bookshop and café, and Jamie, who’s an old mate of my brother’s. Lou has arranged a neighbourhood get together today in the late afternoon… if you feel up to it, we could go.’ She didn’t add that it was by way of an introduction to the neighbourhood for her.
‘I’d love to,’ Briony said, turning back to face her, her face wreathed in smiles. ‘I haven’t been out much since you left.’
Erica gave her an odd look. Surely Kieren wasn’t preventing Briony from seeing her friends, the way Geoff had with her? She determined to use Briony’s time here to find out exactly what was going on in her marriage. She didn’t want her to fall into the same trap she had. There was still time for her to extricate herself if Erica’s suspicions were correct.
After a lunch of the quiche Erica had prepared earlier, Briony fed Ava and settled her down for a sleep before taking a nap herself, while Erica relaxed with the book for next month’s book club. Gill had dropped off a copy for her after the meeting she’d missed, and Erica was enjoying becoming lost in the small Scottish village of Crovie as she turned the pages of The Cottage on the Cliff by Sharon Golding. She’d become so interested in the setting, she’d checked out the village online, surprised to discover the line of cottages set between the sea and the cliff actually existed.
Erica was so engrossed in her book, she didn’t move until Briony appeared with Ava in her arms. ‘What time does this thing start, and will it be all right if we take Ava along? She’ll probably fall asleep.’
‘Of course we can. Lou said to go down to the beach around four. I expect it’ll only last an hour or so. Evidently the guys are providing the drinks, and Lou said she’ll bring food from the café, though I did make a dip. It’s one I used to make years ago, before… Well, anyway, a long time ago.’ She remembered the first time she’d made it for Geoff as a treat. He took one look at the creamy spinach dip served in a cob loaf and turned his nose up, refusing to even try it. This was the first time she’d made it since then. ‘It’s three now. How about a cup of tea before we leave?’
‘Sounds good.’ Briony settled herself in one of the armchairs by the large window. ‘Is that where we’re meeting your neighbours?’ she asked, pointing across the road to where they could see the ocean and a long stretch of sand. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been to a gathering on a beach.’
‘We did a lot of things on the beach when I was growing up here.’ Images of all the times she and Jamie had spent on the beach flitted through her mind. She was surprised to discover they no longer bothered her, quite the opposite.
‘You were lucky,’ Briony sighed. ‘We only went there for one week each year when I was young, and now… Kieren says he doesn’t like the beach.’
Erica’s lips tightened remembering the few times they’d gone to the beach as a family when Kieren was little, before Geoff decided it was a waste of time and money. The little boy had loved paddling in the ocean, building sandcastles and digging holes in the sand. He’d clearly forgotten those halcyon days and chosen to accept his dad’s view about that too. She had to talk to Briony.
When four o’clock came around, Briony settled a wide-awake Ava into the stroller, and the two women made their way across the road and down to the sand where a small group had already gathered around a table and a few canvas chairs. Erica’s heart raced as she caught sight of Jamie. He was wearing the same outfit as he had on their beach walk, making her remember the warmth of his embrace, the firm grip of his hands on her arms, his mouth on hers.
‘Are you okay, Mum?’
Briony’s voice brought Erica back to the present and to the realisation she had stopped in her tracks.
‘Yes, sorry. Can you manage the stroller on the sand, or shall I help you carry it?’
‘No, we’re fine. It has wide wheels.’
Erica nodded, seeing Ava seemed to be enjoying the bumpy ride, giggling away in her capsule.
‘Here you are!’ Lou came forward to greet them. ‘And this is?’
‘My daughter-in-law, Briony and my granddaughter, Ava. Briony, this is Lou,’ Erica said.
‘Come and meet everyone.’ Lou steered them towards the rest of the group, most of whom were men. ‘This is Erica, everyone,’ she called. ‘She’s taking care of Livvy’s cottage while Livvy is overseas. She grew up here in Pelican Crossing and is our mayor’s sister.’
There was a general murmur of greetings before most of the group resumed the conversations which Lou had interrupted, the exception being Jamie who came over to greet Erica with a kiss on the cheek. ‘Hello, you must be Briony,’ he said to Briony. ‘Erica has told me about you. And this is your granddaughter,’ he said to Erica. ‘She must be about the same age as my grandson,’ he said, turning to Briony again. ‘Erica came to my rescue when I got into trouble babysitting him.’
Erica was conscious of Briony’s eyes on her. ‘This is Jamie. He’s a friend of mine.’ She wasn’t sure why she felt awkward introducing Jamie to Briony. There was no reason for her to feel embarrassed, but she couldn’t help wondering what Kieren’s reaction would be when he learned about him. ‘He and Joe are mates from way back,’ she added hurriedly.
‘Hi, Jamie. You live along here too? It’s a beautiful spot.’
‘I do, and it is. I’ve lived here since my two sons moved out. It’s perfect, within walking distance to the harbour and the town.’
As Jamie and Briony continued to talk, Erica slipped away to place the platter containing her dip and corn chips on the table, and Lou took the opportunity to introduce her to the others in the group. Erica remembered some of them from when she was growing up here, though of course, they were all older now, and all were very welcoming. Lou had been right. It was good to meet her neighbours.
The next two hours passed in a flash. The sun had set and Jamie and Troy, one of the other men, had lit several camping lanterns they’d sourced from somewhere or other, and the party had continued. But it was turning cool, and Ava was making small cries of protest. ‘I think we should go,’ Erica said to Jamie, to whom she had been chatting, along with Lou.
‘We’ll all be leaving pretty soon,’ he said. ‘Need any help with the stroller?’
‘That would be good.’ It would be harder to handle in the dark.
Jamie picked up the stroller, earning a happy sound from Ava, and Erica and Briony followed him up to the roadway.
‘We’ll be fine now. Thanks for your help,’ Erica said, as Jamie set the stroller down on the path.
‘Right.’ Jamie seemed reluctant to leave, and Erica wished he didn’t have to. But she had Briony and Ava to look after. ‘I’ll see you soon?’ he asked.
‘I hope so,’ she whispered. ‘But I’m going to be pretty tied up with…’ she gestured to where Briony was already wheeling Ava across to the cottage.
‘You said you have the week off. Maybe we could organise something with Mandy and Archie. It might be good for Briony to meet someone her own age. Not that I’m suggesting anything…’ He chuckled.
‘You’re right. I’ll mention it to her.’
‘And I’ll talk to Mandy. I’ll call you.’
‘Right. Now I need to go.’ Erica could see Briony was already at the door of the cottage and was looking back for her.
‘Not before…’ Regardless of Briony, of the fact they were still in sight of the group on the beach, Jamie pulled Erica into his arms, his lips gently brushing hers, before he headed back down to the beach.
Erica watched him go for a moment, a now familiar warmth surging through her, then she turned and joined Briony.
Briony didn’t say anything when they went inside, then became busy with bathing and feeding Ava and putting her down to sleep. It wasn’t till later, when they were snacking on cheese and biscuits which was all they felt like eating after what they’d consumed on the beach, that she said, ‘Who’s Jamie, Mum? You seem pretty friendly.’
‘I told you, he’s a friend, a mate of Joe’s. We all grew up together.’ It wasn’t entirely a lie.
‘I saw him kiss you. It looked like… I’m glad if you’ve found someone, Mum. I know it wasn’t always easy for you with Dad, but…’ she frowned, ‘he hasn’t been gone a year yet. Don’t you think it’s too soon?’