27
Heath
The early light was about to appear in the sky, and the seagulls were starting to stir. Gentle waves washed seaweed back and forth against the shingles, filling the misty air with a soft whooshing sound, hypnotising Heath, who was sitting upon a small wall down the bottom end of Pepper Lane.
Tired eyes focused on the sea lapping at the shoreline whilst his worn-out body slumped with no intention of moving.
Had it been a long night? Perhaps it was short. Either way, he’d not got much in the way of sleep. He hadn’t bothered counting sheep, as counting the number of times he’d argued with Rhett over the years had kept him busy.
Benton had always told Heath to look for the solutions to problems, rather than bury his head in the sand, but Heath felt trapped in the sand. Buying into Rhett’s business was a new avenue to explore, but it hadn’t made any difference. Neither had holding her in his arms all night, being there every time she needed him, or sharing a child. He couldn’t take much more.
What a year!
He looked heavenward, wondering if his dad really was watching. Was that at all possible? If so, what advice would he give?
I wish you could say something, Dad. I just need to hear your voice. You would know what to do. You always knew what was for the best. I really hate this. I miss you so much.
A tiny bird fluttered close by, perching upon the old brick wall. The faintest of chirps came from its teeny beak as its head tilted slightly towards the rising sun.
Heath was pretty good at naming bird breeds, but this little fella was a new one on him. He smiled, thinking it an escaped pet. ‘You fly free, little dude. I wish I could join you.’
The tiny bird ruffled its blue feathers, cocked its head, then flew off.
‘You all right there?’ came an Irish voice from behind, startling him.
Heath side-eyed his friend Rory as the muscular man swung his legs over the wall to sit by his side. ‘At least that bird was willing to talk to me.’
Rory breathed out a laugh through his nose. ‘So that’s why you’re slumped here looking in need of a mate.’
‘It’s just peaceful first thing, isn’t it?’
‘Aye. I left my missus baking bread back at the shop. Some mornings I help with the kneading, on account of her hands hurting. She says the menopause takes all sorts from her.’ He gently nudged Heath’s elbow. ‘Maybe we men have got it easier, eh?’
Will Rhett have menopause problems? What age does that start?
Rory gave him a second nudge. ‘Come on. Tell me what’s got you searching for answers in the waves.’
Heath returned his focus to the damp shingles. ‘A woman.’
‘That much was obvious. Tell me about you and Rhett, and don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I might be one of the new kids on the block around these parts, but I’ve heard all the stories, and I happen to know about you and your baby mama. So, spill the beans.’
‘Did you just say baby mama?’
‘Hey, I hang around a lot of youngsters down at Shine. You should pop in one day. Do a tutorial or something. I’m sure there are loads who’d like to learn your craft.’
Heath crinkled his nose. ‘Not sure about working with ex-crims… Oh, sorry. No offence.’
‘None taken. It’s not for everyone.’
‘I don’t mean it like that. There was the break-in at the farm, then recently, I found out I was robbed. So right now I’m not feeling very charitable.’
Rory shifted on the wall to face him. ‘What was stolen?’
‘My great-grandfather’s war medal.’
‘Worth a few bob?’
‘Yep. The police have caught the gang. Group of con artists. But we haven’t heard anything about any of the stolen goods yet.’
‘You never know. Sometimes these things show up. Depends who they sold it to or if their fence was worth his weight.’
‘Fence?’
‘Middleman.’
‘Ah, well, they seemed to know what they were doing. Professionals in their field, by all accounts.’
‘Every dog has its day.’
The noise of a window being opened from one of the flats above the shops behind the men made them both turn to glance that way for a second. Pretty soon Pepper Bay would wake for the day, and Heath would have to start work.
‘So, tell me, Heath, what’s the plan with your missus?’
Heath had to laugh. Plans and Rhett didn’t exactly go hand in hand. He shook his head and smiled out to sea. ‘I honestly have no idea anymore, mate.’
Rory ran a hand through his greying dark hair as he joined in the laughter. ‘That bad, eh?’
‘It’s like I go one step forward and she shoves me two steps back. Every time.’
‘Do you have any idea why she might do that?’
The question triggered numerous answers to flood his brain in one big tsunami. The whole thing was like opening a can of worms. He had no idea where to start, but at least he’d stopped giving Rhett such a hard time in his mind. Without realising, Rory had reminded him of her healing process. Of course she would be all over the place.
‘She’s fragile.’ Heath narrowed his eyes as he turned to face Rory. ‘Not in a vulnerable way. I just mean she’s been through a lot.’
‘Baggage. Plenty have that.’
‘All I want to do is remove the lot for her and throw it in the bin. She’s just so stuck in a certain way of living, she won’t allow anyone else to carry what’s weighing her down.’
Rory smiled sympathetically. ‘It’s hard letting go of the past. I know. Been there. Done that.’
‘How did you do it in the end?’
‘Truth be told, I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m fully healed from my past, but I’m so far from it that it doesn’t have a hold over me anymore. Prison helped change me. Well, the mentor I met while inside. Even loners need a helping hand at times. Some of us are harder to help that’s all, as it can take time to build trust. Your Rhett might have trust issues.’
She’s got loads of issues.
‘She’s not the type to have therapy, but—’
‘No, no, Heath. I think your best bet with her is to show up.’
‘Show up?’
‘Aye. Keep doing exactly that. If she sees that no matter how hard she pushes you away, you’re still there for her, she might, and I say might, trust you. Oh, and I quickly want to add that this advice only works if you’re not a mad stalker who doesn’t understand the concept of boundaries. If you’re that bloke, you’ll probably end up with a restraining order against you.’
Heath laughed out loud. ‘I’ve already had a police warning this year.’ He stopped laughing when Rory’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Nothing to do with Rhett. No, I upturned a man’s car with my tractor.’
‘There’s a new one on me.’
‘He wouldn’t get off my land. Thought he could picnic there with his family.’ Heath had to calm down. Reliving the moment wasn’t helpful and only added to his headache over the Rhett situation.
Rory grinned as his grey-blue eyes twinkled. ‘It’s always the quiet ones.’
‘I honestly didn’t know how to handle the situation. I just lost it.’
‘It’s okay, Heath. I still don’t know what I’m doing half the time. I’m just glad I’ve got my Tilly to make life grand.’
‘The only grand in my life is the lack of a couple due to having to pay out to fix the man’s car. It was Brian’s idea. Somehow he kept the peace, or rather, kept me out the courthouse.’
‘Yeah, not the best place to be.’
Heath laughed to himself, once again thinking it a hell of a year. ‘Now that I think about it, things have been going great for me and Rhett lately. I just need her to know I’m all in.’
‘Maybe it’s big gesture time then.’
‘What’s that mean?’
Rory grinned. ‘It means you don’t read romance books. Have you even seen a rom-com?’
‘Of course. I have a daughter who likes all that. She makes me sit through all sorts. Not going to lie, I don’t mind the odd fairy-tale type romance story, but I lean more towards the action genre.’
‘I guess it doesn’t matter which genre you choose, they all have some sort of dramatic build up towards the end. That’s where you’re at. Go create a grand moment.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well, you can’t do the whole running through the airport scene, so you’ll need to think closer to home. It’s an individual thing, you see. Think about what would make sense in your story.’
Nothing makes sense in our story.
Rory glanced up at the overcast sky. ‘It’ll come to you.’
Heath had never thought about his life being a story, but now it was put to him, it kind of simplified things. He wasn’t quite sure about which role he played, but he did figure out quite quickly something he could do that would at least make Rhett smile, if nothing else.