Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
J ustin sipped his coffee and looked out the window. The rain had been falling consistently all night and puddles had formed on the dirt driveway.
Freya had finally forced herself to leave Boyd’s place with the promise of meeting up later in the day. He admired her dedication to her work and her family. He was finding it hard to find things about Freya Montgomery that he didn't like.
Without her there, the silence in the house was deafening. Already he missed her smile, her laugh, and her touch. What was it going to be like when he left?
The prudent thing would be to leave before he became any more involved with Freya and her family. But the thought of doing so wrenched his heart so painfully, he couldn't stand it.
He turned back to his laptop. Working here was impossible without her, so he saved his document and closed the lid. Maybe a change of scenery would help. He grabbed his car keys and opened the front door. He shivered when icy wind smacked into his face, chafing his lips and making the tip of his nose ache. He climbed into his car, dialled up the heater, and rubbed his hands together.
He drove carefully along the muddy driveway, trying not to get bogged. He understood now why all the locals owned four-wheel-drives.
Turning onto the main road, he decided to explore more of the town and see where people lived. He was also curious to see the golf club, which he had heard talk of at the pub.
He surveyed the landscape. It seemed suburbia had crept its way farther out of town than he had expected. He turned down a narrow, built-up street. The sleek bitumen road extended into the distance. Driveways intersected it every few metres, leading to identical-looking houses which were built so close together they were practically touching.
He recalled what Stephen had said—that there was a lot more money in subdivision than running a few cows. People liked their big houses and small bits of dirt, and there was a shortage of affordable housing in Maleny and the rest of the Hinterland.
He was accustomed to this sort of overcrowding in the city, used to apartment buildings and gated communities. But after living in Boyd's house, surrounded by acreage, the housing estate made him feel claustrophobic.
He found his way back to the main street and soon enough saw signs to the golf club. It was empty today—the rain must have been keeping people indoors. His stepfather was a golf-lover, and Justin had played the occasional game with him. The Maleny Golf Course was small and hilly, but he knew Geoff would have enjoyed the challenge it presented.
He continued driving and noticed a sign in front of an old house declaring it Pattemoor House, an historic property. It was a colonial-designed, single-storey house with a wide wrap-around veranda. He remembered seeing an early photograph of it in the library when Freya took him there. He smiled to himself, and silently congratulated the historical society for preserving it and keeping it in such good condition.
Back in town, he pulled up in front of a café advertising his new favourite—Maleny Coffee. He grabbed his laptop and headed inside.
The café was one of many on Maple Street, but its hanging plants and bohemian furnishings drew him in. The tables were all filled with couples and groups chatting over coffee, and huge platefuls of delicious-looking food.
At the counter, he was served by a woman wearing a black apron and a friendly smile. She glanced at his laptop. "We have a loft upstairs. It's quieter there if you need to get some work done."
"Perfect," he said and ordered the big breakfast and a large flat white.
He poured himself a glass of water from a jug on the counter before starting up the stairs. He was pleasantly surprised to find a spacious, light room with only a few people occupying tables. The walls were covered in framed pictures of plants and shelves full of greenery and books. He chose a table by a window and set up his laptop.
The hum of the coffee machine and people chattering downstairs did nothing to distract him from the work he had been procrastinating from. He took a break from the app he was designing when his big breakfast arrived. It was piled full of crispy bacon, sausages, potato rosti, mushrooms, a fried egg, and tomato.
"Are you Justin?" The same lady who had taken his order and delivered his meal asked.
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I am."
"Don't look so surprised. You know you can't hide in a small town," she said with a smile. "I'm Meredith. I went to school with Freya.”
He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Is this your place?”
“It is.” She put her hands on her hips and looked around proudly.
“It’s got a great vibe about it, and the food looks amazing."
"I hope you enjoy. It's hard competing with Greer, but we all do pretty well. Let me know if you need anything and enjoy your meal."
"Thanks." He smiled at her before she headed back down the stairs.
He couldn't help himself groaning as he took his first bite. He savoured every morsel and surprised himself at how quickly he got through it.
"He's upstairs," Meredith said with a wink as she accepted the cartons of milk Freya had brought her. She didn't usually do the deliveries, but when Meredith had casually mentioned Justin was at her café, Freya had insisted she bring the milk right over.
Freya pretended to look shocked. "Who is?"
"You know very well who." Meredith glanced around before leaning in conspiratorially. "He's a looker, too. If you hadn't already called dibs, I might have made a play for him myself."
"Meredith! What would your husband say?" Freya scolded her with a smile. Meredith had married straight out of high school and had never admitted to regretting it.
"I'm allowed to look. He's sweet, too. He's been here for hours drinking coffee and he enjoyed my big breakfast. So, tell Greer she's got to up her game."
Freya blew her friend a kiss and climbed the stairs to the loft. She paused at the top to watch Justin. He was angled sideways to her with his head down, staring at the computer screen, his fingers tapping lightly on the keyboard. He was so focused on what he was doing.
As though he sensed her watching, he paused and turned in his seat to find her staring.
"Hey, you," he said as she walked towards him.
"Hi." She kissed him on the cheek before slipping into the chair opposite. "Meredith tells me you've been here all morning. Have you got lots of work done?"
He nodded. "I have, and don't tell Greer, but the food here is really good. Even the gluten-free things."
"Are you ready for a break? It's stopped raining; we could take a walk."
"Sounds good. I need to burn off some of those calories." He packed up his laptop and followed her down the stairs. They stopped at the counter to pay, and Meredith insisted he come back anytime he needed some peace and quiet. Then, when Justin's back was to her, Meredith caught Freya's attention and gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up.
They walked down the street together, stopping to gaze at window displays, and chat about the things for sale. The lolly shop had an interesting display of exotic and international sweets. The second-hand bookstore had Australian historical novels in the window and across the road there was an art gallery which they explored. They took their time, pointing out and discussing their favourite pieces. Freya had always loved the clay artwork made by another local friend of hers.
But it was in the bookstore, set in a beautiful art-deco style building, that they spent most of their time perusing—everything from the new releases, to the self-help and gardening sections, to the children's section with its bright colours and comfy furniture.
"Has this bookstore been here for a long time?" he asked her.
"As long as I can remember. It's changed owners a few times though."
"I think I remember it from my childhood."
Her heart leapt. She desperately wanted him to feel a connection to the town, and a childhood memory could do that for him. "I remember Mum saying that we would come here for playgroup, especially in winter. Maybe your mum brought you here?"
"She didn't make many friends; that was part of the reason why she left. She didn't have any support."
"That must have been hard for her. Alone with a baby, a husband who was always working, and no close friends." Freya said thoughtfully.
He gave the smallest of shrugs.
"I’ve spent many, many afternoons in here. It's my favourite shop in town." She caressed a shelf full of novels.
"I can see why."
They left the warmth of the bookstore and continued walking until they had seen both sides of Maple Street.
"I should let you get back to work," she said, even though she didn't want to leave him. She enjoyed their time together so much, even when they were just walking around talking.
"If I'm going to take Friday off to help you at the ag show, then I really do need to get more done today." He sighed. "Come over tonight?"
His hand rested on the curve of her back and his touch was so soft, so intimate, and so suggestive.
The hairs bristled on the back of her neck as she leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "What did you have in mind?"
"We could stay in and get food delivered."
"Sorry, no one delivers up here. But I can pick something up, or better yet, we can cook something together."
"I like to eat food but I'm not a great cook," he confessed.
"When you live with Greer and Nina Montgomery, you pick up a few things." She smiled. "We'll do something simple."
"Simple and fast," he said and kissed her cheek. "There are other things I'd rather spend time doing with you tonight."
She kissed him and ran her hands over his shoulders. "There are plenty of fun things we can do in the kitchen."
"In that case, maybe you should bring some cream with you."
She kissed him again and reluctantly let him go. She felt like skipping all the way back to her car. It had been hard enough to get any work done this morning and now, with those kinds of thoughts in her mind, she wondered how she would accomplish anything for the rest of the day.