Chapter 44
CHAPTER
While El spoke with Bindi to calm her down, Cruz texted Kyle. Got time for a chat?
Kyle’s response came quickly. Meet you in the top orchard in a minute.
Kyle should’ve left by now and Cruz wondered if his farm manager’s ute parked in its spot beyond dusk meant he’d been hanging around for Bindi. They must’ve spent the afternoon together to get the sign painted and hung, and to set up inside.
Cruz wanted to find out if Kyle had any insights about Bindi and maybe some tips on how to handle her.
Back in Melbourne, if an employee had spoken to him how Bindi had, Cruz would’ve fired them on the spot.
But he recognised Bindi’s fiery temper for what it was: the bristling reaction of someone backed into a corner.
Embarrassment at being caught out had probably triggered her reaction and he realised Bindi deserved his patience even though he gave it to few.
As he strode towards the top orchard, he saw the glow of a cigarette among the trees. ‘I didn’t know you smoked,’ he said, and Kyle shrugged.
‘I don’t.’
‘Then what’s that?’
‘A bad habit I used to rely on and had conquered.’ Kyle stubbed out the cigarette in the dirt before picking up the butt and pocketing it. ‘I found an old packet and matches in one of the sheds today.’
‘And you thought you’d start up again?’
‘No.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘Bindi happened.’ Kyle’s drawn-out sigh indicated a man with more on his mind than kicking an old nicotine habit.
‘Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’ Cruz couldn’t betray Bindi’s confidence—not that she’d confided in him about her homelessness in the first place—because her story wasn’t his to tell, so he skirted around it. ‘You worked with her this afternoon. How’s she settling in?’
‘She’s … prickly.’ Kyle grimaced. ‘One minute we were painting the sign for the restaurant, the next she yelled at me to mind my own business.’
Sounded like Cruz wasn’t the only one to bear the brunt of Bindi’s ire. ‘What were you talking about?’
‘Our respective lives. Where we’ve been. What we’ve been doing. She doesn’t like talking about her past. And that’s fine. But she’s different from the girl I remember, and I thought if I encouraged her to talk, we’d get back to being mates again, you know?’
‘Mates would be a good place to start. She didn’t say much, huh?’
‘Just stomped around while we hung the sign, then started cleaning like a crazy person.’
‘Well, the place looks great, so thanks.’
‘No worries.’ Kyle ran his palm over the bark of the tree as if trying to ground himself. ‘Do you still think you’ll sell this place in a year?’
‘Of course.’ His rote response shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did, because for one tiny second, the thought of leaving the farm, a place he now owned and could do whatever he wanted with, seemed unpalatable. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘I just thought that if you’re opening a restaurant here, highlighting the farm’s produce, you’re contemplating putting down roots.’
A few days ago, that thought would’ve terrified Cruz, but somewhere between El’s crazy video, gaining major buyers and prepping to open a restaurant, the home that had once held bad memories had grown on him.
‘Pop-ups open and close all the time. Cooking while I’m here will keep me sane, that’s all.’
‘Okay.’ But Kyle’s expression implied he didn’t believe him for a second. ‘So why did you want to talk to me about Bindi beyond asking if she’s settling in? You could’ve called to ask that.’
‘Like you, I get the feeling she’s not entirely happy about being back in town, and I know you two were closer than I ever was with her, so I thought a little insight might make our working relationship easier.’
‘She’s hurting,’ Kyle said, his expression pained.
‘I thought there was something up at the trivia night, that she seemed overly snarky with Thommo and Robbo, but put it down to her readjusting to the gang. But when we were chatting this afternoon …’ He shook his head.
‘I got a glimpse past her defiance and it made me wish she trusted me enough to confide.’
‘Give her time, mate. For what it’s worth, I think she could do with some caring friends right now, and that’s the two of us.’
Kyle’s eyebrows rose slightly. ‘You’ve mellowed since you’ve been back. I like this new, improved Cruz Wardlow.’
‘Don’t get used to it. You’ll revert to hating me in twelve months when you’re out of a job.’
‘Since when did I ever hate you?’
They chuckled, but once again, the pang in Cruz’s chest at the thought of selling the farm surprised him.
Maybe Kyle was right? Cruz hadn’t just mellowed; he’d gone completely soft.