Forty-four
Luke was ebullient. Despite his fears – Ines Ferrari must be close to one hundred – the old woman had been extremely lucid. Not only did she remember his mother, but also his grandparents who had been friends with her parents. Her family had immigrated several years after his grandparents and they had come from the same village, located, as he suspected, in the southern part of Italy, a small village outside the city of Palermo. Now he knew where to go, it shouldn’t be too difficult to trace any remaining family members.
‘You look pleased. A successful visit?’ Rachel asked, when he got into the car.
‘Very.’ He proceeded to report what he’d learned, finishing with, ‘I intend to go there as soon as I can arrange it.’
‘Oh!’ Rachel didn’t appear to share his enthusiasm. Come to think of it, she had seemed very down since she picked him up.
‘Something up?’ he asked in a low voice, conscious of Verity in the back seat.
‘Tell you later. All okay back there, Verity?’ she asked.
‘Yes, Grandma. Can we go to the beach when we get home? I think Molly will want a walk.’
‘Good idea, but we’ll have some lunch first. Hungry?’
‘Yes, please.’
Luke and Rachel both laughed.
The two dogs were waiting for them at the front gate, tails wagging.
‘I’ll leave you to get on,’ Luke said, though he was keen to know what was bothering Rachel.
‘No. Stay for lunch… if you’re happy with a sandwich.’
‘Sure,’ he said, relieved he didn’t need to rush off.
Once inside, the dogs retired, happy with a couple of treats, and Rachel made them delicious ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches on rye bread with a beer for him and water for her and Verity. When she had finished, Verity slid down from her seat to join the dogs in the yard.
‘Now, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?’ Luke asked.
Rachel took a long drink of water before replying. ‘I didn’t tell you about Becky,’ she said. ‘She developed Alzheimer’s a few years ago, a type with a particularly rapid progression.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Even though Troy had told him, it was still a shock to hear it from Rachel.
‘She’s in a nursing home now and… I spoke to Andy, her husband, after I left you. She’s deteriorating rapidly, losing speech and much of her movement, and he thinks it might help if she could see me.’
‘Oh!’ Luke wasn’t familiar with Alzheimer’s or how it could progress. It was difficult to imagine the bright, active woman he remembered reduced to this state. ‘Where does she live?’
‘Adelaide.’
‘Oh!’ he said again. ‘Will you go? What about Verity?’ He knew the little girl was still getting used to being in Pelican Crossing and to living with Rachel.
‘I talked with Jess. She slept through last night… with the twins. She can stay with them while I’m gone. I don’t have any guests this week.’
‘When will you go?’
‘Well, I want to get Verity enrolled in Pelican Pals first, so probably in a couple of days, if I can arrange a flight.’
‘If there’s anything I can do… look after Molly?’
Rachel smiled, and Luke could see the worry lines around her eyes ease. ‘Would you? That would be good. Jess is happy to have her, but… with Verity plus her three, it’s a lot to ask.’
‘No problem. She and Nelson get on well together, and one more dog is nothing.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Come here. You need a hug.’ Luke pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm hug, without any of the passion of his usual embrace. She felt so warm and soft in his arms, he wanted to keep her there for ever.
*
Rachel sank into Luke’s embrace wishing she could stay there for ever. ‘Thanks, I needed that,’ she said.
‘Grandma, can we go to the beach now?’ Verity came back inside, the two dogs at her heels.
Rachel pulled away from Luke and patted her hair which had become dishevelled in the hug. ‘Of course we can. Luke?’
‘I should get back. I want to check with Joe if there have been any developments, and I have a few animals in the hospital I need to check on too. See you later?’
‘Maybe. Call me.’ Rachel wasn’t sure about continuing to see so much of Luke. Nothing had changed. He would still be leaving in a few weeks’ time, and now he was talking about going to Italy… Maybe this trip to Adelaide was a good opportunity to finish things between them before her heart could be broken. But surely one more time wouldn’t hurt?
She thought Luke gave her a strange look, but he kissed her on the cheek, then he and Nelson headed off across the bluff.
‘Can we go now, Grandma?’ Verity pleaded, Molly dancing at her feet.
‘Okay,’ Rachel laughed. It was hard to remain worried or upset with this sweet little face looking up at her with such trust. ‘Let’s get your hat and sunscreen.’
As always, being on the beach lightened Rachel’s mood. ‘Did you enjoy staying at Aunt Jess’s?’ she asked, when she and Verity were seated on the sand watching Molly playing in the waves.
‘Yes. I like Gemma and Indie. It’s like having two big sisters. Do you have any sisters, Grandma?’
It was the perfect opening. ‘Yes, I do, an older sister, Becky. She lives in a place called Adelaide, a long way from here.’ She took a deep breath. ‘There’s something I want to talk to you about, Verity. My sister’s sick and in hospital, and I need to go to visit her. How would you like to stay with Aunt Jess, the twins and Emily while I’m gone?’
Verity’s eyes widened and filled with tears. ‘You’re going away?’
Rachel saw the fear in her eyes. Was one more person going to leave her? ‘Only for a few days. I’ll be back before you know it.’ She hugged Verity. ‘And we’ll get you enrolled in Pelican Pals tomorrow, before I go.’
‘Okay. I’m going to play with Molly now.’ Verity got up and raced over to join Molly, skipping over the incoming waves.
Rachel watched the pair. She hated to see Verity crying again, to feel responsible for her tears, but she’d enjoy spending more time with the twins, and Emily looked up to her. And Molly would be happy with Luke and Nelson. She only had to worry about herself… and her annoying tendency to overthink things, especially her relationship with Luke. She’d leave it for tonight, she decided, but perhaps see him again tomorrow, one last evening together before she left.