Chapter Ten
‘Great work, ladies and gentlemen,’ Gloria called as Robbie played the final chord at the piano. ‘A wonderful run-through of the songs we’ve learned so far. Let’s take a five-minute break and we’ll start on the remaining two.’
Piper sank into her seat, closing her folder and setting it in her lap before reaching for her drink bottle.
She didn’t know why Gloria insisted they stand while they ran through the fifty million songs they’d already learned and spent every practice perfecting.
Fifty million may be an exaggeration but her leg muscles were protesting very loudly.
She’d already spent too much time on her feet today.
‘You’re quiet tonight,’ Maddie said as Piper took a long drink.
‘Quiet? I’m singing louder than you.’
‘Not what I meant. You look preoccupied.’
For a new friend, Maddie was annoyingly perceptive. But she was a friend, a good one. And after everything Piper had been through lately, she wanted to share with her. ‘If I tell you what happened earlier, you have to promise to keep it to yourself and not even tell Emmett that you know.’
Excitement widened her eyes. ‘About time you two did the deed! The sexual chemistry between you is off the Richter scale. He searches for you with puppy dog eyes every time he comes through the ED doors and then lights up like a New Year’s Eve fireworks display when you’re there.’
‘He does not,’ Piper argued, ignoring her own fireworks going off in her chest at just the idea. ‘Because otherwise he would’ve kissed me this morning when he wiped the icing off my face.’
Maddie’s jaw dropped. ‘Tell me everything and start from the beginning.’
Piper glowed with satisfaction at her ability to shock her friend. It hadn’t happened yet in their friendship.
‘We were just talking. He was decorating his gingerbread house—’
‘Is that code for something? Decorating his gingerbread house? Sounds kinda dirty.’
Piper laughed. ‘No, he was literally decorating his gingerbread house for the bonanza contest.’
‘I’m a little disappointed.’ Maddie folded her arms and leaned back in the chair.
‘Anyway,’ Piper continued. ‘I sat next to him to watch while I drank my coffee and we were talking, laughing, then it got a bit serious before we went back to laughing—’
‘Serious how? Seriously sexy?’
Piper rolled her eyes. ‘Serious as in talking about memories of his mum, who passed away.’
‘Ooh, gotcha. Back to the story.’
‘He splattered icing across my face accidentally and—’
‘Did he lick it off?’
Piper stared at her friend, a smile cracking the face she was trying to keep serious. ‘If you stopped interrupting me, I would tell you!’
‘Sorry!’ Maddie looked anything but apologetic.
‘There was no licking, but he put his hands on either side of my face, just like in the movies, and wiped it off with his thumbs.’ A smile rose on her lips at the memory of his big hands cradling her face with such gentleness that she never wanted him to let go.
The little girl in her who’d followed him around, written his name in her notebook and wondered what it would feel like to hold his hand or be hugged by him, was in her absolute element.
‘I thought he was going to kiss me. His face was so close to mine, and he was like that even after he’d gotten the icing off. ’
‘And you wanted him to?’
‘Yes.’ Piper’s voice was a whisper, as if admitting it aloud would mean she’d be struck down.
‘I really like him. I’ve had a crush on him since we were kids, but seeing him caring for patients, responding to emergencies, being gentle and strong all in the same moment, it’s more than a crush.
I think I’ve caught real feelings for him.
I love the banter we have in the kitchen, sharing space with him, laughing.
I really did want him to kiss me so I would know that I wasn’t in this alone.
But then his dog Major literally barged between us as he leapt for the gingerbread house—legit, not code—and the spell or whatever it was was as broken as that house was. ’
‘Noooo!’ Maddie groaned. ‘I knew he had a thing for you. I don’t know how you two hot young things can be living under the same roof for as long as you have and not be rumbling in the sheets. It’s unnatural.’
‘Maybe he thinks it’d be too weird since we grew up together and he’s my brother’s best friend.
’ She screwed her nose up. ‘That’s got to be it, because after he cleaned up the mess the house made and rescued Major from the chairs he was stuck in, he changed.
He was grumpy towards the dog and when I asked if we would talk about, you know, what happened, he just got grumpier and headed out the door like he didn’t know what I was talking about. It can’t have been in my head.’
‘Definitely not! If a man holds your face to get something off instead of telling you to go look in a mirror or using a single finger for a quick swipe, he wants to touch you. And if he’s not pulling away as soon as it’s gone, he wants to kiss you.’
Uncertainty dropped like a pit in Piper’s stomach. ‘I hope so.’
‘If you’re worried about him thinking of you as a kid sister then you need to make him see you in a new light. As the woman you are.’ Maddie clasped her hand, a mischievous gleam in her eye. ‘I have an idea—’
‘No,’ Piper cut her off, knowing exactly where Maddie was taking this.
‘I’m not lounging around in sexy pyjamas or hiding behind his door naked under a trench coat or anything that involves being someone more like you than me.
I’ve heard your stories, and there’s nothing wrong with that for you, but I could never pull anything like that off. ’
Maddie frowned. ‘You’re no fun.’
Gloria moved to the front of the group and clapped her hands three times. ‘Break’s over. Let’s move back into formation and turn your folders to “O Holy Night” . ’
Piper took another quick mouthful of water before she scurried back into line between Maddie and Anita. She flipped through the music before coming to the right song and blanched a little at the word in capital letters preceding the lyrics: SOLO.
‘Altos,’ Gloria called to their trio. ‘I need someone to nominate for a solo here. It’s for the first verse and chorus. Quick, before I choose.’
Piper glanced at Anita.
‘Don’t look at me. I’m good in a group but would keel over by myself,’ Anita said.
‘Piper will do it,’ Maddie called out.
Piper’s head whipped around to her supposed friend. ‘Why me?’
‘Because you have the best voice out of the three of us.’
The nods around her were startling.
Maddie tilted her head towards Piper and dropped her voice. ‘And this could be your chance to show Emmett the woman you’ve become.’
She should’ve gone with the sexy pyjamas.
‘Wonderful,’ Gloria said, beckoning Piper forward.
‘Just like Frank did with “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”, you’ll come out to the microphone on a stand in the middle of the stage and stay there for the entirety of the song.
We’ll hear your bit first before moving into learning parts. I assume you know the melody.’
Piper moved into position. ‘I know the song.’
‘Perfect. Just let Robbie know when you’re ready.’
She cast an uncertain look back at Maddie, who gave her a double thumbs up.
The folder shook slightly in her trembling grip.
If she didn’t pull this off, not only would she embarrass herself in front of every member of the town she wanted to call home, but Emmett would only pity her.
She’d had enough of that emotion from that man.
She looked at Robbie, who gave her a confident nod before laying his fingers on the keys and playing the introduction.
Here goes nothing.
Emmett tipped his head back against the top of the couch as the television threw colours at him in the shape of a Twenty20 cricket match.
He didn’t really like cricket, preferred watching the footy or basketball—even netball wasn’t too bad—but when the players smashed the ball into the crowd as if it were effortless, it held his attention.
Major cut across the living room from his post at the front window to jump up on the couch and rest his head on Emmett’s leg.
Since Piper had moved in, Emmett had often found the animal waiting by the window for her to come home.
There was something very warming about it, to know his best friend loved her just as much as he did.
Emmett scratched Major behind his ears. ‘She won’t be home till after ten, mate. She’s on a late shift.’
They’d been avoiding each other. Ever since that near kiss last week, it was like they’d run out of things to say to each other.
Words just evaporated whenever they were in the same room, but that didn’t stop him from watching her every moment he got.
Not in a creepy stalkerish way, he hoped.
He was drawn to her, and wanted to make sure that she was okay.
And damn, if she hadn’t been okay every time he’d caught sight of her.
She was constantly wearing that smile and her laughter bubbled out more easily.
She carried herself with a lightness that made it seem like she would break out into a dance.
She may not be talking to him, but her voice still filled his house when she sang in the shower and hummed in his kitchen.
He wanted so badly to tell her that he’d wanted to kiss her, but every time the words came to the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back down with all the usual excuses.
He wished Tobias was around for a drink and chat at the pub.
Why’d he have to befriend the guy who took off at Christmas every year?
Emmett’s ringtone cut through the commentator’s excitement over another six by a young Queensland player and he muted the television before picking up his phone from the coffee table. Carter’s name flashed on the screen. Thoughts of kissing Piper fled his mind.
‘Hey, Carter,’ he said. ‘How’s it going?’
‘It’s not bad,’ Carter replied. ‘I was chatting with Piper this morning—’
Oh, damn. Would she tell Carter about the almost kiss? Or how he was a bastard afterwards?
‘—and she was the happiest she’s sounded in … well, to be honest, years. She said the hospital crew were great, she was making friends, living in your spare room with low rent, you’d made her join a choir and finally put the drama with Heath behind her.’
‘I didn’t make her join a choir.’
Carter laughed. ‘She told me all about the lists and the debacles of the gingerbread house decorating. But that’s the point, Emmett.
She told me. We haven’t spoken to each other for longer than ten minutes since she graduated uni.
She’d always phone me back between shifts or on her way to things, and even when we were in person it was hard to get her to really open up.
She was always so guarded. But this morning I had her full attention for over an hour, and she just sounded so genuinely happy.
I never realised how much being with Heath and working in the city was like a black cloud hanging over her.
If I’d known you keeping an eye out for her would make such a difference, I’d have bought her a Kombi and encouraged her to run away months ago. ’
‘I’d like to take all the credit, but I really can’t,’ Emmett said, running a hand across his jaw.
‘It’s Rush Creek. This town has a magical hold on everyone who comes here.
The people are amazing and the atmosphere is next level.
She’s made some really good friends and I’m happy to have her here.
Much safer than camping out in her Kombi in the free grounds that didn’t even have a proper toilet. ’
‘I’ll say. You’ve been such a good mate, Emmett. I feel bad that we haven’t seen each other since your mum’s funeral. I know she meant a lot to you. I wish I’d been a better friend.’
Emmett sat forward. ‘Don’t do that. You checked in over the phone and reminded me that I wasn’t alone. That was what I needed until I could get my head on straight.’ He didn’t want to be reminded of their friendship right now. Not when he was still thinking of kissing his friend’s sister.
‘Fair enough. I guess I really just wanted to call and say thanks for everything you’re doing for Piper.’
‘You don’t have to thank me,’ he mumbled. Really, please don’t thank me.
Carter’s chuckle came down the line. ‘I’ll let you go. I’m just pulling up at the Westfield to find something for Indy for Christmas before I head back out to Euronga.’
‘Way to leave it to the last minute. Christmas is less than a week away.’
‘Took this long to think of the perfect gift.’
Emmett smiled and they said their goodbyes, but he couldn’t sit back on the couch.
Christmas. He’d been so wrapped up in the gingerbread house saga that he hadn’t done anything about his promise to himself to give Piper the best Christmas ever.
A fire burned in his belly as ideas popped into his head, a list of everything he would need to make it all happen writing itself.
It was Thursday. He checked the clock. Nothing would be open in Rush Creek or in the neighbouring towns, but he had enough time to get into Townsville before the shops shut at nine.
And a long drive to think of the ultimate present for Piper.