Chapter Four #2
‘He’s joking, of course,’ Ellie said with a roll of her eyes. ‘The whole town knows he’s the golden child of the Brennan family.’
‘Yeah, right. Look who’s talking.’ He flicked Ellie’s blonde ponytail then flashed her a grin. ‘Mum says hi.’
Ellie huffed, clearly fighting a grin of her own, then directed him to a few shards he’d missed.
After dumping the ruined glass in the bin, Noah turned to Beth and extended a hand. ‘Beth, is it?’
Tentatively, she put her hand in his, willing him not to notice hers shaking, and gave a barely perceptible nod.
His fingers, warm and work roughened, closed around hers. ‘In case you didn’t catch it, you know, the moment Ellie here screamed it at the top of her lungs and frightened you, causing you to drop the glass—’ he winked at Beth like they were co-conspirators, ‘—my name is Noah.’
Beth still hadn’t found her voice. Her mind had gone blank and fear kept her mute. She simply couldn’t compete with these two. Their confidence was blinding, their affability endearing. If she opened her mouth, she’d sound like a blithering idiot.
‘I am sorry,’ Noah told her, his sheepish smile making his eyes dance. ‘About teasing you earlier. It’s just that I was caught off guard. It’s not every day I find a guest back here. Especially one with such pretty green eyes.’
Oh, god. She really was going to combust—if her cheeks got any hotter, they’d be on fire.
She snatched her hand from his, her panic rising.
‘Hush, you dork.’ Ellie, apparently oblivious to Beth’s internal struggles, swatted her cousin’s shoulder. ‘Don’t listen to him, Beth. You’re welcome to treat this house as your own and can go wherever you like, okay?’
Ellie and Noah gazed at her expectantly, their amusement evident in the faint curve of their lips as they waited for her to speak. Beth felt their anticipation like a rock tied around her waist.
Say something. Anything.
Except they were clearly thinking she was about to say something humorous, no doubt so they could all have a good laugh before they each carried on with their day.
But Beth wasn’t in the habit of uttering witty one-liners.
Or having the undivided attention of two people who appeared so perfectly composed.
‘I-I … ah … I’m sorry. I need to be somewhere.’
Squeezing her way between them, she fled the kitchen, her emotions simmering just below the surface. Needing to be alone when they boiled over, she headed for the stairs and the safety of her room.
‘Beth! Hey!’
She stopped halfway, tightened her grip on the banister and reluctantly made eye contact with Noah. He stared up at her, his face a portrait of concern, a sense of urgency in the way he held himself.
‘Listen, let me apologise. If we said or did anything back there to upset or offend you, we’re sorry. Genuinely.’ He put a hand on his chest, right over his heart, which very nearly destroyed her. He swept his gaze over her face as if he were searching for some sign, any sign, that she was okay.
She pasted on a smile and waved a hand, hoping to dismiss his concern. ‘No, I’m fine. I just … There’s something I need to do, that’s all.’ It was a miracle her voice remained steady.
Noah squinted up at her, a finger tapping at his thigh. ‘Why don’t I believe you?’
She lifted a shoulder, praying she’d hold it together long enough to find privacy. ‘Can’t say.’
He hesitated, his finger drumming a moment longer before it stilled. ‘Then will you let me buy you a drink while you’re in town?’
Digging her nails into the palm of her hand, she glanced towards the top of the stairs.
So close. No doubt her performance in the kitchen had led him to think the same as Ian, that she was too uptight and needed loosening up.
Either that or he believed her to be a lost cause and was offering her a pity invitation.
Or, by some miracle, he was interested and—
No. That was simply too far-fetched.
And no matter Noah’s motivation, she couldn’t accept anyway. To do so would be to subject herself to more of this humiliation, this anxiety-inducing embarrassment that only made her hate herself.
‘Thanks for the offer,’ she told him, ‘but I’m going to be pretty busy.’
Once in the privacy of her room, she clapped a hand to her mouth and let her tears fall. She cried as the shadows tracked across the floor and, time and again, wished she were braver. Wished she could’ve said yes. But she wasn’t and she didn’t.
Eventually, succumbing to exhaustion, she lay her head down and drifted off to sleep, drowning in her own inadequacy and an abundance of shame.
* * *
Dumping yet another filthy, wet rag in the kitchen sink, Beth shoved her hands on her hips and glanced around the tiny dining and kitchen area. It was far from homely, but at least it was free of dust and rat droppings. Much easier to see what she was working with now.
She’d spent the last five hours clearing the cornices of cobwebs and the floor of debris.
She’d wiped down every surface and even rolled up the mouldy old carpets in the front rooms, though now she was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them.
Should she hire a skip bin? Or figure out how to transport them to the local tip?
She didn’t even know if the town had a tip.
Maybe she should’ve formulated a plan before ripping them up.
Just as she was contemplating whether she’d acted too rashly, her stomach growled.
Loudly. And it dawned on her that she hadn’t eaten a single thing all day.
After waking at the crack of dawn and dreading Ellie’s derision—or worse, her pity—after her behaviour the previous day, she’d stolen out of the B&B during the breakfast service, seizing the opportunity to make herself scarce while her animated host was occupied with other guests.
It would be wonderful if they could avoid crossing paths for the rest of Beth’s stay.
Or better yet, for the rest of the time she was in Karlup.
After giving her hands and face a good scrub, Beth grabbed her keys and drove into town.
She parked opposite the quaint little cafe situated by the old wooden bridge she’d crossed just a few days ago.
Bold letters on the shop’s facade proclaimed it to be the Boomerang Cafe, and underneath, in a jaunty cursive font, was the slogan: Our diners always come back.
The clever marketing had her smiling as she pushed through the door, causing a bell to tinkle overhead.
‘Kaya! Hello!’ The woman behind the counter, a bit older than middle-aged, greeted her with a friendly smile. ‘Dine in or take away, love?’
Beth was tempted to grab something to take away but could see the place wasn’t busy. Spotting an outdoor dining area through the rear windows cemented her decision.
‘I’ll dine in, thanks.’
‘No problem. Go ahead and choose a seat, and I’ll be right with you.’
Beth thanked the woman and headed for the back door of the cafe, stepped through and—
Oh, wow.
Standing on a wooden deck that overlooked a steep decline, she took in the countless trees, straight as soldiers and creating a natural privacy screen, their leaves rustling lightly in the breeze.
Spring sunshine filtered through the leafy canopy, bathing everything in dappled light and reminding her of her beloved cottage back home.
She chose a table in the sun and sank into a chair to soak up the warmth of the day—the chill each morning didn’t seem to last long—while, somewhere below, beyond the trees, a river gurgled cheerfully.
She closed her eyes and inhaled, breathing in the earthy scent of tree sap and eucalyptus as nature’s song—the chirping of birds and cicadas—settled over her and lulled her into a trance.
This spot, right here, was complete and utter tranquillity.
‘Enjoying the sunshine?’
Startled and embarrassed, Beth sat up, ramrod straight, mortified at having been caught in such a moment of vulnerability.
The woman who’d greeted her stood by the table, having delivered a bottle of water.
‘Oh, uh, yes, I am,’ Beth answered. ‘And the sounds of the river and trees, too. The atmosphere, it’s very peaceful out here.’
‘Peaceful, you say?’ The woman regarded Beth carefully, her dark brown eyes twinkling behind a pair of round glasses. ‘You draw strength from the world around you, that much is clear. I can tell, I have a connection to Boodja.’
Beth stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what that is.’
‘In my people’s language, Boodja means country—the land, the sea, waterways. Nature speaks to you and you listen.’
It was true, she did love nature and observing the tiny details—details that made her feel insignificant in the scheme of things but so infinitely blessed. She’d never really thought about that before. Didn’t everyone interact with nature that way?
Strangely, it was as if, in speaking those words, the woman had taken Beth by the hand and said, ‘This is who you are.’ With one simple sentence, she’d made Beth feel seen and understood.
‘I’m Marge, by the way.’ The woman placed a menu in front of Beth.
‘Thank you.’ Remember to smile. ‘I’m Beth.’
‘It’s lovely to meet you, Beth. I’ll give you a minute to decide what you want, then I’ll come back and take your order.’
Beth nodded, though focusing on the menu options wasn’t easy, distracted as she was by the view and what Marge had said to her. She managed, in the end, and Marge returned a few minutes later.
‘How’d you go?’
Beth glanced down at the menu. ‘I’ll have a toasted panini and an iced tea, please.’
‘No problem.’ Marge jotted the items down on her order pad. ‘So, you like it out here, huh?’
Beth’s smile this time came unbidden. ‘I really do. It soothes the soul.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Some people—’ Marge nodded over her shoulder at the diners eating inside, ‘—are put off by the sounds of nature.’
‘Really? But it’s all so relaxing! I mean, I could actually fall asleep out here. You’ll probably find me snoring when you bring out my order.’
‘Fantastic!’ Marge chuckled. ‘Relaxed customers always come back, so it’s good to know that building this deck was money well spent.’
When Marge left to place the order, Beth once more soaked up the sun and absorbed the sounds of the flowing river and the wind in the trees. What was it Marge had said about her? That nature speaks and she listens? What was it telling her now?
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her stillness taking her to that place of tranquillity she’d found earlier.
As her other senses heightened, she listened with her whole body, and before long, she couldn’t tell where she ended and the world around her began.
Warmth seeped into her skin and peace filled her heart and mind.
She felt a connectedness, a profound sense of rightness, one she’d never experienced before.
And when she opened her eyes, she felt her ever-present anxiety had melted away and she could just be.
‘Not snoring, then?’ Marge said when she returned.
‘No, I …’ Beth bit back a grin. ‘I was too busy listening.’ She gestured out at the trees and the river beyond. ‘It’s amazing what you can hear when you pay attention.’
Marge laughed—a happy, joyous sound, warm and tinkling—as she placed Beth’s meal in front of her. ‘That’s what I love to hear.’ She winked as she stepped back and put her hands on her hips. ‘So, tell me, Beth, what brings you to town? Are you on holiday or just passing through?’
‘Um, neither, actually.’ Not normally one to elaborate, she surprised herself when she added, ‘I’ll be in town for a while, at least until the new year. I’m fixing up an old house.’
‘Ooh, that sounds like fun.’
Beth shook her head. ‘Not when you don’t know what you’re doing. But I’ll get there, eventually.’
‘Well, I’m glad to hear you’ll be sticking around for a bit. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.’
‘Thanks. That’s kind of you.’
‘Well, I’ll stop badgering you now so you can eat.’
But as Marge turned for the door, Beth was struck with an idea.
‘Actually,’ she called, causing Marge to turn back.
But Beth wasn’t used to speaking up and stumbled on her words.
‘I, uh … I’ll be looking for some part-time work while I’m in town.
If you hear of anything, I’d be grateful if you could pass on the details. To me, I mean.’
Marge barked out a laugh. ‘You’re kidding! I just pinned up a “help wanted” notice in the front window, right after you came in.’
What were the odds?
‘Our first grandbaby is due next month,’ Marge explained, ‘and I plan on taking some time off to play granny, so I’ll need an extra pair of hands around here.
It must’ve been fate that brought you here today.
’ She tipped her head to the side, giving Beth an assessing glance. ‘How do you feel about waiting tables?’
The truth was, not great. She’d had enough of crabby customers to last her a lifetime and there was nothing worse than going home at the end of every shift smelling like the deep fryer. But beggars couldn’t be choosers and it was only temporary. Plus, she was sure Marge would make a fantastic boss.
‘Wonderful!’ Beth grinned, excited by the prospect of ticking a very important item off her to-do list. ‘I’ve got years of hospitality experience. I could get you some references if you like.’
‘Nah, that’s not the way I do things here. I prefer to judge people on the work they do for me, not for someone else. How about you come in for a shift next week and we’ll see how you go?’
‘That would be great! Thank you so much.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ Marge smiled. ‘Now, I’m going inside. You eat up before you fade away.’
Beth chuckled in disbelief when she was alone again. A job landing in her lap, just like that? If she were braver and more confident, she’d do a happy dance in her chair. Instead, she picked up her panini and took a bite, projecting her happiness out towards the trees.
With any luck, the rest of her stay in Karlup would run just as smoothly.