Chapter Twenty-One
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Beth tossed her bag over her shoulder, rounded the house and found Noah right where she’d expected—halfway up a ladder as he installed cladding with Zack, the young kid he’d recruited to help out on the weekends, mostly as a favour to Zack’s dad, who was at his wit’s end with his son’s rebellious nature, but also because he needed the extra pair of hands occasionally.
‘Hey!’ Noah grinned when he saw her, then said to Zack, ‘I think you’ve earned yourself a break, mate.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Zack scoffed as he jumped down from his own ladder. ‘More like you wanna break so you can make out with your girlfriend.’
Stepping off his ladder, Noah didn’t even bother glancing at Zack when he said, ‘Doesn’t bother me if you want to stay and watch.’
Zack mumbled something under his breath but didn’t waste time in disappearing around the side of the house.
‘He seems like hard work,’ Beth said, making a face.
‘Who, him? Nah, he’s all bark and no bite.’ Noah winked at her, and when he pulled her into his arms, a frisson of something delicious fizzled in her core. She was still reeling at the way their relationship had evolved over the past few weeks, but this would never grow old. She snuggled closer.
‘What are you doing here? I thought you were working at the cafe today.’
‘There was a mistake with the roster,’ she murmured, utterly content. ‘Turns out Marge doesn’t need me.’
‘So you thought you’d come say hi?’ Noah kissed the top of her head. ‘Kinda wish I didn’t have to supervise the kid. We could’ve done something special.’
‘Like?’
‘Maybe a swim in the river? Or I could’ve taken you to my favourite spot.’
‘Which is where?’
‘You’ll have to wait to find out.’ He gave her a quick kiss and grinned. ‘I’ll surprise you another day.’
She beamed and seriously considered pinching herself. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be her life now.
Technically, it wasn’t. She still hadn’t made a decision one way or the other about where she’d be living come winter. And although she was finding it increasingly difficult to imagine heading back to Townsville, she wasn’t prepared to turn her back on her dream entirely.
‘So, what are your plans for today, then?’ Noah asked as they headed for the front yard. ‘You hanging out with Ellie?’
‘Um … no. She’s busy.’
It wasn’t a lie, exactly. Ellie did have a house full of guests at the moment, so she was definitely busy, but that wasn’t why Beth was avoiding her.
She just wasn’t ready to tell her about Noah yet.
Because, knowing Ellie, she’d be immensely excited, and Beth wasn’t certain she could handle the pressure of keeping her best friend happy when she still had to make such an important decision about her future.
‘Still haven’t told her, huh?’
Beth mashed her lips together, not wanting to admit the truth.
Noah gave her a look that was half-sympathy, half-pity. ‘This is a small town, Beth. She’s going to find out sooner or later.’
‘I know. And I’ll tell her eventually, I promise. Just not today.’ She held up her bag, a tote containing a sketch pad and art pencils. ‘I’ve been promising Hana and Flo that I’ll give the craft group a shot. I really should go while I’ve got the chance.’
She frowned and glanced across the road, still not convinced that she’d warm to Elsie or enjoy being part of the group, but a promise was a promise.
‘Hey.’ Noah waited until she was looking at him. ‘You’ve got this,’ he said, proving how well he knew her, then he leaned down and kissed her. Right on the mouth.
She baulked, knowing the view Flo had from her lounge room window, but Noah didn’t seem to notice.
‘I’m proud of you,’ he told her and gave her one last peck. ‘When you’re done, pop over and let me know how it went.’
He headed back to the house and still Beth stood rooted to the spot, gobsmacked by the impact of those four little words. I’m proud of you. Had anyone ever told her that before? She honestly couldn’t recall a single instance.
And, sure, all she was doing was spending the afternoon with her elderly neighbour, her art teacher and their friends, but Noah knew how far outside her comfort zone this took her.
His positive affirmation made her feel as if it was okay to be herself, like it didn’t matter that she found the simplest of interactions difficult, but especially, that she shouldn’t judge herself according to others’ capabilities.
His support gave her courage and made her feel as if she could do it, so with her heart full and her head brimming with self-belief, she smiled and headed for Flo’s.
As she passed by the front window, Beth heard giggling and scuffling movements, as if those inside were frantically scrambling to find their seats.
Unsurprisingly, when she entered the lounge room, the group was the picture of innocence.
She narrowed her gaze at them—she knew what these crafters were about.
Trevor glanced up from his sewing machine. ‘Well, hello there, stranger!’
‘Oh, hi, Beth. Didn’t see you there.’ Elsie blinked up at her over the tiny—Was that a penis she was crocheting? That was … well, hilarious!
‘She’s only just arrived, Else,’ Carmen whisper-shouted, then beckoned Beth into the room and patted the empty space beside her. ‘Come in, honey. There’s room between Hana and me.’
Hana shifted their easel to the right, then got up and thread their arm through Beth’s, offering support and a friendly smile.
Beth gave a nervous wave. ‘Hi, everyone. Thanks for having me.’
‘We’re glad to have you here, sweetheart,’ Flo said as Beth and Hana took their seats. ‘So, what’s everyone working on today?’
Trevor, then Carmen, shared their projects with the group.
Hana held up an iPad with the image they hoped to recreate in watercolour, and Elsie explained that she was crocheting twenty tiny penises to turn into ten pairs of earrings to give to the guests at her daughter’s upcoming hen’s night.
Her cheeky expression was so animated as she held a pair up to her lobes that Beth couldn’t help laughing.
She was starting to appreciate Elsie’s ability to make people smile.
‘There must be something in the water here that inspires crazy craft projects,’ Beth said. ‘The day I first drove into town, I saw a bike that was completely covered in crochet.’
‘Oh yes,’ Carmen interjected. ‘That was our Elsie, too. She entered it into the South West Art Show a few years ago and it came second!’
‘Hmph. Would’ve won if you lot had let me give it the name I wanted.’
‘Which was what?’ Beth asked.
‘“The Wheely Talented Hooker”.’ Elsie winked. ‘Instead, Trevor named it “Spinning a Good Yarn”.’ She blew a raspberry and gave Trevor a thumbs-down.
‘Which was much more family friendly,’ Trevor said without glancing up from his needlework. ‘So, what are you working on, Flo?’
‘Well, I’ve started a new project.’ Flo held up the square she’d crocheted, featuring a central sunflower surrounded by cream-coloured wool. ‘A blanket for my niece, so that no matter where she ends up living, she’ll always have sunshine and happiness in her life.’
‘Olive’s daughter, Teresa?’ Elsie questioned. ‘I thought she was very firmly settled in Melbourne.’
‘She is, but this is for my great niece,’ Flo explained. ‘Such a sweet girl.’
Everyone else blithely accepted her answer, but Flo shot Beth a wink, and that’s when it struck her—she was the intended recipient of the happy, sunshiny sunflower blanket.
Overcome with emotion, she struggled to get any words out when it was her turn to speak. ‘Um, I’ve been getting drawing lessons from Hana, and I was thinking that … well, I might try to sketch you, Flo.’
‘Oh, darling, I’m honoured! And sketching is a beautiful form of—’
‘Gah!’ Elsie dumped the tiny penis she was working on in her lap. ‘Enough of this chit-chat. I can’t stand not knowing!’
‘Elsie!’
Ignoring Flo’s warning, Elsie trained her eyes on Beth. ‘So, is he a good kisser?’
‘Don’t answer, Beth.’ Flo side-eyed Elsie. ‘Some people just aren’t very well versed in minding their own business.’
Carmen sighed dreamily. ‘They did look cute together, though.’
Flo rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.
Trevor said, ‘Maybe we let Beth decide what she wants to tell us.’
And yet everyone leaned forward in their seats, eager for any tidbit she was willing to offer.
Beth blinked. She loathed being the centre of attention, but oddly enough, she didn’t mind at all that the crafters were interested in her blossoming relationship with Noah and, given that she’d been hiding her joy from Ellie for weeks, she had the sudden urge to share her happiness.
‘He is a good kisser,’ she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat.
Elsie flopped back in her chair, a satisfied look on her face. ‘I knew it!’
‘Well done, girl!’ Trevor winked at her. ‘He’s adorable.’
Hana flashed an encouraging smile and gave Beth’s knee a congratulatory squeeze.
Carmen prodded Beth with her elbow. ‘So, are the two of you an item, then?’
‘Um, well, I wouldn’t say it’s official or anything. We’re just … enjoying each other’s company.’
Elsie guffawed. ‘I bet you are.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Flo scolded.
Everyone fell silent—but only for a moment.
Aiming for subtlety, Carmen turned her head and spoke into her shoulder. ‘Would you like to be an item?’
Elsie snorted, but Flo looked ready to blow a gasket.
‘It’s okay, Flo. I don’t mind.’ And she really didn’t.
Volunteering information about herself had never—and probably would never—come naturally to her.
Her friendship with Ellie, though, had taught her that sometimes she needed to be poked and prodded until the truth fell from her lips.
It was the only way she’d open up. Besides, she’d been finding that being prompted to share her thoughts gave her the impetus she needed to consider how she truly felt, and figuring out how she felt about Noah might just help her with the rather large decision that was weighing on her.
‘I think I would,’ she said in answer to Carmen’s question. ‘I mean, he’s so considerate. And he understands me in a way no one ever has before. It’s weird.’
‘Why is that weird?’ Flo asked, gently.
Beth set about extracting her sketch pad and pencils from her tote bag, giving herself time to process her thoughts.
‘Well, before I came here,’ she said, ‘no one ever concerned themselves with getting to know me. I mean, I don’t open up easily, and I guess most people aren’t prepared to put in the work on my behalf, you know?’
Beside her, Hana nodded like they understood, then began scribbling in their notepad. The others waited patiently, working on their projects while Hana wrote their thoughts down. When they were done, they handed the notepad to Beth.
Read aloud, was written at the top of the page.
Beth glanced up at Hana, who nodded, urging Beth to read her words to the whole group.
‘“We’re so similar”,’ Beth read, ‘“It’s like I speak a different language to everyone around me and most people, present company excluded, expect me to assimilate. They never try to communicate with me on my terms. You might have a voice, Beth, but it sounds as if you experience the world in the same way.”’
Beth’s eyes filled rapidly with tears. She’d never thought about her communication struggles in this way, but Hana’s description of their own experiences definitely applied.
Hana grabbed Beth’s hand, the tightness of their grip letting Beth know that they understood her perfectly.
Carmen, too, reached out and rubbed Beth’s shoulder.
Flo passed over a box of tissues and the others watched in silence, their craft projects lying untouched in their laps.
‘You’re right,’ Beth told Hana. ‘That’s exactly what it feels like sometimes. But it’s been different with Noah. He’s patient and kind, and he’s taken the time to … learn my language, I guess. I honestly feel like I can be myself with him.’
And I don’t think I can give him up.
The thought came so suddenly it shocked her.
Bloody hell. Had she fallen for him? Was she in love with Noah?
Her mind reeled as the conversation moved on, making it impossible to concentrate, and with nervous energy building inside her, she jumped to her feet, asked if anyone wanted a cuppa, then escaped to the kitchen for a moment alone.
She stood at the sink, eyes closed and fingers touching her lips.
The moment had come to make a decision. She felt it deep in her bones.
And although she couldn’t be certain that she had fallen in love with Noah, she did know that the thought of an entire continent separating them filled her with dread.
Then there was Ellie and Hana—could she live without them?
Or Flo? Her surrogate aunt had come to mean the world to her.
And Celia and Mick, Marge and Tom—these people weren’t just friends, they were family.
And nothing, not even the cute little cottage she’d once called home, was more important than family.
Oh, god. Had she just made a decision? Was she really prepared to risk heartbreak and loss for a chance to belong?
Her hands trembled as she set about making six cups of tea, and by the time she delivered them, she knew—she’d made her decision.