Chapter 30
THEN
Early August
I stared at the TV, watching the flashing images but barely aware of what was happening. My thoughts were elsewhere.
Checking my watch again, I sighed.
It was already 9.20 p.m. His dinner would be ruined by now. I cast a glance at the kitchen door. Maybe I should take it out of the oven. I’d left it in there to keep warm, but at this point it was probably just dried out.
My fingers drummed against my phone lying silently beside me on the sofa. Should I text him again? I picked it up and opened WhatsApp. My last message to him was still unread.
I sighed again and dropped the phone back on the sofa. There was no point chasing after him. He clearly wasn’t paying attention. Not to me.
There was a familiarity to it. The early mornings. The late nights. The cancelled plans. We’d been here before. And I knew where it had led.
The sound of the key turning in the lock made me sit up instantly.
‘Hey,’ Ryan called as he pushed the door open.
‘You’re home!’ I leapt up to greet him, throwing my arms around his neck as I reached him.
But Ryan caught hold of them, and stepped back out of my reach. ‘I smell like horses,’ he said apologetically.
‘I don’t care,’ I replied with a shrug, and stepped towards him again.
‘Let me take a shower first,’ he insisted, sidestepping around me.
I tried to swallow my disappointment. ‘Of course.’
‘What are you watching?’ he asked, jerking his head towards the TV.
‘Erm…’ I turned and looked back at the screen. ‘Nothing really,’ I replied vaguely as I realised I didn’t even know. ‘Your dinner is in the oven,’ I told him, shifting the conversation. I might have been sitting here alone all evening waiting for him to come home, but he didn’t need to know that.
‘Oh.’ He grimaced.
‘You already ate?’ I asked, sensing his reluctance.
He nodded, crossing the room towards the kitchen. ‘Mum insisted.’
I waited for the apology. The sorry I didn’t message you. Didn’t call you.
Nothing.
He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Coke.
‘Was Charlotte there?’ I wasn’t sure why I asked. Did I really want to know the answer?
Ryan popped the bottle open. ‘Yeah.’
I stared at him as he took a swig, trying to read his tone, his expression. Something. ‘She’s still close to everyone then?’
He set the bottle down on the table with slightly more force than necessary.
‘She’s been there through everything. Dad’s heart attack. Keeping the stables going. Supporting Mum.’
I bristled. I’d been there too. At least, I’d tried to be.
‘I’m going to take a shower,’ he said, slipping out of the room.
I glanced at the oven, his dinner still inside. He hadn’t even looked at it.
Two Years Ago – Mid July
‘It’s really good to have you home, Dad,’ Ryan said, placing his hand on his father’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
‘Not as good as it is to be home, I can tell you,’ Martin said with a light chuckle.
I smiled. The atmosphere in the kitchen had lifted since Martin’s arrival a few hours earlier. Maybe things would be better now he was back.
I glanced at Denise. Maybe she would be less stressed. More hospitable.
‘Well, you still need to take it easy for a few weeks,’ Denise said. ‘That means no work. And no riding.’
Martin nodded. ‘Don’t worry, I have no intention of overdoing things. I plan to stay well away from that hospital. No return visits for me, thank you.’
‘Well, you don’t need to worry about the stables, Dad. Charlotte and I have everything covered,’ Ryan said.
Charlotte and I.
The words stung. I didn’t mind that he’d overlooked my contributions. But what had Charlotte done to deserve special recognition?
‘I really appreciate you stepping in and taking care of everything, son,’ Martin said as Ryan slipped into his seat beside me. ‘And you, too, Kirsty,’ he added, his gaze shifting to me. ‘Ryan tells me you’ve really been helping him out, handling all the admin.’
My smile broadened. ‘I’m happy to help.’ I took a deep breath and relaxed against the back of the chair. It was the first time since we’d arrived that anyone had actually been appreciative of my efforts in the stables office.
‘Though I hear you’ve been making some changes,’ Martin added.
A knot lodged in the pit of my stomach.
‘Nothing major,’ I assured him. ‘I’ve just set up some folders on the computer to help keep the files a bit more organised.’
‘Martin’s system was already organised,’ Denise said, as she handed Martin a plate. ‘His way.’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing irreversible,’ Martin said, giving me a wink. ‘Right, Kirsty?’
‘Well, no, but—’ I swallowed. He hadn’t even seen the office and he already wanted to undo my changes. Erase my presence.
I pushed that thought away quickly.
The door creaked behind me, and I pivoted in my chair.
‘Sorry, I’m late,’ Charlotte said, looking flustered.
I shot a glance at Ryan. He’d said this was a family dinner to welcome his dad home. What was she doing here?
My presence already felt questionable. But I was staying in the house; they couldn’t not invite me to dinner. Although Denise had probably been tempted. But Charlotte? She was just one of the yard workers – supposedly.
‘I had to deal with a call from the feed supplier,’ she said as she dropped into the chair opposite Ryan. ‘They were threatening to cancel tomorrow’s delivery.’
‘Why?’ Ryan asked, looking horrified.
‘They were furious that their last invoice still hasn’t been paid.’
Everyone’s heads turned to me.
‘I’ve paid all the invoices that were due,’ I said quickly.
‘Well, clearly not,’ Charlotte said. ‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t be calling to cancel, would they?’
‘I don’t have any invoices for them that are due,’ I insisted. I might not know anything about horses, but I knew how to make sure bills were paid on time.
‘Nonsense,’ Charlotte said, her voice rising. ‘I gave it to you myself.’
I shook my head. ‘You haven’t given me any invoices.’
She glared at me. ‘I most certainly did. I made sure to hand it to you personally and tell you it was urgent.’
‘That’s not—’
‘Huh.’ Martin cut through my objection. ‘I guess sometimes the old ways are the best.’
‘I swear Charlotte never gave me that invoice,’ I hissed as I followed Ryan up the stairs after dinner.
‘Why would she lie?’ Ryan asked as he reached the top and turned to face me.
‘To make me look bad,’ I said flatly. The answer was so obvious. At least to me.
‘Charlotte isn’t out to get you,’ he said tiredly. ‘And she’s too loyal to waste time playing games like that.’
Loyal. The word was like a slap. He thought Charlotte was loyal. Unlike me.
‘She cares about the stables. About my parents. This family.’
‘And you think I don’t?’
‘You push back against everything here.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘If it’s all too much for you—’
I blinked. ‘You want me to quit?’
‘We just can’t afford for you to be making mistakes like this.’
‘I didn’t make a mistake,’ I insisted again. ‘I know how tight things are financially.’
‘Financially?’ Ryan said, looking confused. ‘I was talking about the stables’ reputation. What are you talking about?’
I glanced back down the stairs and stepped closer to Ryan, lowering my voice. ‘Your dad took out a loan, a big one, and he’s behind with the repayments. Didn’t you know?’
Ryan shook his head. ‘That can’t be right.’
It was the first time all night he’d sounded uncertain.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, feeling bad that I was the one telling him this.
‘You’re probably just not seeing the whole picture,’ Ryan added.
‘But—’
‘The stables have been in Dad’s family for generations, they’re solid.’
‘I’m sure every business thinks that at some point—’
‘You only have access to some of the records. There’ll be more that you’re not aware of.’
‘Okay, but—’
‘I’d know if there was a problem,’ Ryan said with finality.