39. Lex
Chapter thirty-nine
As hard as it was to leave Caleb’s bed this morning, nothing could stop my smile as I drove past the town sign welcoming me home to Killara Bay.
The tavern is closed for Christmas Day, so I drive straight to Dylan’s place. The same place we grew up in. I drive all the way to the end of the driveway and pull up beside Dylan’s camo green Hilux.
I grab my suitcase and laptop bag from the backseat and hope Dylan remembered to unlock the back door for me.
No way do I want to haul my arse up the side of the hill to the front door.
As I slide the glass door open, the sound of soft rock floats down from the stairs.
I make my way up the first flight, dumping my stuff in the spare bedroom as I go, then I take the next flight to the main living area.
With a Santa hat on his head, Dylan nods along to the sound of AC/DC while he flips pancakes. I smile wide at the sight, my cheeks hurting with happiness as I bound over to my big brother.
“Merry Christmas!” I shout just in time for him to turn around and catch me as I launch into him.
He lifts me up in his strong arms, shaking me with the same affection I’ve always known .
“Hey, Guppy. Merry Christmas.” He smacks a kiss against my cheek before letting my feet touch the ground. “Did you hit much traffic?”
I shake my head. “No. I think most people must have left earlier or will leave later if they are going away. This time of day seemed a lot easier compared to when Claire and I normally hit the road.”
“How is the recently departed?”
“Departed?”
“Yeah, from single life. I can’t believe Claire has a boyfriend.”
“Sad you missed out?”
“Pfft. No way could I handle a woman like Claire.” He points his spatula at me. “And I’m man enough to admit it. She’s a whole lot of woman. More power to her fella.”
“Lee is really great. I think you’d like him.” I haven’t told my brother about Caleb and me, and I don’t plan to do it just yet. But I am curious to know his stance on relationships. “So, what is your type, if it’s not a woman like Claire?”
He shrugs. “Claire’s my type. Just not for settling down.”
“You’re not interested in settling down?”
“I’m not looking for it. I just mean Claire would be my type for a one-time thing. She’s not who I’d go for if I were looking to settle down.”
“Why is that? What’s wrong with Claire?”
“She’s a city girl. Likes excitement, likes to go out. I’d need a small-town girl who’s happy to live in the bay. Stick around the tavern. A slow and quiet life.”
Not a wanderer like our mum, who wasn’t fulfilled in a small town.
“I get that. You can’t always help who you fall for, though.”
Dylan flips a pancake, then looks at me with a crooked smile. “Not looking to fall, Guppy. I’m just riding the waves at the moment. ”
I lean my back against the kitchen bench. “Have you had a chance to look at the plans from Tristan yet? I was thinking we could go to the tavern and mark out the measurements, see how the new building actually fits.”
“For sure. You want to go see Dad first or after?”
I pinch my lips in thought. There are only a few times a year that Dylan and I visit Dad’s grave together. Otherwise, we take our time with him when and how we need it. Christmas is one time that we share. “After.”
“Okay. I just brewed some coffee. Help yourself, then we’ll have breakfast and go down to Jed’s.”
As I push off the bench, searching for a mug, my phone vibrates in my back pocket.
CALEB:
Merry Christmas, Siren. Miss you already x
“Uh-oh. Who’s that?”
I press my phone to my chest so my brother can’t see the screen. He’s still hovering over the stove, cracking some eggs to go with the pancakes and bacon, but there’s a knowing smirk there.
“Is there something in the water in Heart City? You shacked up with someone, too?”
I try to play it down, not ready to confess who I’m spending time with or how deeply I’ve already fallen. “Just someone I’m talking to.”
“He got a job?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“A licence?”
“Yeah.”
“Criminal record?”
I chuckle. “I’m quite confident that’s a no.”
“Alright. I’m glad to see you smiling then.”
“What are you talking about? I smile!” I say, the evidence clear on my face as I banter back and forth with my brother .
“I haven’t seen you smile like that before, though. That’s a new one.”
I roll my eyes and go back to preparing my iced coffee. “It is not. How does anyone get a new smile after twenty-three years?”
“Someone who’s feeling new things.”
I pin my brother with a look as if I can contradict his words, but it’s not possible.
I am feeling new things. Dylan pulls the pancakes out of the oven where he was keeping them warm, then plates the bacon and eggs, walking each dish over to the table that’s already set up for us.
I’m still frozen in my spot, thinking about Caleb.
Thinking about my mother and how she left my dad and us behind.
Thinking about Dylan’s words, that he’d settle for someone who he knew wanted the same life as him.
I always planned on moving back to Killara Bay at some point. A thought that was hard enough to consider as it separated me from Claire, but where does that leave Caleb and me?
His whole family is in Heart City, and he has more than just one person there, unlike me. He also has his friends, his business.
Being in Heart City was just a stepping stone, but things have been changing over the last few months.
Ever since I met Caleb, my eyes have been opened to new things.
New possibilities. New ways to find happiness.
My plans always felt so resolute, so unwavering.
Now they feel as though they’re unravelling.
The rope that held me to the anchor of what I needed in life has become frayed. It’s becoming untethered.