The House At Flynn's Crossing

by Elisabeth Rose

  Antonia slid to the far side of the bench seat and Flynn sat down. Two pairs of dark brown eyes stared at him.

  ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘My name’s Flynn. What are your names?’

  ‘Sarah,’ whispered the girl, and the boy said, ‘Jacob,’ almost at the same time.

  ‘Do you like your new house?’

  ‘Yes,’ they said. It was slightly unnerving, the way they responded; quickly, as if they were terrified of giving a wrong answer or being late with their reply.

  Cath saved him from more awkward attempts to befriend them. She appeared with her notebook and her usual face-splitting smile. ‘What will it be? What takes your fancy, little ones?’ She directed the grin at the twins who both gave her a tentative smile in return—more than they’d offered him. ‘I bet you like milkshakes. I make the best ones in the whole of Australia.’

  ‘Do we, Mummy?’ Sarah asked.

  ‘Try one and see,’ said Connor. ‘What flavour would you like?’

  ‘If it’s your very first one it has to be chocolate,’ said Cath. ‘Try my Unearthly Junior Chocolate Machine. Special kids’ size.’

  The twins nodded. ‘Yes, please,’ they said in unison.

  Orders taken, Cath went off to the kitchen.

  ‘Thanks for helping Antonia with the house,’ Connor said. ‘I appreciate it. I suppose she’s mentioned that her mother and I are a bit worried about her leaving Sydney and heading off on her own up here.’

  ‘I’m not completely on my own, Simon’s here,’ Antonia put in quietly.

  ‘Flynn’s Crossing is a good place to live. She’ll make friends quickly and we tend to look out for each other.’ He turned to Antonia. She was running a strand of long silky hair through her fingers. Nervous. ‘You’ve already met Bron, haven’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Her husband Kev is the local mechanic so you won’t have to worry about your car, she has five sons, three still at home and good for odd jobs, and Bron herself will give you the shirt off her back if she thinks you need it.’ He stopped, aware he might be doing an oversell.

  Connor’s face was impassive. ‘I don’t doubt any of that,’ he said. ‘It’s this pair. We’ll miss them and they’ll miss us. It’s a long way to visit and they don’t have other relatives.’

  ‘You can stay with us, Grandad,’ said Sarah.

  ‘I know, sweet pea, and Jax and I will.’

  Jax? Who was Jax? Had her parents separated and Connor remarried?

  ‘It may not be permanent,’ said Antonia. She stopped playing with her hair and leaned her elbows on the table. Her fingers had no rings, no nail varnish. They were hands that had done outdoor work of some kind, tanned and with a small scar running across the base of one thumb. ‘Just for a while. If someone buys the house we’ll probably have to move anyway.’

  Flynn nodded despite the unaccountable disappointment her words evoked. When she left a week ago she was talking about staying permanently. ‘I don’t think the house will sell very fast, and even if it does the new owner may choose to rent it out.’

  Cath placed two milkshakes in front of the twins. Flynn smiled at the delighted astonishment on their faces. Even the kids’ serve was a monster. Cath’s version of a milkshake involved a tall glass filled with chocolate milk, ice-cream, whipped cream, marshmallow and chocolate pieces, all topped with chocolate syrup.

  ‘You’ll be sick if you eat all that,’ said Connor with a grin.

  ‘No we won’t,’ said Jacob shaking his head. He already had the straw in his mouth and the spoon in his hand, ready to dive in.

  ‘Haven’t had a sick customer yet,’ said Cath.

  ‘We love milkshakes,’ announced Sarah, after a long suck on her straw.

  ‘Yes we do,’ said Jacob.

  ‘Are you staying in the house tonight?’ asked Flynn. The milkshakes had diverted the children’s attention away from his alarming presence at the table, although one or the other shot him a wary glance every now and then, in between mouthfuls of chocolate and ice-cream.

  ‘No, the beds and mattresses aren’t arriving until tomorrow,’ said Antonia. ‘The shop promised.’ She cast an anxious look at Connor.

  ‘They’ll turn up, don’t worry. And if they don’t, we’ll stay another night at the motel.’

  Cath brought the rest of their order. ‘Bon appétit.’

  ‘I might not be able to come in for a few days yet, Cath, I’m sorry,’ Antonia said.

  ‘That’s all right. Just let me know when you’re ready. I’ve managed to twist Aunty Gail’s arm into helping out for the lunch shift.’ She nodded towards the corner where Gail was chatting with Arnie and Barb from the old dairy farm. ‘The trouble is she talks more than she works.’ She shook her head and went away laughing.

  ‘Is Gail really her aunt?’ asked Antonia.

  ‘Yes, she’s Len’s sister,’ he said. ‘If you want to know anything about anyone in town, Gail’s your girl. She’s better than the internet for information and can spread the word faster than any communication system known to man.’

  Antonia grimaced and glanced at her father. ‘What does she know about me?’

  ‘As much as anyone does, I imagine, which isn’t much. You haven’t been here long enough.’ Why had he blabbed out that inanity? He knew she liked her privacy.

  ‘She sounds terrifying.’

  ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart.’ Connor reached over and squeezed her hand.

  ‘Gail couldn’t be kinder,’ said Flynn hastily. ‘She just likes to talk. Don’t tell her any secrets, that’s all,’ he added as a joke, hoping to lighten the mood his information had sunk into gloom.

  ‘I won’t.’ Her tone was grim.

  What were her secrets? That she had one or two Flynn had been sure of; didn’t everyone? But her reaction to his offhand remark suggested there was something dark in her past she desperately wished to keep hidden. Something her father knew all about. And Simon too?

  Gail eventually found an excuse to bustle up to the booth and say hello, but really to give the newcomers the once-over. Today her hair was a violent shade of orange with matching lipstick, which clashed horribly with the red-checked staff apron.

  ‘G’day, Flynn,’ she said, and not waiting for Flynn’s greeting, picked up Connor’s empty coffee cup. ‘Can I get you something else? More coffee?’ Her eyes travelled over the group, lingering on the twins and coming to rest on Antonia. ‘Aren’t they just darlings? Hello, Antonia. I’m Gail. Lovely to finally meet you. Cath was delighted when you walked in wanting a job. Flynn’d already told her you were on the lookout. News travels fast in this place.’ Her cheery laugh accompanied the statement.

  ‘Nothing more, thanks,’ said Connor.

  Her attention swung to him like a searchlight. ‘You must be Antonia’s dad. Helping her move in, are you? That’s nice. Families should always pitch in and help out. Some don’t, but then some families are in a real mess, aren’t they? Don’t talk to each other because they’re always on their silly electronic gadgets, don’t have meals together … that’s not being a family is it? What chance do young folk have growing up in a home like that? Well it’s not a home is it? It’s a … a …’

  She paused to search for the next word. Flynn was about to leap in and derail the Gail Express when Antonia said, ‘You’re right. I want my children to have a home like the one I grew up in. That’s why I came here.’

  ‘So your two little darlings can be near their dad. Aren’t they adorable? That’s wonderful. You came to the right place, Antonia.’

  To Flynn’s amazement, Antonia smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Simon’s a very nice young man,’ Gail said, clearly ready to start on another dissertation.

  ‘Well! I think we should make a move if everyone’s finished eating,’ said Connor in a man-of-action voice. ‘Could we have our bill please, Gail?’

  ‘Of course.’ She took a couple more dirty plates and went away.

  Flynn stood up. ‘I’ll get thi
s.’

  ‘No,’ Connor and Antonia said at the same time, but he waved away their protest.

  ‘Call it a welcome to Flynn’s Crossing.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Connor. ‘That’s very kind.’

  She said nothing but offered a little smile.

  Out on the street, while Antonia loaded the twins into the car, Connor shook Flynn’s hand. ‘Thanks for helping Antonia. Having met you and Cath and Gail, I’m feeling happier about her staying now.’

  ‘You don’t need to worry. If you ignore the Gails of the town, people are genuinely ready to help a newcomer. We want young people to move into the area or we start to lose amenities like the school and the post office and so on.’

  ‘Is that likely here?’

  ‘Not yet, but soon. The population is in decline—ageing, and the kids tend to head for bigger towns or the cities. There’s not a lot for them here after they leave school. I think the answer is in promoting tourism and we’re looking at ways of doing that. We have some good hiking and camping areas but Flynn’s Crossing isn’t really on the map yet.’

  ‘It’s certainly a beautiful area.’

  ‘We could do a lot more to bring people in, I think. I have a few ideas.’

  Connor nodded. ‘Good luck. I’d better make a move. We have a truckload of stuff to unload.’

  ‘Need some help?’

  ‘I think we’ll be right, thanks. It’s mainly suitcases and boxes of toys and books, the kids’ bikes. The heavy stuff is coming tomorrow. Simon’s coming over soon to meet the twins so …’ He didn’t need to finish.

  ‘Okay.’

  Connor climbed into the driver’s seat. Antonia called ‘goodbye’ and got in beside him.

  Of course Simon would want to meet his children as soon as he could. Lucky bastard, having a readymade family like that one fall into his lap. A woman like that. Flynn crossed the road to the office, mouth set in a hard line. He shouldn’t be jealous but he was and he didn’t know why. He’d had a few opportunities along the way to settle down and make babies, but no matter how sexy and loving the current woman was, he could never bring himself to make that commitment. Deep down he knew he didn’t deserve to be part of a happy family.

  ***

  ‘He’s a good bloke,’ her father said on the way back to the Mango House. A newly minted name courtesy of the excited pair in the back.

  ‘I thought you’d like him.’ She twisted round in her seat. ‘Did you enjoy your milkshake?’

  Silly question. They’d scraped their glasses clean and eaten their sandwiches as well. The novelty of food in all its varieties still hadn’t worn off. She didn’t want to discuss Flynn. Something about him unsettled her. His eyes were too blue, too penetrating for comfort, as if he could see inside her head. Sometimes he looked at her the way a man looks at a woman he’s interested in, which was unnerving in a whole different way. She had no skills to deal with that.

  ‘We always want milkshakes,’ said Sarah. ‘We love them.’

  ‘They’ll be a sometimes treat,’ said Antonia. ‘I’m going to be working at that cafe soon so you’ll be able to try other things too.’

  ‘We only want chocolate milkshakes.’

  ‘Goodness,’ she murmured.

  Connor chuckled. ‘They’re happy,’ he said. ‘And they deserve to be.’

  ‘I don’t want them to be spoiled, that’s all.’

  ‘They won’t be. They’ll settle down when they go to school and make some friends.’

  ‘I should call in to the school.’

  ‘Do it tomorrow. By the sound of it they’ll already know you’re coming. Gail’s a force of nature, isn’t she?’

  ‘Hmmm.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Do you think anyone knows … anything?’

  ‘I doubt it. It may not have even made the news up here and we were lucky the political travel rorts scandal pushed us off the front page in the first place. The police did a pretty good job keeping the details out of the papers and the twins were never photographed. People’s attention span isn’t very long these days. I doubt anyone would recognise you, or me for that matter, and if they did they wouldn’t necessarily know why.’

  Antonia nodded. ‘I just hope … I couldn’t bear it if the whole town started talking about it … me … and especially them.’ She inclined her head towards the twins but they were busily discussing milkshake flavours and weren’t listening.

  ‘More than they are already, you mean?’ Her dad laughed. ‘You’re a novelty. Simon is one of their friends so of course they’re interested in you. It’s a pretty interesting scenario by anyone’s standards, you turning up with twins he didn’t know about.’

  ‘I suppose. But what about the trial? That will be in the news won’t it?’

  ‘Yes, but we can deal with that when it happens. No date’s been set yet. It could be a year away. These things take a long time. Try to relax, sweetheart. I like it here. Jax and I might come up and visit, do some hiking.’

  ‘Simon takes beautiful photographs of the bush.’

  ‘Flynn told me he has ideas for boosting tourism in the area.’

  ‘What for?’ What an awful thought. Busloads of people with cameras wandering around, traffic clogging the streets.

  Her dad looked at her, surprised. ‘Because these little towns can’t survive if the population drops too much.’

  ‘But that’s why I like it here. Because it’s quiet.’

  ‘I’m just telling you what Flynn told me.’

  ‘You know why he’s so keen? Because he owns the real estate agency and lots of property in the area. He’s greedy and wants to rake in a few millions selling holiday houses. Maybe he wants to build some gigantic ugly resort.’

  ‘That’s a very cynical view and a bit unfair,’ he observed. It was harder to provoke him now than when she’d been growing up. Then, she knew exactly which buttons to push to set him off. ‘It could be that he genuinely cares about the town and wants it to survive.’

  ‘Maybe, but it won’t be the whole reason,’ she muttered.

  ‘Is that Simon’s ute?’ her father asked.

  An old white ute was parked in the street in the shade of the mango tree.

  ‘Yes.’ She licked her lips. ‘Simon’s already here,’ she said to the twins.

  ‘Simon who is our real daddy?’ asked Jacob.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Is he a nice man?’ Sarah doubted that such a thing existed but she’d accepted her grandfather, her Uncle Damien and Frank, so she was beginning to understand that at least a few males were kind.

  ‘He’s a very nice man and he really wants to meet you.’

  ‘He’s our daddy, Sarah,’ said Jacob. ‘Our secret daddy.’

  ‘He’s not a secret anymore,’ said Antonia, but still her heart pounded in anticipation of the meeting. Was this the right thing to do? Were her babies ready to meet yet another strange man in spite of the fact they’d heard about this mythical secret daddy all their lives?

  Her father gripped her hand. ‘It’ll be fine,’ he said.

  ***

  Simon heard the car pull up in the driveway and walked around the verandah to the front of the house. He’d arrived early but he couldn’t wait at home a minute longer. The morning had dragged like a cast-iron chain. He’d finished his chores by ten-thirty, having given up trying to sleep when his eyes popped open just before dawn. After a lingering morning tea, which turned into brunch, he cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed the house. Then he wandered along to chat to Rufus about the fence on their southern boundary, which had been pushed down yet again by next door’s cattle.

  The land was for sale and the absentee owner wasn’t interested in upkeep. If they had enough money they’d buy the place, but the asking price was ridiculously high and Flynn said the owner wouldn’t budge. The bloke had bought the property eight years ago after the original owner died at ninety-five, with ideas of being a city dweller with a rural retreat. Turned out to be too far from the city, and too e
xpensive and awkward to get to easily. The house needed a ton of work, which he’d started doing but stopped. Another idiot who thought farming was easy.

  Antonia texted just after one to say they’d arrived and were having lunch first at the Paragon, meet him at the house at two.

  He crossed the grass, eyes fixed on Antonia’s red car. She got out and came forward to greet him. He kissed her cheek lightly.

  ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hi. Simon, I … I’m …’

  ‘So am I,’ he said all in a rush. ‘I’m terrified they’ll hate me.’

  ‘No, they won’t hate you but they’ll be very shy. Don’t be put off by that. They know all about you and who you are.’

  He nodded, but how could he not be terrified? These two small people held his heart in their tiny hands.

  Connor got out of the driver’s seat. A large man, greying hair around the temples, smiling and friendly. He hadn’t been when last they met. Then his brown eyes had been suspicious, filled with anger and pain. His daughter had disappeared and he thought Simon had something to do with it. He’d been right.

  ‘Hello, Simon. It’s been a long time. How are you?’ He held out his hand. Simon shook it firmly.

  ‘Not too bad.’ His gaze flew to the car where a small face stared out at him. Jacob. His son. The breath jammed in his lungs.

  Antonia opened the car door. ‘Come on.’

  The little boy came first, standing close by Connor’s side, gazing at him with a worried expression. Simon drank in the sight of him. Dark brown hair, big dark eyes, smooth pale skin. The most beautiful child he’d ever seen.

  ‘Hello, Jacob,’ he said.

  No reply.

  ‘This is Sarah.’ Antonia’s voice broke his focus and he turned from Jacob to his sister. The same dark hair and pale skin, the same anxious manner but in a sweetly feminine version. Equally beautiful. Astonishingly so. He wanted to sweep them into his arms and hold them close forever, never lose sight of them again.