The Summer of Secrets

by Barbara Hannay

  She didn’t move, didn’t speak.

  ‘It’s this way,’ he said quietly and he led her down a short passage to another doorway.

  The mess wasn’t too bad. The bed was unmade, exposing rumpled charcoal-grey sheets. On the floor in the corner, discarded clothes lay in a heap. A dresser was littered with books.

  ‘I’ll make it up with clean sheets for you,’ Finn said.

  ‘Don’t bother.’ He had more important things to get on with, like packing for Thailand. But right now, Chloe didn’t want to distract him with practical concerns.

  From the moment she’d left the car, her common sense had been peeling away like petals from a flower. Her needs had shifted. She wanted Finn Latimer to concentrate on her.

  She knew from experience he had wonderful focus.

  ‘So,’ he said quietly. ‘I should take you home.’

  No, her mind wailed.

  ‘Yes,’ she said softly.

  But neither of them moved and Chloe was so filled with wanting she thought she might burst.

  ‘Maybe later?' Finn asked.

  She gave the smallest nod.

  It was enough. To her relief, he drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her.

  His focus was perfect.

  ‘I should go. You need to pack.’ Chloe was sitting in Finn’s bed. She had no idea of the time, but it had to be late – probably very late – and she was trying to remember where her clothes were.

  ‘You don’t have to rush.’ Finn reached for her hand.

  ‘But you have an early flight and you need —’

  ‘I need a moment.’ Finn pulled her hand towards him, lifted her wrist to his lips and pressed a kiss to the fine veins on the inside. And then another kiss.

  The sweetness of this was almost too much. Chloe was a cloud of confusion. Happy and exultant. Shy and uncertain. Overtaken by emotions that seemed to come out of nowhere.

  This was supposed to be just sex, but it felt like so much more.

  ‘I keep thinking this shouldn’t be happening,’ she said.

  ‘Because we work together?’

  ‘I suppose.’ But this wasn’t tawdry office sex. Finn wasn’t a predator and she wasn’t using her body to get a promotion. They were simply work colleagues who fancied the pants off each other. Literally.

  The fact that Finn was also a grieving widower and she had plans for single motherhood should have made this even less complicated. They had separate lives and this truly was only sex. Her confusion was unnecessary. And yet —

  ‘I’ve never really asked you about your relationships,’ Finn said as he lifted a stray curl and tucked it behind her ear. ‘I suppose, I just assumed you were – free – for want of a better word.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m free. I broke up with my – with someone before I left Sydney.’

  ‘Would this someone be the other half of Mr and Mrs Very Brown?’

  Chloe was surprised that he remembered. ‘Yes.’ She was also surprised that talking about the breakup with Jason no longer gutted her.

  ‘Had you been together for long?’

  She might as well confess the sorry truth. ‘Way too long. Seven and a half years.’

  A small silence passed before Finn spoke. ‘Breaking up after that amount of time would be as painful as getting divorced. Dare I ask what happened?’

  ‘Nothing happened really. Jason didn’t cheat on me, as far as I know. The decision was pretty much mutual.’ This wasn’t quite the truth. Jason had sulked a bit like a teenager, but Chloe had realised by then that he didn’t really love her. She’d become a comfortable habit he wasn’t ready to give up.

  Meanwhile, Chloe’s feelings for him had crumbled with astonishing speed after he’d asked that fateful question about her fitness for motherhood.

  ‘I think Gwyneth Paltrow coined the term “conscious uncoupling” when she divorced Chris Martin,’ she said. The dorky term had given the journalists at Girl Talk a good chuckle at the time. ‘And that pretty much describes Jason and me.’

  She gave a deliberate little shrug. ‘So you shouldn’t have me on your conscience, Finn. If you get tired of – of this, you won’t break my heart. I’m pretty much a romance skeptic these days.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ he said dryly, but he was still holding her hand and his grasp tightened, warmly possessive. ‘But just for the record, you’re a classy woman, Chloe Brown.’ Leaning closer still, he brushed his lips over hers in an unhurried, lazy caress. ‘Smoking hot in bed.’

  A shaky laugh escaped her. ‘Thank you, sir.’ She should probably return the compliment, but before she could find the right words, Finn released her hand and swung to his side of the bed.

  ‘And you’re damn right,’ he said. ‘I have packing to do.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  When the line of travellers streamed into the arrivals hall at Cairns airport, Chloe recognised Bree Latimer immediately. Finn had shown her a photo on his phone. And now, here she was, accompanied by a young female flight attendant.

  Dressed in denim jeans and a purple T-shirt, Bree was tall for her age and slim, with straight hair, as dark as her father’s, falling past her shoulders. In the photo, however, the girl’s face had been lit by a bright, mischievous smile. This morning, unfortunately, Bree’s hunched shoulders and tragic expression told a very different story. Chloe, although nervous, felt an instant pang of sympathy.

  When she stepped forward to greet Bree, Finn’s daughter looked right past her and kept walking.

  ‘Bree,’ Chloe said.

  The girl stopped and turned, as did the attendant.

  Chloe smiled at them. ‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m Chloe Brown.’ Finn had rung the airline to warn them that a different adult would be collecting his daughter. To Bree, she said, ‘I work with your father.’

  Bree’s face was bleak as she held up her phone. ‘He just told me.’

  The attendant gushed as she farewelled Bree. Clearly she was keen to get away.

  ‘I’m sorry about the lousy timing,’ Chloe told the girl. ‘I know your dad was really looking forward to your visit. He’s planning to get back here as quickly as he can.’

  Bree merely rolled her eyes at this. ‘He said he’s in the international terminal.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’

  ‘Where is it? Can I see him?’

  Chloe wished with all her heart that this was possible. ‘I don’t think so,’ she said. ‘I’m almost certain he’s already through Security and Customs.’

  Bree obviously knew enough about international flights to accept this, but she did so with a deeply despondent sigh.

  ‘I’m really sorry this has happened,’ said Chloe again. ‘But he was called away on an emergency.’

  ‘I thought he’d stopped doing that sort of work.’

  ‘Well, yes, he had, but something important came up, out of the blue, and Finn – your father – really was the only man for the job.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever.’ Bree was looking around her at scenes of happy families greeting each other. Two small boys were waving and rushing excitedly towards a tall man who was probably their father. A plump grandmother in an pink kaftan and silver bangles was hugging a girl about Bree’s age.

  Chloe said, ‘We’d better go through to the luggage carousel. What does your suitcase look like?’

  ‘It’s a backpack. Navy blue.’ As Bree said this, she lifted her chin, as if she was proud of the fact that her luggage wasn’t just an ordinary suitcase. But as Chloe set off, she followed with an air of deepest gloom.

  The backpack was large and quite heavy, but when Chloe fetched a trolley, Bree looked appalled.

  ‘I can carry my pack,’ she said.

  ‘But it’s heavy and there’s no need.’ Chloe offered her a smile that she hoped was encouraging. ‘That’s why trolleys were invented.’

  Bree’s response was a mutinous glare as she heaved the pack onto her narrow back.

  Ch
loe drew a deep, patient breath. ‘Okay.’ She pointed to the huge sliding glass doors. ‘The car’s this way.’

  They headed out into blazing sunshine and a wall of humid tropical heat, Bree following with her load, a few steps behind, like an obstinate turtle.

  ‘Would you like to have a look around Cairns before we leave?’ Chloe asked as she fed notes into the parking meter. ‘We could go down to the pier. It’s lovely, with views over the water. You might like a soft drink? A little morning tea?’

  Bree shook her head. ‘I had something on the plane. I want to see my dad’s house.’ She shot Chloe a worried glance. ‘I can still stay at his place, can’t I?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I’m going to stay there with you until he gets back.’

  The girl’s chin jutted forward as if she wasn’t happy with this news, but she must have realised she couldn’t do much about it. ‘Are you my dad’s girlfriend?

  ‘No. I just work with him at the Burralea Bugle.’ To Chloe’s relief, she managed to say this without the slightest hesitation.

  They reached the Forester and Bree deposited her pack in the back with a little help from Chloe, who quickly got the car’s air conditioning going.

  ‘It’s sweltering down here on the coast,’ she said. ‘But you’ll find it cooler up on the Tablelands.’

  But Bree, now settled in the passenger seat beside Chloe, was busy looking at her phone and didn’t bother to respond. Chloe wondered if she was hoping for a final message from her father.

  ‘Would you like the radio on?’ she asked as they headed north on the Captain Cook Highway towards the turn-off to Kuranda.

  Bree shook her head and muttered, ‘I’m right, thanks.’ With that, she pulled a set of small earphones from a pocket in her shorts, connected them to her phone and sat with her head turned away, slumped in her seat and staring, forlornly no doubt, through the passenger window.

  Chloe suppressed a spurt of irritation. She knew the girl was only twelve and still coming to grips with a massive disappointment, but after very little sleep, Chloe was feeling the strain. Still, she hadn’t expected this assignment to be easy.

  She was doing this for Ben Shaw’s girlfriend, Tammy, as much as for Finn. The poor woman needed answers. The Burralea community needed answers. And it was possible that Ben needed rescuing. Chloe could only hope that at some point Bree would thaw.

  The journey continued in silence, apart from a short period halfway up the thickly forested Kuranda Range when Bree pulled off her earphones in disgust, demanding to know why she couldn’t hear her music.

  ‘We must have lost the network,’ Chloe suggested. ‘Because of these high mountains. Wait till we get to the top and you should be fine.’

  Which proved to be the case. For the rest of the journey through Mareeba, Walkamin, Tolga, Atherton, Bree continued to listen to music on her phone and Chloe drove in stoical silence. It was only when they reached a sign proclaiming Welcome to Burralea that Bree finally removed the earplugs and looked about her with a degree of interest.

  ‘I think you’ll like your dad’s place,’ Chloe said, as she took the first turn. ‘It’s on the edge of town and it looks out over farmland.’

  ‘Where do you live?’ Bree asked, almost aggressively.

  ‘In a little flat, right in the centre of town,’ Chloe said. ‘Near the Bugle’s office.’

  ‘Oh.’ Apparently placated, Bree continued to look at the passing scenery. They passed a plant nursery and then a strawberry farm with a stall on its front footpath. On a small rise, a glimpse of a shimmering lake shone in the distance.

  ‘Dad said we could go canoeing on Lake Tinaroo,’ Bree said.

  ‘And I’m sure you will. I know he was really looking forward to it.’

  Bree merely wrinkled her nose.

  ‘And here’s the house,’ Chloe added, as she pulled up in front of the hedge that shielded Finn’s cottage from the road.

  Bree was definitely curious and perhaps a little eager now. Chloe thought she caught a hint of a smile. As they hefted her backpack out of the Forester, Bree kept looking over her shoulder to the house.

  In the daylight, it was rather sweet, with a low sweeping roof and a yellow front door with sets of six-paned windows on either side, shaded by quaint, timber-framed awnings. Chloe found the correct key in the bunch Finn had given her and pushed the door open, then stepped back to let Bree enter first.

  ‘Oh,’ the girl said, letting her backpack slide to the floor with a hefty thump. And she stood, staring at Finn’s small lounge room with its bright cushions and rugs and pottery pieces.

  The kid was swallowing hard and a hint of silver tears glittered in her eyes. ‘It’s ages since I’ve seen these things,’ she said in a small voice that threatened to crack.

  Chloe felt her own eyes growing moist and she decided it might be wise to divert Bree, before she became too swamped by sad memories. ‘Your bedroom’s through here,’ she said.

  Leaving her pack on the floor, Bree crossed to the bedroom doorway. She stared for quite a while before she eventually smiled. ‘This is actually quite cool,’ she said, but almost immediately she frowned and shot Chloe a glance laced with suspicion. ‘Did you do all this?’

  ‘Decorate your room?’ said Chloe. ‘Of course not. It’s all your dad’s handiwork.’ Which was almost the truth.

  Bree still looked doubtful. She was staring at the vase of bright yellow cosmos sitting on top of the chest of drawers.

  ‘Apart from the flowers,’ Chloe corrected. ‘I’ll admit they were my contribution.’ This morning, she’d found the clump of cosmos growing in an old concrete wash tub in Finn’s backyard.

  At last, there was a small smile from Bree. ‘I knew Dad would never think to put flowers in my room.’

  ‘But he did everything else. I believe he even painted the chest of drawers and the bookcase.’

  Another warmer smile transformed Bree’s face, making her look extraordinarily pretty. ‘That’s kind of awesome, isn’t it?’

  Rather than sitting around in the cottage, Chloe took Bree to the Lilly Pilly café for lunch. She decided it would be best to keep the girl busy and occupied, seeing new sights, having new experiences.

  The café was extra popular on weekends. Even so, there was plenty of chatter and laughter coming from the busy kitchen.

  ‘Hi there,’ beamed Jess as Chloe fronted up to the counter to order. Jess’s eyes widened with curiosity as she flashed Bree an extra-bright smile. ‘Hello.’

  ‘This is Bree, Finn Latimer’s daughter,’ Chloe said. ‘Bree, this is Jess. She has the most gorgeous little baby called Willow.’

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Bree responded politely.

  Jess wasn’t quite so polite. Her mouth gaped as she stared at Bree. ‘Am I hearing right? This is Finn Latimer’s daughter?’

  ‘That’s exactly right.’ Chloe kept her voice deliberately matter-of-fact and hoped Jess wouldn’t make too much fuss.

  Another of the café’s staff, Gina, ducked out from behind the coffee machine. Her eyes were also popping. ‘Finn has a daughter?’

  ‘Really?’ cried another woman, who’d been busily buttering bread at a central bench in the open-plan kitchen. And she promptly left her task and joined Jess and Gina at the counter.

  ‘Hello,’ the trio chorused, grinning madly at Bree.

  ‘Wow, I can see that you look like your dad.’

  ‘What’s your name, love?’

  ‘Bree.’

  ‘Bree? Oh, isn’t that perfect?’

  ‘Your dad’s a dark horse. He never told us about you, but hey, lovely to meet you, Bree.’

  By now, Joyce, the café’s owner, who’d been busily cutting up a new slab of quiche, was glaring at them. ‘What’s going on over there?’

  Gina turned back to her. ‘We’re just saying hello to Finn Latimer’s daughter.’

  ‘Really? Finn has a daughter?’ Now Joyce was as intrigued as the others and came to join them at the counter. ‘Oh,
wow! Don’t you just look like him.’

  Chloe was worried it would all be too much for the poor girl. Bree probably wasn’t used to being treated like the daughter of a rock star.

  Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind all the attention. Quite possibly she was lapping it up. And at least the women didn’t mention Ben’s reappearance on TV, or ask about Finn’s whereabouts. But perhaps it was just as well that another group of customers entered the café and the women returned to their posts.

  ‘Is everyone super friendly up here?’ Bree asked, once they’d ordered their meals and were seated at a table beneath a vine-covered pergola in the courtyard at the back of the café.

  ‘Pretty much,’ said Chloe. ‘It’s a very friendly town. I hope you didn’t mind all the fuss?’

  ‘Not really.’ Bree gave a sheepish smile. ‘They seem to like Dad, don’t they?’

  Well, he is the hottest guy in town. Chloe hastily binned that thought. ‘When you’re the editor of a small country newspaper, you get to know everyone,’ she said.

  Bree seemed to accept this. ‘Do you like working here?’ she asked as she stirred her chocolate milkshake and prodded the scoop of ice-cream with a long-handled spoon.

  ‘Yes, I must admit I haven’t been here very long, but so far I’m really enjoying it.’ Chloe was pleased that she could say this quite honestly.

  ‘I think I’d like to be a journalist when I grow up. I’m better at writing than just about anything else.’

  ‘Why wait till you grow up? You can probably help me. I’ll be putting the paper out by myself until your dad gets back.’

  Bree gave an astonished huff of laughter. ‘No way. You wouldn’t let me write a news story.’

  ‘I might.’ Chloe knew she would have to find a way to keep the girl occupied.

  ‘Like a proper journalist?’ Bree looked both thrilled and horrified.

  Chloe was sure they could manage to write one or two small stories together. ‘Absolutely,’ she said in her most assuring tone.

  ‘You know I’m only twelve? I’m tall for my age.’