Mr Right Now

by Karly Lane

  ‘Oh, rubbish,’ he said gruffly. ‘Ollie’s got everything under control. He doesn’t need me.’

  ‘We’ll always need you,’ she said, forcing some steel into her voice. ‘You’re our dad. But while we’re on the subject, you need to tell Ollie that he’s doing a good job. You need to tell him what you just told me.’

  ‘He knows,’ Bill said, staring down at the bedspread.

  ‘How could he know? You’ve never told him.’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t have let him practically run the place if I didn’t think he could do the job, would I?’

  ‘That’s not the same thing as telling him you’re proud of him, and you know it,’ she said firmly. ‘You don’t have to make a big production of it,’ she said dryly and a grin tugged the corners of her mouth at his sarcastic grunt. ‘Just say thanks. And good work. Don’t go overboard—we don’t want to alarm him,’ she added blandly and was relieved when he managed a slight chuckle.

  ‘Yeah, well … maybe I have been a bit hard on him over the years, but it’s how my father raised me. You can’t mollycoddle your kids if you want them to grow up tough and independent. Respect, hard work and manners, that’s what kids need.’

  ‘And a “Thank you, you’re doing a good job” every now and then,’ Olivia added.

  ‘Yeah, all right, I hear ya. So is that why you came all the way down here? To give your old man a lecture?’

  ‘It wasn’t the only reason,’ she said with a cocked eyebrow. ‘I also came because even though you’re a grumpy old bugger, I love you and I wanted to see you.’

  She smiled at the gruff but clearly chuffed expression that spread across her father’s face. He’d always been a tough but fair man, whom everyone respected. This bad temper was out of character for him, but understandable considering the amount of pain he was in. An accident like this would be enough to shake up even the most placid of people and, added to that, the uncertainty of the future—a degree of grumpiness wasn’t unexpected.

  She stayed while he ate his dinner, but he was tired after his long rehab session and nodding off as they watched telly together, so she kissed him goodbye and promised to come back in the morning.

  There was a message on her phone from her mother saying Aunty Kay had talked her into going to a musical. She decided there was no point in heading home to an empty apartment so she called Hadley instead.

  Olivia loved Hadley’s home in Coogee. It was sleek and stylish and looked as though it belonged in some glossy home magazine. The white tiles of the entrance gleamed underfoot and the floor-to-ceiling window in the lounge room opened out onto a magnificent view of the ocean.

  But Olivia wasn’t looking at the beach, she was focused on her best friend. As soon as Hadley opened the door, Olivia’s smile slipped. The usually vibrant, bouncy woman she’d been expecting was nowhere to be found. Instead Hadley burst into tears.

  Olivia settled her friend onto the lounge and sat down on a stool at her feet. She took Hadley’s hands gently. ‘Tell me,’ she said simply.

  Hadley slowly shook her head as more tears fell, and Olivia reached across to grab a box of nearby tissues. ‘I don’t know why I’m crying,’ Hadley said, dabbing at her eyes.

  ‘What happened?’

  For a long while Olivia thought she wasn’t going to answer, but when she did it was in a flat tone. ‘I had a miscarriage.’

  ‘Oh, Hads,’ Olivia said softly. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  She gave a quick shake of her head. ‘I don’t understand why I’m so upset … I mean, I’d barely even found out I was pregnant … it wasn’t as though I—’ Her voice caught on a sob and Olivia slid onto the lounge beside her and hugged her tightly, letting her cry until she’d composed herself enough to pull away and blow her nose.

  ‘How long had you known?’ Olivia asked gently after she’d returned from the kitchen with two glasses of wine.

  ‘Only a couple of weeks. Just before I left to go on this last assignment.’

  ‘Where’s Mitch?’ Olivia had been too distracted to ask before.

  ‘Syria.’

  ‘Does he know?’

  ‘No. I hadn’t told him I was pregnant. It’s been like a game of tag lately. I’m leaving when he gets back or vice versa.’

  ‘But you are going to tell him, aren’t you?’ she asked, looking at her friend warily.

  ‘There’s not much point now, is there?’

  Olivia looked at her friend, shocked. ‘You just lost a baby. You have to tell him.’ She felt instantly remorseful when she saw a fresh well of tears starting to form. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s none of my business. You do whatever you think is right.’

  ‘We weren’t even ready to have kids yet,’ she sniffed. ‘It’s not like he can do anything now anyway. He’s on the other side of the world.’

  Not for the first time, Olivia wondered what her friend actually saw in Mitch Samuals. Admittedly, the guy had no clue his new wife was going through this alone, but somehow she wondered if he would have dropped everything to come home if he did. The story was always bigger than anything else, and Hadley was just as bad, Olivia reminded herself. There’d been many a time Hadley had abandoned plans to chase a story—including her own wedding the first time they’d set a date. She wasn’t exactly sure why they wanted to get married in the first place when it seemed so much of an inconvenience to them.

  ‘How’s your dad? I could only drop by for a quick visit the other day, and then all this happened …’ She let the sentence drift off.

  ‘He’s doing okay. I had a good visit with him tonight. Mum’s out seeing a show, which I never thought would happen.’

  ‘That’s good. How’re things back home?’

  ‘Busy. You know how it goes.’ A short silence followed and Olivia bit the inside of her cheek before asking, ‘Are you going to tell your mum?’

  ‘I don’t know. Not yet. She’ll only go overboard and want to fly down and stay with me.’

  ‘That’s not such a bad thing, you know.’

  ‘I’m fine. I just want to put it behind me.’

  Olivia knew there was no point trying to argue with Hadley—she was a Callahan and as stubborn as they came.

  ‘I’m here whenever you need me, okay?’

  ‘I know,’ she said, hugging Olivia tightly. ‘I’ll always need you. You’re my best friend.’

  Olivia decided she would stay the night, not wanting to leave Hadley alone, so she cooked them up an omelette for a late dinner, ordered Hadley to go and wash her hair and get changed into some clean pyjamas, and then tucked her into bed.

  ‘You’re going to make an awesome mum one day, Liv,’ Hadley said as she drifted off to sleep.

  Olivia blinked back tears of her own as she looked down at her friend, wishing she could do something to make things better, but knowing there was nothing she could do other than to be here for her when she needed to cry.

  Sixteen

  Olivia walked in through the sliding glass doors of the airport and instantly spotted Griff waiting as promised, right where he’d left her.

  She walked across to him and slipped into his waiting arms, breathing in the warm sunshine on his shirt and savouring the feel of his solid chest under her cheek. It felt like home. She didn’t want to worry about the what, where and how of this relationship—she didn’t want to think about when it would end or how long it would last—all she wanted was to savour what they had right now because she knew that in all the years since they’d broken up, she’d never found this sense of completeness with anyone else. Maybe it was because he was so familiar, or maybe it was because she was remembering how it used to be between them, she didn’t know for sure, but whatever it was, she just wanted to feel it again for a while before reality got in the way once more.

  When they finally pulled apart, Griff led her from the tiny airport to the carpark. ‘I missed you,’ he said, kissing her as they stood beside his ute.

  ‘I missed you too,’ she said wh
en they broke apart. The afternoon shadows were settling in and the trees were alive with the sounds of noisy, squabbling birds.

  ‘I’ve got a surprise for you,’ he said, opening her door and gesturing for her to get in. ‘And don’t ask what it is,’ he said, cutting off her question before she could ask it.

  ‘I’m not great with surprises,’ she said nervously, meaning it. She was not a centre-of-attention kind of girl. Surprises were definitely not her thing.

  ‘You’ll like this one,’ he promised as they drove through the streets of Griffith.

  When they didn’t follow the road out of town, she looked across at him curiously, but he didn’t bother explaining. When he drove into the carpark of the flash motel that had just opened, she narrowed her eyes in confusion.

  ‘I thought we could do with a little alone time,’ Griff said.

  ‘But Ollie …’

  ‘… is a big boy and he can look after himself.’

  ‘But he thinks I’m coming home tonight.’

  ‘Not any more,’ he said, opening his door and climbing out to grab a small duffle bag from the back of the ute.

  ‘He knows?’ Olivia gaped at him.

  ‘He knew days ago.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘He’s not blind, Liv. I think he was probably suspicious the day he saw me leaving your house in his clothes.’

  ‘He saw you?’ she yelped. Why hadn’t she known any of this?

  ‘Yeah, I passed him, heading home. He wanted to know what I was doin’ in his shirt.’

  ‘What did you tell him?’ Olivia gaped, stunned.

  ‘That I’d just molested his sister.’

  ‘You what?’

  His chuckle did nothing to comfort her. ‘I told him I went for a swim and needed some dry clothes. Obviously he read between the lines.’

  ‘He never said a word to me about it.’

  Griff shrugged. ‘In case you hadn’t realised, your brother isn’t a big talker.’

  This was true, but still, he’d known his sister and his best friend were sleeping together and he hadn’t even made a joke about it? That was definitely not like Ollie.

  Olivia followed along behind him as they walked past the reception desk and he pressed the card against the panel to open the elevator doors. ‘I checked in earlier,’ he said, looking down at her confused face with a touch of amusement.

  ‘You’re enjoying all these surprises, aren’t you?’ she said as they stepped into the lift.

  ‘Yep.’ His grin widened. ‘It’s not often I get to outsmart Olivia The Brains Dawson.’

  She used to hate it when her brother and Griff teased her about how smart she was. She didn’t think she was particularly clever, she just enjoyed school, which clearly made her a freak to those two, who couldn’t wait to get outside and ride motorbikes or get their hands dirty in the shed. Hadley was just as smart, but they never teased her, mainly because she liked getting dirty as much as they did.

  The room was luxurious. Everything was modern and new and the enormous bed by the window drew her gaze with a longing sigh.

  ‘Surprise,’ he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  ‘This is pretty impressive.’

  ‘Figured if we were going to stay the night we should lash out on somewhere fancy.’

  ‘To tell you the truth,’ she said, turning in his arms and smiling up at him, ‘I would have been just as happy in a caravan park. I missed you.’

  ‘Wish I’d known that before I spent all my money on this place.’ He shook his head mournfully.

  ‘Whatever,’ she scoffed. ‘You’re a bigger princess than I am when it comes to comfort.’

  ‘A bigger princess …’ he growled and Olivia gave a squeak of protest as he heaved her up over his shoulder and carried her into the luxurious bathroom with the enormous shower. ‘I’ll show you who’s a princess,’ he said, nuzzling her neck.

  ‘That doesn’t even make sense, Callahan,’ she chuckled as he began stripping off clothing.

  ‘It doesn’t have to make sense. Now stop talking and help me get these clothes off,’ he ordered.

  It was probably the best welcome home she’d ever had and she decided that maybe surprises could be her thing, if this was what they entailed.

  As the hot water hit her tired body, she began to relax. A low groan escaped her lips as Griff’s strong hands massaged her tight shoulders and neck muscles, his thumbs kneading in deep, slow circles as they targeted knots beneath her skin.

  ‘Good God, where did you learn how to do this?’ she asked, feeling slightly drunk with pleasure.

  ‘Years of football and sore muscles.’

  ‘I’m not even going to ask.’

  ‘We had a sports massage guy who used to help out the team. I watched him do it so many times, I guess I’m just a quick study.’

  ‘You’re awesome,’ she sighed as his kneading moved from deep and therapeutic to something completely different.

  ‘I haven’t even started yet,’ he promised as she turned in his arms and slid her hands up his chest.

  The steam from the hot water cocooned them, and it was Griffin who gave a sharp intake of breath as she explored her way down his wide, strong chest and lower. With each shudder and small groan he gave she felt a powerful surge begin to swell inside her. He opened his eyes and their gazes held. She felt his hands low on her hips holding her still against him, and she could feel the powerful effect she had on him. His hands slid lower, cupping her backside, and in one swift movement he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him tightly. Olivia gasped as her back came into contact with the cool tiles behind her, but it was swallowed as he leaned forward and took her lips in a deep, bone-melting kiss.

  This was so much more potent than their inexperienced teenage attempts at sex. It didn’t even compare. Back then it had been tender and sweet, and she’d thought it had been the most amazing experience of her young life. But Griffin Callahan had clearly had some experience since then. Beneath her hands his muscles squeezed and rippled as he moved. His strong arms held her as she leaned back to reposition herself and felt him still, then heard the low guttural groan as he slid deep inside her.

  Oh, he’d definitely had some instruction, she thought as she gave a small whimper, then heard him give a soft, almost reverent curse before regathering himself.

  They moved together in perfect unison, the water drumming against their skin, the steam clinging to them like a protective bubble, encasing them in their own private world of desire.

  The following night, Olivia sat propped up in her bed at Moorbrook, computer on her lap, her hand hovering over the send button. She’d been scanning employment websites on and off for the last three days, and tonight she’d decided to apply for a couple of jobs to test the waters. She didn’t actually think she’d get anywhere. She wasn’t even really sure why she was doing it—she had a job. A very good job. Only she wasn’t happy.

  She tipped her head back against the headboard and closed her eyes briefly. It doesn’t mean you have to accept anything if you get a reply. The jobs were consultancy-based and she could do them from pretty much anywhere. It didn’t tie her to a decision to move from the city—she could stay there and work from her apartment if she wanted to. Or from here, a little voice added. She opened her eyes and sat up, pressing send on her application and closing the computer. She wasn’t going to think about it any more tonight. It was done and she’d wait and see what came of it. It was ridiculous to think that after a brief reunion with Griffin she’d drop her entire life and relocate back here on the off chance they’d end up living happily ever after. It was crazy. She had no idea if this was even going to become anything serious. Sure, they had history and they’d known each other practically their entire lives, but did it only feel right because it was so familiar? If she hadn’t known Griff growing up or been his high school sweetheart, if this was some guy she’d only known for a couple of weeks, would the possibility even be crossing
her mind right now?

  She turned off the bedside lamp and scrunched down under the blankets, staring up at the ceiling, moonlight casting its silver-bluish glow through the open window.

  The truth was, she did love Griffin. She’d known it last Christmas. She wasn’t happy in her current job and that was starting to show in her work performance. It was time for a change. But was this the right change?

  Seventeen

  Harvesting was a strange time of the year. As a farmer’s daughter Olivia had lived through many harvesting seasons and she knew the strain involved for not only the farmers but the entire household. Around-the-clock shifts were commonplace. Olivia could remember barely seeing her father for weeks on end during harvest. If he wasn’t out on a harvester, he was catching a few hours’ sleep before her mum sent him off again with a kiss, an esky of food and a thermos.

  Over the years the technology and the machinery had made the job a lot more comfortable, but the hours were still crazy and the stress still high. There were always concerns. Would they get enough quality yield? There were so many factors to worry about, weather being the biggest. Rain could cause delays and affect the quality of the produce; wind could cause damage to delicate seedpods and reduce the yield and value of the crop. Would they meet the quota needed? Would a machine breakdown delay harvest and cause the crop to spoil by over-ripening? The farm’s viability depended upon ensuring the harvest was a success. No wonder it was always an incredibly stressful time of year.

  Olivia drove the water tank out on the back of the ute and parked it near the paddock Ollie was working in. Fire was always a concern during harvest. The huge machines heated up, and accumulated dust and material on hot engine parts were a fire hazard. When you were this far out of town, it paid to have water on standby, and the tanks on the back of the farm ute were always kept full, just in case.

  Olivia took out her phone and called Hadley’s number. Since seeing her in Sydney, she’d taken to calling to check in a few times a day.

  ‘Yes, I’m still okay,’ Hadley answered the phone dryly.