Mr Right Now

by Karly Lane

  Ollie didn’t say any more, only shook his head as though frustrated. As she hugged her brother goodbye, she realised this would be the last time they saw each other in who knew how long. She brushed away tears and tried to force a smile. ‘I’ll call before I leave. I’ve still got a few things to sort out in Sydney.’ Her father had a check-up appointment at the hospital in a couple of days and he and her mum would see her off at the international airport once she’d finalised her plans.

  Ollie gave a nod and returned her smile but, like hers, it didn’t quite manage to cover the regret and lingering sadness underneath. As they waited for the announcement that her flight was boarding, Olivia found herself looking up each time the glass doors slid open, and told herself it wasn’t disappointment she was feeling when none of the people walking in were Griffin. She didn’t expect him to come and, if she were being completely honest, it was better this way. She wasn’t sure she could cope with an emotional scene right now. Saying goodbye to Ollie was hard enough.

  She stared down at the tapestry of patchwork-coloured paddocks below as the plane gradually left the Riverina districts behind. This was the right decision—everything might be topsy-turvy at the moment, but it would all calm down. Things would fall back into place. She had to believe that.

  Griffin stared into the flames of the campfire without seeing them. On first glance he might have looked like a guy enjoying the outdoors, but a closer look would have revealed the torment that seemed to hover over him like a rain cloud.

  He hadn’t gone to the airport to see her off. He’d intended to. He’d even got halfway there, but then the finality of it all had hit him square in the chest and he’d pulled up on the side of the road, feeling as though someone were ripping his heart out. He’d turned the car around and headed for home. He’d grabbed his swag, thrown some food and beer in an esky and headed out to camp and drown his sorrows.

  He’d texted his parents to tell them where he was, then he’d turned off his phone. He knew Ollie would be trying to call him, but he couldn’t deal with people right now—not even his best mate.

  You got no one to blame for your situation but yourself, his drunk self reminded him unhelpfully. True, it was his fault. He’d told Sue and Bill about her job offer and how she’d been about to take it before they came home. He’d been genuinely worried about her and it seemed he hadn’t been the only one. Her family had known something wasn’t right. He’d expected her to be angry with him, and he guessed she had every right to be, but he also suspected she was relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands.

  He tipped his head back and looked up at the blanket of stars spread across the sky. There was nothing like looking out into the galaxy to put things in perspective. He was just a tiny speck in an infinite picture. Yet having Liv by his side had made him feel bigger somehow. Now that she was gone he felt the weight of that smallness pressing down on him. A few weeks ago he’d been happier than he’d been in a long time, but Olivia had been miserable.

  He had no idea what his future would hold now. He looked back down at the fire. The yellow flames licked at the pieces of wood he’d thrown on earlier, the crackling, popping noises filling the stillness of the night around him. He’d sent Liv out to live her life and somehow he had to learn to do the same.

  Thirty-one

  Olivia bit back a curse word—one that would have had her mother washing her mouth out with soap—as the taxi drove past and splashed her with half a puddle. The cold water plastered her skirt against her legs and her jacket halfway up her back.

  What was wrong with this place? Did the sun never come out? She’d been here almost two months and she was fairly sure she could count on one hand the number of days it hadn’t rained. It was just lucky that she was on her way home now and not on her way to work.

  She unlocked the door of her Paddington apartment and tiptoed across the polished timber floor into her bathroom to peel off her wet clothing and step under the shower, grateful to feel the hot blast of water hit her cold skin.

  Once she had warmed through and felt halfway human again, she towel-dried her hair and headed out to the lounge room, taking a seat on the swanky black couch that came with her expensive, furnished apartment. The company had spared no expense on her accommodation, setting her up in a compact but luxurious furnished one-bedroom apartment in a grand four-storey building. Large windows looked down on the busy cross streets and Olivia never tired of watching the classic little black taxi cabs coming and going below. It was situated within minutes of Paddington station, where she caught the train into central London. She still had to pinch herself each day.

  She reached for the tourist brochure she’d been faithfully working her way through ever since arriving. So far she’d seen all the local attractions—the Tower of London, Big Ben, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace—trying to act every inch the blasé expat but failing hopelessly as she stared open-mouthed at everything around her. For so long she’d dreamed of these places and now, finally, here she was, living near them. While this part of the experience was everything she’d hoped, the work part was a little less awe-inspiring.

  The people in her department hated her.

  Her mother had tried to smooth it over. ‘I’m sure they don’t hate you, darling. How could anyone hate you? Everyone loves you,’ she’d said with unshakable maternal conviction. But Olivia knew they resented her. She was an outsider who’d come in and taken over the position of one of their own and they barely tolerated her.

  It wasn’t her fault that the previous department head, while an all-round terribly good chap, had also been swindling company funds and had been fired over a video conference call with complete disregard for the scandal left in his wake. It also wasn’t her fault that the entire office had assumed the next in line, Randal Cottsworth, would inherit the position from their disgraced comrade. And then, to the entire department’s utter horror, he had been overlooked and replaced with—gasp!—an Australian. Personally, Olivia couldn’t work out why they were so surprised, considering the company was owned by Australians.

  Needless to say, Randal was not overly welcoming or, quite frankly, very pleasant. So much for the English being impeccably polite. It was lucky, then, that over the years of making her way through a male-dominated industry she’d developed a thick enough skin that it didn’t affect her too much. Still, it would have been nice to have a few work friends to go exploring with.

  She missed Hadley. She’d had a few texts over the last few weeks, but Hadley was on assignment again and communication was never reliable when her friend was head down in a story.

  She bit back a sigh and concentrated once more on the brochure in her hand. Castles were on her list for this coming weekend and she intended to get a very early start tomorrow to squeeze in as many as she could. Her phone rang and she reached for it hesitantly, hoping it wasn’t work. She blinked in surprise when she saw Hadley’s name flashing on the screen. Sometimes it felt like they had ESP.

  ‘Hey,’ she said, trying not to sound as flabbergasted as she felt.

  ‘Hi, I’m in London.’

  ‘You are?’ Olivia’s feet, which had been tucked beneath her comfortably, hit the floor. ‘Now?’

  ‘Yep, landed about an hour ago. Are you free to catch up?’

  ‘Oh my God, yes. When?’

  ‘Are you busy now?’

  ‘No, I’ve not long got home from work.’

  ‘Great. Give me your address and I’ll come over.’

  Olivia rattled it off and Hadley hung up with a brief, ‘I’ll see you soon.’ Olivia was left staring at the phone, somewhat bemused but mostly excited. A rush of homesickness flooded her and she felt a sting of tears. She couldn’t wait to see a familiar face again.

  The doorbell buzzer gave Olivia a start, but she raced for the intercom, a wide smile spreading across her face as she heard her friend’s familiar voice. She waited by the elevator, forcing her foot to stop tapping impatiently. And then the
doors slid open and the two women looked at each other silently for the briefest of moments before Hadley threw herself into Olivia’s arms, hugging her tightly.

  ‘I’m so sorry about everything,’ Hadley said after she pulled away. ‘I felt so bad for leaving the way I did, without saying goodbye. I just had to get out of there. I couldn’t face Harmony, and I didn’t want to bring Mum and Dad into it before I’d sorted out what was going on. I had to get away so I could think.’

  ‘It was an awful shock. How are you now?’ Olivia asked hesitantly.

  ‘Pissed off, actually.’

  ‘Understandable. Come on, let’s go inside.’ It was a good thing she’d just stocked up on wine. She had a feeling this visit was going to call for lots of it.

  ‘I know it must have seemed like I was blaming you … I wasn’t, Liv, I was just caught completely off guard,’ Hadley continued as they walked into her apartment. ‘I should have handled it a lot better. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘No, please,’ Olivia said quickly, ‘I get it. You were in shock. I was just worried about you. You didn’t return my calls those first few days, and I figured you wanted to be left alone.’

  ‘I went camping for a few days to try and get things into perspective, then I got back and was sent on assignment. I wasn’t sure you’d see me when I called, to be honest.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. You know I’d never turn my back on you.’

  ‘You’d have every right to.’ Hadley looked around the apartment as though suddenly seeing it. ‘Holy crap, Liv. These are some fancy digs. Look at this place. It must cost a fortune.’

  It did cost a fortune—well, it cost her company a fortune. She’d seen the paperwork and was relieved she wasn’t footing the bill. After her three-month trial was up, she could either choose to take over the lease here or find somewhere else. There was no way she could justify the expense on something this grand, so she planned to enjoy the luxury while she could. Olivia took Hadley on a brief tour of the apartment before leading her back to the kitchen.

  ‘So how is everything?’ Olivia asked gently.

  ‘I confronted Mitch about it. He didn’t deny it. Apparently she understands him like I never have, if you can believe that,’ she scoffed.

  Olivia hesitated briefly before asking, ‘And Harmony? Have you spoken to her?’

  ‘Nope.’

  The finality in her friend’s tone made Olivia cringe slightly. Everything she’d been worried about was now unfolding. This was going to break the Callahan family. ‘I’m so sorry, Hads,’ Olivia said sadly. ‘What a mess.’

  ‘It wasn’t your fault. I’m glad you told me. I can’t imagine how pathetic I would have felt if they’d both come to break it to me unexpectedly.’

  ‘So it’s serious then? Between them?’

  ‘Who knows? I haven’t been able to stomach talking to Mitch since our initial conversation. I left on assignment and I haven’t been home since. He told me he’s moved out to give me some space. I have no idea where he went.’

  Olivia hadn’t even thought of Mitch and Harmony as something long term—she’d been assuming it had been a one-off moment of madness or something.

  ‘I don’t want anyone else to know yet, Liv,’ she said, and her direct look held a note of imploration. ‘I need time to deal with what happens next.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Not even Ollie,’ she said firmly.

  Olivia bit the inside of her cheek and Hadley stared at her, horrified. ‘He knows?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia said quickly. ‘He made me tell him what was wrong … it was when I didn’t know what to do. But you know he won’t say anything to anyone.’ For a minute Hadley looked almost distraught, but she quickly covered it up. ‘You’re not seriously worried that Ollie would tell anyone, are you?’ Surely by now Hadley knew him better than that.

  ‘No, of course not. I just didn’t want anyone else to know.’

  ‘There’s no shame in it, Had. This wasn’t your fault.’

  ‘Yeah, I know … but still, it’s going to be a huge pain in the backside and we’re going to have to work out with our publicists how best to handle it. I don’t need any rumours getting out before we’ve had a chance to put a proper spin on it—preferably without any scandal attached.’

  ‘Publicists?’

  ‘You do remember what a circus the wedding was, right?’ Hadley said, eyeing her friend doubtfully.

  ‘Yeah, but … really? You’re going to take it to your publicists?’

  ‘If I have a hope of not dragging my family and everyone else I care about through the mud, then, yes, I am. I want to do this with as little fallout as possible. If the media got wind of Mitch having an affair with my sister, you can only imagine the tabloid bloodbath that would follow.’

  She supposed Hadley had a point, but it all seemed so … sordid and clinical.

  ‘Can we talk about … I don’t know, anything else, please?’ Hadley begged.

  ‘Sorry, yes, of course.’ The conversation had got way too depressing. Olivia turned to the fridge and took out the wine and a wedge of cheese. ‘I can’t believe you’re really here,’ she said, taking out two glasses.

  ‘Wow, real crystal. It’ll beat drinking out of the tin cups I’ve been using these last few weeks.’ She grinned.

  ‘So are you here for an assignment?’

  ‘I’m returning home from one and I decided to detour here for a stopover so I could see you.’ Hadley sent her friend a curious glance. ‘I still can’t believe you took a job overseas,’ she said.

  ‘It just came up,’ Olivia shrugged, lowering her gaze. She knew full well that Hadley would have been in touch with Griffin. ‘I felt as though it was something I needed to do.’

  For a long while Hadley didn’t respond, and Olivia finally looked up and caught her friend’s pensive expression. ‘You think I did the wrong thing?’ she asked.

  ‘God, I’m the last person to have an opinion on anyone else’s life choices—I can’t even make my own,’ she said, sipping her wine. ‘I’m all for you getting out and experiencing life, Liv—you know I’ve been trying to tell you that for ages—but I just hope you’re doing it for the right reasons.’

  ‘The right reasons?’ Olivia frowned.

  ‘For yourself, and not under some kind of misguided notion that in order to be happy you have to be someone you’re not.’

  ‘I see,’ Olivia said suspiciously. ‘You’ve been talking to my brother, haven’t you.’

  ‘He said you were sick of being boring Olivia. You are not boring,’ Hadley said firmly.

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Olivia scoffed, taking a hefty swallow of her drink. ‘This is the first time I’ve even been overseas,’ she said.

  ‘You’re heading a department. That’s hardly boring. That’s incredible, that’s what it is,’ Hadley said, shaking her head in awe. ‘You don’t have to be someone else—you’re amazing. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. I see you working your butt off year after year and becoming such a success and I’m proud of you, Liv.’

  ‘You think leaving was a mistake, too, don’t you.’

  ‘I didn’t say that. I just want you to be sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. I want you and Griff to be happy. I love you both.’

  ‘He was the one who told me to go,’ Olivia said dryly.

  ‘He thinks this is what you wanted.’

  ‘It was … I mean is,’ she corrected hurriedly.

  Hadley eyed her thoughtfully over the top of her glass. ‘He’s miserable, you know.’

  Olivia dropped her friend’s gaze and reached for a cracker. She did know. She could hear it in his voice when they talked on the phone. He sounded subdued … distant. It was to be expected, she guessed. They weren’t a couple, and yet they hadn’t technically broken up either. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to do that. The strange thing was, she still felt as though she were part of a couple. She’d had no desire to meet men since she’d been here, and he was
always the first one she rang whenever she returned from a day of exploring, to tell him all about it. They never talked about the future. It was almost as though their relationship was in limbo, but she could nevertheless feel the distance growing between them and it made her sad.

  ‘I know he is,’ Olivia sighed, searching her friend’s eyes. ‘And I feel guilty for leaving everyone, but it felt like something I needed to do.’

  ‘Well, then,’ Hadley said, ‘I’m happy for you. I really am, Liv.’

  Olivia summoned up a weak smile. ‘Thanks.’ She blinked quickly and turned away to reach for the cheese and crackers. ‘How long are you here for?’

  ‘I have to fly out tomorrow afternoon,’ Hadley said.

  ‘Wish I’d known you were coming, I’d have gone shopping and bought something fancier for dinner than cheese and crackers,’ Olivia said.

  ‘Come for a sleepover in my snazzy hotel room. We can order room service and watch some soppy chick flicks, eat junk food and pretend we’re not grown-ups for a night.’

  ‘Sounds perfect.’

  ‘Great. So go pack your PJs and toothbrush and let’s get out of here.’

  Nothing had ever sounded so good.

  The following afternoon Olivia returned to her flat and stared out at the dreary grey street below. People rushed to and fro, heads down, on a mission to the grocery store or to pay a bill or to head home from work. It was just like being in Sydney—only with really crappy weather. This was turning out to be nothing like she’d imagined when she’d accepted the job offer. For some reason she’d figured living abroad would be a lot more, well … just … more. Sure, she got to visit amazing places on her days off, but basically her job was the same; all that was different here was the fact she had no family and friends nearby and she was pretty much miserable. But damn it, this was what she’d wanted.

  Thirty-two

  Griffin turned the shower off and rested his head against the tiles wearily. He’d just finished the last of the wheat harvest and it had been a long-arsed day. His old man had been happy with the yield and had even gone so far as to say Griff had done a good job. He was pretty sure he was still in shock over that one—at any other time he would probably have thought it was a sign the world was about to end, but not today. The world wasn’t going to end—it was going to go on and on forever, as though stuck on repeat.