February Or Forever

by Juliet Madison

  ‘Wow, so Sarah’s husband might be helping me build a garage and extend the deck, Sarah said she’ll come househunting with me, and now you’re offering to help me decorate. You’re a very generous family!’

  ‘And maybe I can serve free food at the open house and Drew could be the guest of honour to attract a few potential buyers, hey son?’ Geoff winked.

  Drew laughed. ‘Well, maybe I can arrange a special visit to Australia for the occasion,’ he joked. Joked. Every now and again a reminder of the transient nature of Drew’s presence would hit home. Just when she was starting to get used to having him around.

  After a dessert of pavlova and fruit, and a game of Trivial Pursuit in which Drew showed his competitive side but lost to Chrissie thanks to one of those science questions about the human body, Chrissie helped the family clear the table.

  ‘C’mon, Chrissie, I’ll take you on a tour of the property,’ Susan said, hooking her hand under Chrissie’s elbow.

  ‘Need a tour guide commentator?’ asked Geoff. ‘Everything here has some sort of history or significance I’d be happy to tell you about.’

  ‘Go easy on the history lesson, Dad. I’m sure Chrissie would just prefer a casual stroll around,’ said Drew.

  ‘I’d be honoured to learn more about the place,’ Chrissie replied.

  They all walked back outside and over to the granny flat where Susan had based her design business, but was now used as guest accommodation. It had three bedrooms! Oh, something like this would be perfect for my yoga retreats. She may not be able to buy this place, but there was no harm in dreaming and getting ideas for the future. They walked around the mature gardens near the guest accommodation, where rosellas fluttered around the red fuzz of a bottlebrush tree. Geoff gave her a botany and horticulture lesson, while Drew seemed off with the fairies as he dawdled behind. Chrissie tested out a hammock hanging between a couple of trees, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness as she shaded her eyes from the sun peeking through the leaves and branches above.

  ‘And here is Drew’s hand and foot.’ Geoff stopped in front of a paved entertainment area where imprints of childlike hands and feet were ingrained into the concrete. ‘Age four, he was.’

  Drew sidled up next to his imprint and took off his shoe, placing his bare foot next to the younger version. ‘I can barely remember being that small,’ he said.

  ‘I can. Couldn’t keep you still!’ Susan said. ‘It’s amazing we got you to stand here long enough for the imprint.’

  ‘I’m learning all about keeping still in our yoga sessions, aren’t I, Chrissie?’

  ‘Yes, you certainly are.’ She smiled.

  ‘And is he a good student? Does he behave himself?’ Susan asked, nudging her son in the ribs.

  Chrissie eyed Drew and turned the corners of her lips downward. ‘Well, sometimes.’

  ‘Hey!’ He playfully kicked her leg.

  ‘Okay, he’s actually a very good student, and does what he’s told. Most of the time.’

  ‘Good to hear. And he tells me that Serendipity might be having open classes. I might just come along one day.’

  ‘I hope to see you there.’ Chrissie smiled.

  They walked around to the other side of the house, and Chrissie’s heart doubled over itself when they approached the swimming pool.

  ‘Oh, should have told you to bring your swimming costume in case you wanted a swim,’ Susan said.

  ‘Oh, no that’s okay.’ Chrissie scratched her head and turned away, pretending to admire some hanging plants on the nearby gazebo.

  ‘Let’s show Chrissie the chook pen,’ Drew said, gesturing up ahead, away from the water.

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t want her to get her lovely clothes messy. It’s just an old wooden structure with a bunch of noisy chooks laying eggs.’

  ‘I don’t mind, I’d love to have chooks and a daily supply of fresh eggs.’ She walked alongside Drew who led her to the pen. He lightly touched her arm as if to ask if she was okay, and she returned his gesture with a brief smile.

  His effort to reduce her discomfort was admirable, though she knew she couldn’t go on living with this phobia forever. But for now at least, it was nice to have someone around who understood and knew about her reluctance to get up close and personal with the liquid of life.

  Susan gathered up a bundle of eggs for Chrissie to take home, and as they wandered around to the front of the house, Drew and his father strolled slowly behind, deep in discussion about something.

  Susan and Chrissie stopped by a birdbath. ‘So I hear your son is friends with my grandson?’

  ‘Yes, I’m so glad he’s made a good friend. It’s been hard for him, moving to a new town and school only a year after starting kindergarten.’

  ‘Poor pet. I’m sure he’ll settle in well here after a while. Before you know it he’ll be all grown up and you’ll wonder what happened.’ She glanced back at Drew.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure. Part of me wants him to, and another part wants him to stay little for a bit longer.’

  ‘Oh I remember that feeling all too well. Enjoy this precious time now. It goes so fast.’ Susan placed a hand over her heart.

  ‘Tell me about it. I still have Kai’s baby picture in my purse and haven’t updated it to a more recent photo.’

  ‘Oh, can I have a look? I love babies.’

  ‘Sure.’ She followed Susan inside and retrieved her purse from a table in the living room.

  ‘Oh, what a cutie! Even in this, I can see he shares your chin.’

  ‘My chin?’

  ‘Yes, see, the angle of it.’ She traced around Kai’s photo. ‘Drew didn’t look like me at all when he was a baby. I’d even wondered if we took home the wrong baby by mistake! Here, let me show you.’ Susan led her to the hallway where a collection of family photos graced the wall.

  Drew Williams’ baby photos? He was still outside and had no idea his mother was about to do the very thing every child dreads.

  ‘That’s him?’ Chrissie asked, pointing to a photo of a chubby baby with a cranky-looking face.

  ‘It sure is!’ Susan laughed. ‘He was so cuddly, and don’t worry, he wasn’t that cranky all the time. I think I took that just before he was due to be fed. You know how men get when they need food.’

  ‘Yes, I do.’ She grinned.

  ‘And look at these ones.’ She plucked an album from a drawer. ‘This is on his first birthday, isn’t his outfit just adorable?’

  Chrissie grinned at the sailor outfit Drew wore, his finger pointing at his number one-shaped birthday cake. There were also photos of him as a toddler with his baby sister, and one on his first day of school. He’d thinned out a lot by then, his lanky legs almost skeletal-looking below his grey school shorts.

  ‘Hey, what’s going on here? Secret women’s business?’ Drew walked in with Geoff.

  Susan tucked the album back in the drawer. ‘Oh nothing.’

  ‘You weren’t showing old photos were you, Mum?’

  ‘Me?’ She flashed an innocent expression.

  ‘Oh you didn’t.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ll just die of embarrassment right here shall I?’ He gestured to the floor.

  Chrissie curled her lips into a cheeky smile. ‘Now c’mon, Drew. No need to put on such a cranky face.’

  A burst of laughter escaped Susan’s mouth at Chrissie’s comment, and Drew’s lips twisted to the side. ‘One of these days I’m going to take that terrible photo down and dispose of it!’

  ‘Oh you wouldn’t, darling. It’s so adorable.’ Susan pinched Drew’s cheeks and he closed his eyes in apparent resignation. ‘Okay, okay. Enough of the motherly stuff.’ She patted him on the back. ‘Let’s go have some coffee out in the garden.’ Susan scurried off to prepare the cups and saucers, while Drew hung behind in the hallway with Chrissie.

  ‘I should have known this would happen,’ he said, a rosy glow shining on his cheeks.

  ‘That’s parents for you. I’m already keeping a file of future embarrassing photos
for Kai. It’s just payback for the pain of childbirth.’

  ‘I guess that’s fair.’ He held up his hands in defeat. Then he pinched Chrissie’s cheek. ‘I bet you don’t have any cranky baby photos.’

  ‘I can’t remember. But who says only babies can pull those faces off?’ She scrunched up her face and pouted and did her best version of Kai’s ‘I don’t want to go to school and you’re a mean mother’ face.

  Drew burst out laughing. ‘That is sooo attractive. Such a good look, Burns.’

  ‘Bet you can’t do one better.’

  ‘Bet I can.’ He squinted and scrunched up his face too, and Chrissie slapped her thigh with laughter.

  ‘Nice one, Williams.’

  He grinned and placed his hand on the small of her back. ‘C’mon, time for a hot cuppa, cranky pants.’

  When they’d farewelled Susan and Geoff and thanked them for their hospitality, Drew and Chrissie got in the car and she drove off.

  ‘I had a great time, thank you,’ she said, stealing a quick glance in Drew’s direction.

  ‘So did I. Thanks for coming,’ he replied. ‘So, back to household duties for you when you get home?’ He checked his watch, even though the time was displayed on the dashboard. It was just after 5 p.m.

  ‘I guess so. Although I’m not really in the mood. Maybe I should have the night off.’

  ‘Funny, I was thinking the same thing.’

  ‘You were thinking I should have the night off? How thoughtful of you,’ she mocked.

  ‘I was thinking you should have the night off. With me.’

  ‘You’ve got the whole month off, Williams.’ When he didn’t reply right away, she glanced at him. His face was serious. Serious, and seriously delicious.

  ‘Fancy dinner on the beach tonight? I’ll even bring a jacket this time.’ He smiled.

  Chrissie’s heart rate rose, and she had the urge to wind down the window even though the air con was on. In two weeks Drew would be gone from her life yet here she was spending all this time with him. Surely it was a bad idea and would only lead to disappointment? Although right now, it seemed like the best idea ever, and one should live in the moment, shouldn’t one?

  ‘A picnic?’ she asked.

  ‘Why not? I could nab some food from the chefs at Serendipity, get a basket or something.’

  Chrissie thought back to the wonderful lunch she’d had. ‘No, let me. I’ll bring the food.’

  ‘So it’s a yes, then?’

  ‘It’s a yes.’ She smiled. ‘On the sand dunes outside my place? Next to the rocky hill?’

  ‘Sounds perfect. About eight?’

  ‘Hmm, maybe a bit before. The sun will be going down around then. How about…7:48 p.m.?’ She tilted her head and hitched up one corner of her lips.

  ‘Make it 7:49 and you’ve got yourself a deal.’

  ‘Deal.’ They locked eyes for a moment and Chrissie no longer saw the ocean rippling in his eyes, she saw stars. Their sparkle sent a shiver up her spine, and she hadn’t felt this way in a long time.

  ‘So is there anything you’d like me to bring?’

  Chrissie thought for a few seconds. ‘I’ll provide the rug, the food, and the drink.’ She slid a glance his way and poked his arm with her finger. ‘And you provide the music.’

  He turned to face her.

  ‘Yes that’s right. Bring your guitar.’

  He smiled. ‘Okay then, Bossy Burns. What song should I play first?’

  ‘A Good Start,’ she said. She did love his new one, Breathe, but had had enough of tears for a while. A Good Start was upbeat, in a relaxed way, and always made her feel good.

  ‘I’ll sing it before we eat. That will get the night off to a very good start.’ He flashed a cheeky smile.

  ‘If you do a better job with the song than with your puns, then yes.’

  He whacked her thigh.

  As she dropped Drew at Serendipity and drove to the end of Dune Road, a comforting sense of happiness washed over her. What a great day. She got to enjoy being in the type of house she’d always wanted, be around the family she’d always wanted, and tonight…she’d be with the man she’d always wanted. Reality could go and get stuffed until Monday.

  Chapter 16

  Right, picnic rug — check. Bottle of champagne — check. Tray of food — check. Candle in a jar — check. Oh, what am I forgetting? Chrissie’s gaze darted here, there, and everywhere. Oh of course! She grabbed two plastic wine glasses from the cupboard. What are we supposed to do, drink from the bottle? Oh, and napkins…do we need napkins? If Kai was there, yes, but it would just be two grown adults sharing a tray of simple food. But what if there’s a spill or an awkward food on face situation? Oh for crying out loud, I can come back into the bloody house!

  Although the dinner date was right outside her house, it was way outside her comfort zone, and she wanted to be as prepared and dignified as possible. She grabbed a couple of plastic plates and popped them on the tray, then carried her collection of items outside. The air wasn’t cool like last night, the heat of the day still hung in the air, despite the refreshing breeze rising off the ocean. The moon shone bright too, and with the outdoor lighting around the house, the candle might not be needed, but it wasn’t only about need. What’s a romantic dinner without a candle? Romantic? Oh God, she was probably reading too much into this. They’d shared a nice family lunch and now they would share a nice friendly dinner between teacher and student. Nothing more. It couldn’t be any more.

  She placed the tray on the sand and shook out the picnic rug, laying it neatly on the ground. The sand dune sloped slightly, but a flat area at one end of the rug kept the tray of food and drink from toppling over.

  She walked up to the edge of the rocky hill and peered over it, but there was no sign of him yet. Her phone buzzed. What if it’s him? What if he’s cancelling? She dug her fingers in her pocket and retrieved the phone. Melinda. Crap, not the best timing.

  ‘Hi Mel,’ she answered.

  ‘Hey hun, how are you enjoying your Saturday night without Kai? Working through stuff in the house I bet, or watching a DVD?

  Chrissie bit her lip. ‘Um, something like that.’ Nothing remotely like that.

  ‘So how are things? Kai go to school okay?’

  ‘In the second half of the week, mostly. His dad said he’d take him to the movies as a reward. At first that wasn’t enough incentive, so he said he could also go to the video game arcade after and play in the young kids section. I hate those places, they’re so noisy and filled with older kids, but it worked.’

  ‘Whatever works, hun.’

  ‘Yeah. I just hope we don’t have to keep doing this forever. I don’t want to spoil the kid.’

  ‘Letting him have fun isn’t spoiling him, it’s showing him that when he tries hard he gets to have fun, and when he doesn’t, he might not get to do the things he wants to do.’

  ‘True. And I’m one step ahead for next week. The local Sunday markets are on next weekend, so that’ll be his next reward. I’ll give him ten dollars to buy something from one of the stalls. Might even see if his new friend would like to come along.’

  ‘Sounds great. Anyway, you’re child-free for the weekend, so what else is going on with you lately?’

  ‘Oh, not much, the usual. How about you?’

  ‘Just the usual for me too. Hubby says we should go on a family holiday sometime soon, before the cooler weather sets in. I told him as long as I can come and stay with you for a night or two in the school holidays like I promised. We might even head down your way and stay a while somewhere nearby.’

  ‘Well, you could always stay — ’

  ‘And don’t even think about offering for all of us to stay with you. You need the time to work on the house; you don’t want us to create more work for you. I’ll leave the fam at the holiday park and come and help you out for a bit.’

  ‘Oh, you’re awesome.’

  ‘I know.’

  Chrissie chuckled at her fri
end’s sarcastic honesty. If such a contradiction existed. She was being sarcastic to avoid sounding egotistical, but it was true. She was awesome. So was the person strolling down the beach on the other side of the hill.

  ‘Um, sorry to cut our convo short Mel, but I kinda have to get going.’

  ‘I thought you were just hanging out at home?’

  ‘I am. I just…’ Drew caught her eye and waved with his free hand, the other one carrying his guitar. ‘I’m, um, baking! I have a cake in the oven and then I’m going to put cookies in right after so I can’t really call back, I don’t want to start a fire or anything!’

  ‘You’re baking?’

  ‘Guess so.’

  ‘Now I’m jealous. Maybe I should leave motherhood for the weekend and drive down to your place right now. I could eat a whole cake. And maybe a cookie or ten.’

  ‘Oh well, one day. Shame it’s a bit late. Anyway, great chatting. Love ya, I’ll talk to you maybe tomorrow.’

  ‘Rightio, you Baking Queen. Talk soon.’

  Chrissie ended the call and tucked the phone in her pocket as Drew came around the corner. It killed her to lie to Melinda, but she had no choice. Maybe when this was all over she could fill her in and apologise. When it was all over.

  Drew strummed his guitar. ‘Well, hello…’ he sang.

  Chrissie laughed. ‘Is that the start of a new song?’

  ‘It could be.’ He walked up the sand dune barefooted. Chrissie was wearing slip-on sandals but shouldn’t have bothered. She kicked them off when he approached. ‘But I actually have a new song I started working on only this evening.’ He placed the guitar on the side of the rug.

  ‘Another one? You’re on a roll!’

  ‘Must have been inspired by our lunch today.’

  ‘So do I get a sneak peek?’

  ‘Nope. Not yet. Nowhere near ready to be heard by anyone else.’

  ‘Oh, I’m curious! What’s it called.’

  ‘I’m not telling.’ He made a show of zipping his lips.