by Loretta Hill
As she averted her eyes, he released her hands and grabbed her by the shoulders. ‘Hey, that’s not what I meant.’
She returned her gaze squarely to his. It was time to face facts, put it out there on the table, so they were both aware of where they stood.
‘Maybe that wasn’t what you meant right now but I know that’s how you’ve always felt.’
‘What?’ His voice rasped with pain. ‘No, that’s not true.’
‘It’s all right,’ she tried to reassure him, ‘I don’t blame you. It was my fault we lost her. I accept full responsibility.’
His hands seemed to tighten on her upper arms, his fingers digging into her flesh. ‘No, Tash, I won’t allow you to do that.’
‘You don’t really have a choice,’ she told him sadly. ‘It’s done. And now you can really let me go.’
She had meant this both emotionally and physically as he was still holding on to her. But his hands did not loosen and a muscle jerked in his jaw. There seemed to be an avalanche of emotion behind his eyes just waiting to tip him over the edge. She watched him struggle within himself, as one feeling after the other ripped across his face.
Shock. Pain. Regret.
Her eyes narrowed. Where is the relief?
Wasn’t this what he had been waiting for? Her confession – her willingness to take responsibility for what had happened?
As they stood there staring at each other, a jovial voice sounded faintly as though coming from very far away.
‘Guys!’ It was Adam. ‘Come and have some of Eve’s crepes for dessert. They’re absolutely delicious.’
Heath’s hands fell from her shoulders and Tash looked across at her family as though surfacing from a dream. Adam was holding up a big plate of crepes and a jar of maple syrup. Everyone was watching them expectantly, except Eve, whose blushing gaze was on her lap.
‘Er, great. Okay,’ Tash muttered mechanically. She crossed the floor to the main counter where everyone was sitting, not bothering to check if Heath followed her. She had said what she needed to say and now all she wanted was to get away from him. Perhaps, since Heath had scored his absolution from all blame, he would stop trying to torment her and just leave her alone. She could live this lie for four weeks for her family’s sake. But not if he was constantly playing games.
She took a seat next to Eve and a crepe already smeared with maple syrup appeared on a plate in front of her. It was indeed delicious and the first bite instantly made her feel better. Heath went to the window to make tea. She was surprised but grateful when he also brought back a steaming mug for her.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured.
Fortunately, he did not sit next to her. Eve, who had witnessed the exchange, leaned close and bumped her arm with Tash’s.
‘Sorry for interrupting your moment with Heath,’ she murmured. ‘I wouldn’t say the crepes are that great. Adam was just trying to be annoying.’
‘Your crepes are great,’ she disagreed resolutely. ‘And I wasn’t having a moment with Heath.’
Eve’s eyelashes fluttered. ‘Oh, okay. I just thought …’ Her voice trailed off sheepishly. ‘But then what do I know about romance?’
Their mother, who always listened in at the moment you least wanted her to, snorted. ‘For all that romance, I’m yet to see one grandchild. When are you two going to get your skates on? Tell me that.’
It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. ‘Trust me, Mum,’ Tash said shortly, ‘you’ll be the first to know.’ And then she stood up, her limbs stiff and shaky. ‘You know, it’s such a gorgeous day, I might take this tea outside.’
And so she did, hoping for a little space from everyone and everything. She had completely forgotten that Phoebe and Spider had also retreated outside and was momentarily disappointed to see her sister standing out there on the gravel until she took in the look in her eyes. She’d seen that expression before.
In the mirror.
The fearless optimist was not looking quite so fearless at that moment or very optimistic either, which immediately made her forget her own worries. ‘Where’s Spider?’ she asked.
‘Taking another break.’ The heaviness in Phoebe’s tone said it all.
After her complete lack of sensitivity towards Eve, she wasn’t going to make the mistake of glossing over whatever was bothering Phoebe. She sat down on the park bench too and made her sister tell her everything. What a mess of a story it was, and that was without the bits Phoebe didn’t know. It looked like Spider was already up to his old tricks, given Phoebe had intercepted the note recently. She didn’t think Eve was devious or selfish enough to continue to pursue Spider while he was engaged to her sister.
This time, however, Spider had Natasha Maxwell to deal with as well. And nobody, nobody, was going to make a fool out of one of her sisters. The stake-out would open Phoebe’s eyes. It was becoming clearer and clearer that this was exactly what she needed. The girl was too in love with him to simply be told. She wouldn’t believe it.
And yes, it was all well and good for Phoebe to be a positive person and always believe the very best of people but her faith in Spider was ridiculous after everything he’d done.
Although she remembered that her dad had said he couldn’t prove Spider started the fire. Not that that lessened her anger. His affair with Eve had been real enough, and it was about time his true character was revealed.
As though to sweeten the deal, Eve walked out of the restaurant just then and spied them both sitting on the park bench. Her steps slowed and her mouth formed an apologetic Oh. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise you were talking.’
Tash stood up, expelling a breath as she turned around. Misinterpreting her frustration, Eve’s face comically morphed from apologetic to stricken. ‘Seriously,’ she started to back away, ‘I’ll just go.’
‘Eve, will you stop bloody apologising to me. Hell, stop apologising to everyone.’
‘Sorry, I –’
‘Eve!’
‘S– I mean, okay. All right. I won’t.’ To Tash’s satisfaction, she seemed to stand taller.
‘Good,’ Tash nodded. ‘And come over here because you’re just the person we need.’
‘She is?’ Phoebe stood up.
‘I am?’
‘Well, I think so,’ Tash smiled, and for the first time since she had arrived her heart felt lighter. ‘We’re going on an adventure.’
‘An adventure?’ Eve squeaked. ‘I don’t know. Do we really need an adventure right now with everything else that’s going on?’
Tash grinned. ‘What are you? Chicken?’
Eve paused. ‘Er … yes.’
They all laughed, including her.
‘Well, I won’t have it,’ Tash shook her finger. ‘You’re a Maxwell and we’re much braver than that.’
‘You mean madder,’ Phoebe murmured.
‘Whatever,’ Tash lifted her chin, ‘it’s all the same.’
‘So what exactly are we doing?’ Eve asked.
‘A Maxwell sisters’ stake-out, to be precise. It’s at the Wildwood Bakery,’ Tash informed her.
At last, a smile curved Phoebe’s mouth and that sparkle of hope that had been missing a minute earlier returned. The dimple in her cheek peeped. ‘It’s top secret.’
‘Very,’ Tash nodded. ‘Club members only.’
‘Club members only,’ Eve whispered.
‘Are you in?’ Phoebe enquired.
‘Yes,’ Eve nodded adamantly. ‘Yes, I am.’
Chapter 21
The return to sisterhood would have been an enormous boost to Eve’s confidence had she not spent all morning fending off harassment from Adonis and stalking from Spider. She didn’t know which was worse, Adonis’s rascally advances or Spider pleading for advice about her sister.
With Spider, she had already made the decision to take a step back and had not responded to his earlier text message. When she returned to her bedroom at six am, stashing the blanket she had accidentally stolen from Adonis under
her bed, it was to find three more messages added to the first.
I really need your advice.
Can I talk to you sometime this morning?
Your sister is doing my head in!
Given her eventful night, she hadn’t been able to go back to sleep and so had sat on her bed for half an hour, thinking about how she should respond. It was strange how her encounter with Adonis in the wee hours had given her an insight into how she should move forward.
She had told the Greek God of the vineyard that she didn’t want to be his friend.
It had been hard but symbolic. Symbolic because she didn’t want to be used again. She knew that if she started hanging out with Adonis, she’d develop a crush on him. Hell! She may already have one. The man was too good-looking, too charming and he knew it. He’d end up basking in her admiration and abusing it, just the way Spider had.
Well, perhaps ‘abusing’ was too harsh a word. She was sure Spider hadn’t intentionally strung her along. He didn’t know she had feelings for him. And if someone just happened to be there for you whenever you needed them, why shouldn’t you take them up on their offer? He was only human. How was he to know that encouraging her only gave her hope. No, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her like that. Spider wasn’t that sort of man. It didn’t change the fact, however, that she’d just spent the last five years being his prop, his fall-back and his ‘fill in’ when no one else was available. She just couldn’t do it any more. Not for him and certainly not for anyone else.
Now sitting there, looking at his text messages, she realised it really was time to cut him loose. The same way she had cut Adonis off. She couldn’t keep being ‘there’ for him – and she needed to tell him so. Besides the fact that even if she was still going to continue in the role of his best friend, was it appropriate for her to know intimate details of his relationship with her sister? Details that Phoebe hadn’t even decided to confide in her? All these text messages seemed so underhanded. She hesitated before eventually texting.
Sorry Spider, I don’t think I should get involved in your fight given Phee is also my sister. But if I were you, just be patient with her, speak your mind and you’ll be fine.
There. That should do it.
Not a complete brush-off, but definitely a ‘sort it out yourself’. He should get the message.
But he didn’t. At breakfast, he’d tried to speak to her alone when the rest of the family wasn’t looking. Passing her a cup of coffee with a troubled smile. ‘Did you get my messages?’
‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘Did you get mine?’
He frowned as she walked away and sat down at the breakfast table next to Phoebe, which was just as much of a mistake.
‘So I was thinking,’ the youngest Maxwell child addressed the gathered group, ‘about the food for the wedding.’
‘An excellent point to discuss,’ Anita immediately encouraged her. ‘Because I have been pondering it myself.’
‘It seems silly to get a caterer to supply the food when we have a whole kitchen sitting there,’ Phoebe explained.
For once, Patricia seemed to agree. ‘Yes, and it won’t be as nice if it’s prepared elsewhere and then brought in. I mean, I assume that you’re not having a buffet.’
Anita frowned. ‘What’s wrong with a buffet?’
‘Anyway,’ Phoebe quickly interrupted, ‘Spider and I were talking about this a week ago before you all arrived and we think we’ve hit upon a solution.’ She glanced in Eve’s direction.
Eve immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Uh-oh. What’s going on here?
‘I think,’ Phoebe began slowly, ‘we could assemble the old restaurant team just for one night. They all still live and work locally. I’m sure they’d be willing to do us a favour. Paid, of course.’
What?
Eve gulped in air, for some reason feeling both pressured and violated at the same time.
‘Oh, I don’t mean you or Spider, Eve,’ Phoebe carelessly tossed the comment in her direction. ‘But if we could get some of the other chefs back in, they already know all your signature dishes. Spider and I could choose our favourites from your old menu. It would be perfect.’
The cords in Eve’s neck tightened. The restaurant was her baby, her dream and her disaster gone wrong. Her father had promised her that it would remain untouched until she was ready. It wasn’t for Phoebe or Spider to come in and resurrect it at the drop of a hat. Sure, she’d never had a problem with them using the actual seating area, but the kitchen …
‘Dad promised me –’
‘Eve,’ Phoebe interrupted her, ‘this is not about getting the restaurant going again. Of course, that’s your decision.’ She smiled as though the topic was a complete non-issue. ‘It’s just for one night. Who knows? You may feel nostalgic enough to keep it going.’
As she finished speaking, all eyes at the table turned towards Eve in hopeful anticipation.
Great! It’s a coup.
She ground her teeth. ‘I’m not ready.’
Her mother grunted. Phoebe turned back to the group. ‘Well, at least it’ll be like old times just for one night. Now I think I’m going to rush over to the restaurant. I really want to see those beams arrive.’
As she left, Eve stuck her spoon into her Weet-Bix, staring at her food until it swam. They just didn’t get it, did they? She couldn’t just pick up where she left off. There were other reasons the restaurant had closed apart from the fire. Her incompetence, to name just one. These reasons didn’t get cancelled out just because Phoebe decided to get married. And pressuring her didn’t help. It just made her feel more like running than ever. She didn’t want to see the restaurant open again. Bringing back memories she couldn’t face – not just about Spider but about herself as well.
Fortunately, Graeme changed the subject, trying rather unsuccessfully to engage her mother and his wife in conversation about the latest political scandal. Patricia ignored him and turned to her son.
‘I was thinking about going into town today and having a little scout around for that Justice of the Peace. What do you think, Spider?’
He nodded without even looking at his mother. ‘Sounds good,’ he said, while still gazing pensively at Eve. She wished he wouldn’t. There was definitely nothing more she wished to speak to him about. And in light of his complete insensitivity with reviving the restaurant for one night, she was happy to completely ignore him.
Anita, who had been pouring Patricia a cup of tea, immediately stopped at a quarter cup and put the teapot down.
‘But we will need to consult with Phoebe also,’ she said firmly. ‘She may not want a secular minister.’
‘I’ve already spoken to her,’ Patricia said airily. ‘She’s fine with it. Can I have a little more tea please?’
Anita refused to pick up the teapot again. ‘When? When did you speak to her?’
‘Last night, before bed.’ Patricia reached for the teapot and Anita pulled it out of her reach.
‘Yes, well she was very tired then and quite unable to know her own mind. Let me talk to her. I’m sure I will get the true story,’ Anita nodded decisively. ‘In any event, today we are focusing on the restaurant, not the celebrants.’
Patricia chuckled. ‘Oh, as to that, I’m certain I’ll be quite useless in the restaurant. I’m a terrible handyman, aren’t I, Graeme?’
Graeme smiled. ‘I’d have to agree with you there.’
‘Be that as it may,’ Anita agreed sweetly, ‘you will still want to help out, no doubt.’ Then she removed the teapot completely from the table and returned it to the counter.
After that, Eve couldn’t get out of there quick enough. Though, had she but known it, the breakfast table ended up being the least confrontational place for her that day.
She had hoped that Adonis would be far too busy inspecting the vines or cleaning fermentation tanks in the winery to join them that morning. But the unpredictable winemaker had showed up at ten o’clock with on
e of his men in tow. He looked as handsome as ever. Unshowered and bare chested had been a complete turn-on, but dressed in jeans that moulded his perfectly formed rear into a work of art was only going to keep her senses buzzing at a high frequency.
At least for the most part he seemed inclined to ignore her and she didn’t know whether to be annoyed or grateful that he appeared to be taking her request ‘not to be friends’ rather seriously. He got straight into work after a very brief hello to everyone, and did not engage her at all.
But there was nothing more damaging to a resolution to not have a crush on this man than to watch him work. Especially when said work involved a lot of bending and lifting and stretching and reaching. If there was a muscle in his body she had not seen rippling yet, it would be a bloody miracle. Unfortunately, her secret glances in his direction mustn’t have been so secret because on her fourth furtive look over he raised his eyes, gazing directly at her and gave her a wink so lecherous that she had absolutely no idea where to look.
Her heart aflutter, she quickly turned around and stumbled straight into Spider. He had been standing right behind her, in the same stalkerish fashion he had employed in the kitchen earlier that morning.
‘I’m glad I caught you,’ he whispered. ‘We need to talk.’
She stiffened in his hands, momentarily stunned. ‘Huh?’
‘I got your message,’ he said urgently. ‘And I understand you want to stay out of it but you know her better than anyone.’
‘Yes, I do,’ she nodded. ‘And that’s why I can’t be involved. Look, Spider, if you’re angry about something, tell her, not me.’
She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held her there, those brown eyes that were always so soft, narrowed. ‘What’s got into you?’
‘Nothing’s got into me,’ she said crossly. ‘Can you let me go please? I think we should get back to work.’
Spider shook his head. ‘Something has definitely changed.’
‘Is everything okay here?’
Adonis walked over to them and Spider dropped his hands, a rather sheepish expression on his face. ‘Yeah, mate, everything’s fine. Just talking.’ A rather suspicious-looking blush spread across his features as he waited for Adonis to move on. But the winemaker didn’t. To Eve’s dismay, he continued to stand there, widening his feet and slowly folding his arms as he watched them silently. Eve tried to throw him a ‘we’re fine’ look but he ignored her, his gaze remaining firmly on her sister’s fiancé. Spider’s hand snaked awkwardly into his floppy fringe, pushing it out of his eyes. He cleared his throat. ‘Well, I suppose we better get back to work then.’