An Endless Summer

by C. J. Duggan

  Adam stepped slowly closer to Ellie, carefully, as if he might spook her.

  “There is no excuse.” He reached out and gently cupped her face. “I’m so sorry.”

  Against her better judgment I could see Ellie leaning into his hand. Oh, he was good. I wasn’t sure what he was doing in the army besides lifting weights, but he had become such a smooth talker that I think Adam seriously needed to reconsider his position in life and be a hostage negotiator or something.

  It took a mere moment for Ellie to throw her arms around Adam in a fierce hug before drawing back and hitting him really hard again.

  “Don’t call me Pretty Parker.”

  ***

  I had started the late shift with a spring in my step and a song in my heart. Okay, maybe that was overstating it, but still, the day had been massively productive. The kitchen and restaurant were gleaming and after the interesting Tess–Adam–Ellie reunion, Tess’s mum and dad rocked up to help out with menu ideas and cook up a few samples. They brought tubs of ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes: simple, hearty food, which was what they were famous for.

  Tess’s parents owned the Rose Cafe in Perry, a small border town separated only by the Onslow Bridge. They had won numerous awards over the years, including being the back-to-back title holders for ‘Best Pie.’ They even had a house specialty pastry dubbed the Onslow Boy – hilarious.

  Tess’s parents were wonderful; they were light, bubbly and so generous with their time. I hugged the bejesus out of them before they left, fearing it would never be enough to show how grateful I was for their invaluable help. The McGees even offered to help out with catering for the working bee, and doing a few lunch shifts until we got on our feet.

  The last cook we had that I could remember was a dishevelled, grotty man by the name of Dezi. I had wondered where Rosanna, our bad-tempered, pint-sized cook before him, had gotten to. According to Melba she had met and fallen in love with some guy over the Internet and he had relocated her and the kids up along the coast somewhere. Not that I was considering rehiring crazy Rosanna … Although she was very entertaining. I had often wondered what she was doing now. I hoped she was happy.

  I looked over the handwritten menus we had worked on that afternoon and smiled, filing them in the bookings folder near the till. My eyes trailed down the line of the bar, pleased by the customers that were dotted throughout the hotel. The jukebox blared from the poolroom as did animated laughter and chatter; it felt so good.

  Tomorrow the working bee would officially commence. Chris and I were even going to interview a couple of potential people to take on for staff, as Tess, in all her wisdom, had put up some flyers: ‘Help Wanted’. Things were looking up!

  And then the phone rang.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Honey, we’re coming up!” My mum’s voice beamed down the phone.

  “Wait, what?” My heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

  “It won’t be this weekend, but probably next weekend, providing your dad’s up to it.”

  My shoulders slumped in relief.

  “Everything all right, hon?” Mum’s voice kicked into concerned-parent mode, so I amped up the ‘everything’s awesome’ cheerful vibe and told her I couldn’t wait to see them.

  Once I had said my goodbyes and hung up the phone, any positive walking on sunshine feeling I’d had before was swallowed up by a dark cloud. Now I had a deadline. I had to pull out all the stops, had to show Mum and Dad what this place could really be and convince them not to sell.

  I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the familiar pulse of a headache coming on.

  “What’s up, lamb chop?” a voice asked – an unmistakable voice.

  I looked up to see Sean with his infamous high-wattage smile.

  “Lamb chop? You are such a poet.”

  “It’s certainly no Romeo and Juliet but with our history with balconies I think we best avoid Shakespeare.”

  Sean’s fingers tapped the bar. I hadn’t even noticed he had come in. He must have slipped through the door and into the mass of bodies in the poolroom.

  “So you had a bit of an all-nighter last night?” I tried to sound breezy as I grabbed for a fresh pot glass.

  “Just downed a few beers on the deck – made for a rather colourful evening. Shame you couldn’t make it.”

  I nearly overflowed the glass with beer, quickly having to twist the tap off in my moment of distraction.

  “Well, I wasn’t invited, was I?”

  “What?” Sean said. “Chris said you were manning the pub so you couldn’t make it.”

  I must have looked dumbfounded, because I truly was. I guess in a sense it had been my turn to man the bar, but they had left after lock-up so I could have gone, and I certainly didn’t need Chris answering for me.

  “You didn’t know?” Sean eyed me with interest.

  I looked down, not wanting to show him how furious I was with Chris.

  “Sean, buddy, we’re up!” Ringer yelled from the poolroom. I listen as he racked up the billiard balls.

  I worked on fixing up the froth-to-beer ratio in Sean’s pot so that it looked less like a glass of ice cream.

  “You better go. If you have any chance of winning you’ll have to break.”

  Sean smiled, knowing exactly what I was talking about. Ringer was a terrible breaker and a less-than-perfect doubles partner.

  “Can you bring that up for me?” His eyes flicked to his beer as he walked towards the poolroom.

  “Coming right up!”

  I wiped my alcohol-soaked hands, grabbed Sean’s beer, and walked up to the other end of the bar where all the action was. ‘When The River Runs Dry’ was playing from the jukebox, but it was the unmistakable thunderous crack of the billiard balls that grabbed my attention as Sean instantly pocketed a ball with his impressive break. He was wearing a basic white T-shirt but when he leaned over the table and positioned himself for the shot, cords of muscle drew tight and accentuated every curve.

  “You might want to close your mouth.”

  I was jolted back to reality to see Ellie standing at the bar with Tess just behind, exchanging smiles.

  “Oh, um …” I stammered, my cheeks burning scarlet. Damn him.

  Ellie and Tess cast each other knowing looks and pulled up a seat at the bar, hooking their handbags on the backs of their stools.

  “We’re just teasing,” Ellie said. “I think we can all appreciate that the Onslow Boys offer a nice view.”

  I worked to busy myself, placing Sean’s beer on the side of the pool table and wiping the bar down. I disposed of an empty glass, placing it in the dirty dish rack, and erasing the damp circle, wiping it away as if it would deflect Sean’s existence. It probably would have worked if he hadn’t been standing in front of me, flipping out his wallet.

  “Ladies.” He nodded at Tess and Ellie.

  They nodded back in unison. “Sean.”

  “Double trouble.” He flicked out a twenty, drawing my eyes to his wallet where I saw the unmistakable gleam of a silver, square condom packet in one of the slots. My stomach flipped and I didn’t know where to look. Mercifully, Sean snapped his wallet shut and replaced it in his back pocket as he put the twenty on the bar.

  I quickly moved to the till to get his change.

  “So what?” Ellie perked up. “Tess and I are trouble and Amy isn’t?”

  Oh God, leave me out of this.

  I had intended to leave his change on the bar but Sean held out his hand.

  I placed the note and coinage into his palm, his fingers brushing mine. A small thrill shot through me at the tiny gesture. I’m sure he meant it to.

  Damn him.

  “Oh, she’s trouble all right.” His eyes bored into mine as a devilish smile curved his lips. “Trouble of the worst kind.”

  I folded my arms.

  “Well, best stay out of trouble’s way then,” Ellie said, shooing him away.

  He pocketed his change and
grabbed his beer, heading back to the pool table. “Nah, trouble never looked so good,” he said with a wink.

  If I wasn’t blushing before, I was definitely flaming now, and the fact that I could feel Ellie’s and Tess’s eyes on me didn’t help.

  Ellie shook her head, looking from me to him and back.

  “He is unbelievable.”

  “Still the same old Sean.” Tess said with a laugh.

  “I actually think he’s gotten worse,” Ellie agreed.

  “He has always been a shameless flirt,” said Tess.

  I sighed, folding up the dishcloth. “He drives me mental.”

  “I think Sean was put on this earth to drive women mental,” Ellie said, “and it appears to be working.” She saluted me with her drink.

  An uproarious yell sounded from the pool table as the boys bellowed, “Two shots!” I took the chance to steal a look at Sean who had Ringer in a headlock, ruffling up his hair.

  “Sometimes he is so thoughtful and nice,” I said, “and then there’s the times (and that’s the majority of the time) when he’s cocky and smug, and suggestive and immature and I just want to strangle him!”

  Tess smiled, raising her glass. “Yep! That’s him, all right.”

  “Sometimes …” I leaned forward, lowering my voice, “I fantasise about tripping him over.”

  Ellie clapped her hand to her face, trying to stop the contents of her drink from snorting out of her nose as she coughed, while Tess patted her on the back.

  I couldn’t help but join in. Once Ellie had regained her breath from the choking and laughter, she grabbed for my cloth to wipe away the mess she’d made on the countertop.

  “You know, there is an easy way to render Sean speechless,” said Ellie.

  I stilled, incredibly interested in what she had to say.

  I held up my hand. “Hang on a sec! I want to give you my complete and undivided attention.” I threw the cloth into the sink and walked into the main bar.

  “Chris, I’m taking my break now!”

  ***

  Ellie, Tess, and I collectively sighed as we settled into the puffy couch in the main bar. We were tucked away from the rest of the mayhem near the unlit open fireplace – it was far enough away from the calamity of the poolroom, but still in direct line of sight to spy on those making all the noise.

  Exhibit A: Sean Murphy. Naturally.

  “It’s really quite simple,” Ellie said.

  I sipped on my Coke. “Well, please explain. I would give anything to wipe that smug smile off his face just once.” I had a fifteen-minute break to find out how to take down the giant and see if it was as easy as Ellie believed.

  “Sean is a grade-A flirt and in particular loves nothing more than to see women blush.”

  “I’m not a blusher,” I said, not at all convincingly.

  Tess winced.

  I slumped. Oh, how I wished I wasn’t like all those girls, all those bashful, giggly girls and housewives who batted their eyelashes and treated Sean like some Greek god carved out of marble.

  I peered towards the poolroom and watched Sean and Ringer pretending their pool cues were light sabers as they duelled, Star Wars style, with Stan offering helpful commentary.

  “Use the force, Sean, use the force.”

  I shook my head.

  I turned to Ellie and Tess. “What do you suggest?”

  Ellie grinned at Tess. “There is only one way to solve a problem like Sean Murphy.”

  I edged closer on my seat as if Ellie was about to reveal the secret of life.

  “With Sean, you have to give as good as you get.”

  My shoulders slumped.

  Well, that was anticlimactic.

  “But I do! I answer him back all the time and it does nothing.”

  Ellie rolled her eyes. “Not that!”

  “Then what?”

  “The next time he flirts, or is suggestive, you do it back.”

  What?

  “Flirt with Sean?” I asked, curling up my lip with distaste.

  “Think about it; it’s genius. He won’t be expecting it and the shock value alone will shut him up. Even if it’s just for a moment, think about how blissful that moment of silence will be.”

  “She has a point, Amy,” Tess said.

  I was more sceptical. “You really think it would work?”

  Ellie shrugged. “What have you got to lose?”

  My dignity.

  “I’m telling you!” Ellie said, slapping my knee. “He won’t see it coming, especially from you.”

  My brows lowered. “Why especially from me?”

  “Well, because it’s you. You’re little Amy, the publican’s daughter. You’re like everyone’s kid sister.”

  My eyes widened. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I tried not to openly scowl at the words and look insulted, even though I was. ‘Little Amy, the publican’s daughter’ – it was what I’d got my whole life …

  Well, not anymore.

  I stood and forced a smile. “Oh, right. Of course. Well, I better get back to it.”

  Tess looked warily up at me. “You okay, Amy?”

  “Yep! I am now. Thanks for the heads up, ladies, I can’t wait to put it into practice.”

  Ellie’s brows rose. “So you’re actually going to give it a go?”

  I shrugged. “If the opportunity arises.”

  Ellie broke into a wicked grin. “Oh, it will.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Before I returned to the bar I ducked out the back way towards the ladies’ room to freshen up.

  I peeled through the partition into the dark restaurant and was weaving my way through the tables when a voice sounded from behind me.

  “You know, I don’t think I like the sound of that plan.”

  I jumped, clutching my heart as I turned to see a shadowy figure leaning on the bar near the partition.

  “I swear to God, Adam, if you creep up on me one more time …”

  “I wasn’t creeping – you were creeping. I was just standing here minding my own business.”

  I looked around in the dark room, confused. “What are you doing in here? Hanging out in the dark? It’s weird.”

  “I was about to walk through the bar, but I didn’t want to disturb your little slumber party chat.”

  Oh God, he heard everything.

  Anger seethed through me. “So what, you just thought you’d lurk in the shadows and eavesdrop? Nope, nothing creepy about that.”

  “I was not eavesdropping,” Adam said defensively.

  “Good!” I turned to continue towards the ladies’ toilets.

  “But about that plan …” he called after me.

  I paused, sighing deeply as I turned.

  “Plan?” I opted to play dumb.

  “About getting even with Sean.”

  “From the private conversation you weren’t listening to, you mean?”

  Adam leaned over the bar to turn on a lamp near the coffee machine. “Yeah, that one.”

  “Let me guess … You don’t approve.”

  Adam blinked, adjusting to the lamplight. “I don’t, but not for the reasons you think.”

  I stared blankly at him. Adam rolled his eyes.

  “Sounds an awful lot like game playing to me.”

  “So?”

  “So, game playing sucks. And there is this raging testosterone inside of me that makes me feel like I should defend my brother-in-arms from your wicked ways.”

  The penny dropped. “Don’t you dare!”

  “What? Tell Sean? Hmm, I wish I could promise that but after my head injury my mind has been terribly forgetful lately.”

  “What do you want?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “It’s not blackmail.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “What if your devious little plan backfires?”

  “It won’t!”

  I was getting testy. To be honest, I’d had no intention of putting Ellie’s plan
into practice. I was really disappointed with her advice. I’d instantly disregarded it, in fact, but now that Adam was putting in his advice on behalf of the brotherhood … Well, it pissed me off.

  “So it’s all right for you boys to be giant smart-arses and womanisers but heaven forbid if we give it back?”

  Adam opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, thinking better of it.

  “What?” I said.

  “No, nothing.”

  “What were you going to say?”

  Adam rubbed his hand through his hair and looked around, possibly for an exit strategy. What had started out as a possible innocent taunt from him had turned into something messier.

  “It’s you, Amy. I just don’t want you to embarrass yourself.”

  My mouth gaped open as if the wind was knocked out of me. What was with people thinking I was still this little publican’s daughter crap? That I was still the same unco kid with braces loitering on the steps of the Onslow? Maybe that was the way they remembered me, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. I was nineteen, for God’s sake! I’d had boyfriends, a bunch of them. I could hold my own and I could give just as good as I got.

  I was the one who had wandered into this disaster of a hotel and made the decision to turn it around; to fight for it. The little publican’s, cute-as-a-button, innocent daughter? I don’t think so.

  Adam must have read the rage all over my face. “So … no game playing, right?” he asked gently.

  I just scoffed. “I don’t have time for games.” I didn’t even wait for his response; I just turned and walked away.

  ***

  I couldn’t shift my mind from the game. I was constantly on edge any time Sean came near me, or if I looked and caught Adam’s knowing eyes, or caught Tess’s and Ellie’s raised brows of encouragement, and, oh God, did Ellie just give me a thumbs up? Subtle as a sledgehammer.

  Chris’s voice jolted me from my thoughts. “You right to lock up tonight?”

  He was another one to add to the mix. I still hadn’t forgotten how angry I was at him for not telling me about my invite to Sean’s. What else had he been deciding on my behalf?

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “A group of us are headed up to the Point, for old times’ sake.”