One More Song

by Nicki Edwards

  The video froze for a moment and he waited for it to buffer.

  ‘How are your folks?’ Riley asked when the image cleared.

  ‘Good, I guess. I haven’t spoken to Mum properly in ages. She called this morning to wish me happy birthday but she sounded distracted.’

  ‘When did you say you were heading home?’

  ‘Two days before Christmas.’

  ‘Think of it as a holiday.’

  ‘Trust me, Yallambah’s not a holiday destination.’ The Victorian High Country town he’d grown up in was one of those places people drove through on their way to somewhere else, like Beechworth or the nearby ski fields.

  Riley laughed. ‘My offer stands.’

  He groaned. ‘Don’t tempt me. But I tell you what, if it all gets too much and my dad gives me the usual silent treatment, I’ll be on the next plane over to see you.’

  ‘And I’ll be waiting.’

  In the background, a doorbell sounded. Riley turned away from the camera and waved to someone before turning back to face him.

  ‘Sorry, Harry, I’ve gotta go. A bunch of us are heading out for lunch. Nice chatting.’

  ‘Yeah. It was good to talk to you.’ He waved at the screen and blew her a friendly kiss. ‘Catch ya.’

  ‘You too.’

  The screen went black and Harry sat in the stillness of his flat feeling more alone than ever.

  Happy birthday indeed.

  Chapter 2

  Edwina Campbell was in a dreamy state of wake-sleep when Jarrod’s phone beeped.

  ‘Ignore it,’ she said, as she tried to pull him towards her. She nibbled his ear and tickled him, playfully fighting to stop him from reaching for his phone. He resisted all her efforts, even when she wrapped her legs around him and nuzzled his neck.

  His phone beeped again and he rolled away out of her reach, grabbing it from the bedside table. He read it with a frown. ‘Sorry, Eddie. Looks like I’ll have to leave a few hours earlier than planned.’

  Eddie checked the time on the clock on her side of the bed. It was only ten and Jarrod wasn’t supposed to be going until that evening, after dinner. Every single time, she thought, as all her plans for a day spent together flew out the window. Jarrod’s job always came first.

  ‘Was that Lauren again?’ Eddie tried to keep the irritation from her voice, but Jarrod was distracted and didn’t hear her. He was already out of bed and across the room, standing naked in front of the wardrobe as he pulled clothes out to pack.

  Eddie jumped from the bed and followed him as he moved into the bathroom. ‘That woman needs to get a life,’ she muttered.

  Or a man. Or a dog. Or something. Jarrod’s boss worked twenty-four seven and presumed everyone else did the same. Eddie had never met Lauren, but she knew her type.

  ‘She needs to see me before she flies out to the States tonight,’ Jarrod explained as he stepped into the shower, still talking. ‘She wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t so important. If she wins this account it will mean big dollars for the company, which means a promotion for me with a pay rise. A very healthy pay rise.’ He grinned. ‘You going to join me?’ he asked as he lathered shampoo into his hair.

  ‘Not now. I’ll have a shower later.’

  She left the bathroom before he had any ideas of dragging her under the water with him.

  Sometimes Eddie wondered if she’d ever understand men. She hadn’t had her first real romance until second year at university. Unlike most of her friends, who went from one partner to the next, she yearned for the real thing, like her grandparents had. She’d refused to be another notch in some bloke’s belt and because of that her relationship know-how was limited.

  Her first boyfriend, Sam, was shy and as inexperienced as her, and although their initial sexual encounter was sweet, the relationship fizzled after a year or so and they drifted apart. Last she’d heard he was married with a couple of kids living in Darwin.

  Her second relationship was the total opposite. Where Sam was laidback and never expected anything of her, Greg was as tense as a tightly wound clock. After six toe-curling, passion-filled months, Eddie called it quits, unable to cope with his high-maintenance demands on her time and energy. Greg was never content to sit at home and chill out, often berating her for choosing to curl up on the couch with a good book over going out for drinks. They compromised to a point, but in the end they were both unhappy. She hadn’t seen or heard of him since they broke up.

  After Greg she went out with a few different men, but she wasn’t remotely serious about any of them, until Jarrod. She’d met him two years earlier when he’d shown up at her local pub with a group of friends who’d come up from Melbourne for the weekend for a buck’s party. At first she was attracted to him because of his looks, then when he started talking about what he did for a job, his fervour sparked her interest further. His job had something to do with stocks and international share markets and money, and although she didn’t really grasp what his actual role was, she was attracted to his drive, dedication and desire to succeed. Things she valued in a man. Plus, he was safe and sensible. Her best friend Aimee described her romance with Jarrod as akin to riding in an expensive sports car but with the top always up.

  At the end of the night he’d asked for her phone number. Two days later he’d called, and the following weekend he visited again. Before Eddie knew it, they were sharing a bed and she was planning her future with him.

  She smiled at the memory of those early days when they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. A sudden thought tightened her cheeks. When was the last time they’d actually had sex?

  Jarrod appeared a few minutes later, one towel tucked around his waist, while he towelled his hair with another as he continued talking about what Lauren was going to be doing in the States and why it was so important to the growth of the company and therefore what that meant for Jarrod’s career. Eddie zoned out, nodding and hmm-hmm-ing at the appropriate times when there were breaks in his monologue.

  ‘Does all this mean you won’t have to travel as much?’ she asked as she watched him button up his shirt.

  The firm’s head office was in San Francisco, and though Jarrod worked in the Melbourne office, he was required to travel a lot. Because of that, they only saw each other every second or third weekend, depending on Eddie’s roster at the hospital and his work commitments. She went to Melbourne occasionally to stay with him in his Southbank apartment, but she hated driving in the city and usually asked him to visit her instead, even if that meant they sometimes went weeks or longer without seeing each other. They’d managed to make the time and distance between them work.

  ‘No. It will mean more travel.’ He stepped into his jeans and zipped them up with a flourish. ‘Which is why I’ve said yes to a new role.’ He stood and grinned at her. ‘At the head office.’

  It took Eddie a moment to register what he’d said.

  He was moving to America? Was he nuts? Surely he didn’t expect her to move to the other side of the world for his job! At least not without asking her first. She froze: was he saying he was going without her? Surely not. This wasn’t his way of breaking up with her, was it? Her mouth opened but nothing came out.

  Jarrod kept talking, not noticing she was struggling for air. ‘The way it’s looking, I’m going to be one of the senior accounts managers before I’m forty. This is the perfect opportunity for me.’

  She scooped up his discarded towels and hung them up while figuring out what to say.

  When she didn’t reply he sank onto the bed and stared up at her. ‘Aren’t you excited?’

  She dredged a smile from somewhere deep within while her brain scrambled for the right words. ‘Sure. It’s great. I guess. I mean you’ve worked so hard for this. But I didn’t know you were planning to move overseas.’ She moistened her lips. ‘What does that mean for us?’

  He stared at her then burst out laughing. ‘Eddie, darling, it means everything for us. It’s not like I’m going on my own. Of course y
ou’re coming too. It’s going to be great – an adventure of a lifetime.’ He held out his arms. ‘Come here. You look like I’ve just announced I’m walking out on you.’

  That’s what it feels like. She allowed him to pull her down onto his lap. ‘When’s all this supposed to happen?’ she asked.

  ‘I’ll need to go over in the next week or so and find us a house, but I’ll be back in time for Christmas and I don’t start the new job until mid-February. That gives you plenty of time to sort things out here.’

  She frowned. ‘Sort what things out?’

  He shrugged. ‘Renting out your house. Quitting your job. Saying goodbye to your grandparents.’

  A bubble of anger rose in her chest and she wriggled from his grasp. How dare he write off her life as something to be ‘sorted’ in a couple of months? She didn’t expect him to ask her permission for every decision he made, but thinking she’d be content to give up everything and move overseas without at least asking her opinion? That was a huge omission. Didn’t he know how much being a nurse meant to her? And her grandparents. He knew she couldn’t leave them.

  Eddie stood and stared down at him.

  Imploring eyes met hers. ‘C’mon, Eddie, trust me, it will all work out. I’ve got it all planned. The company will cover all our moving costs and the price of real estate over there is crazy. We can buy a massive house – start a new life. Once you’re there, you’ll love it, I promise. And besides, on what I’ll be earning, you won’t have to work. You can be a lady of leisure, like Mum.’ He continued speaking, oblivious to her slack jaw. ‘You can have all the clothes you could ever want. Get your hair and nails done. Have long lunches with your new girlfriends.’

  Eddie groped for the right words and gave up the struggle. How could Jarrod possibly think she’d be excited about clothes and nails and long lunches? Didn’t he know her? And becoming a lady of leisure? Pfft. What century was he from? Apart from the fact she loved her job, the idea of not working made her stomach turn. She’d met his mother.

  ‘You could even take up golf.’

  Eddie’s mouth fell open further. She’d played a round of golf once and despised it. They’d joked about it for weeks. How could he have forgotten?

  ‘When were you going to talk to me about all this?’ she asked.

  ‘I was going to tell you tonight at dinner.’

  An uncomfortable feeling settled over her. This was so typical of Jarrod. He always assumed he could tell her what they were doing and she’d go along with whatever he wanted. And as always, he was too self-absorbed to register her lack of enthusiasm. Or the fact she hadn’t even said yes.

  He placed the last of his clothes into his overnight bag and zipped it up. She caught him glancing at his watch. Jeez, no need to make it so obvious. Clearly, his mind was already halfway to Melbourne. Or America.

  ‘We can discuss all the details later, okay?’ His eyes went to his watch again before meeting her gaze. ‘Sorry, darling. I really have to go.’

  ‘What happens if I don’t want to go?’ Eddie mumbled, following him out the front door.

  At first she didn’t think he’d heard her, but an unreadable expression flickered across his face before it was gone. Without a word he aimed his keys at his car and the doors unlocked with a beep-beep. After tossing his bag in the boot he returned to her side and pulled her close.

  ‘I know this is big news and a lot to take in, Eddie, and I’m sorry, the timing of me telling you sucked. Like I said, I wanted to explain it to you over dinner tonight, but I don’t want to keep Lauren waiting for me.’ He planted a kiss on her cheek. ‘I’ll give you a few days to get your head around everything and I promise you’ll come around and realise it’s a great idea. Look, I’d better fly. I’ll call you later, okay?’ He settled behind the wheel and pulled his seatbelt across his shoulder. Eddie waited while he started the car and wound down the window. ‘I promise you, this is going to be the best decision of our lives.’

  With a wave and a shouted ‘I love you’ he took off without a backward glance.

  Eddie stood and stared after him until there was no sign of his car, just a plume of red dust in his wake. ‘Love you too,’ she replied automatically before turning and going back inside.

  With a tight chest and her mind in turmoil, Eddie closed the front door and went into work mode. She stripped the bed, tossed the dirty sheets in the washing machine and re-made the bed with a fresh set. After opening up all the windows in the cottage, she straightened the magazines on the coffee table and ensured everything was immaculate, the way she liked things to be. When there was nothing else to do, she made herself a cup of tea and crossed over to the large picture window with its views over the valley. Staring at the familiar farmland she had the strangest sense everything was slipping away from her. A vague sadness and a feeling of nothingness laced itself with the confusion over Jarrod’s news.

  They’d never discussed getting married, settling down and starting a family, but that hadn’t stopped Eddie from dreaming. Or hinting. She’d secretly hoped for a Christmas Eve proposal, but if Jarrod was planning to move to the other side of the globe with no mention of formalising their relationship first, she was evidently way off the mark expecting marriage to be on his agenda. Or was he planning a surprise proposal? She shook her head. No. He knew she didn’t like surprises. Another reason why she couldn’t believe the bombshell he’d just delivered.

  She tried to dislodge the feeling of annoyance over his presumption that she’d just drop everything and leave everyone she loved without at least having a conversation about it first, but it wouldn’t budge. Surely he knew there was no way she could go to America with him. She couldn’t leave Yallambah, at least not while her grandparents were alive. She rubbed at her bare arms.

  How was she going to make him understand she didn’t want to go?

  *

  Eddie’s phone rang as she was hanging the last of the washing on the line. She balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear.

  ‘Hey, Aimz.’

  Aimee Connor had been her best friend since the first day of primary school when they’d found themselves seated beside each other for no other reason than Aimee’s name came directly after hers on the roll.

  She and Aimee were polar opposites in looks and personalities, but shared many similarities. Both born and raised in Yallambah, they’d moved to Wodonga to study nursing, returning home when university finished – Aimee to marry Angus, a gorgeous guy she’d met at university, and to have her first baby, quickly followed by two more.

  Eddie took a job at the hospital in the nearby town of Beechworth and had never left. Was that really fifteen years ago? Since then she’d worked her way up from graduate nurse to the role of nurse in charge. It was a job she loved and was good at.

  ‘What are you up to?’ Aimee asked.

  ‘I just finished cleaning the cottage.’

  ‘What’s Jarrod doing?’

  ‘He left a couple of hours ago.’

  ‘I thought he was staying until tonight.’ There was unmistakable disapproval in her friend’s tone. In their entire friendship, they’d never had an argument. Except about Jarrod.

  ‘He had to go back to Melbourne,’ Eddie said. She’d tell Aimee about the whole America thing, but not over the phone.

  ‘You got time for lunch?’ Aimee asked, sensing Eddie needed to talk.

  ‘Usual place?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘I’ll meet you there in fifteen.’

  *

  Twenty minutes later Eddie sat opposite Aimee in their usual cafe, Bean There. There were two cafes to pick from in Yallambah but this was their favourite. As always, they’d chosen a table out the back in the courtyard where sparrows sang and darted around them, in and out of the trees, searching for dropped crumbs on the concrete pavers. Eddie stretched her legs in front of her, toed off her shoes and rolled her pants up to her knees. She’d take any chance for some extra vitamin D. Aimee opted for a spot in
the shade.

  By the time they’d ordered lunch and she’d caught up on the news of Aimee’s kids, Joshua, Grace and Nash, Eddie was already having second thoughts about her hasty dismissal of Jarrod’s plans. Maybe moving to America was a good idea. Everyone said change was as good as a holiday. And she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had one of those. Would it be better to suggest he go over and give it a try first? Just until he was certain it was all going to work out? He could go, rent a house, get settled into the new job and she could join him later. They’d done long distance for most of their relationship – what would a few more months apart matter? If she chose to join him, it didn’t have to be forever. If she hated it, surely he’d agree to come home. But that didn’t solve the issue of her grandparents. Or her job. Could she take long service leave?

  ‘So why did Jarrod go back to Melbourne so early?’ Aimee asked, interrupting the conflicting thoughts swirling around in Eddie’s head.

  ‘Work.’

  Aimee rolled her eyes. ‘Of course.’ It wasn’t the first time Aimee had criticised Jarrod for putting his work ahead of his relationship with Eddie.

  ‘He’s talking of moving overseas,’ Eddie said, watching Aimee closely for a reaction. Nothing. ‘To America,’ she added.

  Aimee didn’t skip a beat. ‘Good riddance.’

  ‘Aimee!’

  ‘What?’ Aimee lifted a shoulder.

  ‘He wants me to go, too.’

  ‘What? You’re kidding me. No!’ Aimee leaned forward on her elbows, causing the table to wobble briefly on the uneven surface. Pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head, she stared at Eddie with her best lecturing expression. ‘You cannot go to America.’

  Eddie slumped back in her seat. ‘That’s what I thought as soon as he told me, but now I’m not sure.’

  ‘What do you mean you’re not sure? It’s a no-brainer. You can’t leave Yallambah.’ Aimee narrowed her gaze. ‘And when is he leaving?’

  ‘At the start of the year.’

  Aimee’s eyes popped open. ‘How long have you known about this?’