Oblivious, Wendy continued. ‘This is my middle daughter, Corrine. Sadly she and her hubby live in WA. The baby was early so I wasn’t there, but I’m leaving tomorrow night to go stay with them for a month.’
Claire somehow managed to speak. ‘What do they do over there?’
‘Two of my sisters married balloonists in other parts of the world,’ Jasper said. ‘Celine and her husband live in Denmark. Corrine, as Mum said, is in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, and my youngest sister and her partner haven’t settled anywhere yet. Caroline is into competition ballooning and when she’s not doing that, they travel around the world working for friends and family.’
‘So you are all balloonists?’ Claire asked. This topic was much more comfortable than the baby one.
Wendy shook her head. ‘Caroline’s partner, Noah, is crew, like me, but the rest of the tribe all have pilot’s licences and Noah is working towards his.’
‘What does it take to become a hot air balloon pilot?’
Paul and Jasper both went to answer at once—it was clear they were passionate about their vocation. Taking turns, they explained that most people started out as ground crew for private balloon teams or commercial companies. Crew members who wanted to become pilots could learn a lot on the ground, studying weather patterns and picking up the tricks of the trade.
‘Then you get a student ballooning licence and you have to do a certain number of hours instruction with a qualified pilot before you get a private certificate. When other dads were teaching their kids to drive, mine was teaching me to fly,’ Jasper said, before downing the last of his cocoa.
‘To get a commercial licence the hours are even more on top of that,’ continued Paul. ‘In Australia, it’s—’
‘Now, now, you’ll bore Claire with all this industry speak,’ Wendy said, clutching her iPad to her chest as if she’d much rather still be showing and telling baby photos.
‘I’m not bored at all.’ But Claire was terrified that the conversation might return to children.
‘Anyway,’ Paul yawned and pushed back his seat to stand. ‘We should probably be getting to bed. As lovely as it’s been chatting to you, Claire, we all have early mornings.’
‘Dad’s taking up a group tomorrow morning. Two of our employees will be crewing for him and—’
‘I’ll be crewing for Jasper,’ Wendy finished, smiling again at the prospect. ‘He’ll have to leave earlier than us to go and check the weather reports and air currents at the launch site, so set your alarm for four o’clock, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen with a cuppa.’
‘Can’t wait,’ Claire said, offering her host a smile.
Jasper stood. ‘Come on, I’ll show you to your room.’
‘Thanks for supper,’ she said to his parents as she pushed her seat back and stood. ‘It was lovely to meet you both, and thank you so much for letting me stay here tonight.’
‘It’s our pleasure,’ they replied in unison.
Once they were out of the kitchen, Jasper took her hand and her heart hitched a beat as he led her down the corridor. He paused in front of an open door. ‘This is the bathroom. There are fresh towels on your bed.’
‘Thank you.’ She was so full of conflict—half of her wanting to hold his hand forever and the other half telling her to run. Not to her bedroom, but right out of the house and back to Sydney. They may only have known each other a couple of days, but already Jasper made her feel things she’d managed to repress for years.
They continued down the hallway. ‘That’s my bedroom in there,’ he said, indicating a closed door, ‘and this one is yours.’ He stopped, and still holding her hand, opened the door with his other one to reveal a fairytale bedroom. Like the rest of the house, the décor was balloon themed. Light spilled gently across the room from a hot air balloon lamp beside the bed. The bed itself looked as puffy as a cloud and she couldn’t wait to climb into it.
‘This is gorgeous,’ she said.
‘Not sick of hot air balloons yet?’ he asked.
‘Strangely, no.’ She turned to face him. He was looking down at her and she struggled to breathe under his intent gaze. For a second, she thought he might kiss her goodnight—her lips craved this—but instead he gently let go of her hand.
‘Hope you have a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you bright and early.’ And then he turned and headed back down the corridor.
Claire went into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She unzipped her bag on the bed, took out her toiletries and the various outfits she’d brought for tomorrow. She knew she shouldn’t be putting this much thought into what to wear to go hot air ballooning—Jasper had told her comfortable, casual clothes were the go with walking shoes and a cap to stop her hair from flying away in the wind—but she wanted to look her best.
Finally deciding on her favourite pair of jeans, which just happened to accentuate her good butt (or so Polly told her), a long sleeved floral-print t-shirt and a bright yellow jacket, she laid them on the chair and headed for the bathroom. After admiring the balloon-shaped soap dispenser, she had a quick shower, put on her PJs and brushed her teeth. As she tiptoed back towards the guest bedroom, the low murmur of voices drifted up the hallway from the kitchen—Jasper and his mum. Although slightly ashamed, she couldn’t help cocking an ear to eavesdrop.
‘I really like her.’
‘I can see that, son, and I have to say I approve with all my heart. She’s lovely. And she has a C name, so she’ll be like the fourth daughter I never had.’
Claire didn’t hear any more. Her heart pounding and tears welling in her eyes, she fled back to the bedroom and closed the door firmly but quietly behind her. Dropping her toiletries bag and towel to the floor, she leant back against the door. Hearing that Jasper liked her should have been the most wonderful thing in the world, because she couldn’t remember ever liking anyone as much as she liked him, but this realisation meant two things. One, they could never be just good friends, and two, going up in the hot air balloon and spending the day getting to know him even better would be unfair to them both.
There was only one thing for it.
Chapter Five
AUGUST 2016
‘So, how’s your parents’ mission to find you a husband?’ Harper asked as she looked across the table. She and Lilia were sitting outside a wine bar not too far from the radio station and Lilia looked all business.
‘Oh, no you don’t!’ Lilia put down the glass she was about to sip from and waved her finger at Harper as if she were a naughty child. ‘We’re not here to talk about my depressing, non-existent, love life. We’re here to talk about you. Why the Spanish Inquisition with Mel, Amy and Shep this afternoon?’
Harper cringed. ‘Did it really come across like that?’
‘Only to me because I know you so well. I’m sure Mel, Amy and Shep had no idea, but something’s been off with you for a while. What’s going on?’
Harper swallowed. How could she explain this to her friend when she didn’t even know how to explain it to herself?
‘I want to donate my eggs to help a couple that can’t have children on their own.’
‘You what?’ Lilia’s eyes widened and she coughed as if she’d choked on air. In their five years of working together, Harper had never seen her visibly surprised by anything. Perhaps she should have worked her way up to the subject, rather than just blurting it out like that.
‘I’ve decided I want to give my eggs to a couple like Amy and Shep. A deserving, lovely couple who want a baby more than anything in the world.’ Her voice shook a little as she spoke. It was the first time Harper had told anyone what she’d been contemplating, and although she’d felt for some time that this was something she wanted to do, she wasn’t sure how people would react.
‘Holy shit.’ Lilia rarely swore—she had far too good a vocabulary to need to. ‘Why? When? When did this possibility even enter your head? Does Samuel know?’
One question at a time. And ‘when’ was the
easiest to answer.
‘It started a couple of months ago. There was only this niggling feeling at first but then every interview I did, it got worse. At one stage I even considered taking some leave because it was doing my head in, but then I thought, what would I do if I didn’t work?’
‘What was doing your head in?’ Lilia asked.
‘Sorry.’ Harper shook her head and took a quick breath. ‘We’re always interviewing these amazing people doing all these selfless and world-bettering things and I just started thinking about my contribution. What am I giving? What’s the purpose of my life on this planet?’
‘Whoa,’ Lilia said, eyeing her drink. ‘Maybe I need something stronger than wine.’
Harper let out a half laugh.
Lilia held up a finger. ‘One, I never realised you felt this way and that makes me a pretty crap friend. I’m sorry. I should have asked when I sensed something was off in your world.’
‘Don’t be silly, you couldn’t have—’
‘Two,’ Lilia interrupted, holding up a second finger. ‘Your contribution is spreading the word, garnering support for all those wonderful causes and all those people we interview, and that’s important too. And quite aside from that, you’re entertaining. How many emails and tweets do we get from folks who say your show is the highlight of their day? Don’t underestimate that. People need shows like ours for entertainment, education and relaxation.’
‘I know,’ Harper said on a sigh. In theory she agreed but her head and her heart were divided over this one. Her heart needed something more, something bigger—she needed to do something that made an obvious difference, even if just to one person. ‘That’s exactly what Samuel said. I can’t explain it properly because I don’t completely understand it myself, but I just feel this is something I need to do.’ Maybe she hadn’t allowed herself to truly analyse exactly why this made sense. A tiny voice inside her asked if it had something to do with her past, but she nudged it aside. Did it really matter what her motivation was?
Lilia’s eyebrows rose slowly until they almost touched her hairline. ‘So you’ve told him about your plans?’
‘Not yet. He knows I’ve been feeling unsettled, but I haven’t mentioned anything specific. You’re the first person I’ve spoken to about what I’ve decided to do.’
‘And how exactly did you come to the decision that donating your eggs was the thing you needed to do?’
‘Remember we interviewed my friend who works in Niger?’
Lilia nodded. ‘The obstetrician. Wow—some of her stories brought tears to my eyes, and you know how hard that is to do.’
‘Mine too.’ Harper admitted. ‘I went home feeling worse than I had in months. I spent all night on the couch eating Coco Pops and watching Friends and when I woke up in the morning I was still feeling off. I told Samuel. He couldn’t understand either and he tried to distract me, but when he went off for his morning ride, I lay in bed reading the papers. And that’s when I saw it—an ad from a gay couple looking for an egg donor. They had a surrogate, they just needed the donor. And I thought … I could do that. I could help them.’
‘You’re going to donate to a gay couple?’ There was no judgement in Lilia’s tone.
‘No.’ Harper shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. I haven’t chosen a couple yet. I hope the couple I saw in the advert have a donor by now, but there are plenty of others like them, and like Amy and Shep. However, the first step is talking to a doctor, checking I’m physically able to do this.’
‘Right.’ Lilia nodded slowly as if digesting this news.
‘And then I’ll start looking for a suitable recipient couple. I might even donate to a single woman, a career woman who hasn’t found Mr Right but wants to be a mother.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to be a mother?’ Lilia asked, her tone sceptical.
‘Have I ever given you any indication that’s what I want?’ It was a rhetorical question. ‘I’m quite happy focusing on my marriage and my career.’
Lilia raised only one eyebrow this time. ‘But you just said you’re not happy, that something about your life is disillusioning you.’
Harper’s grip tightened around her wine glass. ‘It’s not that I don’t like my job or my life, I just want to do something worthwhile, something meaningful, and this is something I can do. Look, you asked what was going on and I’ve told you, but if you’re going to be all negative about it then we may as well—’
Again Lilia interrupted her, holding up one hand. ‘Sorry. I’m not meaning to be negative. This came as a surprise, that’s all. But if this is what you want to do, then as your friend, you have my support one hundred percent. And as your producer, just give me as much advance notice as you can when you have medical appointments and we’ll work around it.’
‘Thank you.’ Harper let out a big breath, feeling some of the pressure inside her ease out. ‘But this won’t affect my work. I promise.’
‘Just one thing,’ Lilia continued, as Harper took another sip of wine. ‘I mightn’t know much about marriage, but this seems a pretty big step to take without even talking to Samuel about it. You heard what Mel said—she couldn’t have done what she did without the support of her partner, her family and friends. I think he needs to be next in line to hear this news, before you see the doctor.’
Harper swallowed her mouthful and nodded. ‘Oh, I am going to tell him. I promise. He’s been so busy at work lately that he probably wouldn’t even notice anything going on. But as my husband I actually need his consent to do this.’
‘Seriously?’ Lilia’s eyes boggled.
‘It’s because of any current or future children we might have,’ Harper explained. ‘He needs to be involved in discussions about how a baby born to a recipient couple might be part of our lives, or the lives of any of our future children. But that won’t be a problem because he’s never wanted kids of his own.’
‘And what does his mum think about that?’ Lilia asked, smirking a little.
Harper smiled back. ‘Of course she’d prefer us to procreate, but considering she has five other children and three of them have already started breeding, she’s begrudgingly accepting of our decision.’
‘Good.’ Lilia nodded and glanced at her watch. ‘Look, I hate to run but Mum has a friend of an old friend bringing her son round for dinner tonight, and she’ll skin me alive if I’m late.’
‘Go,’ Harper said. ‘And good luck.’
Lilia rolled her eyes. ‘Not holding my breath. I might have to resort to the internet yet.’
Harper laughed. Her friend was such a contradiction—a staunch career woman but also a devout daughter who wanted to please her parents by being happy in love, like they were. ‘I’ll just finish this,’ she gestured at her glass, ‘and then I’ll head home too. Hopefully Samuel won’t be too late and we’ll be able to have the discussion tonight.’
Lilia leant over and hugged Harper briefly. ‘I look forward to hearing how it goes.’
When Harper finished her glass of wine, she considered another one, but the bar was filling up with professionals coming in from work and she didn’t want to look like the sad sack drinking alone.
Pushing back the stool, she hitched her handbag over her shoulder and walked out into the street to flag a taxi. Usually she took the bus to and from work, but this afternoon she couldn’t be bothered dealing with other commuters. She wanted to get home and work out a script for telling Samuel her decision. He was a logical, intelligent man and the best way to handle this situation was to present him with the facts, leave emotion out of it, demonstrate that she’d done her research and have ready answers for any questions or opposition he might throw at her.
As she paid and thanked the taxi driver, she glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was only six o’clock, so she figured she had at least another couple of hours before Samuel graced her with his presence. By that time she’d be fully prepared.
Yet when she pushed open the front door, she was met by t
he sound of gentle classical music and the aroma of her favourite candles. Instinctively, she breathed in the salted caramel scent. She dropped her bag on the hall table and was halfway to the kitchen when Samuel stepped through the doorway with a glass of wine in his hand.
‘Good evening gorgeous,’ he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her up against his hard body. He pressed his lips down on hers and pushed his tongue into her mouth in a way that made the blood heat in her veins. A desire she hadn’t felt in months kicked up inside her and she kissed him back.
‘Well, hello there,’ she said when they finally came up for air. ‘This is a lovely surprise. What are you doing home so early?’
He handed her the wine, then grinned. ‘I kicked arse in court today so I thought I’d come home and celebrate with the love of my life.’
She laughed as she lifted the glass to her lips. ‘How much of this have you had already? And didn’t you want to celebrate with your colleagues?’ That was usually the way when one of them won a big case.
‘I can celebrate with them anytime, but I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, and worrying, if I’m honest.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. Ever since you told me you weren’t happy, I’ve been wracking my mind for how to help. I know I’ve not been the best husband of late and I want to make it up to you. We need to spend more time together. Starting tonight. I’ve made dinner but I can run you a bath first if you’d prefer.’
‘Who are you and what have you done with my husband?’ Harper asked and then took a sip of her very favourite wine. He really had gone all out.
‘Hey, I’m not that bad, am I?’ Although Samuel laughed, there was a hint of neediness in his question.
‘No. You’re not bad at all,’ she rushed to assure him, reaching out to link her hand through his.
‘Dinner or bath first, then?’ he asked as he led her into the dining room.
The Greatest Gift Page 5