‘Too late to back out now,’ he had said yesterday after unveiling the signs. He’d been grinning broadly, and had wrapped his arms around her.
‘It’s hard to believe it’s really happening.’ She was still astounded at how much they’d got done in such a short space of time. And how much had happened in less than a year.
If only Gran was here to see all this. When she thought about how much she missed the old lady, she physically ached. At least now the tears had stopped.
‘Gran wouldn’t want us moping,’ she told herself, Grace, and baby bean as she stamped on the vacuum cleaner and it roared to life. After she finished the house, she would do the cottage. It probably should have been left until the morning, but she was keeping a lid on her emotions by keeping herself busy. She’d probably do it again then too.
She was also nervous and excited about finally seeing all of Simone’s paintings in the flesh. Jake’s sister had been hard at work since Easter, and had been sending regular updates with photos attached. Each was stunning, and Emily loved that she was tackling different subjects. She was confident there would be something to appeal to everyone who attended the exhibition.
She checked her watch. Jake had gone to town to check the mail and stock up on groceries. He seemed to have happily taken over this particular job, and she had no objections. Thanks to the build and the time he’d spent helping David, he had become friendly with loads of people and enjoyed stopping in the street to chat when he had the time. But hopefully he wouldn’t be long today. Simone was due in less than an hour.
She packed up the vacuum cleaner and stowed it in the cupboard in Jake’s office. At Jake’s suggestion they’d got a second machine for the cottage. Better to have the place self-contained right from the start rather than be dragging things back and forth, he’d said.
They had decided Emily would just open on the weekends and see how that went for a start. They hadn’t put opening hours on the sign, but a smaller panel swung beneath the main sign to state whether the gallery was open or closed. Jake’s graphic designer had organised the website and Jake had done a Facebook page, so people could check without driving past.
They had also included details about being open by appointment and her phone number. Neither of them thought it would be a problem – it wasn’t like they were ever too far away – and it seemed the usual thing to do. Emily had to take Jake’s word for that; she knew diddly-squat about running a gallery, as she seemed to be reminded on a daily basis. But she was learning.
When they had gone over the final figures, Emily was delighted to see the project had come in twenty thousand dollars under budget. She couldn’t understand why Jake wasn’t more exuberant until he pointed out that the spare twenty grand was for landscaping – which they hadn’t done yet. So, it had actually come in right on budget. Emily thought that was pretty good considering all the stories she’d heard of people’s budgets blowing out.
She wiped the bathroom vanity one last time and re-straightened the already straight towels. She was starting to get a little jittery. Back in the kitchen, she’d just boiled the kettle in a last-ditch effort to keep herself occupied when she heard the toot toot of an unfamiliar car horn.
Here she is. Perfect timing, she thought as she heard another vehicle turning in behind it.
Outside, she found Simone stepping out of a white two-door ute with a fibreglass canopy. JKR & Associates was emblazoned on the side. They hugged like best friends.
‘I can’t believe how fresh you look after driving all the way from Adelaide,’ Emily said.
‘I’m so glad I did a stopover. It is a long way from Melbourne by road. But worth it to know the paintings would arrive safe and sound.’
Jake appeared beside them and hugged his sister. ‘Good trip?’ he asked.
‘Not bad. I actually don’t mind the ute,’ Simone said.
‘Wow, how many have you brought?’ Emily asked, peering through the tinted windows of the canopy, where all she could see was bubble wrap. The whole back area looked chocker-block full of paintings. They’d offered to have them freighted over, but Simone had been adamant about bringing them herself.
‘Heaps! I’ve been a busy beaver.’
‘You must be exhausted,’ Emily said.
‘I’m not feeling too bad, actually, though I can’t say I won’t crash later,’ Simone said with a smile. ‘But not until I’ve seen this gorgeous building of yours.’
‘I’ll need your help to decide where to hang what.’
‘I hope you came prepared to work, sis,’ Jake said.
‘Phew! And I thought I’d already done the hard work. Can I have a cup of tea first?’
‘You sure can,’ Emily said, leading her up the path.
‘I’ll get your bags,’ Jake said, and retrieved a large duffle-style overnight bag and long, black garment bag from the passenger side. Emily thought she noticed him share a conspiratorial look with Simone.
‘God, this weighs a tonne,’ he joked, pretending to struggle under the weight of the luggage. ‘We really don’t need any more rocks or bricks,’ he added with a laugh.
‘Oh ha ha,’ Simone said, slapping at her brother’s arm.
Back inside, Emily boiled the kettle again and got out some homemade melting moment biscuits while Jake showed Simone to her room. She smiled at hearing Simone cry out in delight. They had finally put bookcases in and finished her reading nook. When she and Barbara had gone down to pick up the mantelpieces – they’d had them restored after all – Maureen had asked if Emily had found bookshelves, because a lovely pair had just come in. And they were; just perfect.
Just when she was starting to wonder what was taking them so long, they reappeared. Again, she had the feeling they were sharing a secret. They were chattering in the hall, but suddenly seemed to change the subject when they entered the kitchen.
‘The shelves look great. They really complete the room.’
‘Thanks. If only I had more time to spend in there! Now, you’ve had lunch, haven’t you?’ Emily asked, pouring the tea. ‘I’m happy to make you a sandwich if you haven’t.’
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Simone said. ‘I stopped at Hungry Jack’s in Port Augusta. Naughty, I know, but just what I crave on a road trip.’
Emily nodded. She didn’t think she’d ever driven to or from Adelaide without stopping for a burger in Port Augusta.
They chattered about the arrangements for the opening; what had been done, what was yet to be done. An hour or so later they took Simone’s vehicle over, stopping at the signs by the road so she could take photos.
Emily struggled to stand still with the excitement fluttering inside her so furiously. When they finally got to the cottage, she had to take great care not to give in to the emotions threatening to swamp her. After they gave Simone a tour of the new building and all the oohs and aahs had died down they unloaded the paintings into the front room to the right and began unwrapping them, ready to hang.
‘It’s so exciting!’ Emily exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
As well as her signature floral pieces, there were landscapes, cityscapes and examples of still life. With all the paintings now unwrapped, Emily could see Simone had a distinctive style: bold colour, use of thick paint, not quite precise brushstrokes, clear depiction of the subject without being exact like a photo. It was all there. Emily found it hard to believe that before all this, Simone had only dabbled, and only to decorate her own house and Jake’s apartment. She was definitely talented. Her work wouldn’t look out of place in a major gallery or museum.
Finally they had all the pieces lined up on the floor against the walls. The three of them stood back and took in the view. They had ended up with enough works to adorn the walls of the four main rooms and even out the back in the large open kitchen, dining, and lounge space. They were deliberately keeping the wide hall clear so guests could move about freely without risk of bumping into the art.
‘They’re even more gorgeous than th
e ones in your house,’ Emily said, wiping away a tear of joy. ‘I didn’t think that was possible.’
Simone beamed back.
‘Yes, well done sis, they’re great,’ Jake said, putting his arm around his sister’s shoulders. ‘Although by the looks of this, I’m about to lose my business partner,’ he added a little morosely.
‘Flattery, flattery,’ Simone said, rolling her eyes at him. ‘But seriously, thanks guys, it means a lot that you like them.’
‘Like them? I love them!’ Emily said.
Simone and Emily spent the next few hours directing Jake as to where to hang what. Left to her own devices, Emily would have deliberated for far too long over each one, but the decisions were made quickly with the three of them sharing the task. Jake had brought a spirit level, which meant they didn’t have to stand there for ages making minute adjustments. And the picture rail running right around the rooms made the hanging process easy. Simone had fitted hanging wire to all the backs, and had even made laminated labels. As each painting was hung, Emily added the neat label to the wall beside its bottom right corner.
Finally they were finished. Emily walked from room to room, satisfied with how everything looked. But the dominant feeling was relief at having the paintings in situ and all up safe and sound.
The other night she’d dreamt that she’d been standing in the gallery on opening night surrounded by blank walls because the paintings hadn’t arrived in time. In another dream she’d dropped one artwork after the other whilst trying to hang them, only to end up with a heap of torn and ruined pieces. She’d woken in a sweat and spent the whole of the next day with concern shadowing her.
She’d kept it from Jake; had blamed her mood on baby hormones and then later, in private, had apologised to her stomach. Luckily from then on her dreams had been dominated by happier thoughts.
They got back to the house on dusk. They each had a quick shower and then Emily put a shepherd’s pie in the oven for dinner. Simone returned from her room clutching a bottle of champagne.
‘I think we deserve to celebrate after all our efforts!’ she declared. ‘But I’m afraid we’ll have to stick it in the freezer for a bit. I forgot to get it out earlier – too excited about getting over to the cottage.’
Emily looked at Jake and asked the question with raised eyebrows. He nodded back.
‘What’s up with you two shooting each other funny looks?’ Simone said, coming back from the pantry fridge.
‘Um,’ Jake started.
‘What?’ Simone said.
‘About the champagne…’
‘What, don’t tell me you guys have suddenly become teetotallers?’
‘Er…’ Jake said. ‘Well, just for the next six months,’ he said, grasping Emily’s hand on the table and looking adoringly at her.
‘Oh. My. God,’ Simone said. ‘You’re pregnant!’
Both Emily and Jake nodded and burst into wide grins.
‘Oh, wow, that’s fantastic news!’ Simone said, going up to each of them and wrapping her arms around their shoulders and kissing them on the cheek in turn.
‘So, when are you due?’
‘Christmas Day,’ Emily said.
‘Double celebrations then. Goody. But, ooh, you dark horses. I can’t believe you haven’t told me.’
‘Sorry, it’s just that we’ve been so busy and…’ Emily said a little helplessly.
‘I’m only joking. It’s your business who you tell and when.’
‘Thanks for understanding, Sim,’ Jake said. ‘We wanted to tell you in person.’
‘And I jumped the gun, didn’t I? Oh, I’m so excited for you both. So, do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?’
‘No, it’s too early and we’re not sure we want to. We haven’t decided, yet, have we?’ Jake said, looking at Emily.
‘Sometimes I want to know. Sometimes I want to be surprised.’ Emily laughed. ‘Baby brain, I guess.’
‘Oh, well, you’ll figure it out. And I think it’s very good that you’re abstaining from alcohol as well, Jake,’ Simone added sagely.
‘I haven’t been, until now. Well, not consciously. But we don’t really drink much, anyway, do we? I don’t think I’ve even had a drink since we found out,’ he said.
‘No, probably not,’ Emily said. ‘But you two don’t have to miss out because of me.’
‘No, I reckon one in, all in,’ Simone said, smiling warmly at Emily. ‘Like we did for Barbara that day. We can save the bottle for the birth. But I’d better get it out of the freezer so we don’t end up with an explosion in the middle of the night,’ she said, moving to get back up.
Jake put a hand on his sister’s. ‘I’ll do it. I’ve stocked up on the non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider Barbara had. I’m sure it’ll do the trick.’
Moments later he put a large green bottle and three champagne flutes on the table. When they each had a glass of liquid that looked just like sparkling wine only darker in colour, they raised them.
‘To good friends, family, and life being pretty damned wonderful,’ Jake said, smiling at Emily and Simone.
‘Hear, hear,’ Emily agreed.
‘And to the baby,’ Simone said.
They clinked glasses and savoured the first sip.
‘Ah, yes, nectar of the gods,’ Simone said with a sigh.
‘Hmm, lovely. I could get used to this,’ Emily said.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty for you,’ Jake said. ‘I picked up a case at the supermarket today.’
Emily smiled warmly from Simone to Jake. She sat back in her chair, thinking how lucky she was to have them in her life.
But just as she had that very thought, she noticed them sharing another look. This time she knew it wasn’t her imagination.
‘Yeah, go on. It’s as good a time as any,’ Jake said. Simone nodded and got up and left the room.
Emily frowned. ‘What’s going on?’
‘You’ll see,’ Jake said with a cheeky grin.
A few moments later, Simone appeared with the black garment bag Emily had seen earlier.
‘Ooh goody,’ Emily said. ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing what you’re wearing tomorrow night.’
Simone silently unzipped the bag and brought out part of its contents on a coathanger that she held up proudly.
Emily felt the blood drain from her face. Her mouth dropped open. ‘Oh,’ she said.
There in Simone’s hand was the silk wraparound top from her dream. Her heart sank with so much disappointment it actually hurt. It was the perfect blue-grey colour; the colour of hers and her gran’s eyes. The only difference was that this one had longer sleeves. She felt a stab of jealousy. Tomorrow night she would be wearing a black dress – a nice black dress, but plain black, nonetheless – and Simone would be upstaging her looking absolutely stunning.
Emily was glad she was sitting down. Time seemed to have stopped, along with her heart. She had to say something, at least appear gracious. But before she could form the words in her head, let alone utter them, Simone spoke.
‘Come on, I’m dying to see it on you,’ she said, shaking the coathanger slightly.
‘What? Sorry?’ Emily frowned, perplexed. ‘Why would I be trying on your outfit?’
‘It’s for you, silly,’ Jake said.
‘What? Oh. Really? Really!?’
‘Yes,’ Simone and Jake said at once.
‘Oh my God. Wow! I can’t believe it,’ Emily said. Had she ever told Jake the colour of the outfit in her dream?
‘It’s the perfect colour,’ he said.
‘Yep, perfect match,’ Simone said, now holding the garment up to Emily’s face. ‘And the black pants will be just right.’
‘Well, come on – go and try it on,’ Jake said.
Emily accepted the hook and left the room.
As soon as she had the top on, Emily knew she’d never felt so glamorous before. It was just like what she’d seen in her first dream but with three-quarter-length sleeves instead of shor
t; a slightly stiff wraparound shirt with a wide silk bow at the side, all in a brilliant deep blue with a hint of charcoal to it. With the long sleeves and ability to hide a camisole underneath, she’d be warm enough on the night. And the black pants with their slight sheen suited the top, and Emily, perfectly.
‘You look absolutely stunning,’ Simone said from the doorway. ‘Here, let me tidy up the bow.’
Emily felt like a princess when she stepped back into the kitchen.
‘Oh, wow,’ Jake said. ‘You look amazing.’
‘Doesn’t she just?’ Simone said from behind her.
‘Thank you so much. Both of you,’ she said, looking from Jake to Simone.
‘Don’t thank me,’ Jake said. ‘Sim was the one combing the whole of Melbourne.’
‘You poor thing, you also had the engagement ring to sort out.’ Emily’s guilt must have showed.
‘It wasn’t that bad, but it is hard when you’re looking for something so specific.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Emily said with a groan. ‘Why do you think I settled for plain black?’
‘For the record, it was all Jake’s idea to try and find something to match your eyes. They’re so beautiful and unusual,’ Simone said.
‘I’m just totally blown away,’ she said, looking from one to the other. She would have hugged them, but didn’t want to crease the silk. ‘So, what are you wearing, Simone? Can we see?’
‘Well, all right, but it’s nothing too exciting.’ She reached into the garment bag again and brought out a green fine-knit top with a light long-sleeved black cardigan over it. Black pants, very similar to those Emily now wore, hung underneath.
‘That looks totally gorgeous too,’ Emily said, meaning every word.
Yes, very nice sis,’ Jake said with approval.
‘I like it. But it took a bit of finding too.’
‘Thank goodness for being a bloke and not having any choices – charcoal suit for me.’
‘And a matching tie to Emily’s,’ Simone said, dragging a tie from the hanger and passing it to Jake.
‘Oh, that’s fantastic,’ he said.
‘How did you do that?’ Emily asked.
‘I had your top and the tie made at a great little tailor in Chinatown. Thought you two should match.’
Meant To Be Page 35