by Sonia Parin
She pressed the tip of her finger against the edge of her lip and pushed it up into a smile. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked the puppy. He peered at her from under the coffee table. “You don’t even have a name.” His head tilted from side to side. “Something tells me you’re going to be a handful of mischief. I bet you’re not even toilet trained.”
Pushing off the couch, she willed herself to stand. “Come on. Let’s go rummage through that box of goodies and see if there’s a leash for you. You don’t want to go wandering off by yourself, you might get lost and then I’d have to go searching for you and...” Her shoulders rose and fell. “Just don’t go wandering off. I can’t lose you too.”
* * *
After two days of not straying further than the corner of the pub, Eddie knew it was time to rejoin the world.
“Fred.” The puppy pressed its nose against her boot. “No? You don’t care for the name? Okay, I’ll keep working on it. Come on, it’s time for your morning constitutional,” she said as she crossed the street. “Who knew puppies peed so much. You need to learn bladder control.” The sound of chuckling had Eddie turning. “Hey, Joyce. We were on our way over to see you.”
“So this is the little guy. He’s cute.” Joyce bent down to pat him. “What’s his name?”
“Haven’t got one yet.” Eddie shook her head. “He’s a bit of a fusspot. The boys aren’t helping. They keep tossing the most horrible names at him. He’s getting confused. Aren’t you, Darcy?” The puppy looked away.
“Try it with a firmer tone,” Joyce suggested.
“Darcy.” The puppy gave its head a vigorous shake then plonked down to scratch itself. “I guess not.”
“Give it time. When you least expect it, he’ll do something to reveal his character.”
“Like now. Pretending we’re not even here. Oh, I know... Bradford.”
“Don’t you dare.”
Eddie laughed. “Come on, walk and talk.”
“Can we head in the opposite direction, please?”
Eddie looked up and saw Bradford stepping out of Brilliant Baubles. “What have you done?”
“Nothing. I’m keeping my nose clean.” Joyce’s brows slammed together. “Someone’s writing about us.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a blog. It’s all about Eden. About us.”
“What?”
“An anonymous someone is blogging about us. She calls herself the Eden Bloggess. I came across it this morning. There are posts about how you can sit at the café and read and no one will bother you. She likes the selection of books,” Joyce shrugged, “The food, the wide variety of tea and the excellent coffee. Nice little plug for me. But the most recent posts sound like a gossip column.” Joyce growled softly. “I swear I’m going to find out who’s responsible.”
“What is she saying?”
“He’s been mentioned,” Joyce hitched her head toward Brilliant Baubles, “And me. Apparently, we’re playing hard to get. I want to know where she got that idea from.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. It’s out there for everyone to read.”
“What else is she saying?”
“Nothing about you, if that’s what you’re wondering. Although, she mentioned Karaoke night and how no one should miss it because you never know what’s going to happen.”
“That was eons ago and Adam and I are okay now. He came by the pub.” Eddie didn’t mention anything about her suspicions that he might be interested in Sophie. Best to leave them to themselves. Hopefully something good would come their way. “Any idea who’s responsible?”
“I’m keeping my eyes open for queer behavior.”
“That’s casting a wide net. You might want to narrow it down to people you least suspect. You know, like my grandmother.”
Joyce shook her head. “She never comes into town. It has to be someone who hovers around. Like a nonentity. There, but not conspicuously there. They’re bound to slip up. I’ll be on the lookout for someone pretending to keep to themselves. You should do the same at the pub. That’s a hub of hot gossip.”
Eddie laughed. “I’ve got my hands full at the moment. This little guy gets into everything. He’s developed a taste for Mitch’s boots.” Eddie looked around the street and drew in a big breath. “Thank you for not asking about... you know.”
Joyce sighed. “It hasn’t been easy. I still feel responsible.”
“I don’t see why you should. Actually, I should thank you. At least I enjoyed one night with him, and—” She bit the edge of her lip. “I need to whip my thoughts into submission. I keep telling myself to stop thinking about him...”
“It’s only natural.”
“I am moving on.” She gave a firm nod of her head. “While I enjoyed every second I spent in his company, I can’t dwell on what might have been. I need to focus on what will be. The beer garden. And this guy here. Getting him to pee on cue is at the top of my priority list.”
“You sound great. For a while there, I worried you were texting because you couldn’t talk.”
“I haven’t been chatty. In fact, I’ve been avoiding conversations. Whenever I talk to Mitch, I can see him grinding his back teeth. He’s fuming and wants to hit someone. Matthew gives me the whole gentle look. Markus is struggling. I can tell he’s trying not to growl. It’ll take me a while to stop missing Theo and it doesn’t help that he gave me a dog because every time I look at it I think of Theo. Please say something, I’m going down that slippery slide again. Are you even listening to me?”
“Of course I am.” Joyce grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Look,” she said holding up her phone. “There’s a new post.”
“What does it say?”
“What goes up must come down. It’s about a trip overseas with references to us being down under.”
Eddie dug inside her pocket and retrieved her phone. “Okay, I found it. There’s always a flash of vintage at Brilliant Baubles,” she read. “You think she’s referring to you? I think it’s more about the stuff you can find in the antique store. There are stacks of curious objects that aren’t necessarily antiques. Like the 1950s magazines. And the vinyl records.”
Joyce shook her head. “Are you saying I’m being paranoid?”
“Hang on... I’m seeing red, blah, blah, blah, the color is usually associated with fast cars, blah, blah, blah... running shorts...” Theo had worn red shorts and he’d driven a red car. Eddie’s eyes skimmed over the rest of the blog and then she saw a reference to russet red hair. “I thought you said there was no mention of me. She’s obsessed with red and how the color seems to have suddenly disappeared.” Eddie looked up and down the street.
“Now who’s being paranoid?”
“I’m going to leave a comment.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t engage the enemy. What if they only want to bait us? Stir the hornet’s nest.”
Eddie chortled. “Hang on, that’s seriously annoying. I can’t leave a comment.”
“What would you have said anyway?”
“There’s plenty of red in Eden. You only have to know where to look. I know. It’s silly, but it’s true. There’s plenty of red... out there. The color is not exclusive to red sports cars and jogging shorts.”
“Are you trying to say there’s plenty of fish in the sea?”
“Yes. At the moment, I’m stuck liking one particular fish, but that’s my problem. And the solution is to take fish off the menu.” Eddie gave a decisive nod. She smiled and looked around her. Everyone was going about their business as if nothing had changed. And very little had. If she gave herself another two weeks...
She narrowed her gaze. “Is that—” No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Again.
“A red convertible, yes.”
“Murphy strikes again.”
The puppy thumped its tail against her leg.
“Hey, I think it likes the name
.”
“Murphy?” No way...
Chapter Eighteen
The roads around Eden had enough twists and turns to get anyone lost and Theo knew it would take him a long time to learn the ins and outs and become familiar enough to navigate them without a map. Then again, getting lost could redefine a person’s destination and lead him somewhere he’d never thought he’d want to go... again.
He strode up the front steps to Claire’s house and let himself in. As eager as he’d been to return to Eden, he’d actually spent a couple of days in Melbourne getting over his jetlag. He’d already organized a company to pack all Claire and Ben’s belongings, and once that was done—
He stood in the middle of the living room, his teeth worrying the inside of his lip.
The closest he’d ever come to possibly pursuing a long-term relationship had blown up in his face when his partner had fallen back in love with her ex. Theo had accepted the turn of events, bowing out without a second thought. They’d been together for close to a year. He’d taken time out from his crazy schedule, putting everything on hold to explore the possibilities...
He brushed his hand across his face.
He’d actually talked about this with Claire.
The night before catching his flight back to Australia, she’d drawn him aside and had asked him point blank about his reasons for wanting to return. While he’d found Claire a tough nut to crack, when the tables had turned, she’d quizzed and squeezed him dry, getting him to draw a complete chronological outline of his life, and in particular, his last relationship and the year he’d spent living in New York, until finally, she’d wrenched an admission out of him. He’d invested time in a relationship that hadn’t worked out, and a part of him felt it could happen again.
So what, Claire had said. A man in love would not have accepted being forced into that second place podium. Therefore, in Claire’s opinion, he hadn’t been emotionally invested, which meant that he hadn’t lost anything. She was right. He’d walked away and had returned to his hectic schedule without a backward glance or second thought for what might have been. Could it happen again? Maybe. And maybe he had made a conscious decision to avoid the same experience. So what if he had?
Theo chuckled. “So what, indeed.”
Drawing back the curtains, he pushed open the window to air out the place. Standing there, he smiled and drew in a deep breath. It filled him with hope and, despite the overcast sky, brightness.
He’d returned to Eden because he hadn’t been able to walk away. Even when he’d been on the other side of the world, a part of him had remained here.
Eddie didn’t hate him. She couldn’t. That gave him hope.
Yes, but...
He’d broken her heart.
Theo swung away from the window. He wasn’t foolish enough to think he could come back and pick up where he’d left off. He couldn’t be that lucky. In time, she might forgive him, and if he explained—
That would take some doing. After all, he hadn’t made her his priority. His thoughts, right from the start, had been on convincing Claire Muldoon to give his father another go.
“How do you feel about Eddie Faydon?” Claire had asked.
“She’s not going to want anything to do with me.”
Instead of pushing him to answer, Claire had rephrased the question. “How do you feel about never seeing Eddie again?”
Theo had surged to his feet, his fingers curling into tight fists.
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” he’d said because at the time, that was all he could do. Nothing about his life had changed. He was still the middleman. Fixing everyone else’s chaotic lives. Claire had called him a coward. While he preferred to think of himself as a pragmatist. Eddie had a fixed address while his life was... elsewhere. She’d also collected two other heartbreaks and that meant he had competition.
Claire had lifted an eyebrow. “So what?”
It would only take one encounter to trigger a resurgence of emotions, that’s what, Theo thought.
His back teeth ground together. This time, he wouldn’t be gracious. He wouldn’t step down and shuffle over to the second place podium. He’d—
It didn’t matter. Eddie believed he’d walked away from her. Did she really see him as the type of man who’d abandon her?
For heaven’s sake, he’d given her a puppy.
“Why a puppy?” Claire had asked.
“Because she wants one.”
Claire had sighed and with a patience he’d come to appreciate, she’d guided him into admitting that, in his mind, if Eddie could bond with the puppy then he wouldn’t be far from her thoughts.
The sound of a car screeching to a halt had him swinging back toward the window.
A flash of red erupted from the car.
Eddie!
His heart gave a thunderous thump.
He stood stock-still and watched her sweeping up to the front porch, her face set in grim determination. She knocked on the front door a couple of times, and then followed it with a succession of rattling knocks.
Theo closed his eyes and drew in a breath. He took a moment to steady his thoughts, making sure they were backing him all the way. He could do this…
He opened the front door. “Hello, Eddie.” She looked great. No sign of distress. No dark shadows under her eyes. He would never have forgiven himself if…
Her eyebrows slammed together. “Hello, Eddie? That’s all you have to say?”
He couldn’t remember what he had to say. He only knew what he wanted to do. Take her in his arms and kiss her until she had to gasp for her next breath. “I haven’t been gone that long.” His gaze lingered over her face. Her cheeks had a tinge of pink. She was straining to keep a straight face as if battling the urge to unleash her emotions on him.
His attention dropped down to the puppy sitting obediently at her feet. It was all eyes and ears, its head tilted as if trying to understand what they were saying.
“Theo,” she snapped.
“Yes, Eddie.”
“My brothers are on their way. They can’t all leave the pub at once, so they’re taking turns.”
“I’d be disappointed if they didn’t.”
She shook her head. “They’re going to beat you up.”
Theo chuckled.
“Don’t just stand there. You need to get going.”
“Are you telling me to leave? I’ve only just arrived.”
“It’s for your own good. I’ll try to hold them back for as long as possible, but they’re stubborn. And Murphy doesn’t do fierce, so there’ll only be me standing between you and them.”
He gave her a small smile. “Murphy?”
“You should have given me a Doberman. Murphy doesn’t even growl.”
Theo stooped down and ruffled the puppy’s ears. “Hello, Murphy.”
“Theo.” She stomped her foot. “You’re not listening.”
Smiling, he rose to his feet. “You’re concerned about me. I’m touched.”
She shook her head, her eyes jumping around his face. When her gaze landed on his mouth, she stepped back and crossed her arms. “I don’t want any trouble. You should be free to come and go. You’re... you’re probably here to pack things up for Claire…” She drew her cell phone out and held it up. “She emailed me.”
“Oh, I asked her to hold off doing that.”
She frowned. “You’re very fond of your secrets. We’re losing our only hairdresser. She thought we needed to know in case we had a bad hair day emergency. She’s put an ad in for a new hairdresser, but it might be a while before the position is filled. And that’s only a short-term option because she’s not coming back, at least not for a while.” She looked over her shoulder. Then she dug her fingers through her hair and looked back at him. “I know. You could hide out at my grandmother’s.”
“Hide?”
“For a while. Then when the coast is clear, you could make your getaway. You can’t drive
through town again,” she reasoned, “So you’ll have to take the back roads and they can be tricky.”
“You’re serious.”
She gave him a raised eyebrow look. “What do you think? Mitch has already given you a taste of—”
“I’ll take my chances.” He didn’t have anything to go back to. He’d made sure of that because, as far as he was concerned, he had everything to look forward to. Right here in Eden.
Her lips parted. Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not going anywhere, Eddie.”
“Is this some sort of male locking of horns, stubborn as a mule—”
“This is about me deciding what I want for me.”
“You’re going to stay in Eden?” She chortled.
“I’m glad you find the idea amusing.”
“What are you going to do? What am I saying? You don’t need to do anything. You’re probably loaded.”
“I do well enough for myself. And while I could kick back and relax, I’d rather keep myself busy doing...” he shrugged, “I’ll figure something out.”
“We’re both going to live in the same town?”
He nodded.
“Then...” She gave a nervous laughter. “I’ll have to leave.”
“Can I come too?”
She held his gaze for a moment, her eyes unblinking. And then it happened. He saw her take a deep swallow, as if trying to contain a rise of emotions. Her eyes shimmered. She shook her head and took a step back.
Theo’s heart plummeted so low he thought it might sink into the hollowness of his stomach. Before she could take another step away from him, Theo reached for Eddie and drew her into his arms. She came willingly, her face burrowing against his chest.
“Did I really break your heart, Eddie? Is that why you’d rather I didn’t stay?”
“Can you just hold me for a minute?”
“Gladly.” Relief poured through him. He held his silence for as long as he could, but there were too many words pushing and shoving, wanting to be heard. “I have to admit, a part of me felt elated to have broken your heart. It meant you had feelings for me.”