Echoes Of The Past (Fermosa Bay #1)

by Iris Blobel

  Even though Jack spoke about Connor’s mother in an apologetic way, Connor wasn’t surprised. His mother’s character traits were still the same. Shopping in London, leaving all motherly responsibilities to others.

  As Connor sorted all the information he’d been given in his head, he hadn’t noticed that Jack had gone to sleep on him. Frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his two fingers, but at the same time guilt overwhelmed him. Jack was in his mid-seventies, fighting cancer in a one-sided battle, and tried his hardest to reach out for his only son. Connor knew he had to try just as hard to understand and accept his father’s efforts. He stood quietly, took the cup of tea out of the old man’s hand, and placed a blanket over him.

  Jack looked so peaceful, but Connor assumed he’d never know what his father went through the last twenty years. Too much time had gone past. Too much time wasted.

  Had his mother lied to him about Jack? Were the last twenty years based on a lie?

  Connor blinked a couple of times, checked the time, and headed into his room for a quick shower.

  ***

  Emily was relieved when she finally arrived home just before six o’clock. She was close to getting a headache, her body was so tense from anticipation as well as apprehension. After a quick shower, it took her almost three quarters of an hour to figure out what to wear, when she realised she still had to prepare the salad. Hastily, she pulled up her hair in a ponytail before heading into the kitchen. She’d decided on a casual, green summer dress. Although she thought it was silly, she still made sure she wore her sexy underwear. Not sure what to expect or whether she’d read too much into the dinner invitation, she sat down for a moment to take a deep breath. Calming herself down, she reassured herself that he possibly only wanted to catch up on his past. After all, it seemed he had truly forgotten most, if not all of it.

  She remembered a photo in the top drawer of her desk with all five friends in it and went into her study in search of it. They’d only started school a few weeks earlier and they’d all been still excited about the novelty of going to school every day. Still, they’d met most days at the beach. It’d been a hot summer that year. Their parents had made sure that there’d been at least one adult to supervise them, but as hard as Emily tried to think back, she wasn’t able to figure out what had been different that day. They’d been on their boogie boards for a while before heading for the cliffs. Niall had taken his sandals off because he’d been slipping on the rocks, but Connor had helped her up on a rock and hadn’t seen the sandals. He’d tripped, slipped, and hit his head against a rock. Blood had run down his face instantly from a cut above his eyes. Emily vaguely remembered tears, but most of it was a blur. Jack had been there in an instant carrying Connor to the car and taking him to the hospital.

  Boomer strode into the room, meowed insistently while staring her in the face. She picked him up for a little cuddle.

  “We’re having a guest tonight,” she said into Boomer’s ear, but he didn’t want any of it, escaped out of her arms and curled up on the pillow on her bed.

  “Traitor,” she whispered as she focussed on the photo again. Her finger traced his face on the picture. That was the last time she’d seen him until earlier this week. Nobody knew what had happened afterwards. Jack had been quiet about the subject, but his loss and his pain had been obvious.

  Emily had been only a small girl, but in her own little world she’d already had it all planned—their wedding, children, retirement. She chuckled. Ethan was right. No other man had ever been good enough for her.

  The doorbell rang, and she startled. Quickly, she placed the photo back into the drawer and rushed to the door.

  “Sorry, I’m a bit late. I had a little chat with Jack.”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. Come on in.”

  Emily tried to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach and the sudden thumping of her heart when his arm brushed hers as he stepped inside. It took Emily a second to redirect her mind back to the current situation.

  “My last patient took forever to take his medication, so I’m running behind time a little bit,” she lied. “Did you find the address all right?”

  He laughed. “This is Fermosa Bay. It takes some effort to get lost here.”

  Hands on hips, she raised her eyebrows and said mockingly, “Excuse me Mr. Hot Shot.”

  Shaking his head, Connor placed the meat on the bench. “Yes, I found your place all right. Jack made sure of it.”

  She waited for him to turn and look at her, when she asked, “Am I intruding too much if I ask about your conversation with him?”

  Connor lifted a shoulder in a light shrug. “Nah, but how about we get some food on the table first? I’m starving.”

  Not really sure how to take his reply, whether he was indeed only postponing the subject or hoping for her to forget about it after dinner, she simply nodded. Within minutes he was busy cooking the meat on the barbeque in the backyard, while she prepared a tossed salad, as well as some bread and cheese. When they both sat down for their meal, she opened a bottle of red wine as they sat on her small veranda.

  Compared to Jack, Ethan, and Niall’s houses, hers was small. It had two bedrooms, each with a bathroom, a lounge room with a fireplace, and a spacious kitchen. It was exactly what she had wanted and needed. With a small garden in the back, it was close to perfect for her. Furnishing had been the hardest part for her. Her parents had given her some furniture when they’d downsized to a smaller house, but most of it was bought new. She’d always thought mahogany to be the most elegant wood, and furnished her house mostly with it. But then there were also little treasures like her grandmother’s rocking chair in the corner, next to the fire place. Or Jack had given her this massive grandfather clock. It was the pride and soul of the house—as well as the rocking chair.

  “Have you always lived here?” he asked.

  She looked up at him, arching a brow. “Seriously? Why would I leave?”

  He shrugged. “Studies, a man, job…hell, I don’t know.”

  It’d been something she’d never considered. Leaving Fermosa Bay would be the last thing on her mind. Not even for a man.

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve always lived here and probably, or at least hopefully, will always live here.”

  Boomer jumped up onto Emily’s lap, nudging around her ears, purring in a sweet, rhythmic, and soothing tune.

  “This is Boomer.”

  He cocked his brow, not sure what to say.

  “I’ve had her since—”

  “Her?”

  She held up the cat and pressed her nose against Boomer’s, while talking to her in baby talk. “No place for a male in my life.”

  “I’m not taking this personally.”

  She looked at him and then placed the cat back on the floor with a little pat on the back. “Sorry. Except you.”

  Amused, he had a sip of his wine.

  They ate in silence for a long moment before she spoke. “Tell me about your life in London. You’re a lawyer. No Mrs. Connor. Any ex-Mrs. Connor?”

  He chuckled. “Nope, no ex either.”

  “I always thought lawyers were chatty people. You must’ve missed that lesson.”

  His mouth curled in a smile.

  “How about what made you choose to be a lawyer?”

  “My father’s got a firm. In a way it was expected of me.”

  Emily paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, and stared at him. Something within her stirred, but she wasn’t able to define it. Surprise? Pity? Or was it the tone in which he’d delivered his last answer?

  “Are you serious?”

  Their gazes met, and he returned her stare with raised eyebrows. “Okay, which part of my answer doesn’t sit well?”

  She placed the fork on the plate, leaned forward with her elbows on the table and arms crossed. “Well, I have to admit, you calling someone else your father sounds vaguely weird, but it was expected of you? Connor, this is the twenty-first cen
tury, you cannot expect your children—”

  “London is not Fermosa Bay, Emily.”

  “I get that, but—”

  He sipped his wine, but never broke their eye contact. Was that his way of telling her to let it go? Telling her the subject was taboo? The excitement of a dinner with Connor all of a sudden abated and anger mixed with sadness built up in her.

  “It wasn’t the perfect upbringing,” he said suddenly.

  She blinked a couple of times, trying hard not to let her emotions get the best of her.

  With a shrug, he added, “But it is what it is, and I cannot change it.”

  Not sure how to respond, she stayed quiet.

  He placed his knife and fork on the plate as well and pushed it away. “I’ve been wondering for the last couple of days how life would’ve been if Mum and I hadn’t left. But I cannot complain. I received a good education, a great job, some good friends, and a neat little house outside London.” He looked up at her. “Life’s not always wrapped up in some fancy, colourful wrapping paper, but it’s still a gift worth treasuring.”

  Emily stayed quiet for a moment, took a sip of her drink before letting out a long breath. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to be ignorant,” she whispered.

  He winked at her. “It didn’t fit in with your picture of me.”

  “No, it’s…it…” She sighed. “I suppose not,” she finally admitted.

  Nodding, he leaned forward and took her hand. “I became a lawyer because I liked it when Dad or his colleagues talked about justice or putting the bad guys behind bars.” He chuckled. “Little did I know, they failed to mention they made a quid or two from getting the bad guys off the hook as well.”

  Emily did her best to focus on his words, but watched his fingers play with hers. A little shiver ran down her spine.

  “Midway through my studies I changed track and became a corporate lawyer.”

  “No big murder cases?” she asked quietly.

  “Nah, only big firms fighting each other.”

  “How did that go down with your family?”

  “Dad wasn’t exactly thrilled, but I made myself a name, and he gave me a small office in his firm. The more successful I became, the bigger my next office turned out to be.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “And Mum’s just happy her little boy makes money.”

  “Did Jack tell you about what happened?”

  Letting go of her hand, he leaned back. “Okay, enough of me. Your turn.”

  It took her a moment to understand. She stood and walked to the back of the apartment to retrieve the photo. Not only was the photo part of her past, but she needed to put some space between them. Connor holding her hand had caused her body to go into a sensual meltdown, and she wasn’t able to think.

  The stress of the day had diminished, but with Connor so close, and even touching her, getting under her skin, her peace of mind was rattled, and feelings she’d thought for so long had been her imagination were suddenly real.

  Closing her eyes, she took a long, deep breath before returning outside.

  ***

  Connor stared at Emily as she stood and disappeared into the house. Not sure what to do, he leaned back into the seat and took in the state of her backyard. With a smile, he noted she was clearly not a gardener. There were many plants to decorate the yard, but all together seemed like a big gardening mess. Sipping his wine, he tried to listen to the environment. Even from this distance to the ocean, he was still able to hear the sound of the water. And the birds. It was all so peaceful, and he started to like it. More than he had intended to, because after all, in twelve months he was supposed to return to London.

  But with his like-o-meter creeping up each day a wee bit, he knew he’d be in trouble.

  He thought of Emily. Damn, he liked her. Literally everything, from her sexy looks, sassy replies, love of life, to her caring nature. It’d been years, if ever, that he’d felt so comfortable in someone’s company.

  Harriett came to his mind.

  Closing his eyes, he tried to recall her image in his mind. They’d been in a steady relationship for almost a year until she’d cheated on him. He’d felt more disappointment than anger and had known then that it’d hadn’t been right. They’d both spent too much time on their careers than together. She’d needed him more than he’d needed her.

  His eyes flew open when he heard Emily’s steps coming closer. When she stood next to him, she held up a photo.

  “Have a look. I found this the other day.”

  The photo showed five young children near the water with their boogie boards. He chuckled. “The Fermosa Bay gang, I suppose.”

  Moving the chair, she sat next to him and the sudden nearness stirred something inside him. Her soft scent didn’t go unnoticed. Neither did her soft breath against his skin.

  “This is Ethan, Skye, Niall, me, and I hope you recognise yourself.”

  He looked at her, but she ignored him. “Ethan’s little boy just looks like him when he was young. Has the same temperament as well.” She laughed. “Thank God, ’cos Skye turned out to be a little handful.”

  Her eyes didn’t give much away, but the expression on her face had changed.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Leaning back into her chair she said, “Ethan’s not big on talking about it. I think the gist of it was we were in Sydney for a big cricket game. Jack had organised the tickets. While we watched the game, Skye explored the city. I had a big fight with her that night, accusing her of wasting Jack’s good money. She didn’t want a bar of it and left the hotel room. Ethan went with her to keep an eye on her.” She closed her eyes. “Apparently they got so drunk that night the only proof of their one-night stand is Nicholas.”

  “Where’s she now?”

  “Somewhere in Queensland,” she replied with a snort.

  “Does he hold any regrets?”

  She didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I suppose he’s got many, but not ending up having Nicholas. He sure loves his boy. There’s no doubt about it. We all love him.”

  She opened her eyes and met his gaze. A jolt went right through him when he realised how much he liked her. More than liked, how much he wanted her. He’d never met anyone like her before. Honest, impulsive, loyal, and it seemed a little stubborn as well.

  “That reminds me, I put your name down for the Christmas concert.” Placing a hand on his arm, she added, “And we need to put up Jack’s Christmas tree. He’s such a stubborn bugger saying he won’t be around for—”

  His gaze travelled to her lips as she spoke, and the next thing he knew, he kissed her. He pulled back from the kiss and said, “Not sure what made me do it,” but kissed her again. Emotion flooded through him so pure and intense that he felt lightheaded.

  A thumping heartbeat later, she broke the kiss, looking flushed and startled. He didn’t blame her, he was surprised as well.

  She stared at him, but he wasn’t able to read her expression to know whether she was angry or not.

  “I must say you have improved on the kissing front,” she finally whispered.

  Choking back a laugh, he traced her chin with his finger. He couldn’t help himself; he needed to touch her.

  She tilted her head and said more into the distance than to him, “I know why I’m giddy when you’re touching me, but I’m not so sure where that kiss came from. You wouldn’t take advantage of my crush on you to make your stay here more interesting, would you?”

  He frowned. “Is that what you think of me? In need for some distraction?”

  Everything inside told him to leave as he stood and stepped to the railing. For a moment he lost himself in the beauty of the sunset. No wonder Emily was so adamant in not wanting to move anywhere else. The colours were spectacular, clean and magic, no dust or fumes interfering with Mother Nature’s gift.

  The soft steps told him she came up beside him. He turned and placed a finger under her chin, pushing it up to meet his gaze. Her green eyes were beauti
ful, expressing the innocence of a woman growing up in a protected environment amongst friends like Jack and Ethan.

  “I know we’re on different platforms here. You’re dealing with the fact that your childhood sweetheart is back and turned into someone who’s not what you imagined him to be.”

  She laughed. “Just to make sure, we’re talking about you, right?”

  He chuckled, but then said, “I’m dealing with an attractive woman who makes me laugh and who I feel comfortable around. I can be myself, not someone coming from a rich family with a few pounds in the bank account.” He shook his head. “I’d never use you, Emily.”

  Her dark green eyes looked up at him from underneath her long eyelashes.

  “It’s something new for me to be attracted to someone within such a short time,” he said, “but hey, apparently I kissed you twenty years ago. There must be something about you that I cannot resist.”

  Her brows shot up. “What do you mean apparently?”

  He smiled as he slid his hand to the nape of her neck and, placing the other around her waist, gently pulled her closer. Tenderly, he kissed one side of her mouth and then the other, before he slowly licked her lower lip with his tongue.

  He sighed and said, “I’d better go before I get carried away.”

  What he didn’t expect was Emily placing her hands on his chest, causing a wave of lust to rush over him. Rising to her toes, she touched his lips with hers and whispered, “Please let me have a happy ending to my crush.”

  Looking away for a moment, considering the consequences of his decision, he closed his eyes and tried to sort this feeling inside him. He’d no intentions to have sex with Emily because she wanted something that she’d created in her head. It’d end in trouble, not only for him, but for her as well. The burst bubble would haunt her for the rest of her life.

  Yet, there was something inside him he couldn’t ignore. Something which wasn’t simply lust. It was more. So much more. He liked Emily and felt completely at home around her. The safe harbour.