by Iris Blobel
“Harriet Kaur.”
Ethan nodded. “Harriet Kaur.” He turned and left.
Drawing a deep breath, she stepped closer. “I think we should take a step back and start again. I’m sorry about what happened. Why can’t we have a great holiday here and—”
“You’re not listening. I’m not interested. Full stop.”
She placed her hand on his chest and started to move upward. “How about I wait for you back in London?”
“You’ll wait for a while.”
Her eyes shot pure hatred at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, Connor said quietly, “We’re talking in circles, Harriet. Leave. Have your afternoon tea, find your hotel in Melbourne, enjoy the rest of your time in Australia, but get the hell out of this place. We’re done. Finito. Acabado. Finished. The end. And for you own sake, you need to let it go.”
Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned and walked away. Pacing along the long hall towards the reception, he took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, to suppress the urge to go back and tell her what he really thought of her.
But he didn’t.
Still in deep thoughts, he nearly bumped into Ethan.
“Quite a handful, this Harriet,” he said with a chuckle.
Connor glared at him, but didn’t reply.
Hands up, Ethan said, “Okay, one day you might give me the full story.” Raking his hand through his hair, he said in almost a whisper, “What you said about Emily—”
“I meant it.”
“She left me a message needing a talk.”
Connor’s gaze moved towards the ceiling. “You’ve just experienced how much hassle this woman can cause. She caught me off guard this morning, and—”
The mere thought of their argument earlier in the day caused his stomach to flip in the most uncomfortable way. How much he’d give to turn back the clock and have the conversation all over again. Being able to tell her how much he loved her in a more appropriate situation. The perfect situation. Yet, it was done and he wasn’t able to turn back time. So he had to try to mend the consequences.
Ethan was still waiting for an answer.
“Mate, I’ll get it sorted. I promise.”
Ethan nodded. “I’d better make sure Ms. Harriet is looked after so she’ll leave soon.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Connor replied with a smile.
***
When Emily arrived home later that afternoon, an unfamiliar woman stood in front of her door. Emily was sure she hadn’t met her before, because she would have remembered an exotic, beautiful looking woman like her. Parking her car, her mind went into overdrive to connect the face with any name, but she came up with a blank. Slowly, she turned off the engine, grabbed her bag, and got out of the car. A small red sticker at the back of the other car told her it was a rental, and all of a sudden she feared the encounter she was going to have wouldn’t be anywhere near a pleasant Christmas conversation. She studied the mysterious lady and envied her for her shiny black hair and olive skin. The woman was tall, slim, and very well dressed.
Drawing in a deep breath, she stepped closer and asked, “Can I help you?”
“Are you Emily?” the woman asked, with an English accent Emily had become accustomed to.
“I am.”
The woman held out her hand. “How do you do? I am Harriet Kaur.”
Emily nodded, but didn’t reply. More or less because she didn’t know what to reply. It certainly wasn’t a situation of nice meeting you.
Harriet smiled. “I tricked the receptionist at the hotel a little until she gave me your name and address. I hope you will not take it against her.”
Slightly raising her left eyebrow, Emily remained silent.
Harriet let out a short breath. “Okay. One sided conversation.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I assume you know who I am.”
“I’m afraid you’re giving yourself too much credit.”
“Sooo, you do have a voice.” She let out a little chuckle. “Anyway, I’m Connor’s girlfriend in London.”
Emily forced herself to stay calm. With no idea what this conversation was all about and where Harriet intended to go with this, one thing she knew for sure was, Harriet was a liar. But she kept silent.
“And I will make sure that it’ll stay that way,” Harriet added. “Apparently you’re distracting him a little bit from his initial intentions. Get to know his biological father and come back home again.”
Emphasising the fact that she wasn’t at all interested in the conversation, she checked the time, then looked back up at her visitor. “Is that all?”
“He’s not yours,” Harriet said, now with spite in her voice.
Emily was about to turn to enter her house, but stopped and met the woman’s glare dead on. With as much calm as she was able to muster, she said, “For someone who gets paid by the hour, I’m surprised you just wasted fifteen minutes trying to tell me something which makes absolute no sense to me. Not to mention, you probably waited for a few minutes as well.” She let out a little sigh. “I’m not sure how things work in England, but Ms. Kaur, I’ve known Connor since nappy times, so indeed we have spent quite a bit of time reminiscing the old days, and yes, I’m his father’s home nurse, so we have run into each other a bit as well. If those two facts cause some jealousy to rage within your skinny little body, then you should take your frustration out on yourself, because your little drama here went in one ear and out the other.”
She quickly turned, unlocked the door, and stepped inside the house, ignoring Harriet’s obscene cursing. Her heart raced like a little speedboat within her. She slid down the door, not trusting her knees, and sat down, taking a few deep breaths, one after the other to calm herself down. After a long moment, a smile tugged at her lips, pleased with her retort. Resting her head in the palm of her hands, with her elbows on her knees, she heard a car door slam before the sound of a vehicle driving off. And despite knowing why, she noticed tears running down her cheeks. She hoped the tears to be more out of relief than what she’d just heard from the arrogant English chick. Did she say she was still Connor’s girlfriend?
It had to be a lie. Despite her argument with Connor that morning, she assumed he hadn’t been happy to hear from her at all. In fact, his displeasure to hear of her arrival had been the very reason of his bad mood and their subsequent spat.
She took her bag off her shoulder, rummaged in it for her phone, and then dialled Ethan.
“She was here.”
“Emily?”
“Did you hear me?”
“I did. Want to give me more information.”
Emily slapped her forehead with her hand. “Ethan. Who is causing trouble in town at the moment?”
“Connor’s girl?” he asked with some hesitation in his voice.
“Ex-girl!” she corrected him.
“Does the phone do or do you need me to come over?”
Letting out a long sigh, she stood, checked to ensure Harriet had indeed left, and then headed into the lounge room.
“You’re still there?”
“She told me she’s still his girlfriend.”
Ethan’s bark of laughter surprised her, but at the same time gave her some relief. “She pulled the same stunt over here. Demanded a room because she was the owner’s son’s girlfriend. Connor was here within minutes, pulled her up straight and sent her on her way. Apparently she doesn’t know right from left, because she was supposed to head back to Melbourne. How did she know where you live?”
“That’s a bit creepy, right. Someone at reception told her.”
There was a moment’s pause. “Shit. Who was it?”
She shrugged, then remembered that he couldn’t see her. “I don’t know. But I’m not worried about your security breach.”
“I am,” he mumbled.
“Where’s Connor now?”
“Heading back home, c
alling his mum. I think she’s part of the reason for all this mess.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I’d stay put if I were you, cupcake. He told me about your row this morning. It hangs over him, like heavy storm clouds, and I’d say he’ll be coming over to sort things out soon.”
“I hope so,” she whispered. “But it was partly my fault as well, I guess. I suppose I pushed him a little too far.”
“Cupcake. Just a subtle reminder…he may only be here for twelve months.”
“I know.” And she knew very well. She let out a sigh. “When are you heading to New Zealand?”
“Thursday,” he replied.
“I’ll come over tomorrow night to make dinner and help Nick get packed.”
Ethan laughed. “That guy gets spoilt. Who helps me with the packing?”
“You get spoilt by not having to cook.”
Again, he laughed. “I suppose that’s better than packing. See you tomorrow. And don’t stress about Connor. Okay?”
“Yes, Dad,” she replied, mocking him.
She hung up the phone and sat quietly on her couch enjoying the silence. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let the day run through her mind again. Spending the night with Connor, waking up with him, having the awful conversation, lunch with her parents, and Harriet showing up in front of her house. She took a deep breath, whispered please a couple of times towards the ceiling, yet not addressing someone in particular, then grabbed the remote, and switched on the television for a nice early evening movie. After eating for the last few days, all she wanted was a nice cup of tea once it cooled down a bit.
But she left the phone right next to her, just in case Connor would call. The urge to give him a call was almost overwhelming, but she resisted and tried to wait until he was ready to talk.
Chapter Eleven
When Connor returned to Jack’s house, he found him still on the deck sleeping. With worry inside him, he stepped closer and watched his father breathe in and out. A subtle in and out. Relief rushed through Connor, not ready to lose his father, yet, but aware it could happen any time.
Trying to postpone the next task on hand, he headed to the kitchen, made himself a quick cup of coffee, despite the heat, a quick sandwich, and walked into his room at the far end of the house. A slight chuckle escaped his mouth when he noticed his trembling fingers as he dialled the familiar number.
It took a while for Jane to answer.
“Good morning, Mother.”
“Connor, darling. How are you?”
He did his best to stay as calm as possible through the pleasantries, but his mind was already racing with a hundred questions. The most important one on the tip of his tongue, but he took one step after the other.
“Mother, Harriet is here.”
“Oh, how wonderful. She’s arrived. We haven’t heard from her, yet, and were wondering.”
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“Darling, this is not the way you talk to—”
“Don’t give me this crap.” He paused and took a deep breath to calm himself again. “Look, I don’t appreciate you interfering. Jack hasn’t got much longer to live.”
“I am aware of that fact. I thought it to be best for Harriet to come to be by your side. She’s forgiven you, Connor.”
His eyes shot open. “Forgiven me?” This wasn’t going well at all. For a moment he considered keeping the peace, but he was sick of lies. Any lies. So he told the truth. “Mother, I left Harriet because she cheated on me. It’s as simple as that. I have no idea what she’s forgiving me of.”
His mother was silent.
“If it makes you at all better, I forgive her, but I will not forget.”
“That’s not true.”
He was close to punching the wall. Irritated and angry. “Mother. I know we don’t often see eye-to-eye, but please, for once make an effort and think back. Have I ever lied to you?”
The long silence didn’t sit well with him. He was hoping she thought back, but at the same time was mad she actually had to think about it.
“Why would she tell me otherwise?” she finally asked in a whisper.
“Look. I know you adore Harriet, but she basically was only interested in my money. You obviously told her about Jack’s hotel chain—”
“Which hotel chain?”
“Jack owns a few hotels along the coast here.”
“I didn’t know.”
“But you told Harriet.”
“No, I didn’t. She came to me last week, telling me about your phone call and how much you’re struggling with…you know…Jack’s cancer.”
Connor rolled his eyes. After all those years, she still had trouble saying his name. But then her words struck him. “My phone call? I never called her.”
“Darling. What hotel chain?”
They spent the next fifteen minutes sorting out each other’s questions, and it became clearer each minute that Harriet had played them both.
“When you left Jack, he invested all his time and effort into starting more hotels. He’s got six along the coast here. Ethan—” He paused, not sure whether to ask if she remembered him or not.
Her reply surprised him. “I remember Ethan. Your best friend,” she whispered. “There were more.”
“Niall, Emily, and Skye.”
“There was a little red haired girl. You two were inseparable.” She let out a little laugh, and it stung him to notice how unfamiliar it sounded. “People were already talking about a wedding.” Her deep sigh told him it wasn’t the easiest conversation for her, so he waited, wondering how much to tell his mother about his relationship with Emily. “It scared me,” she whispered. “The idea that you could end up like your father working in a bar day in and day out, not getting anywhere, scared me. I suppose I underestimated Jack.” Another long sigh before she continued. “I wanted you to have a better life than being stuck in a small place at the world’s end. But I can see now, you’re more like your father than I was willing to admit. Your idea of being surrounded by people is different to mine. You like to give because of your generous nature.” She let out a choked laugh. “I like to give because I need to be liked.”
“Mother?”
But it seemed as if she was still in her own thoughts. “Tell me about Jack. He was so handsome. You look just like him. And tell me whether this young girl is still there.”
Connor stepped over to the bed and sat down, his arm resting on his knee. He told his mother about Jack’s house and the hotels, because he knew that would interest her most. About Ethan and Niall managing the hotels and how Jack had encouraged Ethan to study, while helping him with his son. Then he told her about Jack, his cancer, and how sick he was.
“I assume he hates me.”
“No, I don’t think he does. Hating is not within him, but he’s grieving the lost years of not having me around.”
The weight of the silence was heavy. There’d been so many words spoken, and it didn’t go past Connor that he’d travelled all the way to the other end of the world to have the first decent conversation with his mother. There were still a few things to talk about, but it’d been a start. But it made all sense now. Him feeling so at home in Fermosa. Feeling so attracted to Emily. He closed his eyes, trying to picture her next to him.
“I’m staying the full twelve months, mother,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “It seems Emily and I have started where we left off all those years ago.”
“Is she still as pretty as she was as a little girl?”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, she is,” he whispered.
“You will have to send me a photo of both of you.”
“Mother?”
“No more questions, Connor. I know I have done wrong on you, and although done with the best intentions, they were selfish intentions.”
He nodded, despite all the questions in his mind. The last half an hour was much more than he expected, and he was grateful for it.
“Please tell Jack my apologies
for taking you away. They’re only words, I know, and even if he doesn’t accept them, that’s okay, but I need him to know how sorry I am for taking away his son. I had you most of your life here in London, but knowing you and Emily are together, I know your heart and your place is with her.”
He blinked a couple of times, realising tears slipped down his cheeks.
“I will. Talk to you soon, Mother.”
“I love you, darling. I look forward to hearing from you again.” And with the typical voice of a resentful mother, she added, “And tell Harriet not to bother to put a foot in this house again. She’s not welcome anymore. And I will make sure Duncan will hear about her antics.”
“Mother—”
“The least I can do. Time to put my son’s interest first.”
She disconnected the call, and a smile lingered on Connor’s lips. He stood and walked to the deck to find Jack still asleep.
Shaking his head in concern, he gave the doctor a quick call, but was reassured that tiredness was normal as the body was fighting a major war inside.
He thanked Dr. Miller and hung up.
Checking the time on his watch, he grabbed the car keys. There was one more important thing he needed to do.
The most important one.
***
Emily woke with a jolt. It took her a minute to figure out where she was, when she noticed she must’ve fallen asleep. The previous days had obviously taken more out of her than she’d been aware of. She gave her arms a little stretch and rolled her shoulders to get the kink out of her neck.
There was the sound of the knock at the door again, and she remembered it’d been what had woken her in the first place. She stood, wincing slightly as she straightened, her body still stiff after continuously sitting in one awkward position for almost an hour.
Another knock.
“I’m coming,” she shouted down the hall with some annoyance.
She looked out of the peephole and a rush of excitement shot through her body when she saw Connor. Her heart pounded as she put her hand on the doorknob.
When she opened the door a crack and peered out she saw him holding a box of cake in his hand. “Ready to apologise?” she asked.