The Chocolatier's Secret (Magnolia Creek, Book 2)

by Helen J Rolfe

  Her spirits lifted. She’d not been to the beach since she’d arrived in Australia, and beach went with the territory. She pushed her phone into her bag and put it down at her feet where she wouldn’t be tempted to check it again.

  An hour later and they were following the smaller roads to take them to Albert Park. They crossed tramlines, the windows open to feel the change between freeway air, suburban air and finally beach air when they reached the main road running parallel to the water. Palm trees were spaced evenly, framing the road on either side, a pier jutted out into the water, roller-blading couples and friends cruised up and down the paths. A strip of grass separated either side of the road and enormous, hotel-like properties overlooked the ocean and lined the side of the road farthest from the water.

  Molly was mesmerised by the beauty of the area. She sat taller in her seat to focus on the golden sands and the sea with its frothy white edging as the waves came in to shore. Ben slowed, looking for a parking space, but it seemed they were among the many who’d decided it was too beautiful a day not to be beside the ocean.

  He turned into a side street. ‘I’ll park by the lake and then we’ll walk down this way. You got your walking shoes on?’

  Molly looked down at her white Converse trainers. ‘Yup.’

  A tram came to a halt in the middle of the road, and Ben pulled up before he was level with it. Once passengers had disembarked and were safely on the pavement at the other side and the tram trundled on its way, they continued.

  ‘This is Albert Park Lake,’ Ben announced when they pulled in to a car park. ‘Home of the Grand Prix.’

  She nodded, impressed. ‘It looks too peaceful.’

  ‘It’s completely transformed every year,’ he told her as he pulled into a vacant space. ‘You wouldn’t believe it now, would you?’ He leapt out and went to feed the meter.

  The water glistened, framed with a backdrop of city buildings in the distance. Molly and Ben walked side-by-side, clockwise around the lake. They’d agreed to do a lap first before heading to the beach and right now, Molly couldn’t imagine anywhere more beautiful.

  Following the path around the lake’s perimeter, Ben said, ‘This is almost as relaxing as the beach. More so in some ways.’

  ‘It’s away from the crowds,’ Molly agreed.

  ‘Do you sail?’

  ‘I would’ve liked to learn, but it’s one of those things I never got around to. I did windsurf once.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Lots of fun.’

  ‘You stayed on the board?’

  ‘Eventually. It took a bit of practice. I learnt on a lake, and I think it’s the only reason I managed to stay upright as much as I did. The water was a lot calmer.’ She followed Ben along a thinner winding path, past a small building, until they were beside the water once more. The temperature was perfect. It had rained during the night, more than a gentle pitter-patter on the cottage roof, and she’d thought today was going to be one of those days spent in warm clothes and a waterproof, but as soon as she’d woken and seen the sun streaming through the gap in the curtains, she knew she was in for a great day. There was a slight breeze, but the sun refused to bow down to the autumn season and it kissed Molly’s skin as they followed the path around the water’s edge.

  ‘I’ve never been into water sports,’ Ben told her as he watched the teenagers in the boat sail past skilfully, not too close to the edge, aware of another sailing boat close by. ‘I do, on the other hand, love to ski.’

  ‘Ski?’

  ‘What, you think all Aussies can do is barbecue and lay on the beach and tan?’

  She grinned, because she’d pictured exactly that. ‘Do you go over to New Zealand? My brother tells me the skiing there is amazing.’

  ‘I’ve been a couple of times but not for a while. The most recent skiing has been in Victoria.’

  ‘As in Victoria, Australia? You’re kidding.’

  ‘Nope. You can drive from Magnolia Creek to Mount Hotham in less than three hours.’

  ‘No way.’

  He seemed amused by her surprise. ‘The ski season is June to September, our winter.’

  ‘I can’t believe I never knew that.’ Molly shook her head and laughed. ‘I never, ever thought you could ski in Australia. It seems to go against what we expect Australia to be like.’

  ‘Have you ever skied?’

  She shook her head, and as they meandered around the lake with the sun on their backs at first and then shining directly in their faces, Ben told Molly about various skiing expeditions, one of which had resulted in a broken leg.

  ‘I was showing off,’ he admitted. ‘Trying to impress a girl.’

  ‘Sounds about right.’ She grinned to show she was jesting. ‘Does it ever snow in Magnolia Creek?’

  ‘Very occasionally. Usually we get a ground frost and it can be a bit icy, but generally we get away with only having the dark, the damp and the rain.’

  A black swan glided through the water, and Molly could all of a sudden imagine how this could become the setting for the Grand Prix. The lake wasn’t a uniform shape and the roads surrounding it had bends, curves only the most skilled drivers would be able to negotiate at high speed. She wondered what happened to the wildlife. Did the swans hide out somewhere? Were they rescued and kept safe during the event?

  ‘What’s that building?’ She pointed across the road as they came full circle to where they’d parked.

  ‘It’s the Aquatic Centre. It has an awesome Olympic-size, outdoor swimming pool. Maybe we could go sometime.’

  Molly’s heart both leapt and plummeted, the former because he wanted to see her again, the latter because this wasn’t going anywhere. But one thing had worked today, his plan to bring her away from Magnolia Creek and get some distance from the Bennetts. She hadn’t even inhaled the salty sea air of the beach yet, but she felt totally relaxed and hadn’t given a second thought to checking her phone.

  Completing their circuit of the lake, they made their way down to the beach where the salty sea breeze coming off the water wrapped around them with every step they took. She removed her Converse trainers and followed Ben onto the sand, letting the granules massage her feet as they walked, weaving past people enjoying the last few beach days of autumn. They admired some serious sandcastle construction from two twin boys armed with spades, forks and different shaped buckets.

  ‘So,’ said Ben, pulling his hoodie off over his head. Molly didn’t miss the glimpse of his stomach as he did so, the line of dark hair running down, the toned muscles, which spoke of activity and a healthy lifestyle. ‘How are you feeling?’

  When Ben gestured for her to sit down on the hoodie, she did so. He sat down too, although they were incredibly close given the size of the clothing. She was nervous all of a sudden, an unexpected feeling she hadn’t experienced much with Ben until now.

  ‘About the Bennetts?’ she asked for clarification.

  ‘The reason you’re here, yes.’

  Looking out over the ocean, brave kite surfers battled the rougher conditions down towards St Kilda. ‘Ever tried it?’ She nodded to one guy as his red and black sail caught the wind, his body below straining against the force as he glided across the water.

  ‘I don’t think it’s my thing.’

  She laughed. ‘Windsurfing was hard enough. That looks impossible.’

  ‘Stop avoiding the question anyway,’ said Ben.

  ‘I’m not avoiding it. I’m simply choosing not to answer.’ A refreshing spray from the ocean flecked her face when the breeze blew the right way. ‘I’m not sure how he feels.’

  ‘Andrew?’

  ‘This is a big shock for him, not to mention the rest of the family, and with his father sick … God, I really don’t know. I mean, it was my choice to do things this way. But if it’s all going to fall apart at the seams, I’d rather it happened sooner than later.’

  ‘Do you think it’ll all go wrong?’

  Molly shrugged. ‘There’s a flicker o
f hope it’ll all work out, that he’ll want to get to know who I am and become a part of my life, no matter how big or small. But at the same time, I’m looking at it negatively, trying to prepare myself for the worst.’

  Ben drew his knees in to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. ‘I think it was right for you to get out of Magnolia Creek for today.’ He grinned at her. ‘The last thing you want to do is become some weirdo stalker.’

  As Molly relaxed, a smile spread across her face.

  ‘Give him a couple of days,’ advised Ben, ‘and if he doesn’t get in touch, give him a nudge and see where he’s at.’

  They watched the kite surfers some more, admiring their skill, and when Ben stood and held out a hand, Molly took it and he pulled her up. For a moment she was so close she could feel his breath in her hair, the warmth coming from his chest beneath the black T-shirt.

  ‘Come on, let’s walk.’ Ben moved from the dry sand to damp and then wet as they got closer to the shoreline.

  ‘Hey, I didn’t know you had a tattoo.’ As Molly’s toes sunk into the wet sand she looked across at Ben and spotted the tail of a design peeping out from the sleeve of his T-shirt. He pulled up the sleeve for her to see it fully, the outline of a rose with the slightest shade of red. ‘What’s the significance?’ she asked.

  ‘My brother Owen started it and then it was a brotherly, solidarity thing. Long story, maybe I’ll tell you someday. You know, as a friend.’

  Molly knew she was blushing and kept walking, swishing her feet through the white foam that covered her toes, went away again and then came back for her moments later. ‘Are you close to your brothers?’

  ‘I am. We’ve had our brotherly ups and downs but it’s great being one of three. What about you and your brother? You said you were close.’

  ‘We are. Isaac has always been there and he’s one of my best friends. I’ll miss him when he moves out to America.’

  ‘The world’s a smaller place now.’ Ben grunted as he misjudged the tide’s return and it wet the bottom of his jeans. ‘You’ve got emails, Facebook … all sorts. It’s harder to miss people now.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Molly was unconvinced. ‘Sometimes it’s worse, seeing things you miss out on. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’ll be like when Isaac posts photos of his adventures and we can’t nip to the pub and chat about them over a pint.’

  ‘Well, when you do meet up, now you’re over your fear and everything,’ he joked, ‘it’ll feel like you only saw him the day before. Trust me. I was away for a while and my brother Owen flitted here, there and everywhere until he found a steady girlfriend, and then Tom is knee-deep in fatherhood, but when we all meet up, it’s like we’ve never been apart.’

  Molly wondered whether, eventually, it could be like that with Andrew. If – and it was a big if – he decided he wanted to form a relationship, would they be able to pick up where they’d left off? Would this holiday be a good start and enough of a foundation to sustain a relationship over a long distance until they could meet up again?

  The fresh air made them hungry, and they made their way to Albert Park village where Molly couldn’t resist ducking into the little bookshop.

  ‘You should’ve bought something,’ said Ben when they left empty-handed.

  ‘I can’t. I’ve got a suitcase full, and I don’t want to make it any heavier.’

  ‘One book won’t hurt.’

  Her look told him of course it would. ‘I don’t want to risk going over the baggage limit.’

  ‘You’ll be an experienced flyer before you know it, and you’ll bring only the bare necessities, allowing for shopping in the country you’re going to.’

  They walked on until they came to a café, with silver chairs and tables spilling out onto the wide, curved pavement. Leaves skittered across the footpath, dry and crunchy from the season. ‘I’m starving,’ said Ben, eyes glued to the menu already. ‘Let’s eat and then we’d better get back to the car before the money runs out and I get myself a little souvenir of my own. Parking ticket,’ he explained.

  They both ordered the Eggs Benedict, something Molly had only ever tried once at a restaurant in Covent Garden more than a year ago. And now they were sitting, Molly sneaked a look at her phone.

  ‘Has he texted?’ Ben didn’t miss a thing.

  She shook her head, embarrassed he’d seen her checking.

  ‘Don’t be disappointed. We men don’t like to rush things.’

  She pushed the phone back into her bag. He was right. She’d had a while to think this through, all her life in fact. But Andrew had only known about her existence for a matter of weeks. She had no idea what this was like for him. Julia had known about her existence for thirty years and look how she’d reacted.

  Molly suddenly had no clue as to how this was going to pan out, and as she tucked into her eggs, she knew it wasn’t only Andrew she had to think about now. There was Ben. He was starting to mean more to her than an online acquaintance, someone to laugh and chat with. He was there for her, helping her through this when they barely knew each other, and there was an undeniable connection.

  How would she leave things with him when this holiday came to an end?

  *

  When they arrived back in Magnolia Creek, Ben pulled up on Main Street and Molly thanked him for taking her away from it all, even if only for the day.

  ‘It was great to get some headspace,’ said Molly.

  ‘I told you, the ocean cures all troubles.’

  ‘I’ll try to remember that.’ She hovered awkwardly beside the car. If Ben was a friend, she’d lean in and kiss him on the cheek right now. If he were a friend she’d give him a hug and tell him she’d see him soon.

  ‘Are you sure I can’t interest you in a swim over at my place?’ he asked, breaking the silence.

  She smiled, wondering whether he was thinking about what she looked like in a swimsuit. She was definitely wondering what he looked like without his T-shirt. ‘Maybe another time. I think I’ll go back to the cottage, lie down a while.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘Are you working again tonight?’

  ‘Nope. Night off for me.’

  She was about to be brave and ask whether he wanted to join her for a takeaway dinner, when she looked up and caught the eye of the blonde woman walking past, a straw basket looped over her arm. Molly froze. She didn’t know whether to raise a hand, smile or completely ignore Gemma, but when Gemma waved and muttered a hello before scurrying across the other side of the road, she didn’t have a chance to do anything except let her mouth fall open.

  ‘You okay?’ Ben’s gaze followed Gemma and then fell back on Molly.

  Before Molly could answer, she looked up to see the next person coming along the pavement.

  ‘Good afternoon, Molly.’ This time it was Louis, and his words came out quite clearly. ‘You’re looking well. The Australian sun must be doing you good.’

  Relieved at his interest in her compared to Gemma’s obvious need to escape her presence, Molly muttered, ‘You’re looking well too.’ She sounded so lame!

  Louis shuffled on his way, and Molly was still looking at him when he turned back.

  ‘And Molly,’ he said. ‘Remember, time is a great healer.’

  Ben came to Molly’s side as she watched Louis continue along Main Street. ‘Are you okay?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Do you want to rethink my offer?’ he asked. ‘Not many more swim days now it’s autumn, but I know the heating in the pool has been on all day. Owen’s forever over at my parents doing laps, keeping himself fit. Sickening really.’

  She smiled. ‘I’ll run down to the cottage and get my swimsuit.’

  Chapter Thirty

  Andrew

  Andrew’s hands shook as he scrolled down the contacts in his phone until he reached Molly’s name. He’d almost called her the morning after they’d met for the very first time. He’d nearly called her each day after too. And now, upstairs at th
e café, standing on the veranda outside looking over the mountain ash trees, he finally pressed Call and waited to hear her voice. His mind had been a kaleidoscope of feelings the past few days, mish-mashed from what he knew, from the past, from the present. What could he possibly say to Molly? What could he tell the girl who’d come all this way for answers; answers he wasn’t sure he could give. And hanging in the back of his mind was whether pursuing a relationship with Molly would destroy his marriage to the woman he loved. He felt as though he was facing an impossible choice: Molly or Gemma.

  *

  ‘Thank you for coming.’ Andrew led Molly into the office at the back of the shop. A group of elderly tourists had commandeered the seating area in the café upstairs in the time it had taken Molly to walk from the cottage to his place after his phone call.

  ‘What’s that?’ He nodded to the bright orange bag she was clutching.

  ‘I was on my way for a swim.’

  He sat on the desk chair, and Molly took the other seat. ‘Anywhere nice?’

  ‘Ben’s family has a pool.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your plans.’

  She smiled, cautiously. ‘You didn’t. This is more important.’

  He moved his desk chair back a little so this didn’t feel like an interrogation or an interview.

  ‘I’m sorry I didn’t call before today,’ he said.

  ‘I get it, you know.’ At last she looked at him. ‘This is a big thing. Everyone told me I was playing with fire turning up on your doorstep.’

  ‘And you didn’t think so?’ He reached for her arm when she stood up as though she was going to leave. ‘I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean I wasn’t happy you’d turned up. I suppose what I was trying to say, or show you, was how determined you are. Julia was the same.’ He added the last comment as though it could explain away a lot of things, but he wasn’t sure whether it did really.

  ‘I think she still is, given she won’t see me or talk to me.’ Molly relented and sat down again.