by Andrews, Amy
Lacey blinked. “What are you talking about, Mrs Durrum?”
Selena had just been promoted to regional reporter with channel four, her face often gracing the six o’clock news. She was the most famous person that had ever hailed from Jumbuck Springs.
Lacey prepared a shandy for the over-excited woman and implored her to sit down. The way she was bouncing from foot to foot Lacey was worried she was going to break a hip.
“Here,” Mrs Durrum said slapping the magazine face down on the bar as she sat. “Page ten. I’ve marked it already.”
Lacey glanced at JJ who shrugged. She picked it up, noticing for the first time it was Stylish Woman. “Oh,” she smiled, glancing at Mrs Durrum. “Is it Caroline’s wedding?”
“Yes.” Mrs Durrum nodded vigorously as she sucked beer and lemonade through her straw. “There’s six pages!”
Lacey turned to the dog-eared page and smiled. Caroline looked simply breathtaking. And the wedding dress … well, it looked spectacular even if she did say so herself. The handkerchief bustle looked particularly stunning, although no doubt the professional photography helped.
“Lacey,” JJ said in something akin to a reverential whisper. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re along further,” Mrs Durrum said, apparently impatient to get to the reason for her visit.
Lacey looked at the older woman with startled eyes. “Me?”
“There’s a section about how you rescued the dress.”
Lacey frowned. What the? She flicked quickly through the array of gorgeous pics and sure enough there was the picture the photographer had taken of her and Caroline after the ceremony and another of the dress as it lay in ruins on the floor. A couple of brief paragraphs followed, telling how one Lacey Weston, ‘sister of Jumbuck Spring police chief, and design student’ had come to the rescue.
“Famous, I tell you!” Mrs Durrum beamed.
Lacey laughed. She’d have to go and buy herself a copy and include it in her portfolio for when she was out there in the highly competitive field of fashion trying to get a job.
* * *
And that was how the rest of the day panned out. Phone calls and texts from around the district, and people dropping into the pub to congratulate her. By the end of the day she was a minor celebrity in Jumbuck Springs and everyone wanted to shake her hand.
“Best day’s takings we’ve had in a long time,” JJ grinned when the well-wishers seemed to trickle to a stop around mid-afternoon. “You’ll have to get famous more often.”
Coop was equally thrilled for her, buying a bottle of champagne from JJ on his way up to the room and insisting they toast to her success before throwing her on the bed and tipping dribbles of it all over her body, thoroughly removing it with his tongue as he went. It was cold and sticky and ran everywhere.
But Lacey suffered through Coop’s exceedingly diligent attempts to chase every last drop. As she did the next morning when he decided it was his duty to remove any sticky residue in the shower. Lacey did not object as he took his sweet time lathering up her body. Nor did she object when water had sluiced off the last of the soap and he sank to his knees and put his mouth to where she was already hot and slick and needy.
He ripped an orgasm from her so quickly and so absolutely she could barely stay upright in the aftermath.
He smiled at her as she lolled against the tiles, half out of it, panting for air. “I’ll put the jug on,” he murmured, kissing her mouth and leaving her to recover.
Lacey vaguely heard her mobile ringing a minute later as she stood under the spray.
“Lacey,” Coop said, entering the bathroom, her phone in his hand. “Some chick called Anouska Dali says you’ll want to take her call.”
Lacey frowned. Anouska Dali? The only Anouska she knew was Anouska Dahl, one of the hottest new designers on the Australian fashion scene. And she didn’t exactly know her. Just of her.
Lacey’s senses obviously still had her in a fog as she asked the question anyway. “Anouska Dahl?”
“Could be,” Coop nodded.
What the? Lacey reached for the taps and shut them off. Anouska Dahl was ringing her? Coop held up a towel and she stepped into it, quickly wrapping it around her body and securing it.
She took the phone as Coop handed her another towel for her hair. Lacey dried with one hand while she held the phone with the other. “Ms Dahl?” she said, her voice tremulous as she walked out of the bathroom.
She could smell coffee and toast and Coop’s deodorant as a husky female voice said, “Please call me Anouska.”
Lacey blinked. “O-kay?”
“I’ve seen Stylish Woman this morning and spent about an hour trying to get your phone number. Caroline Duncan gave it to me in the end. I hope you don’t mind, but I just had to ring and tell you what an absolutely amazing job you did on that dress.”
Lacey’s heart pounded. Anouska freaking Dahl was ringing to compliment her. Did she mind? Hell to the no. She glanced at Coop who was busying himself in the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel. “Oh … thank you. I’m … honoured. You’re one of my favourite designers.”
There was a low husky laugh in Lacey’s ear. “I was hoping you might say something like that, because I’d like you to come and work for me.”
Lacey’s pulse picked up as she took advantage of the proximity of the table and sat down. What the fuck? She absently watched Coop’s naked back and the way the towel sat low on his hips as the offer sank in. “You want me to … come and work for you?”
Back before her mother had died, working for one of the top Aussie designers had been part of Lacey’s big plan to one day have her own label.
Coop turned. Whether it was because of the squeak in her voice or the content of the conversation, Lacey wasn’t sure.
“Yes. Here in Melbourne. As soon as you can get here. I’m doing a steampunk-inspired collection I think you’ll be perfect for.”
Anouska Dahl wanted Lacey to move to Melbourne and work for her? “But … I’m just a student. I haven’t even finished my degree.”
Another husky laughed filled her ear. “I don’t care about that. There’s nothing a degree can teach someone who can make a bustle like you did overnight out of a pile of ripped fabric.”
“Oh.” Lacey wasn’t sure her brothers would agree but if Anouska Dahl said so then who was she to argue?
Coop was watching her closely now, his face neutral.
“Look, I know it’s a lot to spring on you and it’d be a big move, but I think we could do great things together. So how about I offer you a month’s trial to start with and I give you a couple of days to get over your shock,” there was a hint of humour in Anouska’s voice like she knew exactly how this proposition had thrown Lacey for a loop, “and you think about it and you get back to me at this number by tomorrow night. How does that sound?”
Lacey couldn’t believe this was happening to her and she knew she was crazy not to say yes right away but this proposition was far beyond any of her wildest dreams.
Her gaze meshed with Coop’s. It had been an unbelievable few weeks.
“Lacey?” Anouska’s voice dragged her back to the conversation. “Are you still there?”
“Yes. Sorry. Yes … thank you. I’m very flattered and I will think about it and get back to you.”
“That’s great,” Anouska said and Lacey was struck by how genuinely pleased she sounded. “I hope you say yes. You truly won’t regret it.”
And then she was gone and Lacey was left to stare at the phone in disbelief.
“What was that all about?” Coop asked, crossing his feet at the ankles and his arms across his chest.
“I just got offered a job by one of the top fashion designers in the country. She wants me there as soon as possible for a month’s trial.”
“There?”
Lacey nodded. “She wants me to move to Melbourne.”
Chapter Twelve
‡
“So what’s to think about?”<
br />
Lacey’s head spun a little more at Coop’s unhesitating reply. His facial expression hadn’t altered from frustratingly neutral, he hadn’t paused for even a beat. “What?”
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime, isn’t it?”
That was putting it mildly. Only a few of the students in her course would ever get this kind of break. “Yes.”
“So … do it.” He strode towards the table and sat opposite her. “It’s a brilliant offer. She picked you, Lacey.” He smiled and it almost reached his eyes. “Ring her right back and tell her yes.”
Lacey wished it was that black and white, but so many things were churning around her head.
How could she leave Jumbuck Springs again after being back for such a short time and especially after the lengths she’d gone to to stay? How could she stamp her foot and insist she needed to be back, then turn around in such a short time and take off again?
How could she expect her brothers to take her seriously if she changed her mind so quickly?
And where would it leave her and Coop?
Their relationship had never been better. Even in a short period of time it was deeper, more meaningful. She didn’t feel like some kind of duty to him anymore. Like a cross to bear or just some kid sister of his best friend. She felt like an adult. Like an equal.
Like a woman.
Like maybe there could be a lot more between them.
But here he was telling her calmly to leave. As if what had happened between them these last weeks had meant nothing to him. In fact, was there even relief in those unfathomable blue eyes?
“I don’t think it’s that simple, Coop. I fought hard to come back to Jumbuck Springs. I lied to my family. They think I’m pregnant for Pete’s sake. How can I expect them to ever take me seriously if I’m going to turn around and change my mind again?”
“I’m guessing your brothers will forgive you any flightiness when you tell them you’re not pregnant.”
Lacey had to concede that point. Although she expected them to be pretty pissed off over her lie for a while. Not that she could blame them. “Yes but … these last couple of weeks … they’ve been so good, Coop. I’ve felt more like me, more centred, more grounded than I have in years and that’s all down to being back home in Jumbuck Springs.”
“I know.” Coop reached across the table and covered her hands in his and Lacey’s heart gave a painful squeeze. “But these kind of things don’t come round every day. And oftentimes they come at completely inconvenient moments, because that’s life. But it’s what a person does with such an opportunity that defines them. This could be a defining moment for you, Lacey. Of course you have to go. It’s time to set the record straight with your brothers and grab hold of this with both hands.”
She looked down at their hands, at how good they looked together. He sounded so calm and so practical, so very Coop, while she felt all at sea. He was her anchor while she once again floundered.
If she grabbed this with both hands she’d be going down a path that would take her away from all this—Jumbuck Springs, her family, Coop—for a very long time. Maybe forever. The fashion business was hell on personal lives—many long, long hours in a dog-eat-dog industry trying to make a name and then maybe not succeeding at all.
And she was being offered a shortcut.
Once upon a time she’d wanted that. It seemed like a million years ago.
Maybe what she wanted now was a little closer to home? Maybe it was okay to change her mind?
She glanced at Coop. “What about—” The words stuck in Lacey’s throat. It was suddenly dry as the toast that had popped long minutes ago. “Us?”
Suddenly it seemed like the most important question. Did she really want to be that far away from Coop? Not Jumbuck Springs or her family or her roots. But Coop.
Lacey was close enough to see the tightening at the angle of Coop’s jaw before he abruptly withdrew his hands. Not satisfied with that he got up from the table and headed towards the kitchen. “There’s no us, Lacey. We were a cover story and it was only ever temporary.” He poured the boiling water from the jug into two coffee mugs, his back to her. “I have my business, my life, to get back to and now you have this amazing chance.”
His words cut into her like barbs as he made a show of adding milk and stirring in the sugar, the clanging of the spoon the only noise in the room.
He needed to get back to his life. There was no us. They’d been temporary.
And she knew that, she did. But she hadn’t expected to feel this conflicted about saying goodbye. Or that it would feel this bad. Their closeness these last weeks had turned the simple, easily defined emotions she usually felt about Coop—gratitude, resentment and attraction—into something much more complex.
Much richer. Much harder to define.
He picked up the mugs and carried them over to the table, putting hers in front of her before reclaiming his seat. He stared into his coffee and Lacey was struck by how distant he looked after a week of intimacy. It was hard to believe not fifteen minutes ago he’d been on his knees in the shower making her come with his tongue.
“I’m so proud of you,” Coop said, finally looking at her, his face serious, the sincerity in his voice and his gaze obvious. “Your brothers will be too. And no doubt your mother is also wherever she may be.”
Lacey felt absurdly like crying. Elizabeth Weston would be beyond thrilled at this development. She’d be packing Lacey’s bags for her.
“I know you have what it takes to succeed because you’ve shown me right from the beginning that you’ll do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.”
He gave her a ghost of a smile then, which broke her heart. She remembered laying eyes on him that very first time and how she’d been determined to sleep with him.
“So don’t let any of us down, okay?” He reached for her discarded phone and pushed it towards her. “Make the call.”
Lacey looked at it. The part of her who’d wanted to be a fashion designer since she was six years old urged her to pick it up and say yes but she felt … torn. She wasn’t six years old anymore.
Life wasn’t that simple anymore.
Her mother was dead. And Coop was a complication her six-year-old self could never have imagined. Hell, her twenty-one-year-old self was struggling to come to grips with him.
“It’s perfect timing,” Coop pushed. “Alec is back in a couple of days. It’s all falling into place. Ring Anouska then let’s go and confess all to your brothers. When that’s done you can book a flight. Then we’ll pack up and head to Brisbane. You could be on your way to Melbourne tomorrow.”
Lacey’s head swam just thinking about all those things in combination. She’d easily slipped back into ‘bush time’ and suddenly her life was about to hit warp speed.
Coop was clearly a man on a mission. He obviously wanted his life back very much, which was fair enough considering how much she’d asked of him, how long his life had been on hold.
It was purely practical. Their time together had served its purpose. His rush to have this over with shouldn’t hurt.
But it did.
“Okay.” Coop was right. This was a defining moment. It wasn’t as if offers like this grew on trees. Time to put on her big-girl pants and, no matter how much it hurt, she needed to let Coop get on with his life. She owed him that.
But she needed to square things away at home first.
* * *
Lacey and Coop caught all three of her brothers at home early that evening. Jarrod was coming down the front steps on his way to Mrs Durrum’s to replace some blown bulbs. Ethan was sitting in the lounge room with Connie watching the television. Marcus was having a coffee and reading the newspaper before heading to the footy ground to coach his under-twelve kid’s team.
“Uh oh,” Marcus said as Ethan, who had left Connie in front of the TV, and Jarrod sat at the table with him. He glanced at Lacey and Coop who remained standing. “This doesn’t look good.”
; “It’s fine, I just have some news,” Lacey assured.
“You’re splitting up aren’t you?” Ethan demanded.
Lacey blinked. Coop had told her he and Ethan had buried the hatchet but it didn’t look like it as Ethan crossed his arms and glared.
“Or is something wrong with the baby?” asked Jarrod.
“Nah.” Marcus shook his head before Lacey could get a word in. He eyed her speculatively. “You’re having twins?”
“No!” Lacey blanched. One baby per fake pregnancy was more than enough. “Definitely not. Jesus, you three …” She shook her head. “Will you just let me get it out?”
All three of her brothers looked at her with impatience and she leaned into the solid support of Coop as he slipped his hand around her waist. “I’m actually … not pregnant.”
Jarrod stood, a frown crinkling his brow. “You had a miscarriage?”
Lacey shook her head. “No. I was … never pregnant. I … lied.”
There were a few seconds of stunned silence. “You lied?” Ethan’s jaw tightened so hard Lacey thought it might shatter.
“Yes, I’m sorry all right?” she said hurrying to explain. “But I was already upset because I’d just split up with a lying, cheating scumbag the day before and everyone was trying to tell me what to do and you were yelling and insisting I go back to college and then you made up those stupid reasons for me staying and I was so bloody angry I just grabbed one of them and ran with it before I could think it properly through.”
“What the hell for?” Jarrod asked, clearly exasperated.
“I don’t know … it was irrational and impulsive but everyone immediately stopped talking about me going back to college. And then I panicked and was about to backpedal but then Coop stood up and said the baby was his and Marcus hit him, and I … couldn’t go back.”
Ethan frowned at Coop. “Why did you cover for her like that?”
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t blame him,” Lacey said, cutting Coop off as she rose to his defence. Coop’s support had helped secure her these past weeks and she would be forever in his debt. “It wasn’t his fault.”