by Annie Seaton
‘No. I’m shaking my head because I’m jealous that you know what you want,’ he said. ‘Until I joined up, I would have been quite content staying at home on our vineyard. I love the land like you love your islands. But I’m envious. For someone who grew up in such an isolated place, you know what you want out of life already.’
‘I’ve been away to school. I’m not a country bumpkin.’
‘I didn’t mean that.’ He looked away and clenched his jaw.
‘What’s wrong, Jack?’ Lily reached out and touched his hand. He looked down at it and a warm shivery feeling ran through her as his thumb stroked her skin. After a moment, he lifted his head and his voice was quiet.
‘I miss my home. I miss the land. I’ll go back and make my peace with Dad, but I will travel the world too. That’s if I survive this wretched war. I have to. I’m only twenty-one, and I haven’t told my father how sorry I am.’
‘Sorry?’ she asked softly.
‘When I left home, we’d just had an argument. I was so angry because of his attitude. I shouldn’t have spoken to him the way I did that last night. He’s got a short temper and my arguing always riled him. Even when I was a little tacker, I used to know how to get him angry. Then when he’d calm down, sometimes we used to talk things out. He’s not a bad person, he’s just set in his old-fashioned ways, and I was cocky. I stormed out with angry words and I didn’t go back.’
Her neck cooled as Jack lifted his head and wiped his face with the back of his hand. ‘And you know what the worst thing was that I can’t forget?’
‘No. What was it?’ Lily kept her voice low.
‘I was a proper arse. I ran over Mum’s rose bushes on purpose on the way out. I was so angry with Dad, and she always took his side.’ He stared at her. ‘And here I am worrying about roses when my mates are dying in the war. Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy.’
‘No. It just shows me what I already know. You’re a good person, Jack. Families always hurt each other. We know each other so well, and we know how to hurt those we love. You didn’t do anything bad.’
When he turned back to her, their eyes met and held, and the despair in Jack’s expression touched her. She made sure she didn’t mention the war again. Or the future. Everything was so uncertain. No one knew what was going to happen, and it frightened her more than she ever let on. But her problems were minor when she thought of Jack heading into enemy territory.
* * *
Late in the afternoon, Lily lingered by the shore while they waited for the launch to arrive to take Jack, Roger and Charlie back to Bowen. The three men were playing cricket on the beach with Billy and Robbie and she smiled as their yells and whoops carried over every time someone was caught out.
Whitsunday Island lay under the magic of a rising December moon, a big golden orb that shone a golden haze through the clouds. As the sun set, a glorious purple hue washed over the mountains to the west of Cannon Valley on the mainland. She sat on the jetty at the edge of the bay fascinated by the play of light on the water. Contentment filled Lily as the night sounds lulled her almost to sleep, the swish of the tiny waves on the coral beach, the mournful calls of the curlews and the chirping of cicadas. The horn blared as the launch rounded the point and she jumped up.
‘Boat’s here,’ she called across to the beach.
She waited as the three men ran across to the jetty and picked up their kit bags. The twins scarpered back to the house. Roger and Charlie waved and were first on, but Jack hung back. He stood beside her as Wally unloaded two boxes onto the jetty.
‘That’s the nets Boyd ordered, Lil,’ Wally called.
‘Thanks, Wally. I’ll tell him.’ She stood awkwardly beside Jack. He’d been great company and she’d loved talking to him. It was going to be different with him gone.
He turned to her and spoke softly. ‘I would rather have sat here with you, but I’d already promised the twins a game of cricket.’
‘That’s fine.’ She looked down as he moved closer and the fine hairs on her neck tingled. ‘It sounded like you all had fun.’
‘We did.’ Jack glanced across at the launch and Lily’s gaze followed his. Roger and Charlie were leaning over the bow, watching a turtle as it bobbed up and down in the bay. ‘And I didn’t want to give Rog and Charlie any reason to tease you. They can be a bit rough sometimes.’
‘They’ve been good company too.’
‘I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, Liliana. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.’
She nodded, and a warm little frisson shimmied down her back as Jack’s breath touched her face. Her heart beat a little faster when he leaned in and brushed her cheek with his lips.
‘I’ll be back, Liliana.’
‘That would be nice,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
He picked up his kit bag, strode along the jetty and jumped aboard just as Wally lifted the rope from the post.
Lily stood and waved until the launch disappeared into the darkness of the Passage.
A sleepy smile lifted her lips as she walked up the path to the house.
CHAPTER
12
29 April, 2018
‘How’s my favourite girl?’
Liv looked over as Fynn appeared behind Aunty Tat’s chair. Aunty Tat was still sitting at the coffee table, presiding over the teapot. Liv had moved over to a cane sofa in the warm sunshine, a glass of wine in hand, and the elderly woman was content as long as she could see her. The delicious aroma of frying onions and meat wafted over from the barbeque area at the back of the house. Contentment filled her, and her limbs felt loose and fluid. A gentle breeze blew off the water and she watched the white sails of the yachts as they sailed past the beach.
Fynn leaned over and kissed Aunty Tat’s cheek, and Liv smiled when she saw the look on the older woman’s face. She had been easy to talk to as they’d sat over a cup of tea earlier. She’d been quite lucid and for a while, she’d seemed to accept that she was Olivia, and not her sister, Liliana.
There was adoration on Aunty Tat’s face as she looked up at Fynn. He really was a charmer, and most people seemed to fall for that charm.
Liv was wary. She didn’t find him quite as open and charming with her. Ever since the comment he’d made yesterday on the Lady May about the serpent in paradise, and despite the spark between them, she suspected he was more interested in her involvement with Sheridan Corp.
But there was no doubt about it, he was very comfortable with this family. As she watched him greet some of the couples she’d been introduced to, and swoop a couple of the small children into the air, she knew he was more than a casual guest.
Obviously a very welcome friend.
She sat back and watched him as the conversations washed around her. As Inga had commented yesterday, he had movie-star looks, but when he was talking to others, the wariness that was in his expression when he talked to her disappeared. His face was tanned, with laughter lines creasing around his eyes. Cat-green eyes, she guessed you’d call them. What made him so attractive was the perpetual smile on his face—when he wasn’t looking at her, anyway.
Fynn’s laugh rang out and when Aunty Tat reached up and touched his face, Fynn placed his hand over hers. The tender moment between Fynn and Aunty Tat brought a strange feeling to Liv’s chest. The close and obviously loving interactions of these people were unfamiliar to her. Even though she knew her mother loved her—who knew what her father’s feelings were—there were few displays of affection shown in her family. As she looked around and saw Byron loop his arm around Louise’s shoulder, and one of the younger couples exchange a quick kiss beneath the Poinciana tree, a feeling of loss took the shine off the day.
When was the last time someone had held her? When was the last time someone had kissed her? She couldn’t remember. Her life was sterile, and the happiness and openness of this family brought that home to her on this beautiful sunny afternoon. The last thing Liv felt like was going back to a lonel
y hotel room—even though it was on a beautiful tropical island—and work on a project she was beginning to doubt.
‘How did you go with Aunty Tat?’ Liv hadn’t notice Fynn walk across to where she was sitting. He sat down beside her on the sofa and his leg brushed against hers. She moved away a fraction.
‘Good. She seems a lot happier and has been calling me Liv, but I’m a little worried about how she’ll be when I leave.’
‘Yeah. It’s been a tough few weeks. The slight stroke she suffered hasn’t caused any physical issues but no matter what we say, she seems to be locked in the past most of the time now.’ His voice was sad. ‘I guess losing her sister and not knowing what happened has to have done some emotional damage.’
‘Yes, it would.’ Liv’s voice was soft as she stared over at the group sitting at the table.
Fynn touched her fingers lightly and she glanced down at his hand. On his middle finger, he wore an ornate silver ring and as she looked more closely, she realised it was two dolphins arching together around in a circular leap.
‘That’s an unusual ring.’
‘Yeah, it was my mum’s. She was the one who taught me what a special place the islands are. She gave it to me on my twenty-first.’ It was the first time Liv felt that they’d had a conversation—however short—where they were both being natural with each other.
‘Lunch is on,’ Byron called from the barbeque. Fynn stood and held out his hand. Liv looked at it for a moment before putting her hand in his and letting him pull her up. The long table was already full of bowls of assorted salads and fruit. Byron carried over a tray loaded with steaks, fried onions and mushrooms.
Louise came over to the table, her arm laced through Aunty Tat’s.
‘Aunty Tat asked if she could sit next to Olivia.’ Liv and Fynn’s eyes met in a moment of shared understanding. The smile he returned left her feeling happy. It looked as though her visit had perhaps helped the older woman to settle.
Fynn sat at the other end of the long wooden table once he had settled Aunty Tat beside Liv. Lunch was eaten with lots of noisy conversation and good-natured ribbing across the table. A couple of times, Aunty Tat even explained to Liv what was happening, and she was lucid, and as sharp as a tack.
‘That’s Declan, he’s my youngest grandson. He and Jenny are getting married at Christmas. I’m doing my best to last till then.’ Her laugh was a little tinkle. ‘I don’t want to shuffle off before the wedding.’
Liv swallowed. ‘I’m sure you’ll be here for the wedding and many more. You have lots of grandchildren.’
‘And a few great-grandchildren.’ Aunty Tat’s eyes clouded over and her gaze wavered. ‘But now that you’ve come home, Lil, I’m not ready to die. I’ve changed my mind.’
Uh oh. How did you respond to that, especially when the poor woman believed you were her dead sister? Before Liv could open her mouth, two warm hands settled on the tops of her bare arms. ‘Almost ready to head back across to Hamo, Olivia?’ Fynn drew out her name as Aunty Tat watched them with an indulgent smile.
‘Hamo?’ She raised her eyebrows but returned his smile. Tentatively. ‘Byron said that on the phone too.’
‘That’s what we locals call it.’ He leaned closer and the warmth of his skin against hers was pleasant.
No sense of personal space. But as Liv had watched the affection between family members since she’d arrived, the touching and the hugging, she’d realised no one gave it a thought. It was just the way they were. It was way out of the realm of her experience.
‘And I am ready. I need to go back and do some work.’ She waited for his reaction but the smile stayed on his face.
Surprise filled her when he lowered his head and his breath brushed her cheek. ‘Follow my lead,’ he said quietly.
The nerves in her arm zinged as he stood behind her chair and helped her to her feet.
‘Aunty Tat, I’m going to take this lovely lady for a ride in my boat, but I’m sure she’ll come back and visit you soon. Won’t you, darling?’ Fynn let go of her hand and casually put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her in close to him. The fresh smell of soap and shampoo surrounded her. Liv tried to relax and not stand stiffly against him.
Darling?
Aunty Tat looked from Fynn to Liv and her lips lifted in a wide smile. ‘You’re going home with Fynn? To Fynn’s boat.’ She clapped her hands. ‘Well, that’s just perfect.’
‘It is.’ Fynn rested his head against Liv’s and she tensed.
What is he doing?
Aunty Tat rescued her when she held her arms out. ‘It’s been lovely to see you, Olivia.’
It seemed she was back in the present with them now. Liv stepped away from Fynn and put her arms around the plump woman. ‘It’s been lovely to meet you too, and I’d love to come and visit again.’
Byron joined them and put his arm round his grandmother. ‘Any time you’re up this way again, Olivia, make sure you come and see us.’
‘Will you be up again soon?’ The tone in Fynn’s voice was strange. She couldn’t figure him out.
Liv stepped back. ‘I’ll make sure I am.’
* * *
‘Why did you do that in front of Aunty Tat?’ Liv asked when the boat was underway. After slipping the lines, she’d settled up on the fly bridge.
‘It worked.’ Fynn’s grin was wide. ‘She thought I’d found myself a lady. It made her happy and took her focus off you—her lost sister—leaving.’
‘Quite the psychologist, aren’t you? As well as being a fisherman, a sailing boat captain, a water taxi driver … and a waiter. You’re a surprise a minute.’ Liv folded her arms and stared at the water. ‘Jack of all trades is right.’
Fynn was still grinning when she looked back, as though she hadn’t made her smart comment. ‘Dear old Aunty Tat’s been trying to marry me off to each of her granddaughters since I was a teenager.’
Liv couldn’t help the picture of the young Fynn that flashed into her mind. Still in his fishing clothes, his hair a mass of long sun-bleached curls, she imagined he would have been a wild young man.
‘And you resisted?’
‘Sure. I’m a loner.’
‘What did she mean about going home to your boat? Not this one? I thought you said it was Byron’s.’
‘It is. My lady is much more sedate than this stink boat.’
Liv widened her eyes. ‘Stink boat?’
‘Simple, darlin’. Diesel smells, sails don’t.’
‘You live on a sailing boat?’
‘I do.’
Liv looked back at the water. Fynn was like no one else she had met before and she was finding him altogether too fascinating. She settled back into the seat, lost in her thoughts.
As the boat turned east and Hamilton Island came into view, the chilly wind raised goosebumps on her arms. Liv reached down into her bag for her cardigan and when she looked up, she drew her breath in on a surprised gasp.
She leaned over and touched Fynn’s arm. ‘Can you slow down for a moment?’
‘With pleasure.’ He eased back on the throttle and looked at her curiously. ‘I thought you were in a hurry to get back to the hotel and do your work.’
‘I am.’ Liv stared at the island on the portside of the cruiser. ‘That’s Whitsunday Island, isn’t it?’
‘It is.’ Fynn throttled back and the boat idled along in the current. ‘Whitsunday Island is the big one. Henning Island is the small one to starboard.’
Liv put one hand up to shade her eyes and pointed with the other. Her attention was on the large, heavily timbered Whitsunday Island. ‘Those two flat-topped hills with the trees on them. Do you know what they are? Is it a place?’
‘What do you mean “is it a place”?’ Fynn stood beside her.
‘Does it have a name? Is it called something?’
The current caught the boat and pushed it closer to the shore, and he increased their speed and turned the boat around in a circle. A wide-mouthed inlet opened in front of the
m. ‘Not the hills as far as I know. That’s Gulnare Inlet. Do you want to go in and have a look? It’s almost top tide and it’ll be easy to go in.’
‘Yes please.’ Liv looked around. Several yachts were moored further in the inlet, but her eyes were drawn straight back to the two hills at the far end. ‘It’s strange but I really feel as though I’ve been here before. I know those hills,’ she said half to herself.
‘Let’s take you in for a closer look then.’ Fynn started the motor and Liv watched as he took his bearings. ‘There’s a lot of hidden reef at the entrance here.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about going in. It’s not that important,’ she said.
‘No. Let’s go and have a look, it’s an interesting place. There’s a hidden creek on the south side that goes into the forest where they used to fell the timber back in the early days, and if you keep an eye out, you’ll see the goats clambering over the rocks when we get to that point.’ He pointed to a spur that came out at the end of the inlet. Liv realised that it actually split into a wide bay on the north and a smaller, sheltered body of water on the south side.
‘As far as I know, the hills don’t have a name, although it’s not far from them down to the ruins of the Ellis homestead. Byron used to bring me out here to camp when I first started working with him.’ He smiled at her. ‘Byron said you’re not related to Aunty Tat. Are you sure about that?’
‘Positive.’ Liv shook her head as they motored further into the inlet. ‘It just looks so familiar.’ Once they passed the reef at the portside of the entrance, Fynn turned the cruiser to mid-channel and they motored slowly down to the point. He waved to a couple on the catamaran moored nearby, and Liv smiled. Washing was pegged along the steel wire along the side of the boat.
‘Nice way to spend a holiday,’ she commented. The inlet was quiet and the water was glass-like as the hills protected it from the breeze that was blowing out in the Passage.
‘Nice way to live,’ was Fynn’s laconic reply.
As they drew closer to the rocky outcrop, there was a splash as loose rocks tumbled into the water. He cut the motor and came to the side of the boat where Liv stood, looking at the rocky coastline. He put one hand on her shoulder, but she had nowhere to move to.