Whitsunday Dawn

by Annie Seaton

  As Liv sat there, light footsteps crossed the deck above and then it was quiet. She stood carefully and made her way to the corridor outside the open door. Two steps led up to a wide saloon with a galley on the other side that she hadn’t noticed on the way down.

  ‘Hey there.’ Fynn was sitting at the table in the middle of the saloon. ‘Feeling a bit better?’ He put the pen in his hand down on the pile of paper in the centre of the table, slid along the bench seat and stood. Liv bit her lip as he placed his hand against her forehead.

  ‘Cool as a cucumber. But then I suppose you didn’t have a temp before either.’

  She stepped back and took a breath. ‘May I have a drink please? I’m really thirsty.’

  He scooted over to the small fridge at the end of a bank of timber cupboards and pulled out a small bottle. ‘Water, okay?’

  ‘Yes, thank you. That’s fine.’ Liv knew her voice was stilted and overly polite but she was feeling awkward and didn’t know how to handle this. She hadn’t known how to talk to Fynn since their first meeting.

  He opened the bottle and passed the water over to her but didn’t step away as she tipped the bottle up. She drank for longer than she needed to ease her thirst, taking the time to think about what to say to him. Finally, she lowered the bottle and he passed the lid over to her and she screwed it on, before placing it carefully on the table.

  ‘So, Doctor Fynn James,’ she said, folding her arms and lifting her head to hold his gaze. ‘Tell me what’s going on.’

  He gestured to the bench seat that followed the table in a semi-circle.

  ‘Are you happy to sit here or would you rather go up on deck?’

  ‘This is fine.’ Liv slipped along the seat and sat at the other end of the table from where Fynn had perched himself. ‘Now. The truth, please. It was more than coincidence seeing you everywhere on the weekend, wasn’t it? You were following me.’

  He shook his head emphatically. ‘No, trust me. It was pure coincidence. Except for the night in the restaurant. Byron called and asked me to look after you when you came down.’

  ‘You’re not a waiter there usually?’

  He held her gaze steadily. ‘I do spend a bit of my time at Fruits de Mer.’

  She pushed. ‘Why?’

  ‘I’m part-owner.’

  ‘And the Lady May?’

  He had the grace to look sheepish. ‘Byron’s and mine.’

  ‘And this boat?’ She gestured around them.

  ‘Nah, this baby, she’s all mine. This is where I live.’

  ‘So what’s all that got to do with the “doctor” bit? And the talk at the … at the meeting this morning?’ She glanced at the window; it was too dark to see anything outside. ‘It is still Monday, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, but you’ve been asleep for hours. It’s almost eight.’ He pushed himself back to his feet and crossed to where a wooden ledge filled the corner. As he leaned against it casually, Liv stared at him. It was hard to reconcile this man in the board shorts and faded David Bowie T-shirt with the authoritative man who had spoken at the meeting. He was so different from the men she met in the corporate world of suits and business that had been her life over the past few years.

  ‘I work with the university in a research and a consultative capacity. No teaching. My area of expertise is the reef itself. Looking at what damages it, how it survives and regenerates, and identifying what threatens it. Natural and man-made threats.’ He picked up a pen and flicked it against the benchtop. ‘Both short and long term.’

  Liv realised Fynn wasn’t just the casual person she’d spent time with over the past couple of days. ‘And you didn’t think it was necessary to tell me who you are?’

  ‘No, I didn’t.’ He held her gaze without blinking. ‘Did you tell me who you were?’

  ‘It was pretty obvious with the Sheridan Corp pin on my jacket.’

  Another casual shrug and one raised eyebrow.

  ‘And did the whole family enjoy the joke at my expense yesterday?’ Liv’s voice trembled, but Fynn held up his hand.

  ‘Whoa, right there. No one was having a joke at your expense. Why would they? Byron and I were the only ones who knew you’re with Sheridan Corp. And that had nothing to do with why he invited you to Aunty Tat’s yesterday. He waited with me for a while to make sure you came out, but he got a call and had to go into Prossie to the council office. The shit’s hit the fan there.’ Fynn walked back to the table and slid in beside her. ‘Our meeting at the marina, when she called out to you? How could you possibly think that was a set-up? I knew that someone from Sheridan Corp’—he said the company name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth— ‘was speaking today. I had no idea you’d be on Hamo. And you were nothing like I expected.’

  ‘You were expecting a suit, I suppose? Not eye candy.’ Liv knew her voice was bitter, but she was becoming disgusted with herself the more she thought about how naïve she’d been.

  Sherro’s daughter’s got the looks. Why else would he send her out there to do his dirty work? At the time she’d dismissed that comment as professional jealousy but the truth was that her father had been using her, and the events of the past couple of days had made that very clear. She’d been kidding herself that she had ever been a part of the company. But today’s fiasco made no sense. What were they up to? Giving her a presentation and then pulling the plug—literally—before she’d finished.

  And what had Phillip meant? His words had been menacing. Heat ran up her neck and she put her hand up to her face. What a fool she must have looked in the meeting.

  ‘Huh?’ Fynn was looking at her, his brow wrinkled in a frown. ‘Eye candy? What do you mean? Are you feeling all right?’

  ‘Oh yes. I’ve never felt better. What I mean is I’ve been absolutely used.’ Liv looked around the room. ‘Where’s my bag please? I need to make a call. And my computer please?’

  Fynn crossed the cabin and unlocked a small cupboard beneath the corner bench. He reached in and pulled out her handbag, her briefcase and her shoes. ‘Your phone rang and buzzed and dinged most of the afternoon, but I didn’t like to wake you up. I checked on you a few times, but you were dead to the world.’

  He watched me sleep? Altogether too intimate for her comfort.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said as he passed her handbag over. He put the briefcase on the table in front of her. She looked in and pulled out her phone. A frustrated sound escaped her lips before she could hold it back.

  ‘A problem?’

  Liv lifted her eyes from the phone and looked at him. Was he genuinely such a nice guy? Or was it all an act? After all, she was the enemy, representing everything he was against. But despite that, Fynn had looked after her when she’d been ill. He’d been kind to her and now, concern filled his voice as she stared at her phone. Why was it so hard for her to trust anyone?

  ‘Just about a hundred missed calls and messages.’ She scrolled through the list on the screen. Most were from her father, but there was one from Mum halfway down.

  She glanced at Fynn. ‘Will you please excuse me while I make some calls?’

  ‘Sure.’ He turned towards the door. ‘You must be hungry? How about I go and grab some dinner while you do whatever you have to do?’

  She nodded. ‘Thank you. That would be good. And then I have to figure out how to get to a hotel.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that yet. We’ll sort that out later.’ He picked up his wallet and phone from the bench. ‘Pizza okay, or something lighter?’

  ‘Pizza is fine. Thank you.’

  ‘There’s a bathroom at the end of the walkway.’ With a quick nod, Fynn disappeared up the stairs to the deck, and she listened as his footsteps faded away until he left the boat.

  Liv went to the bathroom before she made her calls. After she’d washed her hands, she stared into the mirror. Her face was pale and deep shadows rimmed her eyes. Her braid had come loose and her hair was in a messy tangle. She rinsed her face and patted it dry on the only towel han
ging there, feeling as though she was intruding on Fynn’s space. As she quickly smoothed and re-braided her hair, she thought of what she wanted to say to her father.

  It was going to be an unpleasant conversation, but one that was long overdue.

  Making her way back to the saloon, Liv opened the bottle and took another drink of water as she sat at the table. Her tiredness had faded, and she looked curiously at the maps and charts that were spread in front of her. Double Bay and Earlando Bay jumped out at her. She looked away.

  Of all people, Fynn had more cause to be against her than anyone else, and that made his kind concern even harder to understand. With a deep breath, she picked up her phone, ignoring the messages from her father and opening the message from Mum.

  Livi, call me. What have you done? As long as you’re OK I’m happy.

  Nothing, she thought as she pressed the text to return the call.

  Her mother picked up immediately and sounded worried. ‘Hi, sweetheart. Are you okay? I’ve been trying to call you.’

  ‘I am now. How did you know I was sick?’

  ‘I didn’t.’ The worry in her mother’s voice intensified. ‘Sick? What’s wrong? Where are you?’

  ‘I’m fine now. I’m still up at Airlie Beach. I had a bit of a tummy thing. Why did you ask if I was okay?’

  ‘I knew something was wrong when your father called me demanding to know where my daughter was. Good on you, love. You’ve certainly pushed his buttons. What’s happened?’

  ‘I don’t really know. He’s used me somehow.’ Liv sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. ‘I’ve finally woken up to myself. I know you’ve been trying to tell me for a long time, but I guess I had to discover it for myself.’

  ‘A long while? Eight years, more like it! It was inevitable, Liv. You’re a good person, and you have ethics and standards. It was only a matter of time before you woke up to him, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t take so long. Are you going to stay with the company?’

  ‘No, I don’t want anything to do with it. Or him.’ She couldn’t bring herself to say ‘Dad’. ‘I don’t know what he’s doing but he set me up to look like a fool in a public meeting, and then one of his minders actually threatened me.’

  ‘Be careful, love. I know it sounds harsh, or maybe like a disgruntled ex-wife, but your father doesn’t like being crossed.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Mum. But I didn’t cross him. That’s the point. I’ve been set up and I’m about to call him and find out why.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s bizarre.’ Liv dropped her chin into her hand. ‘But you and Gran have told me often enough not to trust him.’

  Her mother’s voice was brisk. ‘We did, but it’s understandable. He’s your father and he can be very persuasive when he wants to be. The conniving bastard pulled the wool over my eyes for a long time. There’s a lot of things I haven’t ever told you, Liv. I didn’t think it was fair to make you take sides. But I will share them with you one day. You had to choose your own path, but you’re probably old enough and wise enough now to hear the truth.’

  Liv let out a short laugh. ‘Thirty is probably old enough.’

  ‘Okay, next time we’re together. It will take wine. And we’ll get Gran to come. She can fill you in too!’ Her mother laughed over the phone and Liv couldn’t help but smile. She was feeling better already.

  ‘That sounds like a plan.’

  ‘When are you coming home?’

  ‘I’m not sure yet. I have to get back to Hamilton Island and get my things.’

  ‘Where are you now?’

  Liv looked around at the beautiful interior of Fynn’s boat. She hadn’t taken much notice of it before. It was an older vessel like the Lady May but obviously well loved and cared for. The timber work was glossy, and the galley was immaculate.

  ‘I’m staying with a … er … a friend. My flight back to Sydney is booked for tomorrow but it depends how rough the Passage is. Mum, are you going out to Gran’s soon? I could meet you at the farm.’

  ‘I’m going to the farm at the end of the month. I want to plan something for her birthday. It would be lovely if you’d come out with me. We can have that chat.’

  ‘Consider it booked.’ With a farewell, Liv disconnected. She was calmer than she’d been for a few days. She should listen to Mum more often; she and Gran always managed to ground her.

  Where has the time gone? It only seemed a few years since they’d held a big party at the farm for Gran’s eighty-fifth. Guilt ripped through Liv. She’d been close to Gran when she’d been growing up but once she’d left home for university, her focus had moved to her studies. And trying to gain her father’s respect.

  If only I’d taken notice of Mum and Gran.

  With a deep breath, Liv composed herself and read the text messages from her father. She scrolled through the messages, each one was angrier than the one before. By the time she scrolled to the last one where she read ‘if she didn’t fucking contact him within ten minutes she would regret it’ she had composed herself. A set smile stretched her lips. That final message had come in about five hours ago.

  Threats in the workplace? Daughter or not, those texts were enough for a harassment case. She’d keep that up her sleeve in case she needed it. Liv clicked on the speed dial and the call was picked up before it even rang.

  ‘Olivia!’ Her father’s voice boomed over the phone. ‘Where the fuck have you been?’

  ‘Don’t speak to me like that, please.’ Her voice was icily calm and she sat straight.

  ‘I asked you where the fuck have you been. Do you think I pay you to swan around some tropical resort?’ Liv could picture the red face and the spittle flying from his mouth. ‘I’ve been trying to bloody call you since this morning’s fiasco.’

  She said nothing, focusing instead on detaching herself from the angry voice at the other end of her phone. Deep, controlled breathing. Her yoga classes stood her in good stead.

  ‘I’ll give you one chance to explain yourself, Olivia. One fucking chance.’

  Her calm flew out the window. ‘So, Dad, did you think that the community up here in the boondocks would be swayed by some dumb blonde bimbo? Or what did I hear in the office? “Eye candy” can sway a community. What an arrogant bastard you are.’

  ‘One chance, I said. Explain yourself.’ His yell was so loud she moved the phone away from her ear.

  ‘Explain myself? You’re the one who needs to explain why your minder pulled the pin on the presentation. I looked like a fool. You give me no credit for intelligence.’

  Silence. And then a deathly quiet and controlled voice. ‘You are a fool.’

  ‘What?’ Her voice was as cold as his. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘You heard me. Now tell me where you got hold of that actual data. Who have you got in your pocket? I know all you’ve ever wanted is to be promoted but that was never going to happen.’

  ‘Rod—your PR guy—sent me the link. The email you told me was coming. The PowerPoint was the most recent one in the folder I downloaded.’

  ‘What folder?’

  She ignored his question. ‘That’s what you think of me, isn’t it? You give me no credit for any intelligence. How dare you use me? No matter what the economic analysis shows, this is the wrong location for the development.’

  ‘Rod sent you more than the file?’ His voice sent a chill down her spine. ‘How long have you been in cahoots with him? Are you fucking him?’

  ‘How dare you!’ Liv gasped. Her head began to throb again, and she put her hand to her eyes.

  ‘Oh, that’s right. Little Miss Innocent, I forgot for a moment. And don’t you try and justify your stuff up on some airy fairy environmental bullshit, you stupid bitch. It’s your incompetence that’s put this deal in jeopardy. I told you what to do and now you’ve interfered in something you know nothing about, and I’ve got to send someone else to clean up your mess. Do you know how much this contract is worth to Sheridan Corp? Do you realise this could cost us the project? Zenith i
s talking about dropping us because word is out about the new site before we were ready.’

  ‘Good.’ Despite the headache slamming back in, Liv kept her voice brisk. ‘Perhaps you’ll ultimately realise honesty and treating people with respect is more important than making money. Maybe you could take a look at the environment too.’ Her breath was starting to hitch and she paused for a moment to compose herself. ‘You’ve used my loyalty to the company, and to you as my father, and thrown it in my face. Well, you can have my resignation now. Make up my termination pay. I won’t be back.’

  As she drew in a breath, the smell of pizza wafted in and she looked up to see Fynn in the doorway, his eyes intense.

  ‘You can’t resign. Your employment is already terminated. Now, tell me what else you downloaded.’

  ‘I’m not interested in anything I downloaded. I’m not interested in Sheridan Corp. I’m not interested in anything you have to say.’ Liv’s voice rose higher. ‘I’ve resigned. Please ensure what’s owing is paid to me, or you’ll find yourself on the front page of the papers for bullying in the workplace. And you know what? I won’t be letting this go. The islands up here are not the place for your coal loader. Maybe I’ll talk to the media.’

  ‘You signed a confidentiality agreement, Olivia. You can’t share anything from the company. If you do, I’ll see you in court.’ Liv narrowed her eyes. For the first time, a note of worry laced her father’s voice.

  ‘Go your hardest.’ Her voice was firm, and Fynn nodded as she looked back at him. If she wasn’t mistaken there was a glimmer of a smile hovering around his lips.

  ‘Your computer belongs to the company you no longer work for. So does your phone. I’ll organise a courier. Where are you?’ Her father’s voice suddenly lost its belligerent tone. ‘Look, I’m sorry, Liv. I was harsh before. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll send someone to get the computer. We’ll forget we had this conversation. When you come back to the office, we’ll discuss a pay rise for you.’

  ‘No, we won’t. I’ll bring it back to the office when I come back to Sydney.’ Liv glanced at the computer in front of her. ‘You disgust me. For years, I’ve tried to live up to your standards but now I’m ashamed to call you my father. If I need to see you in court, I’m sure your texts will prove what a bully you are. Don’t bother contacting me again. Ever. Organise my termination pay.’