As she started towards them, Ned ran to meet her and gave her one of his big hugs; this time she hugged him back.
‘I missed you, Meg,’ he exclaimed.
‘I missed you too,’ she said, a lump forming in her throat because it was the absolute truth. It felt ages since they’d all hung out together the previous Saturday.
Ned grabbed her hand and led her towards Tabitha’s stall. ‘Aunty Tab and I have already set up your table; you’re right next to us.’
‘Thank you,’ she said as they arrived in front of Tabitha’s ice-cream stand, which looked way more professional than Megan thought her own stall would look when she’d set it all up. She smiled at the other woman. ‘Hi there.’
‘Hi yourself,’ Tabitha replied as she came around the front of her ice-cream display cabinet and enveloped Megan in a hug that would give onlookers the impression they were old friends. Megan tried not to stiffen—the hug was lovely and very welcome but also felt incredibly weird. She simply wasn’t used to people being kind to her. It had been too long since she’d taken comfort from touch.
‘Do you want some help carrying all your stuff over?’ Tabitha asked.
‘Are you sure?’ Megan nodded towards the other woman’s stall. ‘Are you all finished?’
Tabitha smiled widely and nodded. ‘The perks of growing up on a dairy farm is I’m an early riser. I get out of working on the farm on market mornings—Lawson’s friend helps out—but although I don’t need to be here as early as I need to be with the calves, well, it’s a habit.’ She shrugged and gestured to the stall next to her where an empty table looked all lonesome. ‘That’s your spot right here.’
‘Thanks for organising me a table,’ Megan said and then they all walked together over to her car. On the way, Tabitha introduced her to a number of other stallholders, all whom were also warm and welcoming, offering ‘nice to meet yous’ and wishing her many sales. Tabitha seemed to be on first-name-basis with everyone and Megan guessed that’s what being part of a small-town community was all about. If she were a different person, perhaps she’d enjoy living in a close-knit community like Walsh; instead she’d chosen Rose Hill where she thought she’d be able to lie low for a few years. To grieve and heal and work out how to live again.
‘Oh, there’s my gorgeous boy,’ Tabitha cooed as Megan opened her car and Cane jumped out and leaped up at them. Ned squealed excitedly and she grabbed hold of the pup’s leash, not trusting him not to do a runner.
‘Don’t be deceived by his cute face,’ Megan said. ‘He’s very, very naughty. I almost left him with my neighbour today but I’ve been using his dog-sitting skills a fair bit lately while I’ve been working in the historical society and I didn’t want to push the friendship. Besides, I thought it would be good for Cane to learn to behave in public.’
Now as he tugged at the lead and jumped between the three of them, Megan was second-guessing this decision. How was she supposed to look after him and her stall?
‘I’m glad you brought him,’ Tabitha said. ‘And between me, Ned and Lawson you’ll have plenty of keen dog sitters.’
Megan’s stomach did a tumble-turn at the mention of Lawson and she bit down on the impulse to ask when he’d be arriving. She knew he’d still be busy with the cows but she had no idea how long each milking session took. Why was that something she’d never asked during one of their long conversations?
‘Cane will be in his element,’ she said instead.
With Ned looking after him on his leash, she and Tabitha began unloading her car and setting up her stall.
Tabitha exclaimed over every item as they laid it out on the table, which Megan had covered with a purple tablecloth. Megan smiled, encouraged by her enthusiasm. Maybe she might actually sell a few of her tea-cosies after all. Displayed on the old teapots Tabitha had conjured up from friends and the local op shop, they did look kinda funky and she wished her Granny Rose were there to see. She’d have been in her element at this country market.
‘Thank you so much for suggesting I do this,’ Megan said as they stood back to wait for the punters to start arriving. ‘If I hadn’t done something with these soon, I’d have been in danger of drowning in them.’
Tabitha winked. ‘Death by tea-cosies. We couldn’t have that.’
Not long after they’d finished setting up, a local teen band began to play—they were surprisingly good—and the first customers started to arrive. Smells from a sausage sizzle wafted over to Megan but she was too nervous to think about eating. What if no one bought any of her things? Or worse, what if someone recognised her?
It soon became obvious that Tabitha’s ice-cream had a good reputation; despite the early hour of the morning people flocked to her. They bought their ice-creams and then, to Megan’s utter relief, many of them turned to her table. Everyone was friendly and enthusiastic and within the first ten minutes she’d sold two tea-cosies to an elderly woman who looked like she’d be far better at crochet than Megan could ever hope to be.
More customers and sales followed. The tea-cosies were being snapped up fast and the other fun things she’d made—including some little crocheted animals—proved popular with the kids. Cane was a hit as well and far better behaved than she’d given him credit for. Perhaps hers and Archie’s training attempts were starting to pay off.
‘You’re doing well,’ Tabitha said, while scooping bright pink ice-cream into a cone for a little blonde girl.
Megan smiled back. ‘I can’t believe how many I’ve sold.’ She was already thinking about the next market day and what other things she could add to her inventory when Cane started tugging on the leash she’d hooked around one of the table legs. She looked up to see Adeline’s shadow falling upon her table and her good mood took a nose dive.
‘Hi, Adeline,’ she said, pasting a saccharine smile on her face before the other woman could speak.
Adeline replied with an almost identical twist of her lips. ‘Hello. I didn’t expect to see you here.’ She glanced disdainfully down at the tea-cosies, then looked to Cane, who was struggling to get to her. ‘How’s my dog going?’
Megan gritted her teeth as she let Cane go over and shower the dog breeder in obvious love. She felt ridiculous jealousy tugging at her heart. ‘My dog is doing well, thank you.’
Adeline straightened and raised both her eyebrows at Megan. ‘I take it he’s had his next round of vaccinations?’
She nodded. ‘Last Saturday.’
Adeline frowned. ‘That’s funny, I’m good friends with the vet and she didn’t mention seeing one of my dogs.’
‘That’s because I took my dog to Bunbury.’
Adeline opened her mouth, no doubt about to tell Megan exactly what she thought of taking business out of the district, but thankfully at that moment, a middle-aged couple approached the table and began to gush over the tea-cosies. ‘Oh, Richard,’ said the woman, ‘look at these. These are too adorable for words. I just have to have one, but how will I ever choose?’
Happily, Megan pulled Cane back towards her and turned her attentions on the couple, trying to focus on smiling and chatting with them, rather than on the uneasy feeling Adeline’s presence had left in her gut. Even in prison, she couldn’t recall ever getting such a bad feeling about another person.
The woman picked up a red-and-white checked tea-cosy. ‘Did you crochet all these yourself?’ she asked.
Megan nodded.
‘And you live in the area?’
‘I’ve just moved into Rose Hill,’ she said, unsure whether she should have admitted this or not.
‘Oh!’ The woman’s face exploded in recognition and her smile grew. ‘I’ve heard about you. You’re the talk of the town.’
‘Really?’ Megan swallowed as her extremities went cold. That did not bode well. The urge to turn and run came over her, but she managed to ignore the flight instinct. If she acted guilty, people would wonder what she was guilty of. If she acted as though she had something to hide, they might be more likely
to start digging to try and uncover what.
‘Well, it’s not every day someone new moves into Rose Hill, is it, Richard?’
He shook his head and his cheeks wobbled a little as he grinned. Megan couldn’t help but like them both.
‘What do you plan on doing there?’ The woman sounded genuinely interested.
Megan told her about her plans for the tea room—thoughts of Eliza once again spurring her on.
‘That is a splendid idea.’ The woman held out her hand. ‘Excuse my manners; I’m Chloe Wellington and it’s lovely to meet you.’
Megan smiled as she accepted the handshake and tried to sound confident as she introduced herself, using her mother’s maiden name. ‘I’m Meg Donald, and it’s wonderful to meet you as well.’
Chloe dug her purse out of her handbag. ‘I’m going to take that purple dotty one and the red and white too. How much are they?’
Once they’d exchanged cash for goods and Megan had wrapped the tea-cosies in tissue paper, Chloe said, ‘I wonder, do you knit as well as crochet?’
Megan nodded.
‘In that case, would you be interested in joining our knitting club? We meet fortnightly and soon we’ll be starting our charity knit, making jumpers and blankets for the homeless. We can always do with an extra pair of hands.’
Although the idea sounded both fun and useful—and Megan would really like to do something good and helpful—her instinct was to say no. Sitting around with a bunch of women knitting sounded like a recipe for disaster. She’d be the newbie and they’d all be keen to get to know her. As she opened her mouth to politely decline Chloe’s invitation, she looked up to see Adeline scowling.
‘Thank you. I’d love to. That sounds great,’ she said, beaming at Chloe. Her stomach and heart both spasmed at such a decision, but as Adeline turned and stalked away, Megan relaxed a little. She’d grown skilled over the last two weeks at making conversation without giving away too much detail about herself and that’s what she’d do again at the knitting meeting.
‘Splendid.’ Chloe smiled. ‘We meet every second Wednesday in the town hall. I’ll look forward to seeing you again next week. Bye for now.’
When she and Richard linked arms and wandered off to the next stall, Megan turned to see Tabitha’s ice-cream stall quiet for once.
‘I’m so glad you said yes to knitting club,’ Tabitha said. ‘Adeline and I are the youngest members by about twenty years. It’ll be good to have someone I actually want to talk to. Now, you’ve been working hard, so I think you deserve an ice-cream break. What flavour can I get you?’
‘Try the Lolly Mayhem,’ Ned piped up from where he was now sitting on the ground with Cane, leaning back against the puppy as if he were a pillow.
‘Lolly what?’ Megan asked.
Ned gave her an elaborate explanation and a few moments later she was sitting back in one of the fold-up chairs Tabitha had bought, licking her ice-cream treat and surveying the scene before them.
‘I can see why people come from far and wide for your ice-cream. This is delicious.’ Megan blinked as popping candy exploded in her mouth. ‘And … surprising.’
Ned and Tabitha laughed as she went in for another lick, then he lifted his finger and pointed. ‘Hey look. Dad’s here!’
Megan and Tabitha looked up, their eyes following Ned’s finger and coming to rest on Lawson striding towards them. Megan’s stomach did that little jump thing that it only ever did when he was in her thoughts or vision. She licked her lips, hoping she didn’t have ice-cream on her chin, and sat up a little straighter. Although they’d spoken on the phone almost daily the last few days, it felt so long since she’d seen him in the actual flesh.
‘He’s a lot earlier than he usually is,’ Tabitha said, offering a knowing look and then rubbing her lips together as if stifling a smile. ‘He must have worked hard to clear the cows so quickly. I wonder why?’
Her tone of voice indicated she didn’t wonder at all and Megan sank her teeth into her ice-cream, needing the cold shot it brought to her brain. The thought that maybe Lawson had hurried because he wanted to see her pleased her far more than it probably should have. She didn’t know how to respond to Tabitha, but in the end she didn’t have to, as another customer came for ice-cream.
Lawson was only about ten metres away when Adeline intercepted him.
It was like a slow-motion movie—she landed in his way, blocking his path, then leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his cheek, her hand resting on his upper arm as her mouth lingered far longer than was customary. Megan’s fingers twitched as she imagined the hard muscle that hid beneath his T-shirt and thought about how good his cheek might taste.
Even better than this ice-cream, she’d bet.
Adeline pulled what looked like an envelope out of her designer handbag and a massive grin exploded on her face as she waved it right under his nose. He looked surprised but then smiled. She couldn’t help wondering what Adeline had given him that had him so excited and felt an undeniable jolt of jealousy.
Even though Lawson had made it clear he wasn’t interested in Adeline, even though she shouldn’t be getting ideas about him either, she couldn’t help feeling as if this woman was dangerous. Adeline made the ice-cream that had previously tasted so delicious churn in Megan’s gut.
Chapter Twenty
‘I won?’ Lawson stared down at the envelope in his hand and then looked back to Adeline, who was standing far too close for comfort. Hadn’t she heard of personal space?
‘You sure did. Congratulations,’ she said, as if he’d won the thirty million dollar Powerball rather than a weekend away in Margaret River at some spa retreat. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure what a spa retreat entailed.
He tried to summon the smile Adeline was clearly expecting, but he just wanted to get over to see Meg. The last few days, being unable to go visit her, had made him feel like he were in some kind of prison, and then knowing she was there at the markets had made his morning work drag on like it never had before. He’d wanted to leave Ethan and Funky to it, but that wouldn’t have been fair. So, now that he was finally there, the last thing he wanted was to waste time talking to Adeline, but he gritted his teeth and tried to be polite. ‘Geez, thanks. I can’t remember ever winning anything in my life.’
She grinned. ‘Well, maybe your luck is changing. Who do you think you might take with you?’
‘I don’t have time to go away for a weekend,’ he said, folding his prize and shoving it in his back pocket. ‘I’ll probably give it to Dad and Sandra or maybe to Tabitha.’
Adeline cocked her head to one side and frowned at him. ‘You really shouldn’t rush to give it away. You won fair and square and you deserve a little time out. You work so hard.’
‘Thanks. I’ll give it some thought.’ He forced a smile, patted his back pocket and started to walk away. As he did so, he glanced in the direction of the stalls and his gaze met Meg’s. Warmth rushed through his body and he lifted his hand to wave as she met his grin with a beautiful smile of her own.
He’d pretty much forgotten Adeline’s presence when she called out to him and halted his stride. ‘Lawson!’
Reluctantly, he turned back. ‘Yes?’
She pursed her lips together and then nodded her head in the direction he’d been headed. ‘I’ve heard Ned’s been having a bit of trouble at school.’
Lawson’s chest squeezed. He knew Adeline meant well but something irritated him about the way she said these words. She almost sounded victorious, but he figured he must be reading into that because of his impatience to get away.
‘Nothing we can’t handle. Just kids being kids,’ he said.
‘I’m sorry. I’ve heard that Tate and Levi aren’t being very kind to him. I know it’s no excuse but they’re going through a tough time at home at the moment. I can have a word to them though if you like.’
‘It’s fine.’ Lawson waved a fly away from in front of his face. ‘As I said, they’re just being kids.
The principal’s got it under control.’ He wasn’t sure this was the case but he didn’t want to find himself in debt to Adeline.
‘Kids are so sensitive, aren’t they?’ she continued, sighing and then glancing again towards the stalls. ‘Looks like Ned is getting along with that Rose Hill woman though.’
It was a statement loaded with insinuation and Lawson tried not to feel annoyed by her tone or the way she called Meg that Rose Hill woman. She had no right to butt into his business or treat Meg with such disdain. He opened his mouth to say something along these lines, but she got in first.
‘I’m saying this as a concerned friend of the family, Lawson, but be careful there. Did you know she doesn’t drink tea?’
‘What?’ He shook his head, wondering what the hell Meg’s drinking preferences had to do with anything.
‘She doesn’t drink tea,’ Adeline repeated, as if this had some huge significance.
‘So what?’ Lawson shrugged. ‘Last time I checked not drinking tea wasn’t a crime.’
‘You don’t think it’s weird?’ she asked. ‘The woman crochets tea-cosies but doesn’t drink tea. I’m telling you, there’s something not quite right about her. I don’t trust her and I think you should be careful, especially because of Ned.’
Adeline’s logic was so illogical it was laughable. She was clearly clutching at straws and he felt sorry for her but he was also fed up with this conversation. He had feelings for Meg, he wanted to see her and he wanted to explore them, but he didn’t feel obliged to spell this out to Adeline.
‘Look, thanks for your concern,’ he said, ‘but Meg’s a good person and to be honest, I’m—’
‘Are you sure about that, Lawson? How well do you really know her? Where did she come from? Why is she here? Am I the only one who thinks it strange for a young single woman to turn up out of the blue and buy a building that should have been demolished years ago?’
Talk of the Town Page 20