by Janette Paul
‘And Naomi’s got a new job. Your Auntie Fee said she was poached by a big legal firm in the city and is being fast-tracked for partnership. And she’s only thirty-two.’
Dee wanted to put her hands over her ears. For the last hour she’d been subjected to tales of Sue and her four kids, Joanne and her wedding, Kim and her lovely new home, as well as Julia and Naomi. Val’s message was coming through loud and clear.
‘Champagne for the ladies.’ A waiter placed two crystal flutes on the table.
Dee held out her hand. ‘I’m sorry. You must have the wrong table. We didn’t order champagne.’
‘A gentleman at another table sent them over,’ he told them.
Dee and Val swivelled in their chairs. The room was ornate and plush, adorned with crisp white tablecloths, suited waiters and well-dressed customers.
‘And he sent birthday wishes to Mrs Nichols.’
‘Oh, how lovely.’ Nichols wasn’t her name since she’d married Ken but it didn’t seem to bother her as she scanned the restaurant. ‘Who was it? I’m sure I don’t know anyone here.’
‘Mr Roxburgh is dining at one of our booths.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Dee’s mouth dropped open. ‘He recommended this restaurant for its high tea,’ she told Val. ‘I didn’t know he’d be here.’ Had he remembered the date of her mother’s birthday? And she’d been worried about looking like a stalker.
‘The Ethan Roxburgh?’ Val’s hand was on her heart.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ the waiter said.
Her other hand shot out and grabbed the waiter’s wrist. ‘Please tell him it was a lovely, thoughtful treat.’ He straightened to leave but Val pulled him back down. ‘And tell Mr Roxburgh I’d like to thank him in person, if he feels like stopping by.’
‘Certainly, ma’am.’
‘How do you know Ethan Roxburgh?’ Val’s eyes were wide with delight.
‘I met him through Lucy Roxburgh. Remember I told you she was a student?’
Dee watched the smile on Val’s face grow wider, imagined the story she was already concocting. ‘My Dee is great friends with both the Roxburghs. Oh yes, Ethan sent us champagne when she took me out for my birthday. He’s a lovely man.’ It’s possible it might even beat Naomi and her fast track to partnership.
Then Val’s eyelids widened further and she spoke out of the corner of her mouth. ‘He’s coming over.’ She sat regally, looking ready to bow.
Dee ran a hand over her hair, crushed her lips together before she turned. He really did fill out a suit well. Black jacket, crisp white shirt, swirly blue-green pastels on his tie. And those lovely dark eyes were looking straight at her. She smiled as she stood.
‘Hey, Dee.’ He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
For a brief moment her senses were filled with the scent of him, a hint of coffee, something sweet and the delicious softness of his cheek against hers. She felt a rush of heat and fizz, as though she’d already taken a gulp of the champagne. So much for staying out of range. ‘Hey, Ethan.’ Val was hovering. ‘This is my mother, Val.’
Val grabbed him by the hand, shook it heartily and began a recitation of thanks and praise for his thoughtfulness and extravagance and choice of restaurant and taste in clothes.
‘Okay, Mum, let the man sit down.’
Ethan took it with good humour and ordered another glass to toast the preening Val. This was a great birthday present.
‘Surely you don’t do yoga as well,’ Val said to Ethan.
He shot Dee a quizzical glance. ‘No, but my sister’s been a student of Dee’s for years. She has a lot of admiration for her.’
‘I should think so. I hear your sister is very good at what she does.’
‘I meant Lucy admires Dee. Says she’s an excellent teacher.’
Val was momentarily surprised. ‘That’s very nice of her, isn’t it, Dee?’
Dee took a sip of champagne and saw a small smile on Ethan’s face.
‘I met Dee at Lucy’s Christmas party last year,’ he told Val. ‘We’ve had quite a bit to do with each other since then, one way and another.’
Val patted him on the hand. ‘Well, I hope some of your renowned business acumen rubs off on her. She’s absolutely hopeless with money.’
Dee sipped through gritted teeth.
‘From what she’s told me about her business, she seems to have a good operation,’ Ethan said. ‘She’s carved out a niche in a specialised market, she’s got a natural talent for managing her clients and, from what I hear, she’s excellent at what she does. At the moment she’s working on building a more solid financial base but she’s open to new ideas and works damn hard, so I don’t expect it’ll take much time to get on top of that.’
A speechless Val cast astonished eyes over her wayward daughter.
Dee fought an intense desire to press herself to Ethan and kiss him long and hard on his soft lips.
Ethan gave her the merest hint of a wink as he raised his glass to Val. ‘Well, ladies, it’s been lovely but work is waiting.’
Dee stood with him and moved in close as he turned to leave.
‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s entirely possible all that spin could elevate me to favourite daughter status for a while.’
His hand strayed to the small of her back. ‘It’s my pleasure but it wasn’t spin. I meant every word of it.’
Then he was gone and Val was gurgling happily. ‘He’s a lovely man, isn’t he?’
Ethan Roxburgh was a lot more than that.
After Lucy’s class on Thursday afternoon, Dee left Roxburgh House grinning like her face had split. She had to tell someone. It was too exciting to keep to herself. Leon? No, he was on location doing gruesome ship-wreck make-up. Arianne? Better not, she could be sleeping. Howard might be free but he wouldn’t get it. Ethan would, though. He’d love it.
She pulled out her phone. I did it! She wrote then erased it. No, it needed to sound more business-y. Have secured first pay rise. Business plan on track. V impressed with self. She hit send with a grin, pushed on through the city pedestrians. A minute later the phone rang. She checked the display and grinned some more.
‘Hey, Ethan.’
‘Congratulations. One step closer to a profitable business. Any problems?’
‘No, it was Lucy and she blamed you, of course.’
His chuckle was a ripple down her spine.
‘I’m glad you buzzed. I’m having dinner with some visiting business associates tomorrow night and I’ve just discovered they’re bringing their wives. I was wondering if you’d like to join me.’
Dee stopped walking so suddenly a woman ran into her back. ‘Oh, sorry, sorry,’ she mumbled as the woman continued past.
‘Don’t worry. It’s not a date. We’re just wrapping up some business over a meal,’ Ethan said.
Of course. ‘Sure. That sounds great. Oh, wait. That’s Friday. We’ve got a demonstration at the yoga school and I won’t be finished until about eight.’
‘No problem. I’ll make a late reservation. This demonstration you’re in, is it open to the public?’
Dee felt her face heat up at the thought of Ethan watching her in something like that. Those sessions were designed to show students what they could achieve with time and dedication and there were always a few beginners who were shocked by the more extreme postures. She might have no hope of a date with him but she didn’t want him to think she was a freak. ‘Well, yes, but I’m not in it. I’m just helping with supper.’
‘What a pity. I’ll pick you up at the school at eight?’
‘Most people are oblivious of their global responsibilities when they buy clothes,’ Tom said. ‘This hemp shirt is environmentally friendly and economically responsible.’
Dee smiled hesitantly. She’d only commented on how nice he looked. She waited for him to clip his seatbelt then joined the traffic on its way to Bondi beach for Arianne’s retirement dinner.
He did look nice in his Hollywood Jesus
way – white shirt and trousers, humble sandals, shoulder-length blond hair, penetrating blue eyes. It’s just that as she watched him across the table during dinner, she kept thinking of crisp business shirts and brightly coloured ties. Tom was nice, though, she reminded herself. And gentle and sweet. And his passion was a good thing, wasn’t it?
After they’d eaten and Arianne had hugged and thanked all twenty teachers and students who’d toasted her temporary retirement, Dee and Leon joined her at the end of the table to enjoy the party from a distance.
‘My perfect date involves a good movie, candlelight and some peanut butter,’ Leon said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he picked up an earlier conversation.
Arianne hid a yawn behind her hand. ‘Don’t tell me any more. I’m exhausted.’
Dee topped up their water glasses. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve had a real date, I can’t remember what it’s like. You know, the kind when the guy actually wants to get into your pants.’
‘So, assuming you had the guy, what would you have on your dream date?’ Arianne asked.
‘Pants with easy access,’ Leon laughed.
‘Oh, ha, ha.’ Dee took a second to think about it. ‘Right now, while I’m so overloaded, all I’d need is a lovely man who’d cook dinner for me at the end of a long day. Anything after that would be a bonus.’
‘Does Ethan cook?’ Leon said, brows jiggling again.
‘The question is whether he’d ever cook for me and I’m sure the answer is a big, resounding “no”.’ She pushed her chair back, paced around Arianne, talking through gritted teeth. ‘I don’t want to have a crush on Ethan. Why can’t I fall for someone like Tom?’
As she said it, Tom’s voice rose from the other end of the table: ‘… I can fit my weekly refuse into a jam jar.’
Dee rolled her eyes, slumping into her seat again.
‘Personally, I’ll be glad when you’ve given up on Tom,’ Leon said. ‘I’m as concerned as the next person about the environment but I’d have to kill you if you started peppering our conversations with third-world debt and carbon exchanges.’
Arianne stretched, not bothering to hide her yawn this time. ‘I don’t get it. What’s the attraction in a guy who goes out with a different woman every month?’
‘Well –’
‘That’s it!’ Leon pointed an accusing finger at Dee. ‘The man who never dates anyone for long is the attraction. It’s a Dee-style Freudian slip. There’s no need for you to get all freaked out about the future with someone like Ethan Roxburgh because a whole relationship with him would fit neatly into your two-week maximum for making plans. Handsome, sexy, smart and short term. He’s the perfect guy for you.’
Dee gasped. Leon was right and the light-bulb moment was so powerful she thought there’d been a power surge. It was entirely possible it was his reputation for all-too-brief relationships that was the major drawcard. Yes, okay, the handsome/smart/just-plain-nice thing helped but there was no need to fear another flirty moment. No need, in fact, to keep out of sweet-nothings range because there was no danger of a future – he would take care of that.
‘And if he’s not ready to move on after the two-week max,’ Arianne said, ‘she’ll be out of there as soon as he says, “Hey, let’s go on holiday.”’
‘Or, “Let’s look at that apartment,”’ Leon added.
While Leon and Arianne chuckled, something squirmed inside Dee. ‘I may have done that before …’
‘Once or twice,’ Leon muttered.
‘But it’s not because I don’t want a longer relationship. I just have trouble getting from the start to the next bit.’
‘That’s because the next bit is the future,’ he said.
Dee looked away, past the deck to the pale line of surf washing across the darkened beach. She wanted what Leon and Arianne had – a life with someone they loved – but the thought of losing it again scared the hell out of her. Stopped her from getting to the next bit, even when she wanted to.
Leon took hold of her hand. ‘You know the start is over when someone says, “We’re having so much fun, it’s probably safe to book two tickets for that show in six weeks.”’
She took a breath, blew it out. ‘Six weeks is a long time. A lot can happen.’
Arianne held her other hand. ‘If it doesn’t work out, you can always give your ticket away and come to my place for dinner.’
Dee knew Arianne would always be there for her but it wouldn’t stop her getting hurt. ‘I can’t afford to buy tickets to expensive shows and just give them away. I haven’t even got furniture yet.’
‘Okay, the analogy isn’t making a lot of sense now,’ Leon said. ‘But the point is, to move a relationship to the next bit, you might have to broaden your concept of future.’
Dee walked to the railing and propped herself against it. The analogy was easier to talk about. ‘It hurts when you have to cancel your tickets.’
The empathy in Arianne’s eyes caught the soft light spilling from the restaurant. ‘It does. But not every man is going to leave you with tickets. Not every man is an Anthony.’
Dee turned her back. How would she know which ones were going to be Anthonys?
‘And what about Lindall?’ Leon said. ‘Her boyfriend left her stranded in LA and she made a killing as a yoga teacher to the stars. Helluva payback.’
Dee took a deep breath, glad for an opportunity to move the conversation on. The future and all its Anthonys could stay in their lock-box. She smiled as she faced them again. ‘Whatever happened to that guy?’
‘Gone to the Anthony Hall of Fame for Arseholes.’ Leon’s big, fat grin made Dee smile. ‘By the way, Lindall’s in town tomorrow on a stop-over. I’m picking her up after the demo. She’s staying the night then flying out to New Zealand. You should come see her.’
‘I’d love to but I’ve got that dinner with Ethan.’
‘Come over afterwards, if you don’t morph into a Roxburgh Girl.’
‘Like that’s going to happen.’
Dee’s eyes flew open. She gasped. Exhaustion.
After getting in so late from Arianne’s dinner, she’d reset the alarm for half an hour later than usual. Big circles with the right leg. Rest. Big circles with the left. Rest. One more day and the week would be over.
She made coffee in a haze and hung another one of Amanda’s outfits on the bedroom door to pick up later for the dinner with Ethan.
Patrick was at his door before she had a chance to knock.
‘How’s the neck?’
‘Not bad today but it’s only early.’
Her mobile rang. ‘Sorry, I was just about to turn it off.’ She fished around in her bag, checked the display and frowned. ‘Arianne?’
‘Dee, thank God.’ She was crying. ‘Howard’s gone. I can’t get him on his phone and … and … oh God.’
‘What do you mean gone? Did you have a fight?’
‘No, no, it’s the baby. I’m bleeding.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
The buzz of adrenalin snaked down Dee’s spine. Think, think. ‘An ambulance. Arianne, have you called an ambulance?’
‘No, I, um, it’s too soon.’ There was panic in her voice now. ‘I’ve got another six weeks to go and I haven’t finished the cot and there’s so much blood.’
‘Okay, honey, are you lying down? All right, just sit down right where you are and curl up on the floor. I’ll make the call and come right over. Just lie still, breathe slowly and keep talking to me.’
Dee gave Patrick the address and asked him to phone for the ambulance. She kept talking to Arianne as she raced back to the car. She had no idea what to tell a haemorrhaging pregnant woman but lying down seemed to make sense. Staying calm would help too. It would probably help Arianne as well.
There was no emergency van out front when she arrived at the school, so she wedged the doors open and ran to the third floor.
‘Arianne!’ she called as she ran in.
Dee followed the trembling voice t
o the kitchen and gasped. Arianne was curled on the floor in a nightie with a bright red stain in her lap. Her eyes were wide with fear. She held up a blood-covered hand, sobbing.
Dee flew to her side, wrapped arms around her shoulders and tried not to think about the coppery smell that filled her nostrils. ‘It’s okay, the ambulance is on its way. Let’s try to slow your breathing down. You’ll feel better if you can do that.’ Fighting back her own fear, she lowered her voice to a soothing meditative tone, rubbed gentle circles on Arianne’s shuddering back, counting slow breaths.
A siren wailed into the street. Dee threw open a window to direct the officers up. While they attended to Arianne, she tried without luck to reach Howard. The poor guy would get a bunch of terrified messages from Arianne when he finally turned his phone on, so Dee tried to sound calm and positive and told him she’d meet him at the hospital.
She held Arianne’s bloody fingers in the ambulance, trying to put a short leash on the bad memories of her own trip to the emergency department. She hadn’t been inside a hospital ward since her discharge ten years ago. Now, as she walked through Emergency beside Arianne’s stretcher, the sterile, antiseptic odour that washed over her made her gag. It smelled of bandages and doctors and fear and pain. She squeezed Arianne’s hand and swallowed hard on tears.
A long hour later, Howard threw back the curtains, launched himself at the bed and held Arianne tenderly. Dee kissed them both, then walked outside, sat on a park bench and sobbed – for Arianne and Howard and their baby, and for the store of memories that had just been awakened.
‘Let’s make a list,’ Leon said. He had a day off and had picked Dee up from the hospital. They’d gone back to the yoga school to phone Howard’s students. It was all they could do to help at this point. Arianne’s condition was stabilised and, although the baby was safe at the moment, there was talk of a premature delivery if things got worse.
‘We should probably cancel his weekend privates and organise his schedule for next week. Who’s available to fill in at the school?’