No Place Like You

by Marnie St Clair

  ‘Well, the guy’s not much of a sharer.’

  Tell her something she didn’t know. In fact, Josh must rate as one of the world’s great under-sharers. He hadn’t even told his mum they were together. If that’s what they were. ‘Who’s side are you on, anyway?’ she bit out, feeling crankier by the second.

  ‘Yours. Always. You know that.’

  Yes, she did. Sensitive spot, obviously. ‘It’s not just that we don’t talk about the future. I can feel him keeping his distance. There’s so much of him that he’s not letting me near.’

  ‘You’ve only been together a couple of weeks, Lily. Maybe he needs more time.’

  ‘I’ve been giving him time, but nothing’s changing. And I’m scared that if I can’t change it soon, it’ll be too late. Everything will become set in its ways.’ She paused to examine some pearl earrings Saxon held up. ‘I just want us to go back to the way we used to be.’

  Saxon shook the earrings at her. ‘You do realise that’s not possible, don’t you?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Things are never going to be exactly like they were. You can’t go back in time. You’ve changed. He’s changed.’

  ‘You’re right,’ she acknowledged. And she didn’t really want things to be exactly the same as they had been. She enjoyed the new aspects of her relationship with Josh too much for that. She just wanted them to be open to each other like they’d used to be. Maybe it was naïve of her to think she could have that with him again, but she didn’t want a purely physical relationship, and that’s where they were heading.

  Saxon jiggled the earrings again.

  ‘Yeah, they’re perfect,’ she agreed. ‘Leave them out.’ She shifted restlessly. ‘I don’t want us to be exactly what we used to be, but I want more than what we have now.’ She looked down at the earrings. ‘I deserve love and respect,’ she added under her breath.

  And it wasn’t that Josh wasn’t showing her those things exactly, but he was still holding back all the things he’d used to share so generously. Like he’d locked up his big heart and thrown away the key.

  ‘Agreed, Lily. Of course you do. So what are you going to do about it?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’ She flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. ‘I just wish I had some way to show him how I feel. Everything’s always so rushed, and I know we’ve got the ball coming up and everything, but I feel like we never just … are, you know?’

  She just needed one day. One full, free day, when they had the space to just be. No interruptions, no distractions. Like when they were kids. But as the adults they now were.

  And then the idea hit her, and she jerked up with a start. ‘I’ve got it.’ She met Saxon’s amused gaze. ‘We’re driving to Sydney on Friday, right?’

  ***

  Lily sprang to her feet as the car containing Maureen, Louise and Helen made its way up the drive. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was. She hoped, really hoped, that they liked what they saw tonight.

  They got out of the car, loaded with various supplies for dinner, fussing and picking at each other. As they made their stilted greetings, complete with awkward kisses on the cheek, Lily realised they were nervous too.

  ‘So, this is Mirabook,’ said Helen, gazing up at all two stories, glowing iridescent in the evening.

  Oh my goodness. Helen hadn’t been here. Lily hadn’t stopped to think. And neither, probably, had Maureen. Louise would have been inside—she’d lived where Josh lived now when her husband was the estate manager—but probably not as a guest.

  She led the way inside, still feeling awkward. ‘Let’s put all this stuff down in the kitchen, then I’ll show you what I’ve done with the ballroom.’

  There was a stunned silence as they entered the double doors to the ballroom five minutes later. Good stunned? She could barely look to check. In the glow of the candlelight, she scanned their faces.

  Good stunned.

  And just like that, all the work was worth it.

  Small glass jars filled with tea lights hung from the big branches secured to the walls. Eucalyptus chandeliers hung low over the table she’d set up, dripping grey-green leaves instead of crystals. She’d replaced the curtains with woven garlands of the young eucalyptus branches. All up, it was like being under gum trees at night, just waiting for a possum to come scurrying down.

  ‘My goodness!’ exclaimed Louise, walking forward for a closer look. ‘The tables are made of hay!’

  ‘The seats, too. How clever, Lily,’ said Maureen. ‘And they look great.’

  They inspected the table settings—the crystal glassware, the white tableware and napery, the silver cutlery—all from Mirabook.

  ‘Lovely,’ said Helen.

  ‘The boys and Katie are outside through the kitchen, keeping an eye on the meat. How about I give you a quick tour, and then we can eat?’

  An hour later, and every plate had been all but licked clean.

  ‘Well,’ said Maureen. ‘Let’s hope everything goes as well in two evenings’ time.’

  It had been perfect. Except for Josh. Sitting beside her, he was about as relaxed and engaged as a cardboard cut-out. It had hit her earlier that this was the first time they’d been together in front of anyone. Apart from Katie and Saxon, and they were too loved-up to notice much beyond their own noses.

  They were being observed. Especially by Louise. And Lily wanted Louise to see them together and realise how it was, and think they were good together, but Josh’d been incredibly stiff all night. Which was making her hideously uncomfortable.

  Did he think she’d be all over him in front of his mother? Hardly.

  ‘Right,’ she said, jumping up when she couldn’t bear it a moment longer. ‘Time to clear the room. We’ll be serving dessert in the morning room. The plan is for everyone to move in there or onto the verandahs while we’re preparing this room for dancing.’ She gathered dirty dinner plates and moved them to one of the free tables. ‘Half the bales will go outside, and the rest will be pushed up against the walls to form seating. The aim is to dismantle all eight tables in about half an hour, so we don’t have much more than five minutes per table.’

  ‘So, we should run through this tonight too?’ Maureen asked, and if she was put out from the rapid transition from cozy dinner to practicalities, she didn’t let on.

  Lily hadn’t planned on doing a practice run for this, but it was an excellent suggestion. It didn’t matter if it took six minutes to dismantle a table instead of five, but twenty minutes was going to prove problematic. ‘Good idea, Maureen. Let’s give it a go. Katie and I can push the bales to the side and Josh and Saxon can take the rest outside.’

  ‘We’ll keep time!’ Helen cooed with excitement.

  Lily smiled, despite how stiff she was feeling. A couple of glasses of red wine and an evening of company had put roses into Helen’s cheeks.

  ‘There’s that maniac slave driver we know and love,’ muttered Saxon. ‘And here I thought we were having a dinner party.’

  She shot him a dark look. Usually she’d laugh it off, but tonight, she wasn’t in the mood. It wasn’t her fault they needed to make sure everything worked as planned on Saturday. ‘We can put the practice off until tomorrow if you want,’ she asked pointedly, eyebrows arched for emphasis.

  Faced with the prospect of missing their shopping trip to Sydney, Saxon leapt to his feet and started gathering up plates and glasses with her. ‘I’m good with tonight. But you know, if we have to do this, let’s make it interesting,’ he mused slowly. ‘Katie and I’ll work together, and you and Josh. First team to finish their half of the table gets the prize.’

  ‘That sounds fun,’ said Helen. ‘What’s the prize?’

  But instead of telling the rest of the room, Saxon walked over to where Josh was standing, and, back to the room, muttered something only he could hear.

  Josh spent a few seconds considering Saxon, all hard eyes and tight-lipped smile. ‘Deal,’ he agreed finally.
>
  What on earth was that? ‘Going to share?’ she asked.

  ‘Nope,’ said Saxon. ‘Secret men’s business.’

  She shot a look at Katie, who only returned a shrug and a goofy smile. Whatever.

  ‘Ladies of the gallery, are you prepared to perform your sacred duty of keeping time and bearing witness?’ Saxon called to Maureen, Helen and Louise, who were standing to the side, looking charmed by Lily’s outlandish friend.

  She rolled her eyes. Race-schmace. So long as they could clear the room in time.

  ‘Lil,’ Josh whispered in her ear, snaking an arm around her from behind. ‘We want to win this.’

  ‘Why?’ she whispered back, turning to face him.

  ‘I’ll tell you later.’

  Later. Always later with this man. Whatever. He and Saxon could keep their little secrets.

  All four of them took their positions at the table, eyeing each other with increasingly wide smiles, getting ready to race. And all of a sudden her bad mood evaporated, because this was starting to feel like fun, and Josh was nothing like the awkward, self-conscious statue he’d been all evening. She smiled at him, gave him two thumbs up, and he grinned back at her.

  ‘On your marks,’ said Maureen, eyes on her watch. ‘Get set. Go!’

  Saxon and Josh started hauling out bales through the open French doors, and Lily and Katie pushed bale after bale to the side. They had fewer bales to move, and only a short distance to push them, so they were finished well before the boys.

  ‘Oh, I see. How clever, Lily,’ said Helen from close by.

  The bales were arranged into cute little rustic couches. On the night, she’d add cushions for comfort and some wooden trays to the top of a few to rest drinks on.

  She turned her attention back to the boys. That bet, whatever it was, must be serious, because those hay bales were moving. One thing was for sure, timing wasn’t going to be an issue. On the night, they’d have more helpers as well. She’d already lined up the hefty Murphy boys.

  They were neck and neck, with only a few bales each to go. Josh was strong and fast, but Saxon was sneaky and determined. In fact, his strategy seemed to be more about blocking Josh’s progress than getting the job done as fast as possible.

  What were the stakes that had got them both so riled up? And why on earth was it such a big secret? If they were working this hard for it, maybe she should pitch in somehow.

  Saxon returned from outside and ‘accidentally’ kicked the bale Josh was reaching for out of his way as he passed. Well, that wasn’t playing fair. And unfortunately, Josh was too straight to fight dirty back. So that must be her job.

  ‘Hey, Saxon, did you hear Dolce and Gabbana’s got a sale on?’ she called, as he raced to get through the doors first.

  He turned for more details, and Josh slipped past him. Realising she’d got him, Saxon shot a dirty look in her direction, muttered something inaudible but assuredly naughty under his breath, and raced to make up lost time.

  Katie came to stand next to her as Josh re-entered the room. ‘Josh, the Buscombes are switching from perennial to annual pastures because they think they can’t afford to irrigate. What are you going to do about that?’

  A good try, but Josh just smiled and kept going.

  One bale left each. She and Katie raced to start pushing them towards the doors, each determined to get their bale through first. And then it was a mad mix of hay and hands and running to the palettes before they all collapsed, breathing hard, on top.

  ‘Tied,’ announced Maureen, from where she and the other ladies had been watching from the verandah. ‘At five minutes, twenty-three seconds.’

  ‘Tie?’ questioned Saxon, sitting up and looking at Josh. ‘Interesting, but I might be able to live with it.’

  Josh just grinned back.

  ‘Are you going to spill?’ Lily asked from her seat. She’d ended up at the top of the pile of hay bales. ‘It’s not nice to keep secrets.’

  ‘All in good time,’ said Saxon smugly, standing and pulling Katie to her feet.

  Before the race, that would have annoyed her. But she was too happy to have Josh finally loosen up to let it get to her now. Josh stood too, ready to head back inside.

  ‘Hey Josh.’ She waited while he turned to her. ‘Catch.’

  She launched herself at him, never doubting for a second that he’d be there. He caught her and kissed her, and kept an arm around her shoulder as they walked back inside together.

  ‘Okay, guys. Time to bring those bales back inside,’ she said, and it earned her another amused kiss from Josh.

  She was only half-joking. Those bales would have to come back inside, but they could have dessert first. ‘Everyone to the morning room.’

  ‘There’s no stopping you, is there, my maniac slave-driver?’ Josh joked.

  From where she was, slightly ahead of them, Louise turned and gave them an assessing look. She took in Josh’s arm draped around Lily’s shoulders and the kiss he planted on the top of her head as they walked towards the verandah. When Louise realised Lily was watching her watch the two of them, she looked away. Great. Josh might have lightened up, but Louise was still looking at her funny. Lily sighed. Maybe mothers never liked their son’s girlfriends. If that’s what she was. Because all of a sudden, all she could hear was Louise’s words replaying in her head: Don’t get your hopes up.

  They still hadn’t talked about it. But surely, this kind of public outing counted for something?

  Stop, she reprimanded herself. She wouldn’t let it get to her. She had a plan. God, she hoped the trip she and Saxon were taking to Sydney tomorrow went as expected, and her plan for the night of the ball worked.

  The morning room had not undergone the same total transformation as the ballroom. She’d repainted the walls and rehung the oil paintings, moved the brocade armchairs from the ballroom in, and added vases of purple bearded irises to every available surface, and that was about it. She might have to do more once her business was up and running, but the current style—traditional and lived-in—would work for Saturday.

  Maureen, Louise and Helen came back from the kitchen with not just plates of dessert, but glasses of champagne. When everyone had their plate and glass in hand, Maureen stood.

  ‘A toast. To Lily, for inviting us into her home and working so hard to make Saturday evening special.’

  Lily’s first reaction was a pink flush of embarrassment. It wasn’t really something to be embarrassed about, she told herself, it was just that she’d never been toasted before, and she wasn’t expecting it. Around her, people were raising glasses, and everyone was smiling at her, and the embarrassment faded, to be replaced by a warm liquid joy.

  Smiling down into her bubbles, she took a little sip.

  ‘We have something to ask you,’ Maureen continued. ‘Josh is a dear boy, but a very reluctant committee member. Would you consider taking his place?’

  It took a moment for the words to sink in, then all of a sudden, Lily could barely breathe. Really couldn’t breathe. And she certainly couldn’t speak.

  From next to her, Josh ran a hand over the back of her neck. It helped, but she still couldn’t speak. Overwhelmed with happiness, she just nodded like a bobble-head doll, took a massive sip of champagne, and reminded herself that she deserved good things to happen to her.

  ***

  It wasn’t late, but once dessert was done, Maureen, Helen and Louise were ready to head back into town. She walked them to Maureen’s car, marvelling at how things had changed since they’d arrived and awkward and nervous was the order of the day. She couldn’t believe they’d asked her to be on the committee—she was beyond chuffed.

  ‘Lily,’ Louise started, before she climbed into the car to join the others.

  Oh no, not again. Not now, when she was feeling so good. ‘Yes,’ she replied, braced for another round of ‘you’re not good enough for my son’.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, leaning in to deposit a kiss on her cheek. ‘For mak
ing him smile.’

  Chapter 16

  She’d do, Lily thought, checking her reflection in her bedroom mirror.

  Originally, she’d been leaning towards an electric blue jumpsuit, but she’d allowed Saxon to steer her towards this knee-length, red silk-and-lace dress, and as usual, he’d got it right. It had just enough sparkle to be special, but wasn’t over-the-top formal. Perfect.

  And red—why didn’t she wear more red? Maybe she would from now on.

  She added the pearl earrings they’d selected, and then she was done.

  Show time.

  She didn’t drink coffee, but maybe she should make an exception now.

  In addition to the shopping, she’d had another mission to complete yesterday, and it’d turned out to be a very long day. She’d been up since five this morning, scrambling to get all the last minute jobs done, unable to even think about eating. Pure adrenaline, that’s what she’d been running on.

  But hey, Mirabook looked great, and everything was set to go. The boys were looking after the meat and potatoes outside. The champagne and white wines were on ice, and the red wine was breathing. Maureen, Helen and Louise were in the kitchen, directing the high school girls she’d hired to do basic serving and cleaning for the evening, and putting together platters and salads.

  Tonight was going to be wonderful. That’s what she was going to believe.

  She should be enjoying this time, enjoying dressing up and anticipating the evening to come. But she thought about what she had planned, and relaxed was the last thing she felt. She just prayed it worked.

  She’d never been much of a preener, so she gave up looking for last-minute touches. She arrived at the top of the stairs just as Josh arrived at the bottom. Hand wrapped around the ornate newel post finial, he stood, staring up at her.

  She walked down slowly. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual. With him so handsome in his dark suit and her in her red dress, this felt like a scene from Gone with the Wind.