Water under the Bridge

by Lily Malone

  Ollie and Sam moved out of the shade, back towards the water, and Ella stopped them with one word. ‘Sunscreen.’

  Both boys groaned, but came back under the gazebo to lather sunscreen over their faces, arms and the back of their necks.

  ‘Don’t forget lifejackets, and nobody pushes anyone else in.’

  Sam rolled his eyes. ‘We won’t, Mum.’

  ‘Okay, Ella,’ Ollie agreed.

  ‘I’ll be watching. Call out if you need me.’

  ‘We will,’ Sam and Ollie said.

  The two boys wriggled into lifejackets and returned to the kayaks.

  Keeping half an eye on the kids, Ella also tried to see what was going on near the car. There was a fair bit of arm waving. Then Abe got out of the car and approached the gazebo.

  ‘Finally, I get to meet our real estate agent,’ Abe said, stepping up onto the level of the gazebo deck, striding forward. He wore weak-tea-coloured chinos that must be hot on a day like this, although he’d probably been in air-conditioning most of the drive. Ella didn’t even know where Abe lived. Perth probably, but didn’t Jake say he had a restaurant in Dunsborough too?

  Ella extended her hand. ‘I’m Ella. Pleased to meet you.’

  ‘You too.’ Abe held her hand briefly and then let go, and Ella had a chance to study him when he turned back to Jake.

  Abel Honeychurch was slimmer than his elder brother, and the slim was nothing to do with genetics and everything to do with the age difference between them: the different lives they lived; the different jobs they did.

  He was more polished. Blond where Jake was dark, and his hair longer, combed into a style that wouldn’t stay where it was without the help of some type of product. Ella couldn’t imagine Jake threading wax or a spray through his hair every morning, combing it up.

  ‘Whose are the groms?’ Abe asked.

  ‘Don’t you recognise Oliver? Nita Kinworth’s grandson. The other boy is Ella’s son, Sam.’

  ‘Hey, boys,’ Abe waved.

  Ollie returned the wave, but Sam was too busy concentrating on his balance in the kayak to lift a hand. Ella heard him call out, ‘Hi.’

  ‘Jeez, Ollie’s grown,’ Abe said.

  What is it about him? Ella wondered. On closer inspection his clothes were loose, like he’d either lost a few kilos or maybe his clothes got stretched in the wash. Ella had seen enough elite athletes in the marshalling area at a big swim meet to recognise nervous energy when she saw it, and Abe had a bundle of it going on. Even when he stood still, he quivered on the balls of his feet, like a dog waiting for a kid to throw a ball. Was it drugs? Ella had been on the pool deck in the Stilnox scandal days. She’d seen swimmer friends and rivals under the influence.

  ‘So you’re not selling houses today, Ella? Got a day off?’ he asked her.

  ‘Jake invited Sam for a play with Ollie, and a swim.’

  ‘Did he now?’ Abe swung back to Jake. Already a sheen of sweat shone on his forehead, underneath the fancy hair. ‘Well, you can’t say it’s not hot enough. I might have to do the same thing in a minute.’

  ‘We can head up to the house. Cooler up there,’ Jake said.

  ‘Nah. This is good.’ He pulled out one of the light-weight recliner chairs and sat, fidgeting his fingers through the plastic weave. Even sitting, Abe pulsed with energy.

  ‘So have you heard from Mum and Dad?’ Abe asked Jake, and they chatted for a while, catching up on news.

  Ella stayed out of it, concentrating on watching Sam and Ollie out on the dam. Sam was getting better at controlling the oars, and the two kids shot back and forward across the water. She relaxed, just a tiny bit.

  The slightest hint of a breeze marred the mirrored surface, but there was nothing cool or relieving about it.

  ‘So, how about Pickles and his water ski park, hey? How’s that for news?’ Abe said.

  ‘You should take a drive out there. The dam’s the size of a couple of football fields,’ Jake replied.

  ‘Might hafta do that.’ Abe turned to Ella. ‘Gotta be good news for your line of work? Harvey and Bob Begg must be licking their lips. All these sales.’

  Ella opened her mouth to answer, but Jake said, ‘Got a long way to go yet. It’s all got to get through council first.’

  Abe’s foot ticked side to side where he had it up on the seat, reminding Ella of a cat’s tail when the cat got grumpy.

  ‘Yeah, I get that, but it still has to be a good thing for the sale of Nanna’s house, right? How’s things going with that buyer anyway? That Graham guy? Did he come back?’

  ‘Yeah. A couple of times last week,’ Jake said.

  Interest sparked all over Abe’s face. ‘Went higher, did he?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘How much higher?’

  This time, Abe directed the question to Ella. His eyes, a paler blue than Jake’s, caught hers and she felt her face flush. ‘Well—’

  ‘His best offer was $519,000,’ Jake cut over her.

  Abe’s hand whacked the armrest of his chair. ‘That’s fucking brilliant. Well done, Ella. I wasn’t sure when Jake wanted to sell Nanna’s house through you, I’ve got to be honest. When Jake said he wanted to give the listing to the rookie rep in town, I thought he had rocks in his head and he should have gone with Bob Begg. Bob could sell ice to Eskimos.’

  ‘Abe.’ Jake growled a warning, but Ella didn’t think his brother even heard.

  ‘Cool. Oh, man, that’s such great news.’ All the tics and bounces and twitches drained away and Abe smiled in relief, and when he smiled, Ella saw a whole new guy under that mountain of stress.

  But there was one little problem.

  ‘Jake didn’t accept Henry’s offer, Abe,’ Ella said quietly because it wasn’t fair for him not to know.

  Behind Abe’s head, Jake’s gaze snared Ella’s. He shook his head. Too late.

  ‘Shit! You think he’ll pay more than that even, Jake? I dunno, man. Bird in the hand … I’d be happy with my share of that. I’m not greedy. I reckon just take it.’

  Jake sighed, lifted his feet from where he’d had them up on the recliner and put them flat on the gazebo timbers, elbows on his knees, leaning forward.

  ‘What?’ Abe glanced from Jake to Ella, back to his brother, and Ella felt sick.

  ‘I didn’t accept Henry Graham’s offer. He isn’t going higher,’ Jake said.

  ‘He might. Ella, you went back to him, yeah?’

  ‘He wasn’t going any higher,’ Ella confirmed. ‘He bought something else.’

  ‘Ah. Bugger.’ Abe jogged his heel against the floor. ‘But you got other prospects? Something in the pipeline?’

  It was Ella’s turn to lift her feet off the recliner and sit up straight, like the boys. She didn’t know what game Jake and Abe were playing, but she was tired of being Nancy-Know-Nothing.

  ‘Abe, I told Jake what I thought your nan’s house was worth. Henry was offering what I thought was a reasonable price even before all this news about the water ski park and the upgrade to the road, and after that he upped it. I thought Jake should have accepted his offer. It was a good offer.’ Her eyes sought Jake’s, and found his steely and unreadable in the shade of the gazebo.

  ‘When Jake told me he wouldn’t negotiate, I went to see another owner on Chalk Hill Bridge Road. They agreed to sell, and yesterday they agreed on a price.’

  ‘So that’s it. He’s gone. Fuck, Jake. You screwed that up, mate. Or someone has.’ His gaze moved to Ella.

  ‘How about you tell me why it’s so important we sell Nanna’s house?’ Jake said, voice low, cut with lead. ‘You know Brix doesn’t care, and I never wanted to sell, so you tell me? Why do you want the place sold so much?’

  Abe’s face shut like a bank’s front door at closing time on Friday. No amount of begging or knocking would get that door to slide.

  Ella pushed off her chair and stood, bringing both men’s eyes to her movement. ‘You know, Jake? I think I might get Sam and go. You two have things to dis
cuss.’

  A muscle bunched in Jake’s jaw. A mix of impatience, annoyance maybe? Ella didn’t know. And was it directed at her, or his brother?

  Follow my lead, he’d said out in the water, but what did that mean? Follow where? Follow what? There was so much between these two that she needed one of those lifejackets the kids were wearing to stay afloat.

  Ella moved out along the jetty and called for Sam to come in. He didn’t like it—she could tell from his face—but he started rowing towards her across the dam.

  She stooped near the jetty’s edge to collect her clothes and bunched them under her arm. She’d wash Jake’s t-shirt and his mother’s sarong and get them back to him another time.

  ‘Do we have to go, Mum?’ Sam said, edging the kayak up the bank near the gazebo.

  ‘Yes. We do.’

  ‘Why?’ His chin got that stubborn slant.

  ‘Because I said.’

  ‘Because isn’t a reason.’

  ‘Can’t he stay a bit longer?’ Ollie asked, glancing at Jake for support. Jake didn’t say anything.

  ‘Not today, mate. Another time, maybe, okay? Come on, Sam,’ Ella said.

  ‘Can we at least ride up on the four-wheeler?’ Sam pleaded.

  ‘Yes, you can. Remember your manners to Jake, and say thanks to Ollie’s nan for lunch. I’ll meet you up at the house.’

  ‘Cool. Thanks, Jake.’ The two boys raced away.

  Ella glanced at the brothers in the gazebo. The shade under there did nothing to hide the intensity on both faces. She’d been on the verge of pulling Sam up, because Jake hadn’t heard him say thanks and Ella always said it was important for Sam to wait and make eye contact before he thanked a person.

  Today, she shoved those courtesies under her arm along with her clothes, and went back to make her own thanks and goodbyes.

  ‘It was nice to meet you, Abe,’ she said, extending one hand to shake his, tucking her bundle of shorts, bra, knickers and shirt hard into her ribs with the other arm, ‘and thanks for having us out here, Jake.’

  ‘Our pleasure. No problem,’ Jake said, but he didn’t stand, and while Ella thought a kiss on the cheek after a declaration of—whatever that was—in the middle of a dam might have at least been considered appropriate, the look on his face warned her off. Right now was about these two brothers and the sale of a house for which she was the listing agent. The professional.

  ‘I’ll see you later then,’ Ella said, turning away.

  ‘Hang on a sec there,’ Abel called, bringing her to a quick halt. She turned to see him bend to collect something from the gazebo floor.

  ‘You dropped this.’ Abe handed Ella her black bra.

  * * *

  Jake felt like shit. How could a day go from top of the world to shit in half an hour? Poor Ella. The look on her face when Abe handed over the bra … she couldn’t get away fast enough, and he’d had no time to say anything before she’d legged it uphill to the house.

  ‘Don’t say it,’ he warned Abe as his brother sat back down. Jake didn’t like the smirk on Abe’s face.

  ‘What? She’s nice. She’s a very nice choice for your real estate agent. I can’t see you inviting Bob Begg out here for a swim.’

  ‘Don’t be a dick.’

  ‘What?’ Abe spread his hands wide. ‘I haven’t said a thing.’

  ‘You don’t have to say anything. I can see you thinking it.’

  ‘Well, you tell me what it looks like? You’re banging the chick who’s supposed to be selling Nan’s house. How long have you been at that, anyway? Before or after you signed the sales agreement? No wonder Bob Begg never got a look in.’

  ‘One more word and you’ll be picking yourself out of the dam with a busted nose.’

  ‘Okay, okay.’ Abe slumped back into the recliner.

  An uneasy truce.

  ‘You wanna tell me why you want to sell?’ Jake asked.

  ‘You wanna tell me why you don’t?’ Abe pushed.

  Jake ran his hand through his hair. ‘I don’t see the point. We don’t need to sell it, at least I don’t. But you do. You need the money and you won’t tell me why.’

  ‘Which place did Henry Graham buy, do you know?’ Abe avoided the question.

  Jake thought about whether he was supposed to know and decided Chalk Hill was a small town; news would get out anyway. ‘Helen Nillson’s.’

  ‘Helen next door to Nan’s?’

  Jake nodded.

  ‘Shit,’ Abe said, shaking his head and blowing out a deep breath. ‘What a colossal fucking mess.’

  ‘Abe, if you’re in trouble, mate, you can tell me, okay? I’ll help if I can.’

  ‘Best thing you could have done to help me was take Henry’s offer.’

  The north-easterly swirled under the gazebo, making the towels on the edge of the jetty flap, swirling the reeds at the water’s edge so they rustled like sticks.

  Jake was hot, but Abe sweated more. Actually, Abe didn’t look well at all. His shirt hung on him. The arse of his fancy pair of pants bagged. He had lines in his face that never used to be there, and shouldn’t be there. The guy was only twenty-six.

  ‘It’s not drugs, is it, mate? You’re not addicted to something?’

  ‘Ha, no. Sometimes I almost wish.’

  ‘Horses? You never minded a bet.’

  ‘Nah.’

  Jake put his hand out to touch Abe’s shoulder. ‘What then? Come on, man. You gotta open up. You look like shit. You can’t sit still. Tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘Fuck it.’ Abe stared up at the gazebo ceiling.

  Jake stared there too. Spider webs. White flakes. Spider shit. And this growing sense that his little brother was in a truck load of shit much bigger than any spider’s.

  ‘Ah, fuck it,’ Abe said again, head down this time, shoulders slumped. ‘I’m gonna lose the Broome restaurant, and probably Dunsborough. I owe the bank a fucking fortune. There’s no other way.’

  ‘You said the restaurants were going well and it was just the downturn after the mining boom ended?’

  ‘They are. It is. Kind of. I had to borrow against them.’

  ‘Borrow for what?’ Jake held his breath, willing Abe to talk to him.

  ‘Debts I owe.’

  ‘Debts for what?’

  ‘To pay back the bank.’

  ‘You’re going round in circles, Abe. Fuckin’ just tell me what’s going on,’ Jake demanded.

  ‘I got scammed, okay?’ Abe punched his thigh. ‘You know how that feels? It means I’m an idiot.’

  Jake’s skin turned cold. ‘What sort of scam?’ Abe was too smart to get caught up in those Nigerian things you saw on the internet.

  ‘Here’s where it gets fun. Are you ready to laugh your balls off?’ Abe spat the words like bullets. ‘I got scammed by a woman. Fleeced by the love of my life.’

  This was about a woman? ‘What woman? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.’

  ‘I had a fucking whirlwind romance with the gorgeous Amanda. Sex off the charts. Hottest chick I’ve ever known. She said she loved me, she sent me texts every day and I lapped it up. It took a few weeks before she told me she had a six-year-old kid. She said she didn’t tell me before because she didn’t want to spoil what we had with her baggage.’ Abe looked up. ‘I mean, there’s the red flag right there, right? That she’d think of her kid as baggage?’ He sniffed. ‘She was such a cutie, the little girl. Keeley. Even got her calling me Uncle Abe.’

  Jake hardly dared breathe.

  ‘It started out when Amanda would say she was short twenty bucks for a school excursion, and payday wasn’t till Friday. I’d lend her the money. Sometimes she’d say she’d buy me lunch next day to pay me back, or she’d dump twenty bucks in my bank account, ’cos she never had cash. I checked the first few times and most of the times she’d paid it back … then I didn’t check.

  ‘Late last year she told me Keeley needed braces. Well, that’s like thousands of dollars and she didn’t h
ave it, and I said I’d lend it to her. No worries.’

  ‘I thought you said she was six?’ Jake interjected. ‘Six-year-olds haven’t got their adult teeth yet. Six-year-olds don’t need braces.’

  ‘Red flag number twenty-six. I know that now. I didn’t know it then. I took her word for it. I took every word she said as gospel.’ Abe pulled his fancy hair through his fist.

  ‘Shit.’ Jake shook his head.

  ‘Then she said the ex was back on the scene, and he wanted custody of Keeley. She was renting, but she said if she had a place of her own, it would look better for her in the courts, and stupidly,’ Abe slapped his forehead hard enough to make Jake’s head spin, ‘stupidly, I let her talk me into lending her cash to put down for the deposit. Big fucking deposit. She said the bank wouldn’t give her a mortgage if she didn’t stump up fifty per cent, and it would look better in the court if the property was all in her name.

  ‘I paid the deposit. I paid the insurance. Then it was rates. I found out later she never even bought the fucking house.’ Abe’s eyes glistened with tears of frustration, rage, loss. ‘So here’s me, right? This is how dumb I am. I bought her a wedding ring before Christmas. I went round to the house I thought she owned—the house I stumped the deposit for—all set to ask her to marry me, and I caught her in bed with some other poor bastard. I’m a fucking cliché.’

  ‘Did you go to the police?’ Jake asked.

  Abe looked away.

  ‘Abe? Did you go to the police, mate?’

  He shuffled his feet.

  ‘You haven’t gone to the cops. You’re not going to,’ Jake said as realisation sunk in. Abe was too embarrassed. He’d never go to the police, which meant this Amanda chick was gonna get away with it. She already had.

  ‘I’m chalking it down to experience, and I’m gonna move on,’ Abe said. ‘If we sell Nan’s house I can use that money to clear most of the debt. I’ll sell the businesses and start again. Clean slate.’