by Iris Blobel
Katie pointed to the screen. “What’s the game?”
“American football. I can’t get the hang of the rules, though.”
They both watched the game in front of them, when Katie’s mother came in with tea and cake.
Katie stayed for the rest of the afternoon. Her mother had prepared a delicious roast and its aroma spread through the house as it slowly cooked in the oven. She served the meat garnished with asparagus and potatoes. A rumbling stomach reminded Katie she hadn’t eaten anything decent in days. She had dinner and stayed the night as well. It was nice to be spoilt and it was exactly what she needed. They watched an old movie before she finally hit her old bed around eleven.
The alarm indicated nine-thirty when Katie opened her eyes. She was able to hear her mother fussing around in the kitchen. Crawling out of bed, she slipped on one of her worn-out sweaters and joined her. The picture in front of her looked familiar, but it still made her smile. Her parents were sitting at the table and discussing the local news, latest gossip, and the weather. Nothing in their routine had changed in the last few years.
“Morning.” Katie walked over to the bench and poured herself some coffee before placing two pieces of bread into the toaster. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the paper lying near the window.
“Did you sleep well?” her mother asked.
She grabbed the butter out of the fridge. “Yup. Nothing like sleeping at home.”
Katie spread her toast, but her mother’s smile didn’t go unnoticed. Taking a bite of her bread, she moved the paper closer. It was a messy and dirty half-page of the Melbourne Herald Sun. A name caught her attention. Tyson Gaspaldi. Her heart sank, and she quickly checked the date. It was today’s. Suddenly, she became aware of the stillness in the kitchen and when she turned, she saw her parents staring at her.
“Where’s the rest of the paper?” she asked.
“Which paper?”
She held up the page. “Mum. How many papers am I looking at?”
“No reason to be rude, darling. Mrs. Bayer brought over some mushrooms in that paper.”
Katie smoothed out the page and tried to get some details. “When did she get you the mushrooms?”
Her mother stood and came closer. “This morning. Why?”
Katie took three more bites of the toast, flushed them down with coffee, and went back into the room to change into her clothes. Within a few minutes, she was dressed and rushing to the nearest newsagency around the corner to buy a copy of the paper. Growing up in the area, she knew the shop, went straight to the newspaper section, paid, and left. She hadn’t even closed the door yet, when she flicked through the pages, speed reading the headlines.
There it was. Page twenty-six.
Tyson Gaspaldi confirming there
will be a wedding.
Her heart was in overdrive, and her fingers trembling as she skipped through the article.
Not getting married to Anita Cooper though…asked her last year before she’d left for a career in the U.S. and have moved on since then…have met someone…very special person…want to keep this private until the relationship reaches a steadier stage…not a Melbourne girl, but from Rugby land.
Holy macaroni. She read and re-read. And read it again before she called Teagan.
“Teagan, you will need to read the Herald Sun today. Page twenty-six. Now!”
“Good morning to you, too,” her friend muttered. “Do you know what the time is?”
“Hey, when I got up it was well and truly past nine-thirty, so get your bum out of bed and read the paper.”
“What d’you mean read the Herald Sun? Good grief, Katie. I don’t get a paper, let alone the Melbourne ones.”
Katie rolled her eyes in frustration. She should’ve known. The Herald Sun was not the most popular newspaper, simply because it mainly covered Victorian issues.
“I’ll be there in five. Have a tea ready.”
A smile tugged at her lips. Last year it could’ve been her still in bed, nursing a hangover or a broken heart from a two hour flirting session. With a heavy sigh, she started the car and made her way down the streets to the outskirts of town where Teagan had bought a small house amongst the trees.
Paige’s death had changed a lot. Including her regular outings with her friends. Tears started to well up, and she wasn’t really sure why. The loss of Paige? The missed opportunities of being with her friends?
No.
She had needed the time out and, whether she liked it or not, the brief time with Ty had been good for her to find her way back to normalcy. Normal wasn’t sitting in her apartment waiting for life to come back to her. She needed to find life again.
Turning onto the gravel road, she shook her head wondering how someone could live alone out here in the bush. Teagan loved it and had often asked her to join her. It was a beautiful four-bedroom old farmhouse built with grey stone, a redwood porch, and dark roof. The front entry was centred and flanked by long windows. There was a small garden, with a huge forest as a playground, and a nice entertainment area. They’d spent many nights in the back, either with friends or just on their own, drinking wine and dreaming of Prince Charming to sweep them off their feet.
The front door was unlocked, so she stepped right in and followed the noise in the kitchen, which was located at the back of the house.
“Morning.”
Her friend’s crazy hairstyle and the droopy eyes told her everything. She laughed and grabbed the cup of tea as well as a few bikkies.
“Just because you’ve deserted us on our nights out does not mean you can terrorise me the next morning.”
“Love you, too,” Katie simply replied. “Now sit down and read this.”
“Can I have my coffee first?”
Exhaling a deep breath, Katie shook her head. “Can’t you read and drink at the same time?”
Teagan cursed like a trooper as she walked to the table with her coffee in one hand, holding the paper with the other.
“What the fuck?”
Katie nodded. “My sentiments exactly. Keep on reading.”
“Will you shut up so I can focus!”
Katie made a gesture of zipping her mouth, but stayed very close to her friend eager to catch her reaction.
“That is so you, sweetie,” Teagan finally whispered.
Katie stepped back and sat down. “D’you think so?”
“Oh my gawd. Think so? It’s like plain obvious.” Teagan looked at her. “You’ve got his number, right? I mean, you’ve got to call him.”
A tear rolled down Katie’s cheek.
Again.
Although she had no idea why. Was she so whacked out with the flu and heartache that she could cry at the drop of a hat?
And some more tears. She cursed as she stood and walked over to the bench to grab the tissue box. Who would’ve thought a tissue box could become a beloved best friend?
“He came over yesterday.”
Teagan’s eyes shot wide open. “All the way from Melbourne? Good grief, he really has fallen for you. You lucky duck!”
Katie shook her head with a deep sigh. No, she wasn’t lucky at all. Not even close. “I kicked him out.”
Teagan’s surprise mixed with disbelieve was obvious. “Come again?”
She opened the door for the bin, disposed of the tissue, and slammed it shut with more force than necessary. “I can’t believe I did that either. But—”
Lifting a finger in disapproval, her friend came over to her. “Don’t give me that crap it was too good to be true.”
“I won’t say it then,” she whispered.
“Fuck me. For Heaven’s sake, honey!”
Katie tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. “Could you hold back on the swearing? I mean, I feel bad enough, right? Don’t have to drum it in like that.”
Teagan tilted her head. “Sorry, sweetie. It’s just…it…you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re such a beautiful soul.”
Katie shru
gged.
“Call him.”
She shot her friend a look. “I can’t!”
“Text him!”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Poppycock. Of course, you can. Give me that damn phone of yours.”
“You will not!”
Hands on hips, Teagan stood in front of her. “Someone needs to take matters in their hands. He’s done a massive step by telling via the newspaper how much you mean to him. For Heaven’s sake, wake up. He’s fallen for you.”
Katie moved away from her friend. “Teagan. He asked her to marry him last year. He’s obviously quite casual about asking women to get married.”
With her eyebrows raised, her friend asked, “Did he seem casual to you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Problem solved. Even if he did ask the bitch, give him a chance to explain.”
With a sinking heart, she remembered how she had kicked him out of the apartment the previous day. Although he didn’t look tired, it’d been obvious he’d driven all the way from Melbourne that morning. But she hadn’t listened. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her phone out of her bag and started texting. The words didn’t come easy, though. Scared it was too late, she didn’t know what to say. Apologise? Or move one step further into the conversation.
With sagging shoulders, she said, “Teagan, I need help here.”
Her friend stepped closer. “Okay. You want it to be apologising, sexy, flirty, naïve—”
“I simply want to text him,” she replied, with her voice near breaking point.
“Righteo. How about a simple sorry?”
“And what else?”
Teagan shrugged. “A love heart?”
She rolled her eyes. “Is that the naïve version?”
“Don’t like it?”
“Nope.”
Teagan drew in her lips before she said, “Okay, flirty version would be like, if the Herald Sun article was meant for me, then the answer is yes.”
Katie’s eyebrows slashed into a frown. “Are you insane?”
This time her friend started laughing. “Do it.”
“No way.”
“Try, have read the Herald Sun and want a chance to apologise.”
Katie thought about that one and started hitting the little buttons. She deleted it, though, as soon as she’d hit the full stop button. And re-wrote it again. Before she was able to contemplate and think about it again, Teagan had grabbed the phone out of her hands and hit send.
“Done!” her friend said with a grin.
She felt the blood draining from her head, bringing on a bout of dizziness.
“Have your cuppa, sweetie. Or would you like me to get you a glass of wine?”
Katie merely stared into the room, thinking about what she’d done. The dizziness crept to her stomach and wine wasn’t an option.
“I think I need to throw up.”
***
Tyson was still sitting at his grandmother’s table with a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. He’d read the article and was pleased the way it had turned out. The journalist had stood by his word, more or less quoting him exactly. He’d rung James Daly on the way back to Melbourne the previous day and offered his side to the story. Ty wanted his words on paper, with no additional comments that could be misunderstood. James had agreed and was content to be part of one of the hottest stories of the week, though he wasn’t happy with the heavy attack on Anita Cooper. But Tyson assumed that, as a sports journalist, he probably wouldn’t cross paths with her too often.
“You haven’t eaten anything, darling.”
His grandmother’s words hauled him back. “What if I’ve done the wrong thing, Grandma?”
Tyson felt safe and secure in his grandmother’s embrace, despite the fact she was only half his weight and shorter by a few inches. “Us women are hard to understand, but I’m sure she’ll get the message. Sooner than you can blink, she’ll be yours.” She placed a kiss on his forehead before she continued. “From what you’ve told me, she’s just a bit scared. After all, you’re a celebrity.”
The doorbell rang, and she moved the plate closer to him. “That’ll be Cailyn. You go on and eat your breakfast.”
It hadn’t been Cailyn, but Anita.
Tyson was able to hear her shrieking from where he stood in the back of the house. His grandma did well denying he was in the house, but it took a few curses and threats before she left. He’d been tempted to come to his grandmother’s aid, but was sure she’d be able to cope with a diva. She wasn’t a woman who was easily rattled, and he knew she’d stood her ground when others might have wavered.
His grandmother’s heavy steps indicated she was peeved. “Never really understood what you saw in her.” She shook her head and moved the plate closer.
He shrugged. “I got temporarily lost in the fame thing.”
She laughed, and he loved the sound of it.
The buzzing of the phone interrupted his attempt to finally eat his breakfast. Grateful to the caller, he placed the fork back on the table.
“Don’t you dare answer that call. You need to eat. The season starts soon, and you’re in the middle of intense training.”
He laughed. “Did you talk to coach Harrison?” Flicking the phone open, he said, “It’s a text not a call.” In almost a whisper he added, “From Katie.”
Grandma Hazel was by his side in a flash. She gave him a flick on his upper arm. “Darling, I told you she’d reply. Now what did she say?”
He grinned and all of a sudden felt much better. It was like a heavy burden had been lifted off his mind and his heart. Every single nerve in his body buzzed with excitement.
“She wants a chance to apologise,” he told her, not able to hold back on his wide smile.
She winked. “Eat! And then call her.”
He stood, but his grandmother firmly pushed him back into his seat.
“By the way, thanks for lying to Anita.”
“The dear Lord might forgive me. I did it for a good purpose.”
He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
“I have a feeling this girl will give you more trouble. This is not the end.”
It was like a big punch in his gut. Especially after receiving the text from Katie. Picking up the fork he replied, “I’m afraid you might be right.”
“Now eat. Someone’s waiting for your call.”
Tyson literally piled the food into his mouth and washed it down with his coffee. Panic and excitement grew with every passing minute. All he wanted was to hear the sound of her voice. He stood, took the plate to the sink, and excused himself. Once he was in the far back room, which was mostly occupied by his niece these days, he took out his phone and dialled the familiar number.
“I’m so sorry,” she answered, and he was momentarily taken aback by the sadness in her voice.
“It’s okay. You need to believe me, there’s no wedding. I have a feeling Anita needed people to talk about her, and that’s what she came up with.”
“Did you love her?”
The question took him by surprise, and he had to think about it for a moment. “I thought I did, but as corny as it sounds, since I’ve met you, I’ve learned there are more important things in a relationship than looks and sex.”
He heard a background noise and a smile crossed his face as he imagined her blushing at the word sex. The weekend he’d spent with her had been a learning curve for him as well. He’d loved the idea of making love and exploring every inch of her body with tenderness. Simple things about her attracted him. The way she pulled her hair into a ponytail, without paying much attention to how it looked. Her curves, her long legs, and the simplistic earrings she wore. Also, her choice of words, her modest attitude, and even her humble living.
“Ty?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’d love to see you again.”
Now that she’d said it, he was giddy with anticipation. He wan
ted nothing more, and was about to tell her he was heading her way when he remembered his schedule.
“The team is heading off to the U.S. tomorrow for a week of intense training, but we’ll be back next Saturday morning.”
He wasn’t sure whether her sigh of disappointment was a good thing or not. It was, after all, a sign she was keen to give the relationship another try. But he didn’t like the fact she was sad.
“How about you come down to Melbourne Friday night? You can stay with Grandma Hazel until I get back. It’s my safety zone here.”
She laughed. And, good lord, it was great to hear her laugh. “Safety zone?”
“No journalists or pesky photographers. They haven’t figured out the connection, yet.”
“I can’t barge in on your grandma.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I think she’d be disappointed if you didn’t. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
The scream that followed nearly pierced his eardrum. “Teagan, I need your car next weekend.”
“Katie.”
Instead of answering, she was chit-chatting away with Teagan, who was obviously not too happy handing over her car.
“Katie!” he said, somewhat louder.
“Hmm? Yes.”
“What’s wrong with your car?”
He guessed the moment of silence wasn’t a good sign.
“You’ve seen my Beetle. I’ll get to the Vic border, and it’ll probably die of exhaustion.”
Another chuckle. “Sweetheart, let me hire you a car. Give me your surname, and I’ll get everything organised.”
Silence. He assumed she was thinking it through.
“I can’t accept that,” she whispered.
In between their conversation, he heard her arguing with her friend, who was doing her best to convince Katie to take the offer. Shaking his head, he tried to get her attention again.
“Katie?”
“Hmm?”
“Your surname.”
“Are you sure?”
“Katie?”
“Okay, yes!”
He laughed at her response. “I don’t mean to brag, but I get paid well.”
Her voice was barely audible as he fell for her a bit more, for her humbleness.