‘I can do better than that. If your aunt Rosie is free, we can go and see Australia play New Zealand this weekend.’ Standing up, he said to Rosie, ‘I’ve got spare tickets, enough for you and the children.’
Charlie’s hand tightened on her arm in his excitement, although he stayed silent. She glanced down to see a huge smile pasted on his face and knew she’d be unable to deny him. Even so, she was bristling with the feeling she’d been manipulated—no doubt Nick had been well meaning but she really didn’t have a choice, did she? Charlie was talking in front of Nick. As if this was a breakthrough she’d put at risk. And then she remembered they couldn’t make it anyway. ‘Saturday we have my dad’s birthday—’
Nick interrupted her excuse before she’d finished giving it. ‘The game’s on Sunday.’
‘Sunday?’
At her side, Charlie was nodding. Again she was astounded at his relative comfort in communicating with Nick. If Nick had wanted to get involved, maybe the twins wouldn’t have been an issue. Charlie had certainly taken to him. A moot point now, since there was to be no such involvement, no fling. But it looked like they were stuck being friends, at least until the cricket and Charlie’s surgery were over.
It would have been better to avoid any more time together before she got more hurt. But Charlie tugged on her hand again and she knew she was caught. She gave in. ‘Okay.’
If Charlie’s smile was the cake, Nick’s was the icing. And that left her feeling very nervous.
She was going to have to play this very carefully if she wanted to emerge from this unscathed.
Sunday arrived eventually and Nick arrived with it, right on time. The twins, who had been had been counting the sleeps before the big day, raced to the front door, bursting with excitement.
If only it was that straightforward for her. She padded down the hallway after them, wondering how she was going to keep up her act of ‘just friends’ for a whole afternoon when inside she was a turbulent mix of desire and frustration.
She glanced down at her knee-length shorts and plain T-shirt. She’d dressed not to impress, hoping it would make playing the role of a friend easier. Method acting for dummies. She was buddy material and not a woman looking for a relationship. Or even a kiss. Because he’d made it clear and she’d promised herself, No kisses.
‘Hi, guys, all set?’ Nick greeted the twins before turning his attention to Rosie. ‘Welcome back. Ready to go?’ His eyes gave nothing away. He was being the perfect friend, maybe even a little distracted.
Either way, perfect friends were overrated.
The twins followed Nick out to his car and piled into the back.
Rosie had a flash of what life had been like for her niece and nephew before the accident, their parents in the front seats, kids in the back. Luckily Lucy and Charlie didn’t seem to be having any flashbacks at the moment. Rosie had returned safely from Canberra and the twins had been well cared for by their grandparents in her absence. Still, Rosie made an effort to keep the conversation light.
‘How did you get tickets for today?’ she asked Nick, forcing herself to be the perfect friend, chatty, at ease. In other words, the exact opposite of how she was feeling, which was confused, torn and wanting that evasive kiss, dammit! ‘Charlie tells me it has been sold out for ages.’
‘A friend of mine is the team doctor for the Kiwis.’
‘I’m starting to think you know more people in Sydney than I do. Prime ministers, cricketers…’
‘Nah, I only know the people behind the people. Besides, Andrew’s only visiting, but the match is sold out so it was lucky for us he’s here and could get his hands on tickets.’
‘What time does it start?’ Lucy piped up from the back seat.
‘One o’clock.’
‘Where are we sitting?’
‘We’ve got seats right on the fence in the members’ section so you should be able to get some autographs. If you look in the bag that’s on the back seat you’ll find some autograph books and pens.’
‘What bag?’
Nick glanced around as he waited at a stop sign. ‘Damn. I’ve left it at home. My place is literally around the corner, we’ll swing past and pick it up.’
Nick went around the block, turning into a street a few hundred metres from Rosie’s. He pulled into the driveway of a large gentleman’s bungalow, a solid-looking house, not flashy but it had character. Very much like Nick’s car. A huge frangipani tree dominated the front garden. Two old wooden garden chairs sat under its canopy and a swing hung from its branches. The house looked as though it had been well loved once upon a time and now just needed some tender loving care and a new family to give it life. It was much too big for one person.
‘Back in a sec.’ Nick dashed inside, returning with a large bag, which he handed to Lucy.
‘Cool, thanks,’ she said. ‘Do you think we’ll be able to meet the players?’
‘Don’t be silly, they’ll be busy.’
Rosie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she heard Charlie answer his sister.
He’d never spoken out loud to Lucy in front of anyone but close family! Had he forgotten who was driving the car? Whispering to Rosie in front of Nick the other day had been a big milestone, but talking openly! That was something else altogether. Rosie didn’t want to draw attention to this event in case Charlie hadn’t realised what he’d done. If she made a big deal out of it, it might never happen again. She glanced sideways at Nick, wanting to see if he’d noticed. He inclined his head very slightly, acknowledging the comment.
‘But Nick knows the doctor. Do you think we can meet the players?’ Lucy was still chatting away, to Nick now, also as if nothing astonishing had just occurred.
‘I’m not sure, Lucy. We’ll have to see when we get there,’ Nick replied. ‘If New Zealand do well there’ll be more chance, so you’ll have to cheer for them.’
‘No way,’ Lucy said as Nick took the exit for the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Rosie waited, listening, as Nick drove into the car park, but Charlie remained silent.
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. Charlie and Lucy hung their Australian flags on the boundary fence and proceeded to collect autographs from whichever Australian cricketers fielded nearby. They were so busy trying to get the attention of the players they paid no heed to Nick and Rosie.
‘Has that ever happened before?’ Nick asked, and Rosie knew immediately that he was referring to Charlie’s comment in the car.
She shook her head. ‘That was a first. He only talks to the five of us—Lucy, Mum, Dad, me and his best friend from school. He will talk to one of us openly in front of the others but he’s never talked to us in front of anyone else. The closest he’s come was last Thursday, when he whispered to me in front of you.’ Nick nodded. ‘I thought that was progress but today? That was something totally new. I wonder whether he forgot you were driving.’
‘That’s possible. Did he chat away when he was little, before he could talk properly?’
Rosie shook her head. ‘No, Lucy and Charlie had a madeup language of their own, as a lot of twins do. He used to chat to her, but until they started kindergarten I don’t think they spent much time with anyone other than family. Mum used to look after them one day a week when Anna worked and otherwise they were home with her. It was only when they started kindy we really noticed Charlie wouldn’t talk to strangers. Lucy chatted enough for both of them. Everyone just thought Charlie was shy, because he talked normally at home by this stage. But by the end of their kindy year, he still wasn’t talking to anyone but family. That’s when David and Anna took him to a speech pathologist. Eventually he was diagnosed and you know the rest.’
‘Maybe today will be the start of a breakthrough.’
‘Perhaps the way to encourage him to talk is to introduce people into the family dynamics one at a time so it’s not threatening to him.’ Afraid that had made it sound like she was propositioning him, she hurried on. ‘The speech pathologist
suggested that once Charlie is comfortable in a person’s company he’ll start to ignore them and be able to talk to others in their presence. Eventually that may lead to him being able to talk to new people. Maybe she was right.’
What she wanted him to say was, Looks like you’d better keep me around then, in order for this experiment to work.
What he said was, ‘It’d be a relief to you. And to Charlie.’
The crowd around them cheered loudly, interrupting their conversation. A wicket had been taken and the New Zealand batsman was making the long, solitary walk back to the pavilion.
Rosie used the break in the match to get her game face back on. Her mask of calm acceptance had slipped a little just then with her disappointment that he was able to keep up the friends act better than she was. Or was it not an act for him? Maybe it wasn’t a real stretch to act like she was a buddy simply because that’s what she was to him.
She busied herself with the children, reapplying their sunscreen, adjusting hats. All her fussing was unnecessary and Lucy made that obvious when she complained, reminding Rosie they’d had all that done not two hours before. She ignored them and pretended she knew best. Finally, they wriggled from her grasp back to their vantage point at the fence.
‘How was your Dad’s birthday?’ Nick asked when they were alone again.
‘Tough, actually. It was the first family celebration since David and Anna died and their absence was really noticeable. Dad and Dave had a special bond, which made it even harder.’
‘I expect your dad was pleased to have the twins there.’
Rosie nodded. ‘The twins were a good distraction except that Charlie is the spitting image of Dave.’
‘Are you thinking of staying in Sydney now to be close to your parents?’
She shrugged. ‘The twins couldn’t cope with a move yet but I’ve got a bit more time to decide. My work has given me another month’s leave. I’ve got until the end of the school holidays now.’
‘I can get you a job here if you need it.’
‘Thanks, but my boss is prepared to be flexible with my hours and I need that if I’m the primary carer for the twins. I guess it’s the main factor that makes Canberra an option. It’s a job I can trust and I know I’ll be able to manage it.’
‘The offer’s there if you want it.’
Nick didn’t push the topic and Rosie was grateful for that. She didn’t actually feel ready to return to work yet but if pushed she couldn’t have explained why. David and Anna’s life insurance payout meant she at least had the finances to allow her time to make the right decision.
The rest of the day passed in a pleasant blur of hot dogs, ice cream and easy conversation. When they left the ground at nine o’clock it was with two very tired but contented children in tow. Rosie sent the children upstairs to get ready for bed while she emptied their backpacks.
After being surrounded by a crowd of thousands all day and having had Lucy chattering away for most of the trip home, the sudden peace and quiet was a little daunting. Rosie was extremely conscious of Nick standing just inches away from her as she unpacked the bags.
There was movement in the kitchen doorway. Charlie had reappeared at the foot of the stairs.
‘Can Nick come up to my room? I want to show him something.’
This time Rosie knew Charlie’s words were deliberate. Nick was standing at the kitchen bench, in full view, and Charlie was happily talking in front of him and singling him out in his conversation. He still wasn’t talking to Nick but this was definitely a step in the right direction.
‘Of course,’ Rosie said.
Nick followed Charlie up the stairs and paused on the threshold, waiting to give Charlie the chance to change his mind, but Charlie waved him inside. Nick wondered if he would actually talk to him or if they’d be having another one-sided conversation. Not that it mattered, this invitation already indicated an improvement in Charlie’s condition.
‘Look at this.’
Charlie was standing by his window, looking at the night sky, not looking at Nick.
But he was talking, a huge step for the little boy.
Nick crossed over to him. The house was on the top of a hill and Charlie’s upper-floor window had a view across the rooftops to the northern arm of Bondi Beach. Charlie pointed towards the beach. ‘Can you see the town hall?’
The town hall and the hotel on the opposite corner were the largest buildings on the esplanade and were both brightly lit and easily distinguishable. ‘Sure.’
‘Look above the clock tower.’ Charlie’s eyes were riveted on the view outside. He still hadn’t glanced at Nick, but his voice, though quiet, was sure. ‘Can you see that bright star up there?’
‘I can.’
‘That’s my dad’s star. When Mum and Dad died, Lucy and I saw those stars shooting up to heaven. That smaller star, just next to Dad’s, is Mum. They’re always together.’ Charlie was whispering now but in the stillness of the room Nick had no difficulty hearing him. ‘He can see me when I’m sleeping. He stays awake all night to watch me. I leave my curtains open so that when I wake up during the night I can see him.’
Nick and Charlie stood silently, side by side, watching the star. Nick desperately wanted to gather Charlie up in a big hug but that would encroach on Charlie’s carefully guarded personal space. He also knew the hug was more about trying to let Charlie know he understood because he didn’t have the right words to express himself. So his only real option was to stand silently beside Charlie, waiting to see what he’d say next, and hope the little boy could feel his support.
Charlie pointed again. ‘Look. Dad’s blinking.’ The starlight was fading in and out, making it look as though the star was winking at them. Nick could hear the pleasure in Charlie’s voice.
‘So he is. What do you think that means?’
‘He does that when he’s happy. He’s happy now because Lucy and I had such a good day.’ And then, Nick saw in his peripheral vision, Charlie glanced at Nick as he spoke. ‘Dad likes you.’
‘Charlie, that is the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. I’m glad your dad likes me and I’m glad to hear you had a good time today. Should we do it again?’
Charlie nodded his head; he was still looking out the window. ‘Yes. Can we go tomorrow?’
‘There’s no game on tomorrow but as soon as we can, we’ll be there. And in the meantime, I’ll see you in the morning.’ Charlie’s tonsillectomy was scheduled for the following day but he didn’t spell that out. He resisted the urge to ruffle Charlie’s hair and touched him lightly, briefly, on the shoulder instead. ‘How about you hop into bed and I’ll get Rosie to come and kiss you goodnight?’
If only he was the one who was about to be kissed goodnight by Rosie.
But a promise was a promise. And it was as much for Rosie’s good as it was for his own. Like he’d thought when he’d first met her, there was a time and a place for everything. And now wasn’t theirs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ROSIE had kissed Lucy goodnight and was standing outside Charlie’s room, waiting to tuck him in but not wanting to interrupt. She could scarcely believe what she was hearing: Charlie was not only talking but sharing something so personal with Nick. It was beyond her wildest expectations. He was talking to someone outside the family and, just as wonderful, it was Nick he’d started to trust.
And if that was happening, was it such a stretch to start hoping there was room in her life for Nick? There were only a few small hurdles—she just had to work out exactly what she wanted, get around their promise of friendship and convince Nick he wanted her, too.
She shook her head at the audacity of her daydreaming. Small hurdles! She may as well be standing at the foot of Mount Everest, but, still, maybe she could start imagining what her future might be like. An image of her little family completed by the addition of Nick appeared in her mind’s eye and she knew it had been germinating there for some time, she’d just refused to acknowledge it. She’
d never before met someone whom she could imagine she might want to have around for ever but she had a strong suspicion Nick might just be it.
She ducked into the bathroom as Nick said goodnight as she didn’t want to be caught out listening at the door. Once Nick had gone downstairs she went into Charlie’s room but in the few brief minutes that had passed, Charlie had fallen asleep. A shaft of street light fell across his face, which was turned towards the open window and the night sky. Since his parents had died, he’d sucked his thumb in his sleep. Tonight his little hands were clasped together, tucked beneath the curve of his chin, his breathing slow and peaceful, a smile touching the corners of his full lips. The simple image grabbed her by the heart even more than hearing his words to Nick. For the first time since she’d moved here, he was sleeping like a child who was safe. Like a child who had not yet been touched by life’s troubles.
The image soothed her heart. She walked over to the window and picked out David and Anna’s stars and whispered, ‘We’re going to be okay.’ She’d told herself this before but this time, for the first time, she believed it.
She dropped one last kiss on the tip of Charlie’s nose as she left his room then padded downstairs, her heart more carefree than it had been since her brother’s death. Even if her scenario of her perfect imaginary family didn’t come true, she knew she was finally on the right track with Charlie.
Nick was waiting for her in the kitchen, leaning against the kitchen counter. ‘All asleep? Everything okay?’
‘Better than okay,’ she said, smiling up at him, her eyes alight.
‘I take it you heard our conversation?’ He came towards her, the smile on his lips reaching his eyes and mirroring her own elation. The effect of his smile was as instantaneous on her as ever, and she smiled back. Nick grinned even more broadly then as he scooped her into his arms and whirled her around. ‘Amazing,’ he said as he placed her feet back on the floor.
Italian Doctor, Dream Proposal / Wanted: A Father for her Twins Page 28