The Wrong Callahan

by Karly Lane

  ‘I guess you’ve figured out my family life wasn’t like yours,’ she started. ‘Actually, it couldn’t have been any more different. I lived with my mum mostly. Dad used to come and go—my parents had a love-hate relationship. Mum had a lot of emotional issues, mostly brought on by long-term drinking and drug use. I used to cook for us. We had help from my dad and the club, people would bring groceries over and sometimes cook us a few meals.’

  ‘The club?’

  ‘Motorcycle club … not the Ulysses kind,’ she added dryly. ‘My parents had this weird relationship. It was like they couldn’t ever really end it. They couldn’t stand each other, but they couldn’t stay away either.’ She’d struggled to work it out most of her life. It wasn’t until her adult years that she realised it was something to do with animal magnetism. They were drawn to each other, but her mother’s emotional issues and dependencies made it almost impossible to have any kind of normal relationship. Maybe if her father hadn’t had his own demons to fight—his drinking was almost as bad—he could have gotten her the help she needed and they could have worked it out.

  ‘Anyway,’ she said, shaking off her melancholy, ‘he lived part of the time with another woman, Janice, and they had my half-brother, Johnny.’

  ‘Johnny and Cash?’ he said doubtfully.

  Cash closed her eyes wearily, ‘Yep, you heard correctly.’

  ‘Wow.’

  ‘He had his heart set on me being a boy and naming me Cash, after his hero. When I turned out to be a girl, it must have taken the wind out of his sails, but he was determined to stick with the plan. A few years later he got his son.’

  ‘What happened to your mum?’

  ‘She overdosed when I was fifteen. That’s when I went to live with Dad, Janice and Johnny.’

  ‘Were you and your brother close?’

  ‘Yeah, we were. I mean I lived with Mum, but we spent a lot of time together as kids. He worshipped the ground Dad walked on. When I got older I could see how messed up our life was, but Johnny didn’t care. All he wanted was Dad’s approval. He couldn’t wait to follow in his footsteps. I couldn’t wait to leave. I tried to convince Johnny to come with me, but it was like talking to a brick wall. I wish I’d tried harder.’

  ‘I think that would have been pretty hard to do. Speaking from experience, teenage boys never listen to their sisters,’ he told her, taking a sip of his drink. ‘You were just a kid.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. But part of me still feels guilty for leaving him behind. I could see he was headed for trouble. Dad was in and out of prison all his life and that’s exactly where Johnny was headed when I left. Then a few years later there was this huge war between rival clubs and Johnny was killed one night outside our house. The club retaliated and Dad killed the guy who killed his son.’

  ‘That’s pretty full on.’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘So how does the money come into it?’

  ‘After I left he used to keep tabs on me. Then once he went to prison, he had his mates do it for him. Now and again money turns up when they track me down.’

  ‘Where does the money come from?’

  ‘No idea,’ she shrugged, looking into her drink. ‘Probably from nothing legal, but who knows, I haven’t had anything to do with my father in years.’ She’d had nowhere else to go after her mother died but it had been a miracle she’d lasted twelve months living with Janice who’d pointedly ignored her. She’d overheard enough arguments between Janice and her father to realise she was an unwelcome guest. She’d left at the first opportunity. ‘Maybe he has legitimate investments but, either way, I don’t want anything from him so I don’t keep it. Never have.’

  ‘So what do you do with it?’

  Cash gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘Find somewhere it can do some good.’

  ‘Not many people would do that. No one would blame you if you decided to keep it and set yourself up.’

  ‘I would.’

  She took a sip of her drink, enjoying the sudden quiet between them.

  ‘So I guess you wouldn’t know anything about the anonymous donation made to the Holms, then?’ he asked, eyeing her with a slightly lifted eyebrow.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she answered calmly.

  Hearing about the little girl who needed that operation had just about broken her heart.

  ‘That was a pretty awesome thing to do,’ he said quietly.

  ‘I was in a position to do something. I guess in this case, I can be grateful for my father’s reappearance in my life,’ she said dryly. ‘Please don’t tell anyone, Linc,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘You’re the only person other than Savannah who knows about my father. I’ve worked hard to distance myself from that life and I don’t want to have it dug up for everyone to hear about now.’

  ‘People aren’t going to judge you because of who your father is, Cash.’

  ‘Just promise me, okay?’

  ‘Okay.’

  Cash was glad that the rest of the day was relatively normal. They cooked dinner together and Linc entertained her with stories about his time in the army. It took her mind off the unpleasantness of having told him about her less than ideal childhood, but a lingering sadness remained. Yes, she was angry at her parents for not stepping up and doing what parents were supposed to do, and yes, she felt cheated of a childhood that most people took for granted, but mostly she was just sad. Sad for the woman who couldn’t be happy, even with a child who adored her; and sad for the father who led his son down such a destructive path when he should have been trying to save him.

  Twenty

  It was hard to believe it was only a few days shy of Christmas. Last night she’d opened the front door to find a huge pine tree leaning against the frame and Linc, looking very proud of himself, standing next to it.

  ‘What’s this?’

  ‘It’s a Christmas tree,’ he had said slowly.

  ‘I know it’s a Christmas tree, but what’s it doing here?’

  ‘I cut it down, just for you.’

  Cash leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb and raised an eyebrow. ‘How very manly of you.’

  ‘Exactly. And I expect a manly reward in thanks after we set this big guy up inside.’

  ‘You want to be rewarded for chopping down a perfectly happy tree living in the wild to shove it in a bucket in my living room to wilt and drop pine needles all over the place?’

  ‘Where’s your Christmas spirit, woman?’ he asked, shaking his head.

  ‘I have plenty of Christmas spirit, I just don’t usually do the whole tree thing.’

  ‘You have to have a Christmas tree … even in Afghanistan we had a Christmas tree,’ he protested. ‘It’s not Christmas without one.’

  It did smell good, though, and seeing as he was already carrying it inside, there had seemed little point in arguing with him about it. Apparently this year she was having a tree!

  The past weeks had flown, with Cash kept busy with back-to-back appointments through the day and intoxicating nights of sex with one extremely hot commando.

  Cash couldn’t get enough of him. She’d expected the novelty to have worn off by now—he was rugged and charming in a God’s-gift-to-women kinda way. There was nothing romantic about the man—he was pure, unadulterated sex on legs, and sparks seemed to ignite the moment they were within touching distance of each other. He could be cocky and brash, yet when they were together he made her feel as though she were the most exquisite thing he’d ever seen. She’d never felt as though she were the centre of someone’s universe the way Linc made her feel when they were together. He always put her needs before his own, and as small a thing as that might be, when you’d never experienced it before, it meant a lot. Of course, she knew she wasn’t really the centre of his universe, but for the time they were together he made her feel like she was. She’d stupidly believed that when the time came she’d be capable of switching off this whole holiday fling thing, but with each passing day it was becoming harder to
remind herself of the rules she’d set for herself.

  The hall in the centre of town was the pride of the community. Lavinia and Bob were part of the committee responsible for its care. They’d raised money for renovations over the years and it boasted an enviable kitchen, a necessity for the amount of time volunteers spent in there cooking and cleaning, or making endless cups of teas when hosting the multitude of events held at the hall.

  Tonight they were hosting a carols by candlelight and Christmas party for the town. Each Christmas for as long as Cash could remember, she’d watched the Christmas Eve carols by candlelight on TV. It was her one guilty pleasure for the season, but she’d never actually been to a carols by candlelight event in person and she was possibly a little more excited by it than she should be.

  As she parked her car, she noticed that each side of the street was lined with vehicles and already the park was crowded with people seated on fold-out chairs and blankets. Colourful fairy lights had been hung on the many beautiful trees the park boasted, and tinsel and Merry Christmas signs had been draped on every other available wall or post.

  As she drew closer to the crowd the hum of happy voices in conversation flooded around her. She nodded at semi-familiar faces as she passed, exchanging Merry Christmases as she moved towards the hall. She wasn’t sure where she was supposed to set up her chair, and as she searched the sea of faces for someone she recognised, she heard someone call her name.

  Lavinia came towards her wearing a bright red apron with Santa’s helper written across the front and carrying a tray of meat. ‘I’m so glad you decided to come along,’ she beamed.

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it,’ Cash grinned back. ‘Can I help?’

  Lavinia smiled. ‘If you’d like to? I don’t want to put you to work when this is your first Christmas here.’

  ‘I’d like to help out, if I’m not in the way.’ She’d feel less conspicuous doing something rather than sitting on a chair by herself like a Nigel-no-friends.

  ‘Well, all right then, come this way. I’ll just drop off this meat to the men.’

  Lavinia introduced her to a number of ladies in the hall who were performing various jobs inside the spacious kitchen area. Everything seemed to be working with military precision. Women up one end buttered bread, while others chopped onions and were arranging various salad components on the bench. Cash spotted Harmony stacking the dishwasher and smiled, getting a hesitant nod in return. It seemed there was one Callahan she was never going to win over. While everyone else seemed to be dressed in as much tinsel as humanly possible and wearing a variety of Christmas-themed T-shirts in red or green, Harmony looked as stylish as always in a white top and matching long, flowy lace skirt. The only colour she wore came from the chunky emerald abalone-shell bracelet edged in gold on her wrist. The woman knew how to throw things together to look classy.

  At the other end of the hall was a large Christmas tree with wrapped gifts beneath and a few tables set up selling raffle tickets. To say it was a hive of activity would be an understatement, and yet despite the hustle and bustle, everyone was happy and there was a definite festive vibe filtering through the air.

  Outside a band was playing a number of country Christmas carols, and various acts from the local primary school were performing on a makeshift stage.

  Cash was given the job of running out anything needed by the food stalls. She kept up a steady stream of paper plates and napkins, emptied overflowing rubbish bins and helped out wherever she was needed. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d smiled so much. Everyone was pitching in and the most mundane of chores were suddenly enjoyable. She chatted to a few women who lived out of town on properties, discovered a few common interests and generally enjoyed herself passing the time in easy conversation. She admired the strength of character a small place like Rankins Springs built in the people who lived out here. There was nothing close by when you lived so far from a major regional town. Even simple things like needing a doctor or a dentist involved fairly substantial travel time. And yet the children out here didn’t seem to be suffering from lack of amenities. They were involved in sports and after-school events just like any kid in a larger town, only they had to drive a lot longer to get there, and the dedication of their parents to make time for these things was quite remarkable.

  Once it got darker and the dinner rush had subsided, Cash and quite a few of the other helpers were ushered out of the hall to go and enjoy the carols.

  ‘Go along with Harmony,’ Lavinia said when Cash picked up her chair from where she’d left it earlier. ‘I’ll be over shortly. She’ll show you where we’re all sitting.’

  Cash tried to engage Harmony in conversation, but her curt answers were not encouraging. She didn’t know what she’d done to the woman, but she was getting sick of her frosty attitude. ‘Do you come out to this every year?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘It must be nice to have something like this … a tradition.’

  ‘Not that there’s much choice when your parents are Lavinia and Bob Callahan,’ she said dryly.

  ‘I think it’s great that they’re so involved with their community.’

  ‘Of course it is. They’re the backbone of this town.’

  ‘Are the kids here?’ Cash asked as they drew closer to a group of people she recognised, among them Hadley and the Dawsons.

  ‘No. They had previous engagements with friends in Griffith.’

  ‘Oh.’ She didn’t want to ask about Don. Something told her that this was not Don’s thing.

  Hadley greeted Cash with a bright welcome, reintroducing her to Olivia and her mother, Sue, before rattling off another few names of people she hadn’t met before who were clearly part of the Callahan social group. ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘Helping in the kitchen,’ Cash said as she set her chair up, her protest as everyone shuffled their positions so she could fit in falling on deaf ears.

  ‘I would have come over and rescued you earlier if I’d known,’ Hadley said with a small grimace.

  ‘It’s okay, there were plenty of helpers,’ Harmony put in briskly, and Cash regretted being seated between the two sisters.

  ‘I knew you’d have everything under control, Mon,’ Hadley threw back lightly. ‘Between Mum and Mon, there’s never any room for anyone else in a kitchen anyway.’

  ‘Well, it’s easier if everything’s just left to those who can do it.’

  What was it with this family? Cash wondered. Even the sisters had some feud brewing under the surface. For a picture-perfect family, they sure did seem to have some unresolved issues.

  ‘How are the wedding preparations going? Or are you sick of everyone asking that?’

  ‘Everything’s under control,’ she said. ‘Mitch arrived this morning. It’s starting to feel a bit real now.’

  ‘At least you can take your mind off it for a while with Christmas,’ Cash said, ‘and it must be nice to see your fiancé again.’ She caught sight of the man in question holding court nearby in the centre of a small group of men.

  ‘Oh, we’re used to being separated,’ she said, waving off the question, ‘but it’ll be nice to show him around the place.’

  ‘He hasn’t been out here before?’ Cash hadn’t meant to sound surprised, but from the small grimace on Hadley’s face, she guessed she had.

  ‘Yeah, I know, but our schedules have been a major headache. We’ve just never seemed to be able to coordinate a time when we’re both in the same country and have holidays at the same time.’

  ‘Let’s all keep our fingers crossed the wedding actually happens this time,’ Harmony murmured.

  ‘Don working again, is he?’ Hadley asked, sipping her glass of wine while she watched her sister.

  Harmony’s mouth straightened into a tight line and Cash was grateful that Lavinia arrived with a couple in tow to save the sniping from escalating.

  ‘Cash, have you met Bev and Kel yet? Bev’s one of our local councillors.’

  ‘No, I don�
�t think so,’ Cash said, greeting the couple warmly.

  ‘I don’t suppose you know anything about reading cards, do you?’ Bev asked Cash. ‘Savannah was going to do a night of angel card readings and we’ve never really gotten it organised.’

  ‘Ah, no. I’m afraid the only cards I know anything about are poker and blackjack,’ Cash said. At Harmony and Hadley’s surprised glances, she quickly added, ‘I worked in a casino for a while.’ Which she had, but her father had taught her how to play poker when she was eight, although that probably wasn’t a polite conversation topic to be broaching right now.

  ‘You’re a regular Jill of all trades,’ Harmony commented.

  ‘You have to be if you want to work and travel.’ Bev and Kel moved on to find their seats and Cash noticed for the first time that it was finally dark enough for the candles to be lit and a hum of excitement ran through her. Maybe it wasn’t as big and extravagant as the carols on TV, but what it lacked in size, the locals more than made up for in enthusiasm. Cash belted out the carols with gusto—Mariah Carey she wasn’t, but she didn’t let that stop her from enjoying the experience. There was just something about Christmas carols that made you feel happy.

  When the last carol was sung and Santa had been and gone in the back of a ute, having thrown out lollies to the kids and handed out presents from under the tree, everyone began to disperse. Chairs were folded, blankets shaken, handshakes swapped and hugs given, and within minutes the crowded park was deserted.

  The group said their farewells and Lavinia gave her a hug. ‘You are coming over on Christmas Eve, aren’t you?’ she said, although it sounded more like a statement to Cash, who smiled and nodded. ‘Lovely! I’ll see you then, and thank you for all your help tonight. You know, this community suits you.’

  Cash experienced one brief moment of elation at the words, before swallowing it back. She wasn’t staying here forever. Very soon she’d be moving on. It was important to remember that before she let this fantasy that had been forming in her head take root. As much as she adored this little town, she didn’t belong here. The thought made her sad. She’d been fooling herself to think that she could find some nice wholesome boy and reset her life. She’d tried but look where she’d ended up. With Lincoln Bad Boy Callahan.