‘I told her the truth.’
When Travis next spoke his voice was ice cold. ‘Which was?’
‘That I’d spoken to the Gold family.’
‘Then you did lie to her.’
Paul stood taller, becoming defensive. ‘No, I didn’t. I had spoken to the Golds. Just not you.’
‘Don’t move.’ Travis stomped back inside and straight to the pool table. ‘Denver. Outside. Now.’
‘What the …?’ Denver looked at Travis, then put down his cue and followed him out.
Facing Paul Kelly again, Travis growled. ‘And is this the Gold you spoke to?’
Denver had a blank look on his face. ‘What’s going on? What’s all this about?’
Paul took a step toward Denver. ‘No. I don’t believe we’ve met. Paul Kelly’s my name.’ He put his hand out to Denver, but Travis shoved in between them.
Travis spoke through clenched teeth. ‘Look, I’ve had enough of your games. Who’ve you spoken to?’
Paul rolled his eyes, and then shrugged. ‘I’ve spoken to Mark Gold. Mark, and his wife, Linda. Lovely couple. They were very excited about the possibilities. If I’d had the contract ready, I believe they’d have signed up on the spot.’
Denver, still looking confused, turned to Travis. ‘Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda? What’s all this about?’
Travis cocked his head towards Paul. ‘This man is trying to buy up Main Street. He’s been sneaking around talking to everyone independently. We were next.’
Denver frowned. ‘Trying to buy up Main Street? What, as in all our shops and the saloon and everything?’
Travis nodded, and Paul shrunk further back. ‘It’s a great opportunity. They want to turn the street into a movie set in the first instance, then, after the filming is finished, turn the whole street into a tourist attraction—panning for gold, a haunted hotel, re-enactments of gunfights in the saloon, that sort of thing.’
Denver was smiling, but Travis wasn’t buying it. ‘What sort of idiot would come up with an idea like that?’ As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew. Harrison. His sitting there hadn’t been a coincidence. ‘Well, you can tell your client that this Gold family isn’t interested, so I guess that means the whole deal is off the table, yes?’
Paul’s face darkened. ‘Not necessarily—we have some flexibility with leaving a few of the existing shops. Your jewellery shop, for instance, isn’t necessarily critical. Please, let me buy you both lunch tomorrow and we can talk about it after you’ve had a chance to let it soak in. It really is a fantastic opportunity. You have to think of the others as much as yourself. The town’s been dying a slow death. This could bring it new life, and everyone in the surrounding area will benefit from that.’
Travis shook his head. So, he’d used guilt with everyone—hard to do if they were all in the room together. He patted Denver on the shoulder. ‘Go back in and finish the game, I’ll be back in a minute.’
‘Okay,’ Denver said after a slight pause, then left to let Travis to deal with Paul.
‘There’s no need to take me to lunch, because the answer is no. My family has a long history with this town, and even if my uncle has lost interest in it, I haven’t. We aren’t interested in selling, and you can take that back to your client.’
Travis turned on his heel and went back into the saloon, not even looking over his shoulder to see if Paul was still standing there.
Once inside, he pulled out his phone and pressed his uncle’s number.
~~*~~
Travis had stayed at the saloon until well after midnight, with the volume on his phone turned all the way up so he’d hear if his phone rang. It never did.
Sitting on the edge of his bed now, he kept going over the conversation he’d had with his uncle—about how opportunities like this don’t come knocking twice. His aunt and uncle wanted to live the good life for their twilight years and the money they’d get from selling their Main Street properties would enable them to go on the cruises they’d been coveting ever since Mark retired. They didn’t share Travis’ sense of connection to the town. They were ready to sign, and Mark had urged Travis to do the same.
His uncle’s words tugged at his heart. If Mark didn’t share Travis’ connection to the town, then surely, Alex and her sisters wouldn’t either. Was he being selfish by not wanting to sell?
He glanced at his phone, willing it to ring. There was no longer any doubt that she’d be home—probably unpacked, showered and rested even. She just didn’t want to speak to him. But he needed to hear it from her mouth—that of course she’d be selling—that she’d be a fool not to, and that she was no fool—but he couldn’t bring himself to call her again.
He stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed, missing her even more. He closed his eyes, remembering what it had been like, having her next to him, savouring her scent, and the soft touch of her skin. He clutched the pillow she’d used. Was the scent of her perfume still on it, or was it simply his imagination?
His uncle’s words, about how opportunities like this don’t come knocking twice, played on his mind again. His uncle was right. They didn’t. Only his uncle didn’t have the subject of the opportunity right. It wasn’t the opportunity to sell that wouldn’t come again. It was a woman like Alex.
And that’s the moment he knew what he had to do.
If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.
Chapter 32
Alex and Casey sat at a small table outside one of Melbourne’s laneway cafés finishing their lunch. They’d spent the last two hours shopping, and Alex had found not only a complete outfit for the wedding, but also the most adorable stuffed koala for Annie. The morning’s success had gone part way to lifting her spirits, but even so a shadow hung over her that she struggled to shake.
Casey set her coffee cup on the table and stared at Alex. ‘You’ve been awfully quiet the past couple of days. Is there something else you want to talk about, besides the decisions we need to make about the properties?’
Alex gazed down the busy lane. There were people everywhere; an eclectic mixture of tourists, business people, couriers, students and shoppers making their way along the bluestone lane, some eyeing them enviously for having scored an outside table on this cool but dry day. On practically any other day, Alex would be completely engrossed in conversation with her sister. Or, if she was here on her own, she’d be analysing the passing parade of people, listening to snippets of their conversation, wondering about their lives.
But today she found it hard to do either.
She looked at Casey and sighed. One side of her wanted to tell Casey everything, but she didn’t want her problems to influence the decision the three of them still needed to make. She’d told the twins all they needed to know about Travis Gold over dinner the night she’d arrived; that they’d had a couple of dates; that they’d gotten along well enough; but that it had been nothing more than a bit of fun. And she’d told them about the offer, and that it seemed reasonable. They’d agreed to think on it, and not do anything until after they got back from the wedding.
She almost felt like she was lying to them by leaving out so much, but the reasons for her reluctance to discuss Travis that night still held. And they were the same reasons she’d decided not to return his calls. Business was business. After all, that’s how Travis was treating it.
Casey looked at her with wide eyes. ‘Um, Earth to Alex? Did you hear me ask if there’s anything else you want to talk about?’
‘Sorry, yeah, no, everything’s good. I’m waking up awfully early, but I’ll try to stay up a bit later tonight, and hopefully I’ll sleep through the night.’
Casey narrowed her eyes, tilting her head in thought. Alex wondered if she’d seen through her feeble excuse, but Casey didn’t press her for more information. Not at the moment, anyway.
Alex t
urned as a woman, whose American accent triggered a pang of nostalgia, began coaxing her husband to stop at a small jewellery store across from them. The man caught Alex’s eye, made a face as he shook his head, and then rolled his eyes. ‘She’s already bought three gold necklaces on this vacation—she must think I’m made of money, right?’
Alex smiled in response, and then the man turned and grabbed his wife’s hand, pulling her away from the shop window. The woman laughed when he threw his arm around her shoulders and they made their way down the laneway.
Something about the exchange got through to Alex. Just as the woman had brushed off her husband’s refusal to look at any more jewellery, Alex had to brush off her own disappointment in men. She was home and spending time with her family. And they were all going to a wedding. When they got home from the wedding, they’d discuss everything, and most likely sign the contracts.
She drew in a long breath, held it, and let it out slowly. She was, yet again, thinking too much. She set her cup on the table with determination and turned back to Casey. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet. I’m just a bit tired. Shall we make a move for home?’
‘Okay.’ Casey stood, and pushed in her chair, then did a beeline to look at the jewellery the woman had been admiring.
Forty-five minutes later Casey pulled up in front of Alex’s place, leaving the motor running. Alex jumped out and went to the back of the car to retrieve the shopping, then stood next to the driver’s door as Casey lowered the window. ‘Not coming up?’
‘No, I better not. I told Maree I’d come in for a couple of hours this afternoon. She’s under the pump at the moment since one of the casuals just quit.’
Alex smiled, nodding. ‘You’re good to her. But then again, she’s always been good to you, too. So … what time do you want to leave tomorrow?’
‘Not sure. Taylor’s baking all the nibbles for the cocktail party tonight but might need to do a bit more in the morning, so they probably won’t be ready to leave until sometime after lunch.’
Alex sighed, still struggling to get enthusiastic about all the wedding rigmarole. ‘I can’t believe they need a rehearsal for a wedding that’s being held at their own home.’
‘I don’t think they need one, so much as want one. I think it’s more about country hospitality.’
Country hospitality—the words had a nice ring to them; a bit like her at the saloon shouting drinks for the first couple of hours when they re-opened. Another pang of nostalgia threatened to overcome her, but she brushed it aside. ‘Right then … you’ll let me know what time you want me at your place?’
‘I’ll give you a call in the morning. Kiss, kiss,’ Casey said, tilting her cheek toward Alex.
Alex leaned through the open window, kissed her sister, and stepped back to watch as the car sped off. Then, loaded down with her purchases, Alex made her way to the building entrance. That’s when she heard her named called, followed by a car door slamming.
She turned, trying to work out where the voice had come from. When she spotted him, she could hardly believe her eyes. ‘Travis? What are you doing here?’
‘I thought that would be obvious,’ he said, walking up and relieving her of her shopping bags.
Her heart started racing, and her voice came out breathless. ‘Yes, well, I suppose you’re here to see me, but why are you here? I mean, why are you in Australia?’
He smiled, and leaned forward, kissing her cheek. ‘You just said why. To see you.’
She frowned at his avoidance of the question, then fumbled in her purse for her keys and opened the lobby door. ‘Okay, well, you’d best come in then.’
By the time she’d led the way up the single flight of stairs and to her door, she was completely out of breath. But it wasn’t from the stairs. The suspense was killing her. Travis was here. In Australia. In her apartment. Why?
She grimaced as she opened the door, seeing the mess of papers spread all over the kitchen table, but there was no point trying to hide them. He’d know what they were—he’d already signed similar ones himself. ‘Please excuse the mess … I wasn’t expecting company.’
‘It’s fine. Where do you want these?’ He lifted the bags, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
‘On my bed, thanks.’ At least she’d made her bed this morning. There was that.
As he walked away, she called out to him. ‘Can I make you a tea? Or a coffee.’
‘Either—I could do with some caffeine.’
She cleared a space at the table, then went around the island bench and switched on the kettle. When he returned she said, ‘Take a seat. When did you get in?’
‘This morning,’ he answered as he sat at the table.
She grabbed two cups and put teabags in them. ‘Oh, so you’ve only just arrived?’ She hated that her voice still sounded so breathless, but seriously, why was he here?
‘Yes, I hadn’t thought to book a rental car so I was lucky I got one, and that it had a navigator. I’m not sure I’d have worked out how to get here otherwise. Melbourne’s a much bigger place than I expected.’
She shrugged, thinking he wouldn’t have been the first to make that mistake. She tried to make small talk, since he wasn’t giving much away. ‘And so … is this the first time you’ve driven on the left?’
‘No, I drove when I was in London, but that was a few years ago so this was still a bit of a challenge.’
She poured the boiled water over the teabags, and brought the cups to the table, and then stood across from him. ‘And so … you got here.’
‘Yes, I got here, and I’ve been sitting out there trying to stay awake, hoping you’d come home soon. I tried ringing the bell, but you obviously weren’t here. I was hoping you hadn’t gone off somewhere exotic for this wedding.’
‘Yes, well, a day later and you’d have been waiting a long time. We’re heading up to the wedding tomorrow.’ She fiddled with her tea bag, waiting for him to explain why he’d come. When he didn’t speak, she continued. ‘You haven’t actually answered my question … what, exactly, are you doing here?’
He stood slowly and stretched out his back—then, not taking his eyes off hers, he came over and stopped right in front of her. ‘You wouldn’t return my calls.’
As her face grew hot, she cursed her fair complexion under her breath. ‘Oh, yeah, I … uh … kept meaning to.’
‘Sure. For almost a week now you’ve been meaning to. Yes, well I suppose you have been busy shopping.’
She sighed, resignation washing over her. ‘Travis … look, I wanted to calm down before I rang you. I needed to think things through. And I’ve done that now. Actually, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve come to understand how it makes sense for everyone. I’m not mad anymore.’’
A frown contorted his face. ‘Makes sense for everyone? You’re not mad anymore? What do you mean?’
She drew in a deep breath, trying hard to work out how best to express her conflicted thoughts. ‘At first, I was furious that you’d gone behind my back to sell up—I think that’s what hurt the most—you not even telling me, not discussing it.’
He raised his hands, frowning as he shook his head back and forth. ‘Alex, that’s not—’
‘Let me finish. I’ve had time to think about it, and to see it from the other side. Just because I was passionate about building the town back up doesn’t mean others are. And it occurred to me that not everyone may have the financial capacity to ride out the slow times like my sisters and I do.’
He took a step back as even deeper furrows creased his forehead. ‘Wait … you mean you don’t want to sell?’
The tone in his voice caught her off guard. ‘No, of course not. I was just getting comfortable there—with the saloon, and the new shop—and I’d been discussing tennis coaching with the high school principal, and, you know … other things.’ She felt heat rising up to her
cheeks again.
His frown eased slightly. ‘And you feel connected enough to the town to want to stay, and help me bring it back to life?’
Now it was her turn to frown. ‘Help you? But you’ve already signed. Paul Kelly told me you practically signed up on the spot, and that was a week ago.’
Travis’ face darkened. ‘That lying son-of-a … he told you I’d signed?’
She cocked her head, looking across to the window. What, exactly, had he said? ‘Well, I’m pretty sure he told me the Gold’s had signed … or were about to. Yes, I’m sure that’s what he said.’
‘He was talking about my Uncle Mark—Nick and Stacy’s dad—he’s retired and saw this as a great way to get the cash out of the place so he and my aunt could live luxuriously in their twilight years.’
‘Oh …’ she could barely get the word out, ‘I thought … I mean … I was so certain it was you.’
A smile crept onto his face as he quirked an eyebrow. ‘And that’s no doubt exactly what Paul wanted you to think—that all the Golds had signed. But you have to realise I wouldn’t have done anything like that without talking to you first. We’re the descendants of the founding fathers, after all.’
Confusion swept over her, making it hard to find her voice at first, but after a moment she continued. ‘You wouldn’t have signed without speaking to me? But … I thought … I mean your family and mine were sort of … at odds with each other?’
He let out a loud sigh, shaking his head slowly. ‘My father was desperate to get the saloon back, so yes, he wasn’t enamoured with the Mason family. But once he passed, I tried to let it go. I definitely wanted your uncle to accept our offer, but it was mostly for Dad’s sake—to honour his wishes. But regardless of that, the Masons and the Golds have always done what’s right for the town. I made my feelings on that matter quite clear when I found out my uncle had been doing deals without telling me.’
Her knees went weak, and she reached out to the chair for support. Travis stepped forward, putting his hands on her waist to pull her toward him, and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. His breath was warm on her neck just before he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Discovering Gold Page 24
