Winter in Mason Valley

by Eliza Bennetts

  Dianne smiled softly. ‘For now.’

  Travis felt the knot in his throat tighten and he swallowed against it.

  ‘Annie will need help when the time comes, Trav. So will you.’

  Travis was fighting a silent war with tears. ‘You’ve got the wrong idea about her, Mum. She’s my boss. She’s been forced to live with me and she’d rather not be there, trust me.’

  Dianne shrugged in acceptance. ‘Well, at least she’s there for now. For Annie.’

  ‘For Annie,’ he agreed. He finished his scone and caught the pained look on his mother’s face. ‘Bad day?’

  Dianne gave a quick nod. ‘A bit. I think the cold makes it worse.’

  Travis shook his head. ‘You should come and live with us in town. It’s too cold and isolated up here, and I have better heating. Plus, I could keep a better eye on you there.’

  ‘I could keep an eye on you,’ she shot back.

  She rubbed the top of her knees with her hands. This was one of her tells; a sure sign that she was uncomfortable. Travis’s heart seized with the pain that always forced its way through when he knew his mum was hurting.

  ‘I don’t want to come and hassle you and Annie. Besides, you already have a house guest.’

  Travis raised an eyebrow. ‘Say the word and she’s out.’

  Dianne patted his arm. ‘We’re not there yet, Trav. I promise, I won’t fight you when it’s time to come down off this hill. It’s just not time yet, that’s all.’

  He nodded, then flinched. He didn’t want to think about “the time” yet. He glanced at the countertop where his mother’s pills sat in rows. He’d watched her go through chemo—two rounds. He thought she would beat it—he’d always been sure she could do anything—and his heart still sparked with hope when he considered the remote chance that she might beat her cancer.

  ‘I’d feel better if you were in town.’

  ‘I know you would, and like I said, the day will come, but it’s not today.’

  He began clearing his plate. There was no point trying to convince his mother. She was like Annie—gorgeous, helpful and kind, but completely stubborn. Plus, arguing with him would only wear her out.

  His mother stood and began tidying. ‘Leave that, Mum. We’ll do it before we go. Let’s go find Dee and Annie. No doubt Annie is giving the grand tour.’

  ‘Let’s go and find out.’

  His mum was beaming. That she found the simple things in life, like going to find Annie or making scones for her family, so joy-inducing was incredible to Trav. She always managed to look on the bright side of life, despite what she was going through. Travis wished he could be more like her, but he’d been bestowed with his dad’s demeanour—calm, slow to anger and just as slow to get excited. It made for clear decision-making and reasonable problem-solving skills, but he often felt as if he were missing the joy that could be found in everyday life. Luckily, Annie took after her grandmother.

  He followed his mum down the hallway and past Annie’s insanely pink room. The arrival of a girl in the family had been a chance for Dianne to acceptably paint something pink. Almost every item of furniture in that bedroom was pink, along with the walls.

  They stepped out of the back door and walked through the covered patio.

  Annie and Dee stood away from the house, their hair whipping around in the wind, and they were both giggling at the wildness of the weather. Annie held up her hands, letting the wind catch the material of her jumper, and she implored Dee to do the same.

  Dee held up her arms and laughed as the wind attempted to toss and buck her body. Dianne guided Travis closer, laughing as she held on to him with one arm and held the other out to the side. Travis shook his head, letting them all know that he thought they were mad. But then he, too, stuck his arm out to one side.

  Then they were all laughing, and the wind carried the sound up and over the Mason Hills.

  16

  ‘Your mother is amazing!’ Dee’s head bobbed about as the ute crunched over the gravel drive.

  Travis looked proud but not surprised. It was clear he thought the world of his mum and rightly so. Dianne Parker was incredible—the antithesis of Dee’s mother. Kind, brave and warm. Dee could’ve stayed and chatted to her for hours, but she’d noted the older woman growing tired as the visit wore on. Travis had been quick to usher them into the ute soon after.

  ‘I do love Grandma,’ Annie sang. ‘Especially when she makes nice cakes and things.’

  ‘Grandma is a very good baker,’ Travis noted.

  Dee could sense his sadness filling the car. When he swallowed, the chords of his neck pulsed and tightened.

  ‘So, Annie,’ Dee began, intending to change the subject, ‘what do you usually do on the weekends?’

  Annie gasped. ‘Ah that’s easy! We always bum around.’

  ‘Annie!’

  Travis laughed and Dee was happy to see it. She swivelled in her chair to see Annie frowning.

  ‘But that is what we do!’ she cried.

  ‘We relax on the weekends,’ Travis clarified. ‘We go to the park and watch movies, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Sounds great.’

  Annie’s voice rose from the back seat once again. ‘You get to pick the movie, Dee, because you’re the guest and guests get to pick.’

  Travis shifted in his seat and Dee pursed her lips together, unsure how to reply.

  ‘Y’know, Annie,’ Travis said, ‘Dee might have something else she wants to do.’

  This comment made Dee even more unsure. She didn’t know if she should argue and gush and tell them she’d love to watch a movie with them, or pretend she had something better to do. The thought of watching a movie with Annie seemed nice, sort of cute and reminiscent of her childhood. On the other hand, she didn’t want to impose, and she got the feeling Travis would rather her not be involved.

  She decided on a response that she hoped wouldn’t offend either of them.

  ‘Maybe next weekend.’

  Dee spent much of the afternoon in her bedroom searching the web for transport and logistics companies that might do a better job than the current provider.

  A nice lady from head office called Maria had managed to dig out and send through their contract. Impressive for a Saturday. Dee replied to her email to thank her, but also to inquire as to why she was working on the weekend. Maria’s reply made her laugh.

  No life.

  That makes two of us, Dee wrote back.

  She hovered above the computer, eagerly awaiting a reply. None came.

  Realising she was missing girl time, Dee plucked her phone from the bedside table and called Jo.

  Calling a hotel manager on a Saturday afternoon was a real roll of the dice. Jo could either be up to her eyeballs in organising for the busy evening ahead or, hopefully, she might be in the midst of a lull. Lucky for Dee, it was the latter. Jo answered within two rings.

  ‘I miss you,’ Dee shot out. The sound of her best friend’s voice unleashed her feelings of uncertainty and loneliness.

  ‘Miss you too,’ Jo replied. ‘You know, the fact that you left not long after I came home was kind of shitty.’

  Dee looked down, her fingers finding a loose thread on the quilt. ‘Perhaps, I shouldn’t have.’

  There was silence between them until Jo broke it.

  ‘Is it that bad?’

  Dee sighed. ‘It’s not, not really. The little girl I live with is delightful, and the guy I work with, the financial controller, he’s kind of nice.’

  ‘Really?’ Jo drawled. ‘Nice guy, eh?’

  ‘He is, but …’

  ‘Let me guess, he’s got nothing on the hot single daddy you’re shacked up with.’

  Dee smiled. ‘True. But that’s not going to happen. I’m feeling a little unsure about everything. Maybe it’s because I’m hungover.’

  She told Jo about what had happened at the pub last night, and about meeting Trav’s mum, about her cancer. About Travis being hot and cold.
/>   Finally, she admitted the truth. ‘I think maybe I made a mistake.’

  Dee heard Jo take a deep, steady breath. ‘Dee, I know you’re struggling with this change, and I know how it feels to be away from everything that’s familiar. I felt the same when I moved to Urchin’s Bluff, but you will make friends. You’ll build a life and feel less alone, I promise. It just takes time.’

  Dee swallowed. She wasn’t sure if it was Jo’s voice or her reassuring words, but she couldn’t hold back her tears. ‘I feel so alone,’ she admitted.

  ‘I know,’ Jo cooed.

  Dee knew that voice. It was Jo’s “mum” voice. The one she used to soothe her daughter Sasha. Still, Dee’s tears fell.

  ‘Maybe I made a mistake. I know nothing about running a factory, and I don’t know anyone in this town. What was I thinking? Who was I trying to impress?’

  Jo sighed. ‘You were following your heart.’

  ‘Was I? Or was I just chasing that ever-allusive success my mother and father want for me?’

  ‘You can’t think about them now, Dee. You can’t. Focus on what’s in front of you. Put yourself out there. Try to make friends. Learn as much from this new role as you can. And then, after a few months, if it’s still not right, move on.’

  Dee nodded. Even though she and Jo were the same age, Jo often seemed older and wiser. Maybe it was the “mum” thing.

  ‘Listen, DeeDee, I’ve got to go. Just promise me one thing—say yes to every opportunity while you’re there. Don’t hold back. You’re there for a reason, and we all end up where we are for a reason, right?’

  Dee smiled. ‘Right.’

  That adage had proven true for Jo—she’d made a life and found love in Blaxland Falls.

  ‘Love you,’ Jo said.

  Then she was gone, and Dee was alone again.

  Dee closed her laptop and opened her bedroom door. Noise spilled into the room. Annie’s giggle and Travis’s deep tenor. It sounded like they were up to something in the kitchen. With Jo’s words still ringing in her ears, Dee wandered down the hall and stood at the kitchen door.

  They were making popcorn. Not the microwavable kind, but the old-fashioned type in the pan.

  Annie stood on a chair, waiting, one hand resting on Travis’s shoulder. He was bent over, his hands on his knees. He held a finger to his lips as he looked at his daughter.

  ‘Listen,’ he whispered.

  Then, as if on cue, the kernels began to pop. Pop … pop, pop … pop, pop.

  Annie clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

  Travis grinned at her and reached out to shake the pan as the kernels continued to pop.

  ‘Daddy, it’s popping!’ Annie laughed.

  Travis grinned again and kissed her on the cheek. Dee’s chest flooded with warmth as the distinct and familiar smell filled the air. Suddenly, she did feel like watching a movie. With them.

  In her bedroom, her phone began to ring. Travis and Annie turned to look at her.

  ‘Hi, Dee!’ Annie called.

  Travis simply raised an eyebrow, his intense gaze locking on her, causing the warmth in her chest to mix with a shot of something else.

  She stared back at him, conscious of the change in her breathing. It had quickened and caught in her chest. Travis’s gaze held hers and her cheeks grew warm. Heat rose in her core and radiated lower. She made the effort to compose herself, then smiled and waved before backing away.

  Once she was back in her bedroom, she grabbed at her phone so fast she didn’t even look at the caller ID.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, her voice pitchy and high.

  ‘Dee?’

  ‘Vince, hi.’ She hadn’t expected to hear from Vince on a Saturday.

  ‘Hello. How are you feeling after last night?’

  Dee thought back to the night before. The memory of Dean’s arm around her waist made her cringe. But then, afterwards, the walk home with Travis … that hadn’t made her cringe. That memory added to the heat caused by the look Travis had given her in the kitchen. She considered, for a moment, that it was kind of pathetic. If poor Travis couldn’t even make popcorn in his kitchen with his kid without her mooning over him, then it was going to be a long couple of months.

  ‘I’m okay,’ she said. ‘I downed a couple of Scotches pretty fast last night, but I’ve spent the morning in the hills sucking in some fresh air, so the hangover is almost gone.’

  ‘I’m glad.’ Vince’s voice was soft and quiet. His hesitation made him seem nervous and Dee worried that he might be about to share some bad news.

  ‘I actually called to ask you something.’

  ‘Oh.’ Her relief was instantaneous. ‘Ask away.’

  ‘We discussed getting together over dinner. To talk about the distribution issues. And I was thinking … I thought perhaps we could do that tonight. I’m free, so I thought I’d call and ask. There’s a decent Chinese restaurant in Cleeve Gully, about a twenty-minute drive from here. What do you say?’

  No was the response that came to mind, but then Dee thought back to her conversation with Jo. What was it Jo had said? Say yes to everything?

  The smell of popcorn drifted into Dee’s room. Watching the movie with Annie and Travis was what she really wanted to do, but she hadn’t been invited.

  At least, not by Travis.

  But now she’d received a genuine and heartfelt invitation and all she had to do was accept. Only, her brain attempted to pull her back, filling with concerns about the details. Who would pay? She should, the company should. Where was Cleeve Gully?

  The noise crowded her mind and polluted her thoughts.

  She stomped her foot against the carpet and cleared her head. The noise would have to wait. She needed to follow her best friend’s advice. So she did.

  17

  Travis and Annie were credits-deep in the movie by the time Dee appeared ready for her date with Vince, dressed in her skinny jeans, tight black turtle-neck and heels.

  Travis looked up and, glancing at her outfit, raised his eyebrow again. Something sparked in his irises; she saw it flare and then retreat. The heat that had consumed her body a couple of hours earlier was back. All Travis had to do was look at her again, and the soothing effects of a shower and some alone time in her room were shot.

  ‘Heading out?’ he asked.

  ‘I am,’ she said.

  Now, under the heat of his gaze with the sight of Annie nestled against him, his large tattooed arms splayed and relaxed over the top of the sofa, she felt the pull of the scene. She hoped her reaction was due to it being a cold night—the perfect conditions for curling up on the lounge and watching a movie—but the critical part of her mind questioned whether it was only the temperature that had her longing for a movie by the heater. Perhaps there were other things luring her. Annie’s cuteness for one thing … and those long, strong, adorned arms for another.

  Travis’s eyes shifted from Dee to the TV screen where names continued to scroll, and that was where his gaze stayed. Dee’s stomach and heart swam with a range of feelings—regret, defiance, discomfort, but more powerful than all of them was … desire.

  She shook her head and silence reigned until Annie spoke.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘Out for dinner with a friend,’ Dee replied.

  ‘Oh, are you going to get pizza?’ Annie’s eyes grew wide.

  ‘No, not pizza. We’re going to Cleeve Gully for Chinese food.’

  ‘Who are you going with?’ Annie asked, her voice brimming with innocent curiosity.

  Dee took a breath. ‘Vince, a friend from work.’

  ‘Ahh!’ Annie nodded knowingly, though she clearly had no clue who Vince was.

  Travis was still, his eyes trained on the now blank TV. Dee allowed her gaze to slide over him. His muscles were frozen, his body tight and tense.

  ‘I better get going.’ Dee tried to keep her voice light. ‘I’m meeting him at the pub.’

  ‘He’s not picking you up?’ Travis as
ked.

  ‘Er, no. He offered, but I didn’t want assume that he could … I didn’t want to invite him here without you …’

  Travis stood, lifting his gaze until it meet Dee’s. ‘Next time he takes you on a date,’ he said, ‘tell him to pick you up here.’

  Dee could only nod. Travis’s expression was unreadable. ‘Come on, Annie. Let’s order a pizza. Dee needs to get going.’

  ‘Yes! Pizza!’ Annie cried. ‘Have fun, Dee.’

  Dee smiled. ‘I will. You too, Annie.’

  Then, Dee slipped silently back to her room, collected her purse and headed out the front door.

  ‘I want pineapple pizza. I want pineapple on it! Pineapple, pineapple.’ Annie sang as she danced at Travis’s feet, much like his mother’s golden retriever.

  ‘I know, Annie,’ he snapped.

  Annie shrunk back.

  ‘Sorry, honey. It’s just that sometimes you say things over and over when you only need to say them once.’

  ‘Okay, Dad. Sorry.’ Her chin dimpled and her eyes became glassy with unshed tears.

  He patted her head. ‘No, baby. I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s okay. You’re just in a grumpy mood. Everybody gets in a grumpy mood sometimes. That’s what Dee says. And some people get more grumpy than others. That’s why Mrs Potts is not very nice to me. It’s because she’s sad. Dee says grumpy people are usually sad.’

  She looked up at him, her eyes big and round. ‘What are you sad about, Dad?’

  Frustrated, he slid a hand through his hair and groaned. He wasn’t sad, he was pissed off. He’d shared an amazing morning with Dee, had taken her to see his mother, and she takes off on a date with stupid Vince of all people.

  Mike, the pizza guy, had him on hold, so that was grinding his gears too, and now he’d taken it all out on Annie who’d done nothing to deserve it.

  He groaned again. This should not be happening! Dee was his boss, and she was on a bloody date with Vince. He should not be angry about that. He’d have to temper how he felt about her. There was no way he could continue to let his feelings for her build. It was beyond dangerous.