Prossers Bay Series

by Cheryl Phipps

  “I wasn’t a child. I should have found a way to make it happen.”

  “I should have supported you, then we could have made it happen together.”

  They stood like two idiots who’d stumbled across treasure that they had no idea what to do with.

  Stephanie smiled at him. “Maybe now, having been honest with ourselves, we’ll be able to move on.”

  “I guess so. I really thought I already had, but every time I see you I’m filled with so much regret.”

  “I feel it too, but we can’t change what’s happened. We’ve both got plans that we desperately want to make happen. Let’s just be happy for each other.”

  He nodded emphatically, looking as emotional as she felt and Stephanie sensed a distinctive shift in their relationship. Could they really be friends now after all they’d been through?

  Jamie coughed. “I don’t like to mention it, but there is the most awful smell in here, like something died, some time ago.”

  She appreciated his change of subject and giggled nervously. “It is awful, isn’t it?”

  “Shall we find out what it is?”

  “I guess we should.”

  Hunting for something they didn’t really want to find, they tentatively moved papers and kicked things away from the walls. Finally, in the kitchen behind the old range, Jamie located it.

  “Oh, hell.”

  “What is it?”

  “Something dead, as I feared. And, it’s been here for a long time. Pass me that newspaper over there.”

  Stephanie gave him a huge pile and Jamie pulled the range out so that he could reach in behind it. He came out gagging and Stephanie followed suit. They ran to the back door and Jamie threw the wrapped parcel into the bin next door. Mary Anne wasn’t going to be pleased.

  They were both red-faced and had watery eyes; the smell had permeated the very air they were breathing and they looked at each other in mutual disgust.

  Stephanie wrinkled her nose. “I hope that was the only one.”

  “If you find anything else, give me a shout and I’ll get rid of it.”

  “That’s very good of you, when you look as revolted as I feel.”

  “It’s only fair. You deserve this place. Without rodents.”

  She laughed. “Still, I know how much you hate stuff like that, even though you must deal with all sorts of grim things in surgery.”

  “You’re right about that, but somehow it’s just different. I see the person and how to fix them. I can’t fix rotting. Can I ask a favor?”

  “I think after that heroism you can ask for anything you like.” She blushed at her words.

  “If the bank doesn’t follow through, will you let me help you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll give you the start-up money.”

  She was surprised at his offer. Yet, as much as it would mean to her, it felt wrong. “I don’t think so.”

  “When or if the time comes, think about it seriously. I get paid very well and you gave up a career to help me through my studies. There’d be no strings.”

  He smiled and left her in the middle of the mess, totally confused by what had taken place. His whole manner and generous offer made her feel even more out of kilter. Didn’t they dislike each other?

  Since he’d spoken to Stephanie, Jamie felt better about everything and as he was confronting his demons, he might as well have the dreaded conversation with his father.

  He found him in the kitchen with the temp.

  Uh-oh.

  “Hi, James. We were just talking about you,” his father said seriously.

  Double uh-oh.

  “How’s everything going, Simon?”

  “Pretty darned good. In fact, I was hoping you’d be able to give me a hand with a clinic I’d like to start up.”

  “A clinic?”

  “Yes, for dependency.”

  “I don’t follow you.”

  “For anyone that has any form of addiction. You might say it’s my forte. I had a clinic set up at the last place I was at and it’s still running.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not, son?”

  “Dad, do you have to ask?”

  “The way Simon talks I think it would be beneficial to the town. We’ve never had anything like it.”

  “Exactly. When we could have used it.”

  “Your mother was just one person. There are a lot of people like her in the world. Some of them a damn sight worse off. I think we should help them if we can.”

  Jamie was shocked. “You’re going to be involved?”

  “Naturally. It’s my practice.”

  “Actually, we need to talk about that, and your hours.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  His father frowned, then his eyes twinkled. “How about we discuss that after you talk to Simon about setting up the clinic?”

  “Are you blackmailing me?”

  “Never. I just don’t have the energy right now to start something like that, but I could carry it on after you’ve done all the hard work.”

  What could Jamie say to that?

  “I’ll leave you boys to talk it through while I take my nap.”

  His father would never change. Once a meddler, always a meddler, even if he did it out of love.

  When they were alone, Simon smiled. “Sorry to rope you in like this. Your father found out about my previous work and his attitude towards me changed. He’s very passionate about the topic, especially when he talks about your mother. It can be very hard to cope with a loved one who can’t allow themselves to be happy. There’s a lot of guilt and fear, because we want so much to help them and really, we can only be there. By the sounds of it, you both did everything you could.”

  “Did he tell you all this or the locals?”

  Simon smiled, gently. “I’d have to say it was a mixture, but it was from your father that I got the most reliable information.”

  “I see. So, is he trying to fix me or the world?”

  Simon laughed heartily. “Oh, I think we can safely say that although you are top of his list, he won’t be satisfied if he doesn’t give the world a darn good try.”

  As much as he felt manipulated, he couldn’t help but like Simon. It wasn’t his fault that Jamie’s father had an agenda, and every day the temp won a patient or two over. Maybe if he sucked this up he could persuade Simon to stay, because through all his research, he was struggling to find one true candidate to help the practice when Jamie had to leave. Time was marching on.

  “Okay. You get me all the details and then we’ll talk some more.”

  They shook hands and Simon left Jamie to puzzle over how a few weeks could turn his life around like this.

  Chapter 7

  Jamie turned up at the green to help get ready for the fundraiser. He’d walked across from his father’s place and straight over to Stephanie. It was as if a force of nature dragged him there and as much as he wanted to fight it, here he was.

  She was on a stepladder fixing some lights to the poles that had been erected around the green’s perimeter. Her hair swung down her back, tied up in the ponytail that she seemed to favor these days. Personally, he preferred it flowing around her shoulders and framing her face, enhancing her delicate features—the way she’d worn it most days that he’d known her, because she knew he liked it like that.

  She was wearing jean shorts that showed off her long, smooth legs, and hugged her butt almost indecently as she stretched up to the pole.

  “Do you want me to hold the ladder?”

  Stephanie jumped when she heard Jamie’s voice. Her foot slipped on the rung and, before she could balanceherself, she fell backwards with a squeal.

  Surprised as he was, Jamie managed to catch her before she hit the ground. “Oooof! Lucky I was here. You could have hurt yourself.”

  She lay rigidly in his arms, her sky blue eyes turning to ice.

  “Lucky? It was your faul
t I fell. If you’re going to go around scaring people who are up on ladders, then what do you expect is going to happen?”

  “I might expect the person who I had to catch would be polite enough to say thank you.”

  It was about then that Stephanie realized she was still in Jamie’s arms. She struggled against him and, after what was probably only a few seconds, he reluctantly let her go by gently placing her on her feet. She swayed a little and he grabbed her again.

  “Are you okay?”

  Wriggling out of his grasp, she stood straight. “I’m perfectly fine.”

  With that, she straightened that ladder and proceeded to climb it again. Obviously, being friends meant having a bit of distance, damn it.

  “Now that you know I’m here, shall I hold it steady?”

  “No, it’s perfectly all right. I’m used to managing on my own.”

  The subtle dig, for hardly being around when they lived in Sydney, wasn’t lost on him, but he chose to ignore it.

  “I’m here to help, you know.”

  She looked down at him and was clearly about to say something derogatory when she noticed that a few other people were close by. She frowned down at him as if he was the most annoying thing she’d come across—ever.

  “Fine! Hand me up that string of lights over there and some of those ties. The ones I had seem to have slipped out of my pocket when I fell.”

  Jamie had to hide his smile at her obvious annoyance. At least she was talking to him. Sort of. For the next hour, he followed her from pole to pole, carrying the box of lights, and handed her what she asked for.

  Asked might have been an exaggeration. Grunted and pointed might have been a better comparison. To be fair, she was doing a good job, but then she’d always been good with her hands. The memory of how she’d used those hands on him over the years washed over him. No matter what had come between them, and no matter that they would never get back together, his traitorous body still wanted her, and the yearning was getting worse the longer he stayed in Prossers Bay.

  He should have stayed away from the preparations and especially from her, but from the moment he’d looked out the window and seen her over here he’d been powerless to stop himself. He’d told his father he was going to see if Abby needed a hand and had received a very penetrating look as if he could see behind the lie, and knowing how his father had always seemed to know when the truth was absent, he knew he’d been caught out.

  A little like when he’d held Stephanie a short while ago.

  The way she’d felt in his arms and the smell of her hair against his face only reinforced the hold his libido had over him. He must be a masochist to want to be around her, when she clearly wanted nothing to do with him and was hardly trying to hide it.

  Abby came over to them and interrupted his thoughts, thankfully.

  “You guys have done a great job. When you’ve finished, you can stop for the day. We’ve done as much as we can and Jordan’s got a couple of security guys to hang around so I think we all should head off and get ready for the big night.”

  Jamie smiled at one of Prossers Bay’s hardest workers. “Thanks, Abby. It should be a great event and I, for one, am happy to help in any small way.”

  Stephanie climbed down from the last pole, her backside swaying tantalizingly in his face as his fingers clenched around the ladder.

  “Small is right.” She held her hand out. “Here, I’ll take the ladder with me and return it to the store. See you tonight,” she said to Abby.

  Abby waved and then headed to her car in the other direction—the same direction he was headed.

  “How many are you expecting?”

  “I’ve got no idea, but I figure it’ll probably be at least double the amount we had for the Christmas lunch.”

  He whistled. “According to my dad and Lydia, that was a huge success. I guess there’ll be plenty of people to buy the raffle tickets and pay their admission.”

  “That’s the plan. I hate to make it totally about the money, so I really hope people are going to have fun as well.”

  “I’m sure they will. Let me know if you need help with anything else.”

  “Like I’ve told Steph, there’ll be a heap of things, like relieving people and cleaning up, but it’ll be good to have a doctor around in case of any emergencies.”

  “No problem. I’ll bring my bag, just in case.”

  Abby opened the car door, but stood there for a moment. “I know you’re finding being back in Prossers Bay a bit tough, but it’s good to have you home. We’ve all missed you.”

  “I don’t think Stephanie feels the same.”

  “I’m not going to comment on that. What happened between the two of you is none of my business, except I will say that you better not break her heart again.”

  “Me? She was the one who walked away from us, as you well know.”

  “Maybe she did, but she didn’t do it lightly. Her reasons were valid to her at the time, and they probably still feel like they are.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “No way, Jamie. If you want the nitty gritty on why Stephanie did what she did, then you should talk to Stephanie.”

  “Easier said than done. We may have broken the ice, but I suspect there’s plenty more layers to get through.”

  “I’m sure if you wanted to, you could find a way to change her mind. And I would like to think that after such a big break, things have settled down enough between the two of you to enable you to have the discussion you need to have. It might make life a damn sight more pleasant for everyone else if you could reach a truce, especially if you’re staying around for a bit.”

  “I’m only staying to get dad sorted out. I have to get back to Seattle as soon as I can.”

  “So, why she left doesn’t really matter then?”

  “Of course it matters, but we’re different people now we have discussed things. We’re okay with how things are between us. I think.”

  Abby gave him a measured look. “Please remember what I said about not hurting her again. I must go. See you tonight.”

  Jamie watched until her car was out of sight before he went home. He trudged up to the bathroom, Abby’s words ringing in his ears, as he undressed and got into the shower. He absolutely knew why Stephanie had left, and so did she. Maybe they should have realized it sooner, but it didn’t need to be dragged up and looked over like a dead body. It wouldn’t alter things.

  Mary Anne knocked once and entered through the back door like it was something she was used to doing.

  Jamie’s father stood up from the kitchen table like the gentleman he was, and naturally Jamie stood, too.

  The petite woman shooed his father back into his seat.

  “No need for that, Cliff. You know I don’t stand on ceremony.”

  His father eased himself back into his chair and pushed the reheated meal away from him. “And you know you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

  “This old dog better not be trying to get away with not eating that meal I made you.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Rubbish. You can eat a little more, I’m sure.”

  “If my father says he isn’t hungry, then . . .”

  Mary Anne rounded on him like her terrier might have done if he hadn’t been a wimp of a dog, content to lie at her feet waiting for a pat from anyone.

  “Then what? We watch him fade away some more? I don’t think so. Cliff, you better eat a bit more if you want some of this apple pie I made.”

  Her tone was no less fierce and the man, who resembled his father only physically, meekly pulled his plate towards him.

  “You’re a hard woman, Mary Anne.”

  She giggled a little as she sat down beside him, uncovering a pretty fine-looking apple pie that she placed in the middle of the table.

  “And you have a ridiculous sweet tooth.”

  Jamie couldn’t quite accept the rapport these two had. His mother had never been forceful about anything b
ut her drinking, and his father had seemed to like things that way. Now here he was being cajoled into eating a meal he obviously didn’t want, by a woman who Jamie wasn’t sure he liked. It was weird and very unsettling.

  He coughed. “I’m going over to the fundraiser on the green later if you want to come, Dad?”

  “I don’t think so, son. There’ll be a lot of people and probably not too many seats. I think I might just sit in the front room and watch the goings on from there.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I could stay with you.”

  “No, you go and have yourself some fun.”

  “I’m happy to stay here with Cliff if you’re worried about leaving him on his own.”

  Her tone was even, but Jamie still felt like he’d been scolded. His dad had been sleeping when he’d left him to help Abby, otherwise he’d been right here, every day since he’d been home. What was this woman’s deal? Was she after something more permanent with his father? Surely, she knew that dad had very little money.

  “Yes, go on Jamie. I’ll be fine with Ms. Bossy Britches and we might even have a game of cards. If she can handle losing, that is.”

  Mary Anne snorted, and patted his father’s arm affectionately. “You wish. I’ll thrash the pants off you, like I always do.”

  His father roared with laughter and Jamie couldn’t find it in himself to argue. His father clearly was more in favor of Mary Anne’s company than his.

  “If you’re sure? I had offered to help Abby and she suggested I bring my bag with me.”

  “Be careful, son. You might get to treat and like a few more people in Prossers Bay than you want to.”

  “I think I’ll manage,” Jamie said stiffly as he went to get ready.

  It wasn’t so much all the people that he didn’t like. It was the small town ethos, and small-mindedness of some of the residents. Somehow, his thoughts, ingrained since he was that scared, embarrassed teenager, made him ashamed. Away from Prossers Bay they had still made good sense. Now, it made him feel as if he thought himself better than them. Introspection had never been his forte and now he felt unsettled. Another strike against his home town.