by Lilly Mirren
She smiled through the tears. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
He took a sip and she did the same.
“I miss Nan,” she whispered.
“Me too.”
“How long did you know her?”
He shrugged. “A long time.”
“I can’t remember when you first came to the inn.”
He stared into his tea. “Um…I guess it was about fifteen or sixteen years ago.”
They finished their tea, chatting about the past, and Bindi carried the cups back to the kitchen.
“I’m just going to call Kate, let her know what’s going on…” she shouted over her shoulder, towards the living room.
Jack murmured a response as Bindi hunted through the kitchen for the telephone. She found it hanging on the wall by the back door and picked up the receiver to dial.
The dial tone rang in her ear, as her gaze rested on a framed photograph hanging beside the telephone. The photograph was in black and white, and in it a young woman held a baby in her arms, smiling at the photographer.
Bindi set the receiver back in the cradle and stepped closer to peer at the image. There was something about it…something familiar.
Nan.
The woman in the photograph looked like Nan. She’d seen photographs of Nan from when she was younger, not many, maybe one or two, but still…the woman looked just like Nan. The same light curly hair, the same wide smile, and big eyes.
The photograph was creased in places and worn around the edges. The frame was newer.
Why would Jack have a photograph of a young Nan on his wall?
Bindi spun slowly in place, scanning the rest of the room, wondering what else she might find. There were more photos. A family: a man, a woman and two children, all with tanned skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Another photograph, this time in a frame set on the kitchen bench, with a man and a woman in it. The woman had light brown hair, cut into a business-style bob, and was wearing a business suit. The man was dressed much the same. He had one arm around her shoulders, and they were both laughing.
Who were these people to Jack? Were they his family?
Another photograph, this time of her family — her parents, Reeda, Kate and Bindi, all sitting on the steps at the inn back when it was a dark shade of pink and all of them were young and carefree. A lump built in her throat.
She spun slowly in place, her eyes widening, as she took in the neat, clean house, the photographs on the walls, a painting of two draft horses pulling a plow over the dining room table.
The painting triggered a memory. Draft horses. Someone else had loved draft horses.
Who was it?
She strode towards the living room, passing another photograph, hung on the wall. She stopped a moment to study it: Nan again. This time she was much older. She held up her left hand. A golden ring sparkled on her ring finger. She was pointing at it with a wide grin, dressed in a pale blue gown, her hair curled, makeup done just right. Nan didn’t dress up like that often. And why was she pointing at her wedding band that way?
Bindi’s eyes narrowed as she sat on the table beside Jack. He met her gaze, confusion flitting across his face.
“What’s up?”
“Tell me about your wife, Jack. Who did you marry?”
He glanced towards the kitchen and sighed. “You saw the photos?”
She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s going on?”
He hesitated. “Edie. I married Edie, your grandmother.”
Bindi gasped.
She pressed one hand against the table, her head spinning.
He leaned back on the sofa and rested his hands in his lap. “We didn’t want to tell you kids at first, because of everything that happened with your parents. We were going to, but we waited too long.”
“And she died…” finished Bindi, her heart in her throat.
He dipped his head. “Yes.”
“When did this happen?” How could they do this? Hide something so important? She thought she’d known everything about Nan, and now it turned out she hadn’t known any of the things that mattered.
He shrugged. “A few years ago…six actually. At first, we weren’t going to do it. We’d both been married, didn’t really think we wanted to take that step again. But one day, we realised, we had to do it. We’d waited so long, been through so much.”
That didn’t make sense. How long? Why? She had so many questions to ask, she didn’t know where to start. “So, the two of you were married for four years, and didn’t tell us?”
He shrugged. “We wanted to, but we hardly saw you.”
Bindi stood and paced across the room, then back again. “A phone call, that’s all it would have taken.”
“We didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”
“Why not?” She stopped her pacing to turn and face him with her hands on her hips.
He sighed. “Because there’s more…”
She slumped into the armchair, her heart racing. “I’m listening.”
“I don’t know if this is the best time.”
“Jack, you and Nan put off talking to us about your marriage until it was too late. No more secrets, okay?”
He combed fingers through his silver hair, nodded. “You’re right.”
She waited, her entire body tense.
“I’ve known Edie my whole life. We grew up together.”
Bindi’s eyes widened. What was he saying? Her mind struggled to comprehend his words.
He continued. “We were in love once, a long time ago. Then, the war took me away from her…her and your father.”
My father?
Bindi’s heart skipped a beat. Birdsong, the overhead fan drumming in circles and the sigh of the ocean — every sound faded away as all the blood drained from her face. Nan had been in love with Charlie Jackson, not Jack… What was Jack’s last name?
Jackson and Jack.
This couldn’t be happening. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her hand went to her mouth, her breath stalled in her chest. “Wait…you’re Charlie?”
He nodded, his face clouding with confusion. “She told you about me?”
“No, I’ve been reading your letters…and Nan’s journals.”
His eyebrows arched. “Ah…right. Okay.”
Jack is Charlie Jackson.
She shook her head. It didn’t make sense… “I never asked what your last name was. Why didn’t I ask?”
“Charles Jackson is my full name. I grew up in Bathurst. Edie’s brother, Bobby, was my childhood best friend.”
“And he died in the war…” finished Bindi, her mind racing.
Jack nodded.
“This is crazy!” she whispered.
Bindi shook her head. “Unbelievable! But why the need for all the secrets? Why not just tell us?”
He shrugged. “Edie wanted to keep it quiet. I arrived at the inn a few years after your grandfather Paul died. We were planning to tell your father, all of you, about our history, and that we were in love. Then…”
“The accident,” she finished, with a nod. “That makes sense.”
He swallowed. “We never did get to talk to Keith about me being his father. I met him of course, but he thought I was a stranger.” Jack scrubbed both hands over his face. “I’ll always regret that.”
Tears blinded Bindi’s vision as she reached for Jack’s hand and squeezed it. Then, she knelt on the floor to embrace him, her head resting against his shoulder.
“You’re my grandfather,” she whispered.
“Yes, sweet girl.”
“You were always there for me, for us, after Mum and Dad died.”
“I tried to be.”
“You rescued us…more than once.”
“The three of you were a handful, that’s for sure.” He chortled and squeezed her.
She stood to her feet, wiping tears from her eyes as she laughed along with him. “Very true. We have to tell Reeda and Kate.”
He si
ghed, nodded, and stood as well. “Yes, I guess we do.”
She studied him. “I can’t believe it…and yet it all makes so much sense. The three of us have been dying to find out what happened to Charlie Jackson. If he survived the war, lived to write letters to Nan, where is he? And you’ve been here, under our noses, the whole time.” Her eyes widened. “Mima knew! She knew all along, knew we were reading the journals and letters. We all asked her questions about you and she didn’t say anything.”
Jack shrugged. “I didn’t think Mima could keep anything to herself. I guess I was wrong. And don't be too hard on her, she was only doing what Edie asked her to. Edie never wanted the three of you to have to deal with more grief than you already had. She sheltered you, probably too much in hindsight.”
“Are you glad I found out?” asked Bindi.
He nodded. “Very glad. I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.”
Bindi inhaled a long breath. “And now we have to tell the others. Are you feeling okay? Do we need to take you to the hospital?”
“I’m fine. Just a little rest, and maybe a cold washer for my forehead and I’ll be right as rain.”
28
October 1981
Cabarita Beach
Edie studied her reflection in the mirror. When had she gotten so old? She grunted and swiped the end of her nose with the powder brush one more time, then set it on the dressing table.
Nerves fluttered in the pit of her stomach, like moths around a fluorescent light. She was going on a date. A real date. She hadn’t been on a date with anyone other than Paul since her early twenties, and now she was fifty-six years old and felt like a teenager all over again.
She ran a brush through her hair, then set it down with a sigh. It was hard to believe he was real. Maybe he was only a figment of her imagination. She’d longed to see him so deeply that he’d appeared in her mind. Was she going crazy?
Mima knocked at the bedroom door. “You busy?”
Edie shook her head. “Come on in.”
“I’m about to get busy with the tea service, but I thought I’d come and check on you. Ready for your date?”
Her lips pursed. “I don’t know…it’s crazy, right? Charlie is back, and I’m going on a date with him. I feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate universe.”
Mima chuckled and settled down on the bed behind Edie. “It’s crazy romantic.”
“Now, you’re going to stop cooking long enough to come out and see him, right?”
Mima nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it. I loved him too, you know. Not in the same way of course, but we grew up together as well.”
Edie inhaled a sharp breath. “Good, because I’ve begun to wonder if my imagination is playing tricks on me. You can tell me if it’s all real or not.” She giggled but was only half joking.
Mima laughed. “Okay, settle down. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“He wants to meet Keith…” Nan turned on her seat to face her friend.
Mima frowned. “I can understand that. But I’m not sure it’s a good idea…for Keith’s sake right now.”
“Why not?”
Mima shook her head. “He lost his Dad a few years ago, and he has no idea that Charlie exists. It’ll be a shock, that’s all I’m saying. Maybe, break it to him slowly…they could meet, get to know each other, then find out that they’re father and son.”
“I don’t know…”
“There’s plenty of time, that’s all I’m saying. Don’t rush it.”
Nan considered her friend’s words. Then she stood to her feet and marched into the closet to find her purse. She slung it over her shoulder, stepped out.
“How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” replied Mima with a wink. “I’m really happy for you, Edie.”
“Thanks.” Edie smoothed the front of her floral dress with one hand. “I’m not sure where this is going… I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster ride and I didn’t buy a ticket.”
Mima stood to loop her arm around Edie’s waist. “Those are the best kinds of rides.”
The picnic rug beneath her was smooth, and Edie tucked both feet up under her as she reached for an olive and popped it into her mouth.
“This is delicious, thank you,” she said.
In truth, the platter of cheeses, crusty bread, olives, and pastrami was a little rich for her. Not something she’d usually eat, but Charlie had put so much effort into the picnic, she hated to say anything.
It was certainly romantic. He’d taken her down a small, bush track on her own property, to a beach she’d never seen before. She’d lived at the inn for years and had never explored the farthest end of their property. It’d been too overgrown, and she’d been too busy. He’d found the path, when he’d visited the other day and been curious, he said. He’d taken a machete and cut through enough of the undergrowth to make a way for his truck. They’d emerged into a small clearing where he’d parked, then he’d led her by the hand, a picnic basket in the other, down a track to a small, private beach.
When he spread the blanket behind the dunes, and laid out the food and wine, she’d almost burst with joy. It reminded her so much of the times they’d spent on the banks of the creek at her parents’ farm when she was just a girl.
Charlie lay on his side, across from her, eating olives and watching her with a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“I’ve been thinking about how we could talk to Keith,” she said suddenly.
He arched an eyebrow. “Okay.”
“It’s a big thing to land on him, all at once. He was very close to Paul, and I think it would be a shock for him to learn you’re his biological father.”
“That’s understandable.” Charlie reached for another olive.
“So…I was thinking, perhaps we could wait.”
He sat up his brow furrowed. “Wait?”
“Hear me out,” she continued. “I could introduce you as a friend, and you could get to know Keith, Mary, and the girls a little before we drop the bombshell. That way, you won’t be a stranger to them, they’ll have had a chance to get to know you and love you—”
“I don’t know…” he interrupted.
She continued. “Are you going back to Brisbane tonight?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have to, if you’d like me to stay.”
“I’d like you to stay.”
He grinned. “Then I’ll stay.”
“And I had another idea.”
He chuckled. “Here we go…”
“I need a handyman to help around the inn. Ever since Paul died, I’ve tried to find someone permanent, but haven’t been able to get anyone who can do what I need them to do.”
“Are you offering me a job?” asked Charlie.
She nodded. “If you want it. That way, you could live here, we can see each other more often. And you’ll be close by when Keith and the family comes to visit, you’ll be part of it all… What do you think?”
He sat silent a moment with his eyes trained on the picnic rug. Then, he met her gaze. “I’d like that.”
“We could call you something other than Charlie Jackson, just to keep things under wraps.”
“No one knows me around here,” he objected.
“Just in case.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Some of the guys on the building site used to call me Jack. We can use that if you like.”
“Jack,” said Edie, rolling the name around on her tongue like wine. “Jack, yes I like it. It suits you.”
He took her hand in his, threading his fingers through hers. A tingle ran up her arm and down her spine. He cupped her cheek with his other hand, then leaned close to kiss her lips.
His were soft against hers, gentle at first then more demanding. Something inside of her ached. The ache grew and spread throughout her body. She’d missed him. She’d mourned his death, and now he was here. How could it be possible? Mima had hugged him when he’d shown up at the inn to pick Edie up for their date. Tears ha
d glistened in her friend’s eyes when she’d stepped back and studied his face. She’d said, “Charlie Jackson, I never thought I’d see you again.” And he’d smiled in that way that always melted Edie’s heart.
She hadn’t imagined him, he was real. His arms enveloped her, as their kisses grew more urgent and tears pricked her eyes. Charlie Jackson was real, he’d returned to her, and he wanted to be part of her life. They’d lost so many years, so many embraces, thousands of kisses. All lost, all snatched away from them. But they had a chance to start again, and this time she wouldn’t let anything stand in their way.
29
February 1997
Cabarita Beach
A bulldozer dug its pronged shovel into the ground outside the breakfast nook and pulled, raking the earth away with a deafening roar.
Kate watched, her hands pressed to her hips, brow furrowed. She hated to see the garden destroyed that way, a garden planted with Nan’s own hands, but they were making room for the restaurant. It would extend from the area currently used as the breakfast nook, out towards the cove, and would keep the nook’s light, airy feel with long, rectangular glass windows along each wall. That was a feature Reeda had requested, and Kate had agreed would help retain the character of the place, even as they expanded its function.
She inhaled a long, slow breath. Were they doing the right thing? They were investing heavily in the restaurant, and it was because of her. A restaurant in a small beachside village — were they crazy?
A knot formed in her stomach. She swallowed down the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. They’d made the decision, it was underway, there was no turning back now.
With a shake of her head, she hurried back to the kitchen, past the dining room filling with diners ready for breakfast. The kitchen was being renovated as well, which meant the small eating area attached to the kitchen, usually reserved for family meals, had been turned into a makeshift kitchen, along with the attached laundry room. They’d be serving cold continental breakfast, along with baked goods purchased from Joys until Kate could get back into her kitchen again. Afterwards, the dishes would be washed in the laundry, much to the dismay of her kitchen staff.
