The Maxwell Sisters

by Loretta Hill

  ‘Yes,’ Adonis nodded with uncalled-for satisfaction as Spider awkwardly moved on. As soon as the man was out of earshot he turned back to her. ‘What was that all about?’

  She lifted her chin. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Looked pretty hot and heavy to me.’

  ‘Hot and heavy!’ Eve gasped. ‘Hardly. He’s just worried about Phoebe.’

  ‘And you were consoling him.’ He made it sound like she was half naked while she was doing it.

  ‘Yes,’ she waved her hand. ‘I mean, no. I mean, how is this any of your business?’

  ‘Since I helped you get rid of him –’ he graciously inclined his head – ‘no need to thank me by the way.’

  ‘Good, because I wasn’t going to,’ she retorted. ‘I didn’t need your help. I had things well in hand.’

  ‘Really? Because it looked more like he had you well in hand.’ He folded his arms across his broad chest and sighed as though talking to a wayward child. ‘I thought you were over the whole seducing your sister’s fiancé thing.’

  She gasped. ‘I am. I mean, I never was into that.’ She softened her tone. ‘And will you please keep your voice down? Someone might hear you.’

  ‘Relax, no one is listening.’

  She glanced over his shoulder and noticed Eric watching them curiously.

  ‘As a matter of fact they are.’ She wrung her hands. ‘Perhaps we should get back to work. I don’t know why we need to talk about this now anyway.’

  Adonis shrugged. ‘I guess we don’t.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘I’d much prefer to know when you’re next cooking me breakfast. Gotta say, I really enjoyed the last one.’

  ‘Ssssh.’ She glanced at Eric again. ‘You haven’t lowered your voice.’

  ‘Quite a nervous little thing, aren’t you?’ he murmured. ‘I don’t want anyone to find out what happened between us last night.’

  Especially after that conversation with Phee at breakfast.

  His lips twitched in amusement. ‘Did something happen between us last night? I thought we behaved very platonically, given the temptation.’

  She blushed bright red, a shot of embarrassment like whisky burning straight through her. ‘No, I don’t mean like that –’

  He laughed as her tongue tied itself further into a knot. She took a deep breath. ‘I meant,’ she straightened, ‘I don’t want them to know I’ve been cooking in the restaurant again.’

  ‘Why not?’ He tilted his head. ‘They’d love to know that.’

  She steeled herself against the panic that instantly tightened her ribcage. ‘Exactly. It’ll put their hopes up and they’ll just increase their pressure on me.’

  ‘Pressure? What sort of pressure?’

  ‘Pressure to get the restaurant going again,’ she said impatiently. ‘I wish you would just get back to work.’

  ‘But we haven’t finished talking yet,’ he protested. ‘I’m finding this whole restaurant thing fascinating.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re just saying that to annoy me. But you can’t tell anyone else I was cooking in there. Promise me.’

  He leaned back against the wall and studied her in a way she definitely did not like. His lips curled in a devious manner and his expression held the anticipation of one who knew delights were in store.

  She glared at him. ‘What?’

  His eyebrows jumped. ‘Only friends keep secrets for each other and we’re just acquaintances, remember, because you don’t want to be my friend.’

  She groaned, shutting her eyes.

  ‘Just while we’re on the topic,’ his thumb and forefinger rubbed the stubble on his jaw, ‘why exactly don’t you want to be my friend again?’

  She put her hands to her hips. ‘Because you’re an insufferable, annoying, tactless oaf of a man and I’d rather not have the work.’

  ‘Ouch,’ he nodded, straightening. ‘Well, I guess that does kind of put a dampener on our relationship. But where does that leave your secret?’

  ‘Okay, fine.’ She gritted her teeth. ‘You want to be my friend, be my friend.’ She flicked the offer to him like stale bread to a duck. ‘You’re on Facebook, right?’

  He laughed. ‘Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. Friendship is supposed to be reciprocal, you know. Perhaps I’d prefer something else as payment instead.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like that breakfast I mentioned.’

  ‘You want me to cook for you again?’ She blinked.

  ‘I do like your crepes. And your eggs, too, for that matter.’

  ‘No way.’ Her nerves couldn’t take another intimate meal with a half-naked Greek God.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Positive.’

  Her eyes shot daggers at him as she mouthed the words ‘Cook-your-own’.

  His gaze turned innocent. ‘I thought you were serious about me keeping that secret.’

  ‘I do realise this is all one big joke to you.’ Her voice trembled ever so slightly. ‘But you could at least have the decency to respect my privacy without trying to blackmail me.’

  ‘This is not blackmail,’ he protested. ‘I haven’t said “or else” yet.’

  To her great frustration, just at that moment, Eric approached them with a couple of plastic bottles of water.

  ‘I noticed you guys were taking a break,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Thirsty?’

  ‘Thanks,’ Eve nodded, reaching for a bottle and taking a gulp.

  ‘No thanks, mate,’ Adonis declined politely. ‘I have been meaning to get back to work for the last five minutes but this girl can talk the leg off a chair.’ He patted her on the back, causing her to choke on her water.

  ‘Go easy on him, okay?’ He winked before strolling off, hands casually inserted in the pockets of his jeans.

  Her eyes couldn’t help but follow him, an emotion somewhere between fury and arousal making her grit her teeth.

  ‘I know he can be hard to take sometimes,’ Eric remarked with all the wisdom of a teenager, ‘but he’s a good guy.’

  She turned to him in surprise. ‘Is that so?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Eric nodded self-consciously, hesitated and then said, ‘He’s been great to me since he started here and all the vineyard workers love him because he’s completely accepted your dad’s philosophies – including the more “out there” ones. Even the cellar rats aren’t giving him a hard time any more.’

  ‘Were they doing that to start with?’ she asked, curious.

  ‘A little at first,’ Eric replied. ‘Jealousy, I suppose.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, wondering how to prolong the conversation. Despite herself, all this behind-the-scenes information about Adonis was really quite interesting.

  She could tell Eric worshipped the ground he walked on, which she supposed wasn’t unnatural for an impressionable young man. Attention from a guy like Adonis would definitely have lifted his self-esteem. She just hadn’t picked Adonis as the ‘supporting the underdog’ type. But maybe ‘underdog’ was too harsh a word.

  In many ways, Eric reminded her of herself. He was a quiet achiever who blended so well into the background that he was often just part of the garden he tended so lovingly. People like that needed to know they were appreciated, otherwise they fell between the cracks. She knew what that was like.

  She smiled warmly at him. ‘So how have you been anyway, Eric?’

  He grinned at her. ‘You know me. Same old, same old. How’s Margareta’s?’

  Her city job seemed so far away now it took her a second to answer. ‘It’s fine, thanks. I’m really enjoying it there.’ A shard lodged in her throat. ‘Can’t wait to get back.’

  He seemed intrigued. ‘So no plans to return to Tawny Brooks any time soon then?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not really.’

  ‘Well, you never know.’ He smiled. ‘When the restaurant is re-done you may change your mind.’

  And there’s that pressure again.

  ‘Maybe.’ She tried to smile and moved away to re-submerg
e herself in work.

  After that, it was an agony to get through the morning. At lunch, her chicken roll tasted like cardboard and all Adonis’s high praise about her crepes didn’t help matters either. She was sure he was purposely trying to rile her – make her think he was going to say something and then not. As soon as she was able to get away, she ducked outside, hoping to get some fresh air and regroup for that afternoon’s game of cat and mouse, when she was waylaid by her sisters.

  Not that this had turned out to be a bad thing.

  They had had their first real conversation in a long time. And planned their first real outing in over a year. Although she didn’t fully understand exactly what it was all about, she was definitely going along.

  ‘I don’t want to say too much in case I’m wrong,’ Phoebe had tried to explain. ‘I just need you there to support me.’

  Her younger sister appeared quite subdued and Tash seemed to want to remain mysterious – which she supposed hiked up the adventure angle. In any event, Eve was happy to take the outing over more work at the restaurant. An afternoon with her sisters was much less stressful than another three hours shifting timber with Adonis.

  ‘Let’s go early and secure ourselves a good vantage point,’ Tash suggested.

  ‘Can I at least know the name of the person we’re spying on?’ Eve enquired.

  Phoebe and Tash exchanged a look. Then Phoebe said, ‘We don’t know her name. But it’s a woman. And I’ll know her when I see her.’

  The car ride from Yallingup to Dunsborough was accomplished fairly quickly. How many times had the three of them hit the road like this, in search of adventure? Flanked by tall trees, the road was dappled by sunshine. The signs on the red gravel shoulders were a continuous offering of treats, wineries galore, lookout points and quiet coves for an undisturbed swim. Eve couldn’t decide what she liked better, the never-ending celebration of food and wine or the promise of a breezy seascape – white sand between her toes and foamy blue surf.

  ‘What we should really do one day is have a picnic at one of the caves,’ Tash suggested as they passed the sign post for Ngilgi Cave. It was one of the gorgeous, naturally occurring limestone caves in the region. Perfect if one desired both adventure and a gawk at some of Australia’s most beautiful rock formations.

  ‘It’s been absolutely years since I’ve been there,’ Phoebe agreed. ‘It would be heaps of fun to make a day of it.’

  ‘Not at all like Picnic at Hanging Rock,’ Eve returned wryly from the backseat.

  Tash laughed. ‘You say that because of your experience at Mammoth.’

  ‘I don’t know what you could possibly mean,’ Eve grinned, though she still shuddered at the childhood memory. Aged six, she’d been exploring Mammoth Cave and got lost in it. Not for very long. It was probably no more than half an hour before her family had found her again, but her mother had been beside herself. And for a little kid, surrounded by stalactite and stalagmite formations flickering with shadows, it had certainly made a lasting impression.

  Dunsborough was a quiet coastal town – a much-loved long-weekend destination for Perth dwellers. With a small population of just over three thousand people, the widely spread town centred around a large roundabout flanked on one side by parkland. In the summer months, the small boutiques and country-style stores tended to overflow with tourists into the park. School leavers, families and wine connoisseurs alike could all be seen hanging round, eating a pie or planning their next escapade. With the beach on its doorstep and the best access to all the fresh produce in the region, Dunsborough was the likely place to stop no matter what your intention in town. With the summer school holidays over, however, the park was empty.

  Eve’s favourite place there was the Wildwood Bakery. They made delicious cakes but were most famous for their hot pastries. The humble sausage roll was king in town. No one could touch the recipe. Not even her – and it wasn’t like she hadn’t tried.

  Tash parked the car and they all got out. A couple of heads turned and a few hands lifted to wave as they crossed the car park to the bakery. It was a rare occurrence these days to see all three Maxwell sisters in town together.

  Mrs Alice Honey, the owner of the bakery, who was very aptly named, beamed at them when they walked through the door. She was all round and rosy, with treacle-coloured hair tucked under a net.

  ‘Well, what do you know, it’s Mad Maxwell’s daughters, all together no less!’

  ‘Alice!’ Tash came behind the counter to give her a hug. ‘It’s been ages.’

  ‘Hasn’t it though,’ she nodded, her eyes darting from one to the other. ‘You girls all look incredible. You’ll stop traffic walking across the park like that.’

  Eve laughed. ‘What traffic?’

  ‘Well, there’s me for a start.’ The girls turned to find another childhood friend standing behind them. Ben Gould, a charming, friendly faced winemaker who also grew his grapes locally.

  ‘Oh hey!’

  They crowded round him, hugging him in turn. ‘How’s the wife? How’s the kids? How’s Blind Corner?’ This was the name of Ben’s winery.

  Laugh lines creased around Ben’s eyes. ‘Busy. Busy. Busy. You should stop by some time. I bet you my cabernet sauvignon will give your father’s a run for his money.’

  Phoebe snorted. ‘We’ll see.’

  They all placed their orders. Alice handed Ben his coffee first as he wanted to rush off to an appointment he was late for. Then she busied herself with making coffee for the girls.

  As Ben said goodbye and walked off, Phoebe nudged Eve in the ribs. ‘See, you should go for someone like him. Someone nice.’

  It really was like stepping back in time. Phee and Tash, both with their steady boyfriends, urging her to put herself out there. She had always been the girl who got the ‘I can’t believe you’re still single’ speech, though she’d been shyer back then than she was now – if that was even possible.

  It was funny how six years ago she’d thought Spider was the safe choice. Well, she’d been right about one thing. Unrequited love was safe. Very, very safe. She looked up to find Phoebe studying the emotions playing across her face.

  She shouldn’t have zoned out. Now her younger sister was looking all concerned.

  And you know what that means. A lecture and a lot of unsolicited advice was coming.

  ‘Actually,’ Phoebe said as though to confirm her fears, ‘I can’t remember the last time you had a boyfriend, Eve. What are you waiting for?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Eve lifted her chin.

  Tash laid a hand on her arm, recalling her attention. She had a weird expression on her face, like she knew more than she was letting on.

  Which is insane.

  Her elder sister had been as distant as China lately.

  ‘I believe,’ Tash said slowly, ‘you need to think outside the box more, Eve. Mix it up a bit.’

  Unbidden, Adonis’s cheeky smile popped into her head and she groaned. ‘I think I’m okay with being single for the moment,’ she said firmly. ‘In fact, I’m really set on the lifestyle.’

  Tash’s mouth twisted. ‘It is true. One doesn’t need a man to function.’

  Eve nodded. ‘I can do what I want. Go where I want. Be what I want. No anchors.’ She tried a convincing head toss to punctuate her words. Unfortunately some hair whipped into her mouth, making her spit and cough rather unattractively.

  Why does that always work when Phoebe does it?

  ‘Er … Good for you.’ Tash chuckled.

  Phoebe wasn’t as impressed. ‘I don’t buy it.’

  Just when Eve thought that this time she wouldn’t be able to save herself from her sister’s all-time favourite subject – How to save Eve’s love life – Alice returned to the counter with takeaway coffees and three sausage rolls.

  They took their food outside to the park, about a hundred metres from Wildwood Bakery. The bakery had a lovely half-enclosed alfresco area that was completely in view from anywhere on the grass. They didn
’t want to be seen by their target, who was due at the bakery in half an hour.

  ‘This way,’ Tash said knowledgeably as they sat down under the shade of a gorgeous gum. ‘We’ll see them but they probably won’t notice us.’

  Opening up her paper bag, Eve pulled her sausage roll out and took a bite. Some of the delicious pastry flaked off and fell on the grass; the sausage meat inside steamed attractively. It was as delicious as she remembered. A sense of well-being overtook her as they sat there together, not talking, just eating.

  When Phoebe finally opened the floor for small talk, it was easy. Maybe because they steered clear of all touchy subjects – the wedding, the family and the restaurant. It was like an unspoken agreement and she remembered how good they’d been at that. Always seeming to know what each other needed without voicing it.

  They did have a good laugh about an old high school story though and shared some funny speculations on whatever happened to Melissa, the girl they’d all loved to hate.

  It had been so difficult to come home, but it seemed worth it now. She had needed to see her sisters again. And Spider too. Sitting under the shade of the gum tree, the problems they were all having seemed to fade in significance. Or maybe that was just the comfort food talking.

  ‘Do you think that’s her?’ Tash asked suddenly.

  ‘Who? Where?’ Phoebe sat up straighter, dusting pastry off her fingers.

  ‘She just entered and is ordering something.’ Tash sat up on her heels, shading her eyes. ‘We should have brought binoculars.’

  Eve giggled. ‘We’re not that far away. And don’t you think it would have been a little obvious if we had?’