by Loretta Hill
Phoebe folded her arms. ‘So this is how it’s going to be again, is it? More secrets. I thought we were done with that.’
‘Phee,’ Tash grabbed her arm, ‘trust me. You don’t need this in your life. Especially now, right before your wedding.’
‘I want to know everything. Tell me.’
‘Phee,’ Eve began wringing her hands, clearly looking for ways and means to stall.
‘Are we best friends or are we just sisters?’ Phoebe demanded. ‘Whatever happened to club members only? Or am I no longer part of that club? Is it just you two?’
‘No,’ Eve gasped. ‘We just don’t want to ruin your week.’
‘I think it’s safe to say you’re halfway there already.’ Strange, how she had thought she was the only one with a secret. Yet, in all honesty, if she hadn’t been able to trust them, could she really blame them for not trusting her?
Eve and Tash exchanged a glance at each other and then at the door, as though making sure no one else was going to come outside.
‘Okay fine.’ Tash grabbed her arm just above her elbow. ‘We’ll tell you.’
‘Dad’s having an affair,’ Eve whispered. ‘With Bronwyn.’
‘What!’
‘I know, it’s insane. But we saw them on a date together,’ Tash said urgently, holding on to her tightly as her body swayed.
‘That day,’ Eve finished for Tash, grabbing Phoebe’s other arm, ‘at the Wildwood Bakery. He turned up while you were on the phone.’
‘They were holding hands,’ said Tash.
‘He gave her jewellery,’ said Eve. ‘It was undeniable.’
‘Why was it undeniable?’ She shook them both off her, furious. ‘Because he’s been a little distant lately, a little quiet? You idiots,’ she hissed. ‘He’s not having an affair.’
Tash was trying to keep her voice calm and rational.
‘Phee, you know Dad’s been acting strange lately. Disappearing for long hours, blowing hot and cold with Mum. He’s having a midlife crisis, honey. I mean, look at that car he bought, the bungee jumping and the tattoos.’
But a blinding rage fired by months of pent-up anguish was taking over. ‘I can’t believe you would think this of our own father! That he would sell us out like that for a woman half his age? And Mum … after the life they’ve had together, after everything he’s trying to spare her from, that he would just dump her like a hot brick? It’s madness.’
Eve and Tash paused as tears began to cascade down Phoebe’s face. She tried to dash them away but the more she wiped, the more they fell. Her sisters no longer tried to convince her as they watched her tremble and shake. Their mouths dropped open as they realised they had been wrong.
Worse than wrong.
Uninformed.
‘Phee, what is it?’ Eve’s voice was quivering now. ‘You know something, don’t you?’
‘I’ve always known,’ Phoebe choked. ‘I’ve known from the beginning, for months. Right after the doctor told him the news.’
Eve clapped a hand over her mouth.
‘What news?’ Tash’s voice seemed to crackle.
‘About the cancer,’ Phoebe breathed, both relieved and guilty to finally have the news out there. ‘He’s got bowel cancer.’
There was silence. Stone cold silence.
Eve was the first to speak again. ‘But it’s treatable, right?’
Phoebe knew that exact feeling, that immediate grasp for hope in the face of this awful news. It was exactly what she had done when she had been told. Her words came out stilted in her efforts to make them gentle. But there was not an easy way to say it. ‘Unfortunately, the diagnosis was late. After the colonoscopy in Bunbury, he had a CT scan and PET scan. It was all through his liver and lungs.’
‘What does that mean?’ Eve asked.
‘The cancer is treatable but only to prolong his life rather than save it.’
‘Prolong it? What do you mean?’ Tash sounded angry. ‘How long can they prolong it?’
‘A couple of years, maybe a little more.’
‘No!’ Tash put her hands up against her words, blocking them out. ‘This is not happening.’
Eve began to cry quietly, and Phoebe immediately moved forward to take her into her arms.
What have I done? I’ve broken my promise. This is exactly what he didn’t want. I’m completely useless. I’ve ruined everything.
‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ Tash whispered harshly. ‘Why have you kept this to yourself? Did you think we wouldn’t notice when he started getting sicker?’
‘He made me promise.’ Phoebe pulled back from Eve slightly, trying to get the words out quickly before they failed her. ‘I found some of his medication a few months ago and so he had to tell me. He’s been taking capecitabine. It’s like chemotherapy in tablet form with very few side-effects.’
‘Is that aggressive enough?’ Tash asked.
‘Not really,’ Phoebe sighed. ‘But he didn’t want to go on the intravenous stuff till after the wedding.’
‘Why?’ Tash demanded.
‘He wanted the family together one last time before he told you all,’ Phoebe tried to explain. ‘He wanted you guys to stop fighting. He wanted us to be happy and settled before he started the treatment. Intravenous chemotherapy leaves the body so weak and fragile. He just wanted a window of time with you guys while he was at his best before his health worsens.’ She sucked in a breath as she moved to tell them the worst of it. ‘Once he starts deteriorating,’ she swallowed, ‘well, let’s just say, I’ve heard it’s not much fun for anyone. He wanted this time for Mum and us, unfettered by his illness.’
‘Mum isn’t going to care about that,’ Eve whispered.
Phoebe nodded. ‘But the silly old codger is ashamed about having to put her through the pain of caring for him. He’s always been the man of the house and he’s really feeling this horrible sense of hopelessness.’
One of her father’s biggest fears was destroying their mother’s life as well as his own. When he’d asked her to keep his secret, it was the first thing he’d mentioned. ‘I am going to become a burden to her. Do you think that’s what I want?’
No amount of reassurance on her part had been able to take away his guilt.
Tash wiped a weary hand across her eyes. ‘And here I thought he was having a midlife crisis. Really he’s just been trying to cram all the stuff he wanted to do his whole life into a few weeks.’
Phoebe nodded. ‘And all his doctors’ appointments and blood tests too. He’s been very good at keeping it all a secret.’
‘And Bronwyn?’ Tash prompted. ‘How does she fit into all this?’
‘She’s a lawyer,’ Phoebe told them. ‘She’s been helping Dad update his will.’
Eve put her head in her hands, massaging her temple. ‘I can’t believe how stupid we’ve been. How blind, and willing to jump to the worst conclusions.’
‘We all make mistakes,’ Phoebe relented. ‘I’ve made the biggest of all.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve told you guys and I promised Dad I wouldn’t.’
‘No,’ Eve hastily shook her head, ‘that’s not a mistake. Don’t you see, Phee, that’s the best thing you’ve done today. You shouldn’t have taken this upon yourself. What are sisters for, if not to support each other?’
‘Yes,’ Tash reinforced her point. ‘Weren’t you upset when you thought we were keeping secrets from you?’
Phoebe nodded slowly.
‘None of us need protection,’ Tash continued. ‘What we need is support and each other.’
‘And so does Dad,’ Eve put in. ‘Though he won’t admit it.’
It felt like a great burden was lifting off her shoulders. She suddenly realised how silly she’d been to keep her father’s secret, and hypocritical too. Of course her sisters would want to know. They needed to know.
‘What are we going to do?’ she whispered.
They put their arms around each other, holding on tight, touc
hing foreheads as though sharing their energy.
‘The wedding is this weekend,’ Tash whispered. ‘Let’s make it the biggest and best celebration the Maxwells have ever had.’
Phoebe smiled through her tears. ‘Haven’t I been saying that all along?’
Chapter 32
Eve’s alarm clock rang loudly in the room, jerking her awake, bleary-eyed and tired. The last few days had been difficult, constantly pretending that nothing was amiss – that nothing had changed. Trying to get to sleep at night was the worst. That’s the time when she was finally alone and no one was watching. Thoughts of her father kept her up to the wee hours, tossing and turning and crying. How Phoebe had been able to deal with this for weeks all on her own she had no idea.
Today, however, was her sister’s wedding day. The big event had finally arrived. She had to rouse herself, get the blood flowing, though it would be so easy to just lay there for another ten minutes. As long as she didn’t move, time didn’t tick forward and her father would not have to suffer. Life seemed so unfair. Her thoughts of the future seemed so lost without him.
Poor Tash was pregnant. The news must have been an even bigger blow to her, realising her child may never know their grandfather. She pulled herself to a sitting position, rubbing her eyes and fluffing her hair. Her elder sister was propping herself up with an iron will. They all were.
The Maxwell sisters had made a pact. No cancer today. Just love.
And that’s exactly what they were going to do. It was six am and the wedding was at two. She swung her legs onto the floor. They would need every hour beforehand to get ready. She had better get a move on.
Spider had gone to his home in Dunsborough the night before, along with his parents and his brother, who had arrived that morning. So they would all be getting ready there. That left the Maxwell family and Heath at Tawny Brooks.
Her mother and father had to get ready earlier, as her mother’s cousins were arriving from out of town. They would be having some pre-wedding drinks prior to the wedding.
Eve hoped her mother would be able to deal with the earlier start. She got out of bed, slipped on a dressing gown and headed for the kitchen. Anita had made coffee for everyone, including those people who were absent, and when she’d scrambled some eggs for their father she’d included some for Graeme as well. It was clear Eve’s concern about her stress levels wasn’t unfounded.
‘I’m sorry, girls.’ She glanced over at her grinning daughters. ‘I don’t know whether I’m on my head or my feet. It’s not every day one of my beauties walks down the aisle.’
Eve looked at her father and caught his smile, tinged with a vague sadness. A lump lodged in her throat.
Keep it together, girl.
Heath reached out and took Tash’s hand, who squeezed his hand back. She didn’t look at her husband but Eve saw the relief mixed with tenderness in his eyes.
Phoebe ran her hands into her messy bedroom hair. ‘Why am I so nervous? It’s only what I’ve wanted like forever.’
‘Because,’ Eve threw her arm around her shoulder and squeezed, ‘it’s the happiest day of your life.’ She threw a look at her father. ‘Isn’t it, Dad?’
John Maxwell glanced over at his wife. ‘The day I married your mother was the day everything in my life came together. Your mother is my trellis and my wire. Without her, I can’t stand up.’
‘Okay, stop it,’ Phoebe began rapidly fanning her face, ‘I’m going to cry.’
‘Well, if you’re going to,’ Tash said practically, ‘do it now while you’ve got no make-up on.’
‘Oh shoot, I really wanted to help you girls get ready.’ Anita was frantically glancing at the clock. ‘But my cousins are going to be here in a couple of hours. John, did you pick up your suit yesterday from the drycleaners?’
‘Yes, dear.’
‘And what about the camera? Is it fully charged?’
John blinked. ‘Do we have a camera?’
Anita moaned. There was a knock on the window and they all turned to see a rather harassed looking man wearing a cap with ‘Juliet’s Florist’ emblazoned across the top, pointing frantically towards the front door.
‘Oh dear! How long has he been knocking?’ Anita asked.
‘I’ll get it.’ John rose from his seat.
‘Listen, Mum,’ Tash grabbed her hand, ‘you just worry about yourself, Dad and your cousins. We girls can take care of Phee.’
‘Are you sure?’ Anita said, as John walked back in with a box full of corsages and bouquets tied with satin ribbon. Instantly, the room was filled with the fragrance of spring.
‘Wow! They’re gorgeous.’ Phoebe jumped up from her seat and passed her nose over the box. ‘Listen, you girls take the bathroom first. I’m just going to do a quick dash down the drive to unlock the restaurant so the kitchen staff can get in. I’ll be back in five.’
‘Is there anything I can do?’ Heath asked.
‘Yes!’ Tash nodded. ‘Could you go out and buy Mum a digital camera? She’ll go nuts without one.’
‘Done!’
Anita clapped her hands together. ‘Oh, Heath, you’re an angel.’
‘Well,’ his grin was lopsided, ‘now that I’ve got competition for the top spot as favourite son-in-law, I’ve got to put my game face on.’
‘Oh, I do like him,’ Anita patted his cheek but spoke to Tash. ‘I don’t know why you children don’t have some babies already.’
As Anita bustled out of the room, Eve got up quickly, grabbing Tash’s arm and pulling her towards the bedrooms again. ‘Okay, let’s do this,’ she said firmly. As Phoebe took off for the restaurant, Eve and Tash went to their bedrooms to lay out their dresses. Then, after taking it in turns to shower, they both sat down to trim and file their nails. Tash pored over their mother’s nail polish collection, from Candy Floss to Bronze Beach, and pulled a face.
‘Do you think we should have had this done professionally?’
‘And take Patricia’s side again?’ Eve scoffed. ‘We had to give Mum another win, particularly with Dad keeping score so fervently.’
Tash rolled her eyes as the hairdresser walked in – a young woman in jeans and a t-shirt. ‘Hello, ladies? Who wants to go first?’
Tash slipped the nail clipper into the pocket of her dressing gown and sat down on the chair in front of Eve’s mirror.
‘I’ll go get Phoebe,’ Eve told them. ‘She must be back by now and in the shower.’
Phoebe, however, was not in her bedroom or in the shower. Eve searched the rest of the house but her sister was nowhere to be found. When she walked in on her mother stepping out of the shower, Anita seemed surprised to see her.
‘Everything okay, darling?’
‘Perfect,’ Eve nodded quickly, backing into the hall and nearly bowling Heath over. ‘Have you seen Phoebe?’ she whispered.
‘Isn’t she with you guys?’ He was jingling keys, clearly about to head out to get the camera.
Eve bit her lip. ‘She must be in her bedroom.’
There was no point in alarming anyone. Her mother was already like a coiled spring. So she returned to her bedroom, where the hairdresser had just finished putting curlers in Tash’s hair.
‘While we’re waiting for those to set,’ she informed Eve, ‘I’ll do yours.’
‘Okay,’ Eve agreed. But as Tash got up to vacate the seat, she whispered urgently, ‘See if you can find Phee, will you? She seems to have disappeared.’
‘Disappeared?’
‘Is everything okay?’ the hairdresser asked.
‘Oh fine!’ Eve quickly assured her. ‘Nothing to worry about at all.’
Just another day in the mad Maxwell household.
Eve sat down in front of the mirror. Her hands fidgeted restlessly in her lap. Luckily, the hairdresser was not the chatty type and just seemed keen to get to work. It was insane for Phoebe to disappear just at this moment. She hoped there hadn’t been another accident at the restaurant. God forbid that all their hard work should
be overturned in the final hours before the wedding.
For some reason this near-miss made her think of Adam and her failed attempts to convince him that she’d changed her mind. When he came round for dinner, she went to kiss his cheek first. She took his hand and led him to the dining room. When he made his initial attempt to leave, she asked him to stay longer … which he did. But nothing ever came of it, especially with her sisters and her parents hanging around.
The fact was, she was just being too subtle.
Like Spider all over again. She swallowed hard. You’ve gotta step this up, Eve. You’ve gotta bite the bullet and just tell him.
Telling a man she liked him wasn’t exactly her strong point. Look at the note she’d written to Spider. Wow, what a colossal disaster, and in more ways than one.
No, she was going to have to get Adonis alone and do this face to face. She chewed nervously on her lower lip. She had to make it absolutely clear that she wanted a real relationship, not a fake relationship or a rebound relationship. But a real frickin’ relationship.
Because I LOVE him.
And then once she’d put that word out there, she had to ask him if he was still interested.
Just at that moment Tash reappeared, skidding into the room like she had a lion at her heels. The hairdresser was placing the last roller into Eve’s hair so Tash quickly straightened and walked with more dignity to Eve’s side.
‘If you don’t mind,’ she said to the hairdresser, ‘my mother needs you upstairs. Perhaps you can come down later and finish us and the bride when you’re done?’
‘Sure.’ The hairdresser smiled, packing up her trolley of items and rolling out.
As soon as she was gone, Tash whipped out the hand she was holding behind her back and held up a note she’d been hiding.
‘Can’t find Phee anywhere,’ she wailed. ‘But I did find this in her room.’
Eve snatched the note out of her hand, thinking as she did so, that notes were always such terrible things and she would never ever leave one lying around again.
Dear Family,
When I woke up this morning, I realised my feelings were mixed. I can’t go through with this. Please tell everyone I’m sorry.
