by C. Fonseca
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes and listened to the sounds of the garden—the wind rustling through the elm tree foliage, the chattering of birds, and the delicate tinkling of a Japanese glass bell hanging in the red maple.
“I do wonder sometimes what it would have been like to have siblings. Maybe a younger sister who followed me around and borrowed my clothes. Or even a brother who tried to date the same girl and defended me against bullies,” Caitlin said. “I was just expected to mix with the adult crowd.”
Isabella’s eyes brightened with sympathy. “I suppose there weren’t many children around the campus when you were young.”
“Yes, it wasn’t like we lived in a village where there were a lot of other families. On campus, there were mainly teachers and students.”
“Well, this coming weekend will be a change for you. You’re expected at Andi’s parents?” Isabella asked.
“Yes, I am.” Caitlin rubbed the back of her neck.
“Are you worried?”
“A little. It will be the first time I meet Andi’s family, apart from Luc. It’s Andi’s father’s birthday and the farm’s spring festival—all rolled into one.” Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. “Well, there’s nothing like jumping in with both feet.”
“True. I can understand why you’re anxious.”
“It doesn’t help me that Andi’s previous girlfriend was from overseas. She suddenly up and left, and Andi’s family had to pick up the pieces. I’m another foreigner, temporarily in the country.”
“I see. Hopefully, you can just enjoy the weekend and her family won’t make any judgments before knowing you. One step at a time.”
“I hope that’s the case.”
Isabella patted Caitlin’s hand. “More importantly, how do you feel? Andi is a beautiful young woman. She seems quite taken with you.”
Caitlin struggled for the right words. She wasn’t her usual coherent, logical self. “Andi’s got me all tied in knots.” Caitlin gazed at Isabella. “Not like my customary…”
“I think you’re falling for her,” Isabella said. When Caitlin didn’t deny her words, she continued, “Caitlin, sometimes you just have to let go of control.”
Caitlin had always been comfortable keeping within boundaries of her own making. Was she ready to let go? Why was she having doubts about the weekend? She’d enjoy the farm and Andi’s family—wouldn’t she? But was she getting too involved? Caitlin was definitely out of her comfort zone.
CHAPTER 24
Caitlin escaped the inevitable bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic by leaving for the farm by early afternoon on Thursday. In her last text, Andi had said she hoped to arrive around five thirty. Caitlin estimated it would take her about an hour and a half to reach Ballarat, where she intended to visit the art gallery. That should put her at the farm about thirty minutes after Andi. By arriving just after six o’clock, she would have Andi at her side when she met her parents for the first time.
After half an hour, she turned off the motorway, and the car’s GPS indicated one hundred and twenty kilometres to her destination. She steered the Roadster into the sparse traffic and headed along the open country road.
The last few weeks had been incredible—a whirlwind. Caitlin, Kim, and their staff had worked a tight deadline in preparation for the installation of the large, upstairs gallery. The builders were finished, the lighting system had been installed, and the work on the parquet flooring was complete. The exhibition space and foyer looked outstanding. Next week, with the help of two extra casual staff, they would install the display cabinets and the freestanding sculptures and hang the paintings.
As she drove, Caitlin noticed the undulating flaxen wheat fields, small pockets of residential areas, and mature stands of trees bordering part of the scrubby state forest. So different from the green rolling hills and valleys near her home in Ireland. Home. Caitlin knew she would have to choose the right time to tell Andi her latest news. Would there ever be a right time?
She had worked all her academic life for a chance at this opportunity—Academic Promotions to Associate Professor. The presentation process from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor would begin the first week in December in Cork. When she’d received the papers in the mail last week, her emotions had cascaded from elation and exhilaration to bewilderment and uncertainty. Caitlin talked at length to Kiera about her dilemma, torn between her career, family, and friends in Cork and her current life and job in Melbourne.
Andi. She couldn’t even bear to throw into that mix her oh-so-new relationship with Andi. The intense attraction and their heart-thumping sexual intimacy had escalated—even though distance and commitments meant their time together had been severely curtailed.
Caitlin wished her interview could have been better timed. If Andi were free in December, she could have asked her to travel with her. It would have given her a chance to show Andi around her city and for them to visit the other Kinsale, on the southwest coast of Ireland. But Andi had reached a milestone in her own life—her first solo exhibition.
Caitlin checked the directions into Ballarat and drove towards the main street. She stopped at a red light and rested her head heavily on the steering wheel.
“Dammit, there is no easy answer,” she muttered.
A few hours later, Caitlin pulled into a long driveway lined with tall, dark cypress trees. They stood like sentinels, and led her to a stone-walled courtyard. She stopped to check the nameplate to make sure she was on the right property.
“Casa de La Rosa. This is it.”
The Rey villa was not what she had envisaged, and she chided herself for expecting an older, traditional homestead. The rectangular, white, cubic-style exterior of the villa was modern, contemporary—almost sleek. It formed a contrast between the green of the cultivated fields and today’s deep-blue sky.
Caitlin parked near a grey Jeep Cherokee and opened the car door to a fragrant mix of orange blossom and eucalyptus. There was no sign of Andi’s car in the front yard, and she was nervous at the prospect of meeting Andi’s family on her own.
As she approached the burnished copper front door, she looked up at the slatted wooden veranda roof with wide overhanging eaves that cast a stripy pattern on the grey slate tiles at her feet.
The front garden was a mass of colour, swathes of purple iris, gladioli, granny’s bonnets, and freesias. The vivid hues were fantastic. Caitlin stood in the shade of the veranda absorbing the beauty around her. Compared to the landscape she had just driven through, this was an unexpected oasis.
Suddenly, the front door was flung open. “Welcome, you must be Caitlin. I’m Lina, Andréa’s mother.” Lina greeted her with a warm, welcoming smile and a firm handshake. “Come in, come in.”
Caitlin took a deep breath, feeling a little more at ease. Lina ushered Caitlin into the house and guided her through the foyer. They entered a double-height living room separated from the hall by a stylish, architectural, wood and glass divider. The exposed beams and the large recessed fireplace were complemented by the strong, clean lines of a sizeable open-plan kitchen and dining space. Large windows gave a view of an outdoor living room. Caitlin was drawn to the welcoming atmosphere and the fragrant smells that drifted from the kitchen.
Even though Andi had given Caitlin the option of driving to the farm on the day of the party, Caitlin had chosen to arrive earlier. Despite her conflicted feelings about becoming more deeply involved with Andi, she wanted to be part of the preparation and spend time with the family.
A tall, handsome man bounded across the lawn towards the courtyard doors. He directed a beaming smile at Caitlin, and she immediately saw a strong resemblance to Andi. This must be her father.
* * *
Home. Even though Andi had lived away from the farm for many years, Casa de La Rosa was her home. As the old Jeep chugged into Sugar Creek Road, the green rolling paddocks and tall line of trees was, as always, a welcoming sight. The temperate climate, fertile volcanic soils, and c
onsistent rainfall of the region enabled the farm to grow crops year round. Andi never failed to be amazed by the abundance of their produce.
Even as a child, she’d loved the colour and patterns of the planted fields. Rows of green and purple kale; intense green of sweet-stem broccoli; the deep, rich red of radicchio. As she approached the hilltop near the farm gate, she could see the curved fields planted with iceberg, red oak lettuce, chicory, and an array of Asian greens. She wound down her window and inhaled the heavy, loamy earthiness of a freshly ploughed field.
Andi drove down the farm road past the circular planted, terraced herb and spice gardens, through the open gates and into the villa compound. Caitlin’s car was parked near the open garages, and she pulled in alongside. Andi was more than half an hour late, but hopefully Caitlin hadn’t arrived too long ago.
She grabbed her backpack, stood on the front veranda, and looked towards the twin dams at the bottom of the property. The setting sun spread a pinky-red glow upon the gently moving water, and the mature trees planted on their banks cast ghostly shadows into the surrounding fields.
The espaliered fruit trees on the old red-brick walls of the Casa compound were covered in sweet-smelling blossoms. The house garden, with its orange trees, roses, and freshly mown lawns, was the perfect setting for the coming weekend celebrations.
“Andréa,” her mother called. “You are here at last. You’re almost an hour late. Why didn’t you ring?” Lina grabbed her youngest child in a tight embrace.
“Mum, you are squashing me,” Andi said, as she tried to pry herself from her mother’s arms.
Lina stepped back and noticed the state of Andi’s clothes. “You’re covered in mud! What on earth happened to you? Are you okay, Andréa?”
Andi laughed, and placed a finger on Lina’s lips. “Shoo… One question at a time, please. It is great to see you too, Mum.” As they talked, Andi surreptitiously searched for Caitlin.
“If you are looking for your Caitlin, she is not here. Anyway, why would you want her to see you like this?” Lina scolded her daughter and turned her in a circle to check the full damage.
“But where is she?”
Lina picked up Andi’s bag and walked towards the enclosed glass breezeway that lead to the guest quarters.
“Caitlin is worried about you too. She tried to phone you every ten minutes, but it kept going to the answering service. I asked your father to take her for a walk around the garden before sunset. We thought it would keep her calm until you arrived.”
Andi looked down at her muddy jeans and shirt. “I had no choice. The Jeep has been giving me trouble. I took the back road to save time, and then I ran over a branch that got stuck under the car.” She pointed to her clothes. “And this is what happened.”
Andi followed her mother into the guest suite and noticed Caitlin’s overnight case and a shopping bag emblazoned with the Ballarat art gallery’s logo, placed neatly on the side dresser.
Lina guided her daughter towards the bathroom. “I think it’s a good idea for you to have a nice hot shower and change into some clothes with no mud,” she said.
“I’m sorry I worried you, but there was no phone service along the back road. If I’d been stuck, I would have walked to one of the farmhouses. Anyway, I’m here now.”
“Into the shower with you. I have to check the dinner. Just a simple meal tonight, Andréa. We have a big day of preparation tomorrow. Your father and Caitlin should be back soon.” Lina tilted her head to one side and smiled. “Although, I must say, he seems very taken with your friend. He is probably questioning her intentions right now.”
Andi rolled her eyes. “God, I hope not. Oh, I really hope he doesn’t give her a hard time.”
Lina pushed Andi into the bathroom. “Oh, my darling, you are so easily teased,” she said and pulled the door closed behind her.
Andi stripped off her clothes and turned on the shower. Enjoying the steaming hot water, she thought about the weekend ahead. It was going to be interesting. How would Caitlin cope with her overprotective family and inquisitive friends and neighbours? Hopefully with patience and a sense of humour.
First, Caitlin had to survive tomorrow, a day of family Rey—preparing, cooking, and decorating. Andi reached for a large towel and rubbed herself dry, wrapped it around her body, secured it, and ran her hands through her hair to loosen any tangles.
“Poor Caitlin,” Andi moaned.
“Why poor Caitlin?” A voice from the doorway startled Andi. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
Andi looked up into the mirror and saw Caitlin’s reflection. She leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe. As Andi turned around, Caitlin entered the room and casually kicked the door closed with her boot.
Andi grinned. Caitlin stepped towards her and drew her into her arms. “Your mother explained what happened. I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.” Caitlin kissed Andi’s bare shoulders and tugged at the towel until it fell to the ground.
Andi gasped as Caitlin pressed the length of their bodies together and her nipples pearled against the sheer fabric of Caitlin’s T-shirt.
“I think you have me at a slight disadvantage here.” Andi slipped her hands under the black material and dragged her fingers up Caitlin’s waist and over her ribs to stroke the soft skin above her silky bra.
Caitlin buried her face in Andi’s neck and skimmed over her damp skin with hungry lips.
Andi grazed her thumb along Caitlin’s breast, and she trembled.
“I don’t know about that,” Caitlin murmured. Her tongue traced Andi’s cheek, and as if seeking permission, she kissed the corner of her mouth. As Caitlin moved her hands along her back and down to caress her thighs, Andi captured Caitlin’s mouth fully in a lingering kiss that left Andi weak at the knees.
“Andréa and Caitlin, dinner in five minutes,” Lina’s voice echoed from the hallway.
Caitlin pulled away as Andi reached for her towel. “Oh my goodness, I completely forgot where we were,” Caitlin said, her cheeks flushed. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Andi laughed and secured the towel once again around her torso. “I’ve missed you too.” She ran her knuckles gently along Caitlin’s pink skin. “Welcome to my family home. I think I’d better dress before my mother joins us in here.”
Caitlin patted her face with a cool, damp cloth and rearranged her clothes. “I’ll let them know you won’t be long.” She took a deep breath and smiled at Andi sweetly, then made her way through the doorway.
* * *
Caitlin lifted the wine to her lips, hiding her smile behind the glass. She sat back and observed Andi. She longed to feel Andi’s lips against hers again—she could almost taste their sweetness.
As if reading her thoughts, Andi raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes, and smiled at her. She was adorable, and Caitlin had been caught staring.
Andi sat between her parents, and it was clear that she was a beautiful combination of them both. Like her father, Emmanuel, she was agile, with the same sun-kissed olive skin, dark-blonde hair, long eyelashes, and brown eyes. Emmanuel’s hair, greying at the temples, gave him a distinguished look. He was handsome and charming.
Lina Rey had a wiry, slender frame. Her dark, wavy hair was kept short and neatly styled. Andi was lucky to share her mother’s high cheekbones, full lips, and classic straight nose.
Andi laughed easily as her father recounted a story about his grandson Manny’s first time behind the wheel of the farm truck. Caitlin winked at Andi across the table, and Andi grinned shyly. Caitlin turned to meet Lina’s intelligent hazel eyes, as she observed their interaction. She was sure nothing got past those shrewd eyes.
“Your kale and potato soup is lovely,” Caitlin said. Lina had served their first course of finely chopped kale, spicy chorizo, and potato soup, with freshly baked cornbread and black olives.
“Caldo verde, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is just a simple dish from the Douro region, where Emmanuel and I were born.”
<
br /> “As is this excellent wine you brought for us, Caitlin,” Emmanuel added and held up the half-empty bottle of guru branco to refill their glasses.
“Is it made by the Portuguese woman you were telling me about?” Andi asked.
Caitlin nodded. “That’s right, Sandra Tavares da Silva is the oenologist at Wine and Soul.”
“It is a beautifully finished wine that will also go with our next dish,” Lina said. She placed a platter on the table, piled high with baked fish on a bed of stewed tomatoes and capers. “Help yourself to the cod, please.”
Andi skimmed Caitlin’s shoulder as she put a large bowl of green salad in front of her. She drew back and whispered in Caitlin’s ear, “Yes, help yourself, please.”
“Andréa.” Lina shook her head with an amused expression.
“Yes, Mother?” Andi asked.
“Please bring the pomegranate dressing from the refrigerator.”
“Yes, Mum.”
Emmanuel looked lovingly at his youngest daughter and then directly at Caitlin. “It is good to see our Andréa laughing and happy.” He lifted his glass in a toast. “Let’s drink, to family, new friends, and good food. Saúde.”
They clinked their glasses together.
“Sláinte mhaith. Good health. Thank you so much for inviting me to your home,” Caitlin said.
“We are delighted you could be here, and I look forward to introducing you to the rest of the family tomorrow.” Lina raised her glass.
* * *
Caitlin placed her hand over Andi’s mouth. “Quieten down, will you? How much wine did you have?” She couldn’t help but smile as Andi giggled and wriggled beneath her.
Andi looked up impishly. “Only two glasses of white and a port after dinner—not much at all.”
“It’s payback time. You were deliberately taunting me in front of your parents,” Caitlin said and held on to Andi’s wrists lightly to stop her wandering hands. “I was trying to make a good impression, and you were not making it easy.”
“I was. I did not.” Andi shook her head from side to side. “Anyway, how could they not like you?”
