‘So, you want to run by me why you were with Lily in the first place?’ Mac asked as he turned and looked at his friend.
Flynn stared straight ahead. ‘Oh, shut up and watch the damn movie.’
Chapter 11
It was a glorious spring morning. The sun was shining and there was something hinting of summer in the air as Lily pounded along the botanical garden footpath. September had been busy but she’d made great progress on the dresses for Violet’s wedding. Since the wedding was scheduled for the end of summer, she felt that she had plenty of time to finish them. Her normal daily routine of splitting her time between the shop and sewing had been slightly interrupted with Holly’s school holidays. She tried to help Violet out and take on a little more events planning to give her sister some much-needed one-on-one time with Holly. She’d also taken her niece to the movies a couple of times, which had been great.
But now it was the first week of October and school had officially gone back, so Lily was able to concentrate on business. Well, that and the money pit that was her shop renovation. No, that wasn’t really fair: up until this point everything with the new kitchen and bathroom had gone well and pretty much to the time line Johnno had first laid out for her. Oh, there had been a few hiccups, but nothing major – that was until last Sunday night when a huge storm ripped through the town. The wild weather had torn a section of the old corrugated iron off the roof. Consequently, the rain had poured through the attic and down one of Lily’s newly painted walls on the first floor. It was a setback and a costly one, but Lily just had to take a breath and wear it.
So she should have been mulling over her budget, the new repairs that had to be done, and which one of her designs she should tackle next. Instead her mind kept wandering back to Flynn. Since being locked in the cupboard she’d only seen him a few times, and they had been accidental meetings at that – at the service station, outside the bakery and once when she dropped off Violet at McKellan’s Run. Their exchanges had been friendly but brief. It was better this way, but if she was being truthful, there was a part of her that regretted him not popping in to see her.
Lily fell into step with the beat of the music as it pumped through her earphones. She should just let it go and not dwell on it, she thought as she ran back towards home. Problem was that was easier said than done.
She hit the shower and grabbed a quick breakfast with Violet and Holly before heading over to the shop to see how the roof repairs were going.
Walking upstairs to the attic, Lily was confronted by a large metal ladder disappearing into the manhole in the slatted wooden ceiling, a pair of workbooted feet sticking out at the top.
‘Is that you up there, Johnno?’
‘Oh hey, Lily – yeah, it’s me. I was just checking out the roof trusses. So do you want the good news or the bad news?’ Johnno said as he climbed halfway down the ladder.
Lily dropped her head back and scrunched her eyes for a second. ‘Ooh, really? Okay, damn it, hit me with the bad news.’
‘I have to replace a couple of the beams.’
‘And the good news?’
‘I don’t have to replace the whole thing,’ he said with a smile as he climbed all the way down. ‘Here, why don’t you go up there and have a look? I’ll point out the bit that has to be fixed.’
‘Okay,’ she said as she started to climb up. ‘What exactly am I looking for?’
‘I’ve left a light up there. When you reach the top of the ladder, look to the beam on your right,’ Johnno said as he followed her up, standing just a couple of rungs below her. ‘Just reach over and touch it.’
Lily did just that, a little piece of it broke off in her hand. ‘It’s rotten.’
‘Yep, it sure is,’ Johnno said, making no attempt to move. ‘These things happen. The shop is old and just needs a bit of TLC.’
Lily was conscious of Johnno standing too close, his body brushing against hers. She looked back at him. ‘Um, can we go down now?’
‘Oh yeah, sure.’
Lily felt his hand on her back as she took the last couple of rungs. ‘Thanks.’
Johnno gave her a smile. ‘Anyway, it will add a bit of time and expense to the job of fixing the roof. I’ll do some costings and give you the figures later.’
‘Alright,’ Lily said as she went to go back downstairs, but Johnno called her back.
‘So Lily, have you had time to think about us going out?’
Lily hesitated for a second. Johnno was a good, decent, stable guy, and it was only dinner, not a commitment for the rest of her life. Why shouldn’t she say yes? It wasn’t as if Flynn … damn it, why was she even thinking of him at a time like this?
‘Sure, why not, Johnno – thanks.’
‘Great,’ he said with a beaming smile. ‘How about next Saturday?’
‘Sounds good,’ Lily said before she walked back down the stairs. ‘It’ll be nice.’
And it was just that – nice. The next Saturday, they went to a trendy little bar in Bendigo that had a cool and intimate vibe, followed by dinner at Lemongrass and Orchid, one of the best Thai restaurants in the area. The food was fantastic, the conversation was pleasant and Lily did have a nice time, but there was something missing. When Johnno kissed her goodnight it had been gentle and sweet and didn’t raise her heartbeat, not even for a second. As Lily walked back up the steps to the verandah, she couldn’t help but wish there was a spark between them. The truth was that no matter what her head said, her heart wanted fireworks.
***
Flynn had tried to put Lily out of his mind. He’d caught the look of concern in Mac’s eyes when he’d let slip that he had been with Lily and guessed he couldn’t blame him. Mac was his best friend and, like anyone else in Violet Falls, knew about Flynn’s long and meandering trail of failed love affairs. However, Mac understood the reason why Flynn had trouble committing and why things always seemed to go belly up. Normally Mac wouldn’t say a word, and Flynn knew that he could always count on him, but this time things were different. This time, Mac wasn’t only Flynn’s mate but almost Lily’s brother-in-law.
When Mac and Violet had got together, he knew he was getting an instant family. He’d been in love with Violet Beckett for years and nothing made him happier than knowing that soon she’d be his wife and Holly his daughter. But he also knew that Violet and her sister, Lily, had a strong bond. Violet had been responsible for Lily since she was a kid and she worried over her like a mother hen.
So Flynn understood Mac’s look of concern the other night, and for that reason Flynn took a step back. He stayed at the Grange and rarely went into town, but even on the handful of times he did, he still managed to run into her – perhaps it was fate, or maybe just bad timing. Each meeting left him feeling rattled and aware that no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, Lily Beckett had an effect on him.
Monday afternoon found him standing in line at the post office. The line was long and to kill the time he stared out the window. The bakery was just across the road and the more he looked, the more he thought that maybe he should grab one of their éclairs and a coffee before heading home. As he stood there he overheard a couple of women who were ahead of him in the line. One was Mandy from the newspaper and the other one was Jill; she glanced over her shoulder and caught his eye and he nodded a greeting in return.
‘So on Saturday we went to dinner before catching a late screening at the movies,’ Mandy was saying to Jill.
‘Nice. Where did you eat?’ Jill asked.
‘Um … what’s it called? You know, the Thai place – Lemongrass and Orchid.’
‘Oh great – the food is fantastic there.’
‘It was. Hey, I ran into your friend there, Lily.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, she was there with Johnno.’
Something in Flynn’s gut contracted when he heard the words. He stopped himself from barrelling into their conversation and demanding all the details. He shouldn’t be jealous but he was. Rationally
he knew that he had absolutely no right to feel this way. It wasn’t as if he and Lily were going out or anything. It was just the idea of her in some dimly lit restaurant with another guy that didn’t sit well with him at all. Flynn picked up his parcel and then hightailed out of there as quickly as he could and headed to his car. No point heading to the bakery now, all of a sudden he seemed to have lost his appetite.
***
The Violet Falls agricultural show had been held on the last weekend of October for the past hundred and two years. There was a woodchopping contest, a horse show, a petting zoo for the kiddies, the sideshow carnival and horse rides, and the old pavilion showcasing entries in the various competitions, including the best jam or preserve, patchwork quilt, knitted item or rose grown in the local area. Several members of the community took the agricultural show very seriously and made an effort to enter as many categories as they could. It was common knowledge that old Mrs Patterson, for instance, was the undisputed champion when it came to strawberry jam and quince jelly and had walked away with the blue ribbon for the past forty-five years.
The show always opened with a parade on the Friday evening. Starting up one end of the main street, it made its way to the local oval on the other side of the railway track. The parade was heralded by the Violet Falls highland band and included floats from the primary school, sporting clubs and other community groups as well as fire engines and a collection of antique cars.
Lily stood alongside Violet and Mac outside her shop and waited for the parade to begin. The Violet Falls primary school was entering a float this year as usual, but Holly had decided that she wanted to be with her new dance school, Moonbeams and Stardancers. The main street was lined with people, all waiting to cheer the participants on.
‘Is Holly nervous?’ Lily asked.
Violet nodded as she glanced her way. ‘Yes, but she’s got Kylie and Amber with her, so I hope she’ll be okay.’
Mac put his arm around Violet and gave her a squeeze. ‘You worry too much – Holly will be brilliant. Once the parade gets going she’ll have a ball. Look,’ he said as he gestured towards the post office, ‘it’s starting.’
Lily turned her head and looked up the street as the first drumbeats sounded in the air. The drums were quickly joined by the drone of a dozen bagpipes as the band began to march down the street to the strains of ‘Scotland the Brave’.
After the band came the Violet Falls kindergarten, with a dozen or so preschoolers sitting on a float dressed as acorns.
‘That’s adorable!’ Lily said with a chuckle.
‘Yeah,’ Mac said with grin as he nudged Violet. ‘Hey, you want to start working on our own little forest later?’
Violet blushed. ‘Shhh Mac – someone will hear.’
After the kindergarten came the school, all the kids dressed up as their favourite book characters. The boys and girls from Holly’s dance group followed.
‘Oh, there she is!’ Violet said, waving to her daughter as Mac pulled out his phone and started snapping a few photos.
With the help of her two best friends, Holly walked down the middle of the road carrying the Moonbeam and Stardancers banner. All the girls from the dance school were dressed in pale pink tutus and had their hair pulled back in the classic ballerina bun.
Holly gave her Mum a little wave and smile as she walked past.
‘See, I told you she’d be alright,’ Mac said as he nudged Violet. ‘Didn’t I, Lily?’
Lily grinned back. ‘Yes, you did, Mac.’
‘Come on, let’s head down to the oval,’ he said, slipping his phone back into his jeans and putting his arm around Violet again.
The three of them wove their way through the various groups of people and headed towards the sportsground. The music was fading into the distance and being drowned out by the clapping and voices of the crowd. They stopped several times as they were greeted by friends. Seriously, Lily began to think that Mac must know every single person in town.
Once inside the sportsground, they waited by the fence for the whole parade to circle once. Then, after a final blast of the fire engine siren, the parade broke up and all the children were gathered up by their parents.
‘Did you see me, Aunty Lily?’ Holly said as she ran forward into Mac’s arms.
‘I certainly did! You were great out there.’
‘You were beautiful, fairy,’ Mac said as he swung her around before putting her down in front of Violet.
‘Thanks, Mac!’ Holly scooted over and gave her mum a hug. ‘What did you think, Mummy?’
‘That you were my very favourite ballerina out there. Good job, kiddo – I’m really proud of you for walking in the parade, even though you were nervous. Now I know you like the tutu but I brought your jeans and boots to change into. It’s going to get cold soon,’ Violet said as she handed Holly a bag.
Holly took the bag but her eyes travelled past her mother to the sideshow with all its rides. ‘Mummy, can I go on some of those?’
‘Hmmm, I guess. Which ones?’
‘That one,’ Holly said with a grin, pointing to a great metal monster. The ride had eight arms with a passenger car attached at each end. Not only did the cars go around and around but they also went up and down with a loud whooshing sound.
Lily looked at Violet and could have sworn that her sister’s face had paled.
‘Um, I’m not sure …’
‘Oh, please, Mummy – it looks fun. Mac will take me, won’t you?’
He glanced at Violet, who still didn’t look convinced. ‘Well, that’s up to your mum.’
‘Oh please! Aunty Lily, get Mummy to say yes.’
‘Hey, leave me out of this,’ Lily said with a laugh.
‘Why don’t we get you changed and have something to eat, and then I’ll think about it,’ Violet said.
Holly took her mum’s hand in hers and then Mac’s. They looked like the perfect family and all of a sudden Lily felt like a fifth wheel. They should have this night as a family unit and not have poor old Aunty Lily tagging along.
‘You guys go ahead. I think I’ll just wander around and check out the pavilion.’
‘Don’t you want to get something to eat?’ Violet asked with a frown.
‘No, not yet – go and have fun. I’ll see you later.’
‘But …’
Lily shooed Violet away with her hand. ‘I’m fine – go.’ She added a hard look just to get her message across. She watched as they turned away and wandered off into the growing crowd. Not a lot happened in Violet Falls, so the show was an excuse for most of the town and district to turn out. Lily headed down to the far end of the oval where the old pavilions were. For Lily the word pavilion always stirred up romantic visions of some bygone Victorian era, but the pavilions at the Violet Falls sportsground were really just big sheds.
By the time she stepped through the door, the place was already filling up with people. She took her time looking at all the entries in the different sections. This year there was a small photography division and she wondered if maybe next year she should enter.
She bumped into Mac’s mother, Sarah McKellan, down in the floral area.
‘It looks as if congratulations are in order,’ Lily said as she pointed to the large blue first prize ribbon next to Sarah’s vase of three blood-red roses.
Sarah turned around and smiled. ‘Oh hello, darling, and thanks – I wasn’t sure if I’d pull it off this year but it appears I did, which is lovely.’
‘Well, your roses were always so beautiful.’
‘Ah, that’s so sweet. Have you just got here?’
‘Um, yes.’
‘Well, you’ve just missed a great drama. One that will be talked about for at least a good week,’ Sarah said with a wink.
‘What do you mean?’
‘It seems that Sally Ford – do you know her? She’s one of Violet’s friends, I think?’
‘Yes, her daughter is best friends with Holly.’
‘Well, it seems that
young Sally has managed to pull off a coup. She’s just beaten Mrs Patterson to first place with her strawberry jam, and Mrs Patterson was far from happy.’
‘Whatever happened to being gracious in defeat?’
‘Grace is something Elvira Patterson has always been lacking in. Anyway, she’s just said – very loudly, may I add – that the whole thing was rigged and that she has never been so insulted in all her life. She stormed out of here with a red face swearing to get to the bottom of it.’
‘Gosh.’
‘Ah yes, it’s high drama in Violet Falls. So, are you here by yourself? I thought you’d be with Violet, Holly and my son.’
‘I was – we watched the parade from outside the shop. But I thought that they should be by themselves, as a family.’
Sarah reached over and gave Lily’s hand a squeeze. ‘That was lovely, dear. You are more than welcome to stay here with me, if you like.’
‘Thanks, but I’m kind of enjoying just wandering around by myself.’
‘I’m on duty here until the fireworks. Apparently, I’m the muscle who is meant to stop anyone from fiddling with the displays. Ah well, that’s what happens when you’re volunteered onto the agricultural show committee,’ Sarah said with a sigh.
Lily laughed at the thought of the dainty Sarah McKellan being seen as a deterrent. Then again, she did seem more than capable of reining in her sons. Perhaps the show committee knew exactly what it was doing after all.
‘Anyway, you know where to find me if you need anything.’
‘Thanks. Have a great night, and congrats on your win,’ Lily said before heading back out to the oval.
Lily did a circuit of the sideshows, remembering how thrilling it had all been as a kid. Even as a young teenager, the show always had a touch of magic to it, especially once the sun went down. She supposed it was a combination of the lights, rides, stallholders hawking for your business and games, like fishing for floating plastic ducks and throwing darts at balloons. Funny, as she walked through the crowd she caught a trace of that old feeling of excitement.
Hartley's Grange Page 9
