Songbird Caged

by Lisa Edward

I laughed at the name of the gym. It all made perfect sense that Cole would call the gym Pump It.

  “So you have a trust fund, too?” I asked. I didn’t know a lot about Cole’s family, only that his grandfather was a famous composer and concert pianist.

  “Yep. I come from a long line of wealthy bastards,” he joked. “On my twenty-fifth birthday, a few years ago, I had the full amount released. I’m worth around twenty million.”

  “Wow. I’ll have ten on my birthday.”

  It was the first time I had ever told anyone how much money was involved, but it seemed easy to tell Cole. Maybe because I’d just found out that he had twice as much as me.

  “So, does Mal know how much you have?”

  “Nah, I’ve never told anyone.” He paused. “Well, I guess I have now.” He squeezed me into him. “It’s funny, I feel perfectly comfortable telling you because I know you don’t care about the money.”

  Okay, so now that we were talking about money, I wanted to ask his opinion on helping out Marcus.

  I told him about the kitchen area at the bar that Marcus wanted to refurbish, but couldn’t afford. I then told him about my idea to buy into Songbirds, and open the restaurant as its own side business.

  We talked through the financial aspect, and through the legalities of it all. Cole was very knowledgeable, and raised a few valid issues that I would need to sort out with Marcus. But by the end of the conversation, I had a clear understanding of what I needed to do, and how it should be approached.

  “Thank you for being my sounding board, Cole.”

  He gave me a squeeze. “No problem. What does Hotshot think of your trust and the restaurant?”

  This was awkward. “He doesn’t know how much I have, but he’s not happy about me having anything. He wants to support us completely.”

  Cole snorted and mumbled under his breath, “Ridiculous.”

  “And I’ve only just mentioned in a letter that I would like to buy into Songbirds. I don’t know how he feels about it yet; I guess I’ll have to wait to hear back before I speak to Marcus.”

  “What? Why?” Cole was leaning up on his elbow now. I could feel his presence above me. Our faces were so close.

  “Because we’re getting married, so the money will become ours. He should have a say in how it is used.”

  “Are you crazy?” He was even closer now as he pressed his forehead to mine. “Babe, it’s your money. You’re not married yet. Besides, if you are serious about tying the knot, you need to get a prenup drawn up, so it stays your money.”

  I hadn’t even considered a prenup. Riley wasn’t interested in my money.

  “That won’t be necessary. I trust Riley.”

  Cole flopped back down beside me. “Please, for me, talk to your dad about Riley and a prenup. He’ll tell you it’s the only way forward.”

  “I can’t. They don’t know I’m engaged.”

  Cole chuckled beside me. “This just gets better and better.” He pulled me in to him, wrapping both arms around me. “If you need some moral support when you go talk to your parents, I’ll come with you.”

  “Would you be supportive, or would you put Riley down in front of them?” It was a horrible question, but I needed to know the answer.

  He exhaled loudly, and then planted a kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll tell them whatever you want me to. I’m here for you, always.”

  I squeezed him tight. “Thank you, babe.”

  Our time at Cole’s was up when Kelli’s apartment was ready for her to move back in. Between Kelli, Jason, me, and surprisingly Cole, we had her things shifted in record time, and she was settled in and dozing off on the couch before we left.

  Unfortunately, this also meant that I didn’t have an excuse to stay at Cole’s anymore. The landlord had arranged for the hot water to be fixed days ago, so I reluctantly had to move back to my apartment.

  Cole was particularly quiet as I was packing my bags. He sat on the edge of the bed in the room that had technically been mine for the week. He watched me fold each garment before it was placed into the suitcase. It was the longest I had ever taken to pack a bag, as if every last minute in the apartment was precious, and needed to be held onto.

  When I couldn’t stall any longer, Cole carried my bags to the elevator.

  “You don’t have to go you know. You could stay here.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t move in with Cole. Just being here with him had brought so many feelings to the surface. I knew I needed some space to think things through.

  “Tell me this. If Kelli hadn’t embarrassed you at the gym when we first met, would you have gone out with me? Would you and I have had a chance?”

  It was a question I had asked myself countless times.

  I had actually met, or should I say ‘encountered’ Cole before I had met Riley. He had been the hot guy at the gym who we had nicknamed Mr Hotbod, and I had been instantly drawn to him.

  But Kelli had shouted out to Mal that I needed to get laid, and that Mr Hotbod was the one to do it. Of course, Mal had been talking to Cole at the time, and I had been mortified by the whole incident. From that time on, I had avoided speaking to, or even making eye contact with Cole, until we met up again months later at one of The Sons’ gigs. By that time, I was in a steady relationship with Riley.

  I smiled at him. “We didn’t know each other then. Would you have wanted to go out with me, or just sleep with me once, like every other girl?”

  His mouth twitched. “I knew you were special from the start, but I don’t think I would have appreciated how special.”

  I nodded. “I think things have worked out for the best. I would much rather have you as my best friend, than as Mr Hotbod from the gym.”

  We hugged one final time, neither one of us wanting to let go. Cole carried my bags down to the car and loaded them in. Then, just for good measure, he gave me another hug.

  “How am I going to sleep tonight without you?” he murmured into my ear.

  “If I work out a way, I’ll let you know.”

  I couldn’t wait for Riley’s next letter to arrive any longer. Having been back in my apartment for a couple of days, I was already going out of my mind looking for something to do.

  I called Marcus, and asked him if I could come over to his place to talk to him about something important. He was apprehensive, but of course agreed out of curiosity, and invited me for dinner that night.

  “Okay, so here’s the thing,” I said after making small talk while we ate. “You need money to refurbish and open the restaurant, and I have money and time on my hands. Would you consider having a partner in the business?”

  He sat back into the cushions of the couch, and frowned. He twisted his mouth, and seemed to be debating the question seriously. It didn’t look good. Then a wide, dimpled grin spread across his face and he grabbed me, pulling me into him.

  “Are you serious? I can’t think of anyone I would rather work with.”

  “Really? So you want to do it?” I asked excitedly. “We can be partners?”

  He jumped up and raced into the study, reappearing moments later with his Notebook computer in hand. He took me through the financials of the bar, and what he had estimated it would cost to get the restaurant up and running.

  “It’s a lot of money, Tars. Do you have that much?”

  I smiled. What he had estimated was small change in the grand scheme of things.

  “I think I can come up with that, no problem.”

  By the end of the evening we had put together an extensive list of what needed to be done, and an estimated budget against each point.

  But what I needed to do before anything else was speak to my father about accessing the money. I told Marcus I would get my dad to draw up an agreement between us, which he could then get his solicitor to look over.

  He hugged me warmly as we said our goodbyes. I was so excited to be moving ahead with this. If everything worked out the way I wanted it to, I could leave my day job and ded
icate all my time to the restaurant, bar, and of course, my music.

  Things were looking up.

  Between Kelli’s pregnancy and the restaurant, I would have enough to keep me occupied until Riley came back. And, with any luck, enough to keep my mind off Cole.

  Okay, so I just thought of him again. I figuratively kicked myself. Starting—now. No more thinking about Cole, I told myself, knowing it wouldn’t last for long.

  I CALLED Cole to tell him how well my conversation with Marcus had gone. I knew he shouldn’t be the first person I thought to tell, but Riley was away, and Kelli would have been in bed.

  “Are you home now?” he asked.

  “Yep, I just got in.”

  “I’ll be there in ten.” Then he hung up.

  Ten minutes later, the buzzer went, and he was standing at my door.

  We hadn’t seen each other for three days, but it felt like an eternity. I stood in the doorway, drinking him in. He looked tired, and there was a shadowing of whiskers over his strong jaw that made his pink lips seem fuller. He stared back at me, his emerald green eyes scanning every detail of my face. Finally, when the electricity between us started to subside, he came in.

  I told him what had happened, and how thrilled Marcus had been. Cole seemed almost as excited about the venture as I was. But I wasn’t excited about going to see my parents.

  “Remember when you said you would come with me to speak to my parents? Are you free this Sunday for lunch?”

  “Of course, but can you do something for me?”

  “Anything.” He raised his eyebrows, and I clarified quickly. “Within reason, of course.”

  “Can you let me stay here tonight? I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since you left.”

  I smiled warmly at him. “Of course you can.” Truth be told, I hadn’t been able to sleep without him, either.

  I couldn’t put it off any longer.

  It was 10:30am, so it wasn’t too early to call my parent’s house, nor was it too close to lunchtime for them to be out.

  My mother picked up on the third ring. “Hello, O’Connell residence, this is Cynthia.”

  She always reminded me of a receptionist, the way she answered the phone.

  “Hello Mother, it’s Tara.”

  “Yes, I know it’s you, dear, you’re the only one who calls me mother.”

  So we were off to our usual pleasant start.

  I looked out the corner of my eye. Cole was sitting next to me on the couch, and from the smirk he was failing to conceal, I wondered if he could hear my mother on the other end of the phone.

  “I was wondering if I could come over for lunch on Sunday, with a friend. I need to speak to Dad about my money.”

  There was silence as my mother processed the word “money”.

  “Yes, we are free. Are you wanting to actually access the money I’ve put aside for you? That would be wonderful.”

  Of course she would think that. I could just picture the little horns sprouting from her head at the thought of me being indebted to her.

  “Who is the friend you will be bringing? Not that soldier person? Please tell me you’re not still seeing him.”

  I exhaled, trying to calm my growing agitation at her tone. “No, Mother, not Riley, he’s overseas at the moment, serving our country. I’ll be bringing my friend, Cole.”

  “Cole who? What’s his surname? Who are his parents?”

  My mother never ceased to be predictable. I could see Cole chuckling to himself at my mother’s questions. Yes, he could definitely hear her.

  “His surname is Michaels, and his father is Victor Michaels. I don’t know his mother’s name.”

  He leaned over and whispered, “It’s Lucinda.”

  “His mother’s name is Lucinda,” I relayed back to her.

  “Oh!” she gasped. “Victor and Lucinda’s boy is a friend of yours. Why, that’s wonderful dear. But isn’t his name Victor? Why are you referring to him as Cole?”

  “He prefers to be called Cole.”

  “But Victor sounds so much more distinguished, dear.”

  I rolled my eyes at Cole. He patted my knee, now understanding why I avoided my mother whenever possible.

  “Perhaps we should invite Victor and Lucinda as well, make an occasion of it.” I could hear by the tone in her voice she already had us married off, and producing grandchildren for her.

  “No, Mother. I need to talk with Dad. Please don’t make this into something it’s not. Cole and I are just friends, okay?”

  She exhaled on the other end of the phone. All her dreams of me marrying into one of the wealthiest families in her social circle had been crushed.

  “Very well. Shall we say twelve thirty, dear? I look forward to meeting Victor.”

  I agreed to the time, and made her promise not to invite anyone else. This was not to be turned into a garden party. It was a simple family lunch, with my best friend tagging along for moral support.

  I slumped back in the couch. Talking to her was exhausting. Cole slung his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me over to him.

  “Is your mother anything like mine?” I groaned.

  He grinned. “Oh no, she’s much, much worse. She’s a tough old bird.”

  I sat up abruptly. “So she won’t like me?” For some reason, it suddenly became vitally important for his mother to like me.

  He chuckled. “Does it matter?” He looked at my face, and brushed a loose curl behind my ear. “I’m sure she will love you. But if she doesn’t, it won’t matter. I’ll still love you.”

  Time froze for a very awkward ten seconds, as we both processed what had just come out of Cole’s mouth. His usually tanned cheeks were turning red as he struggled to find the correct words to rectify his faux pas.

  “Ah, as a friend, of course. I mean, I love you as a friend, you know?”

  I nodded vigorously. As a friend was the only acceptable way for him to feel towards me. Anything else was just asking for trouble.

  “Pfft, yeah, of course.” I flapped my hand, trying to wipe it away. “I love you too, as a friend.”

  We arrived at my parent’s house right on 12:30pm. Unlike the last time I was there with my friends and Riley, the imposing sight of my family home didn’t elicit any gasps from Cole.

  As soon as my mother greeted us at the door, I noticed Cole’s demeanour change. He wasn’t in ‘Cole’ mode anymore, he had transformed into Victor, Lucinda and Victor’s boy.

  He was also dressed differently. Gone were the torn, low-slung jeans, and fitted button-front tee that clung to his amazing physique. Instead, he was wearing pants, lace-up shoes, and a long-sleeve, button-up shirt that covered all his tattoos.

  He made unbelievably socially correct small talk with my mother, while we waited for my dad to get back from his golf game. He was polite when my mother insisted on showing him around the house, and commented on all the artwork and antiques at the appropriate pauses in conversation. He was even able to name the artist and era of work without batting an eyelid. I was suitably impressed.

  He had her wrapped around his little finger by the time my dad came bustling in, golf bag over his shoulder.

  “Hey, there’s my girl,” he said, as he dropped his bag, and gave me a warm fatherly hug. “How have you been, Jellybean? It’s been far too long.”

  Hugging him back, I laughed at the childhood nickname my dad still used for me. Yes, it had been too long since I’d seen my dad.

  “Hi, Dad. I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Cole.”

  The two men shook hands, and for a moment, Cole slipped back into ‘Cole’ mode as they spoke. “Good to meet you, John, Tara’s told me a lot about you.”

  I hadn’t really told him a lot, just enough for Cole to understand my family dynamics.

  Meanwhile, my mother was gazing at Cole adoringly. I couldn’t tell if it was because she was picturing him as her future son-in-law, or if it was just because Cole was so charismatic. Either way, I rolled my eyes at
her.

  I rolled them just as she turned to look at me.

  “Tara, did you just roll your eyes at me?”

  I knew it was a pet peeve of hers. I also knew that there were certain occasions where the only appropriate response was an eye roll.

  Shaking my head at her with wide-eyed innocence, I turned, and rolled my eyes at my dad and Cole. Cole looked away and bit his lip. My dad rolled his eyes back at me, then gave me a wink.

  I missed my dad so much.

  My mother ushered us out to the undercover alfresco area. It had been enclosed with glass bifold doors for the winter. This afforded you a magnificent view of the manicured gardens, swimming pool, and the tennis court in the far back corner of the lawn, without having to endure any of the unpredictable Melbourne weather.

  We took up our places while my mother fussed and flapped around pouring drinks, and serving the entrée on her best bone china. Then she joined us, ensuring that Cole was between her and me.

  “So, Tara, dear, I’m so happy to see you’re not with that soldier person anymore. Honestly, what were you thinking?”

  I glared at my mother. I wanted to leap over the table and rip her head off, but that wouldn’t be socially acceptable. Luckily, Cole intervened. He grabbed hold of my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, before turning to my mother.

  “Actually, Mrs O’Connell, Tara and Riley are still together. He’s serving overseas at the moment, that’s all.”

  “And you know him, Victor?”

  I cringed. Why did she insist on calling him Victor? He was introduced to her as Cole.

  “Mother, Riley and I are still together, in fact, when he returns in about six months’ time, we’re getting married.”

  There. That wasn’t so difficult.

  My mother looked at me with open-mouthed bewilderment, then looked at Cole, as if to say “but look what you could have”.

  I stared wide-eyed at my dad, begging him to support me. He took my other hand, the one that Cole wasn’t still holding under the table.

  “Are you sure about this, Jellybean? You want to marry this guy? We haven’t even met him yet.”

  I nodded, but it wasn’t a convincing nod, and he tilted his head at me.

  “Are you sure?” His eyes flicked over to Cole, then back to mine. “You’re still young, you don’t have to make any rash decisions.”