Meant To Be

by Fiona McCallum

  ‘Okay then.’ As Emily drained her cup, she smiled to herself. Barbara sounded so like Gran sometimes. It was nice, but it also made her feel the teeniest bit sad. ‘Are you okay to drive, or would you like me to?’ she asked, more out of politeness than the desire to drive. She was probably a little too weary, though she could feel the sugar from the hot chocolate starting to kick in.

  ‘Thanks, but I’m fine.’

  Emily was pleased to be once again seated in the car, and was now realising how painful her feet were. She’d worn what she thought were comfortable shoes, though the amount of walking and standing around browsing they’d done would have rendered anything dressier than sneakers uncomfortable, she thought wryly. She was seriously out of practice with this shopping caper! Thankfully she had Jake and his beautiful hands to make her feel all better later…

  Just as Barbara was fishing the keys out of her handbag her mobile phone rang.

  ‘It’s David,’ she said as she answered. ‘Hello darling, how did your day go?’

  Emily couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but the way Barbara was looking at her – seemingly trying not to – told her something was being said she wasn’t meant to hear. And the slight flush to her friend’s face confirmed it.

  ‘Oh, right. Okay. See you later then.’

  That’s one of the shortest conversations I’ve ever heard between those two, she thought as Barbara ended the call and tossed the phone back into her handbag. Her friend looked decidedly cagey.

  ‘That was David,’ Barbara declared.

  ‘So you said. Is everything okay?’

  ‘Yep.’

  Barbara put the key in the ignition, which Emily took as a sign their discussion of the phone call was over. She itched to ask more, but reluctantly accepted that if Barbara wanted to tell her something she would.

  They backed out of their parking space and joined the slow-moving traffic on the shopping strip. After a few minutes they were out on the open highway where the traffic was light.

  The molten orange sun behind them cast deep shadows into the car. Emily leaned back into her seat. The radio played music quietly in the background. She cast her gaze between the windscreen and the side window while Barbara kept two hands on the wheel and peered past it to the road ahead. Emily tried to keep her eyes open, but with the late-afternoon sun coming in over her shoulder and the steady, gentle movement of the car it was more and more difficult.

  She must have nodded off, because suddenly she woke to find Barbara indicating and taking the right-hand turn into the seaside town of Tumby Bay. Golly, she must have been asleep for nearly half an hour! Emily sat up straighter and blinked a couple of times. She felt quite refreshed and not groggy at all. But she frowned slightly.

  ‘Why are we stopping in at Tumby Bay?’ Barbara had made no mention of it earlier, and all the shops would be shut.

  ‘I thought we might have an early dinner,’ Barbara replied. ‘I hear the hotel on the foreshore has a new chef.’

  ‘Oh. Okay, great.’ I guess. Emily felt like she’d been eating all day. And she was keen to get home to Jake. ‘I should ring Jake and let him know I won’t be home for tea,’ she said, starting to fish about in the handbag at her feet for her phone.

  ‘No need, that’s what David was phoning about. They’re probably at the pub as we speak,’ Barbara added quickly. A little too quickly, Emily thought.

  So why didn’t you say that before?

  For about the third time that day, she had the feeling there was something going on between her friends she didn’t know about. But again, in the interests of being less Enid-like, she refrained from questioning it.

  ‘Oh, okay then. I won’t disturb him,’ Emily said, letting go of her bag and sitting back. But the feeling that something a little odd was going on refused to fully leave her.

  ‘So what were they up to today, anyway? Jake was vague when I asked him,’ Emily ventured.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, this and that,’ Barbara said, taking her right hand off the wheel and waving it about a bit before returning it to its position. ‘Farmer stuff.’

  Emily gnawed at the inside of her cheek as she pondered Barbara’s response – Barbara who was David’s right hand, Barbara who had her finger totally on the pulse. Farmer stuff, my arse! They were up to something. God, I hope they’re not planning some sort of surprise. I hate surprises.

  Oh God, she thought, her blood feeling like it had stopped in her veins. Jake wouldn’t. No, he wouldn’t. He had said himself that they weren’t going to rush things – and by God, mere weeks sure would be rushing things! No way would he be planning to propose so soon.

  But if not that, what the hell were they up to?

  Chapter Seven

  It was well after dark when Barbara dropped her off. As they drove towards Emily’s house, the lights shining through the windows from behind curtains and blinds in the distance made her smile. It was so nice to be coming home to a friendly presence – well, now two friendly presences. But, gosh, she was exhausted. At that moment she yawned, followed immediately by Barbara.

  ‘You’d better stop in for a break before the last stretch,’ Emily said.

  ‘I’ll be okay. Yawning is contagious, you know.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘No idea, but that is too deep a question after the day we’ve had.’

  As usual, whenever she was turning into her driveway, Emily glanced at the site of the old cottage across the way. It was a habit she was trying to break.

  Tonight, as the headlights panned around the corner, something seemed a little different. She was probably imagining things, or was too tired and not seeing things correctly. Or perhaps it was just her position in the passenger’s seat rather than the driver’s that had made things seem different.

  Barbara stopped at the gate by the house. Jake came out, followed by Grace. He was dressed casually in shorts and a light navy-and-white-striped polo top. His hair was damp and mussed. Whatever he’d got up to that day with David, he must have only been home long enough to shower.

  Barbara got out to help Emily sort through the bags of shopping in the boot.

  ‘Hello there. Have we had fun?’ Jake asked, coming down the concrete path to help carry.

  ‘I did, but I missed you,’ Emily said, wrapping her arms around him.

  ‘That’s lovely. I missed you too,’ he said and kissed her deeply.

  She bent down to give Grace a hug. ‘Did you miss me too?’ The dog wagged her tail so hard the whole length of her wiggled.

  ‘Looks like you two were busy,’ Jake said, looking down at the mass of shopping.

  ‘We were, indeed!’ Barbara and Emily said in unison, and then chuckled.

  ‘Right, I think that’s it,’ Barbara said, and shut the boot lid with a thud. The women hugged.

  ‘Thanks so much for a wonderful day,’ Emily said.

  ‘Thank you,’ Barbara said. ‘It was a great day. See you soon.’

  She got back into the car, waved and called, ‘See you Jake,’ as she pulled away.

  Jake and Emily stood with an arm around each other and watched as Barbara drove off. Grace was sitting patiently beside them.

  As the car became a hum in the distance, the silence was filled with a multitude of creatures settling into their night-time symphony. It was a gorgeous warm summer evening with a slight cool breeze.

  Jake gave Emily another quick kiss, and then bent and gathered up the handles of most of the shopping bags. She picked up the rest.

  ‘Anything exciting in here?’ he asked as they made their way inside.

  ‘Not really, although I did find you some books.’ Looking at all the bags they carried between them it seemed like Emily had bought heaps. But in actual fact, she’d only bought a couple of cheap t-shirts and light track pants, some novels for Jake, a couple of beach towels on sale to use as bedding for Grace, and two bags of groceries. She and Barbara had picked up favourite items that the local supermarket
in Wattle Creek didn’t stock. But her most treasured purchases were the latest editions of four interior decorating and house-and-garden magazines. Emily loved flicking through the glossy pages, but had rarely ever bought them new – they were such a luxury.

  ‘So, what did you get up to today?’ she asked as she scurried back and forth putting the groceries away in the pantry.

  ‘Oh, nothing too exciting, just hanging out with David.’

  ‘Have you eaten? I can make you something.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’m fine,’ he said, reaching over and dragging one of her magazines towards him. ‘Mind if I have a look at this?’

  ‘Not at all, go for it.’ Emily wasn’t sure why, but again she had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. When she flipped up the lid on the rubbish bin she noticed a soup tin and bread bag.

  ‘Have you only had toast and soup for dinner?’

  ‘Yeah, just now. We got caught up.’

  But Barbara said you were going to the pub hours ago. What’s going on? She kept the words to herself.

  ‘I can fix you something more substantial if you like. It won’t take long to thaw out some steak.’

  ‘No, thanks, I’m fine. But I won’t say no to a big breakfast in the morning,’ he said with a cheeky grin. ‘I know it’s early,’ he said, now up from the table and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, ‘but I’m sure you’re exhausted. How about a massage?’

  ‘Ooh, that would be lovely. But after a quick shower, I feel all grimy.’

  ‘Okay, only if I can join you.’

  ‘Haven’t you just had one,’ Emily said, reaching up a hand and ruffling his hair that was still damp.

  ‘Well, one can never be too clean.’

  *

  The next morning, Emily stirred, rolled over sleepily and kissed Jake. But instead of wrapping his arms around her and seeing what happened next, Jake leapt out of bed and flung the curtains open. Emily was momentarily disappointed. She’d been hoping for a little entanglement in the sheets.

  It was Australia Day, but they had decided against going to any of the special breakfasts being held around the district. Emily had thought Jake would definitely be up for a bit of lovemaking. If not, he’d be sleeping in. Instead, he was standing at the window in his tight black trunk undies, looking out.

  ‘It’s a lovely morning,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, not meant to be too hot today,’ Emily said, lying on her back and linking her hands behind her head.

  ‘It’s really quite a spectacular view.’

  ‘I’m sure it is.’ What’s going on? He’s seen morning from that window plenty of times now. They’re all pretty much the same this time of year – bright, clear and beautiful, but predictable. Seen one, seen them all.

  ‘Aren’t you getting up?’ Jake said over his shoulder.

  ‘Aren’t you coming back to bed?’ Emily tried for seductive, but her voice came out more like a whine.

  ‘No, come and have a look at this.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because it’s beautiful.’

  ‘Beautiful? A pile of rocks and building debris and a giant meccano set? I’d rather just look at the view from here,’ she said, staring at Jake’s smooth bare back and taut upper thighs.

  ‘Oh ha ha,’ he said, still facing the window. He was beginning to shift on his feet, as if getting impatient, or needing to pee, or something. With a sigh he finally turned away and got back into bed beside her. They snuggled into each other, became entwined, and started to kiss. But something didn’t feel quite right. Jake seemed distracted. She pulled away.

  ‘What? What’s wrong?’ he asked, frowning.

  ‘That’s what I was about to ask you.’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong, why?’

  Emily just looked at him with arched eyebrows.

  He shrugged and stayed silent.

  ‘What’s up with you this morning? You leap out of bed like you’re on fire – which has never happened in all the mornings you’ve been here – and then you stand at the window going on about the view, which you’ve seen plenty of times, and one we both know isn’t worth commenting on thanks to my late husband’s intervention. Has a spaceship landed out there overnight, or are you having some kind of episode?’

  ‘No and no,’ Jake said, sighing deeply.

  ‘Well, what’s going on?’

  ‘Emily, just go and look out the damn window,’ he said with a groan. ‘Go on, do it for me. Please.’ He was lying on his back and shaking his head slowly.

  ‘Why?’ She eyed him suspiciously.

  ‘God, you make some things hard,’ he said with a laugh. ‘Okay, don’t,’ he said with another, and got out of bed.

  As he started to gather clothes and get dressed, Emily’s heart gripped. Shit, we’re not having a fight are we? Surely not about me not looking out the window! God, that’s almost as silly as me last time.

  ‘Okay. All right. If it means that much to you, I’ll look out the damned window.’ She got out of bed and padded over to the nearest of the two bedroom windows – the other one to where Jake had stood. She glanced out. Yes, it was indeed a bright, sunny, glorious summer morning – cobalt blue sky, a couple of wispy clouds. So bloody what?

  ‘Hmm, yep, I agree, it’s lovely,’ she said brightly, despite still feeling very perplexed. She turned back to Jake, who was putting on socks.

  ‘Just thought it was a morning worthy of appreciating, that’s all,’ he said with a shrug.

  ‘Well, let’s get out in it and go for a walk then, shall we?’ Emily said, opening the first drawer in her tallboy to gather clothes.

  They laced up their shoes and left the house. Grace bounded ahead but stopped just outside the gate on the rubble driveway area. Emily had trained her that they now went straight ahead, down past the sheds, rather than left out onto the public road that ran through the middle of the farm, which was near where the old cottage had been.

  Emily’s shoes didn’t feel quite right, so she stopped at the end of the concrete path and bent down to retie them.

  ‘So, which way would you like to go – left or straight ahead?’ Jake asked.

  It struck Emily as an odd question since they had only ever gone straight ahead since Jake had been there. Perhaps he was just being polite, making conversation, or perhaps he wanted a change. Too bad. She didn’t want to see what was over that way.

  ‘Straight ahead. Definitely straight ahead,’ she said, standing up and leading the way. As soon as she saw which way they were headed, Grace raced off ahead. She’s growing so fast, Emily thought, as she watched the border collie’s flickering tail.

  She smiled and looked up at Jake as he grasped her hand and linked their fingers together. It was as perfect a morning as it had looked from inside the house. Cool, not a breath of wind, and with the sun shining brightly. The forecast was for it to be warm, and Emily had already decided to spend it inside going through the photos from yesterday and trawling through her glossy magazines searching for decorating inspiration. She was eager to complete her office.

  After their shower the night before, they’d both sat up in bed flicking through her new magazines. They’d had fun nudging each other and pointing out things they liked. Eventually Jake had put down his magazine, shuffled in closer and they’d gone through the one publication together. Much better. That they so clearly had a shared interest made Emily’s heart glow. And they seemed to like a lot of the same things. It certainly boded well for the future.

  So far, so good, her gran would have said. Emily felt sure Gran would have loved Jake and it made her a little sad that she wasn’t around to see how happy she was with him.

  As they walked, she kicked a stone and watched it bounce and bobble along the ground in front of her. Their steady footsteps, and her occasional kicks, were the only sounds other than the usual morning calls of birds.

  ‘You’re very quiet,’ Jake suddenly said. So deep in thought was Emily that she started slightly.

>   ‘Oh. Sorry. Just thinking about Gran. Wishing she was here to see me so happy. She would have loved you.’

  ‘And I’m sure I would have loved her too. I get the impression she was quite the character.’

  Emily smiled up at him. As she began to look back down at the stone she’d been kicking, her attention was caught by something behind Jake. She stopped in her tracks as she saw a new steel structure standing beside what had been the last shed. She looked from it to Jake with her mouth open.

  He smirked back at her. ‘Surprise,’ he said, opening his arms wide. He now grinned broadly.

  ‘Wow. WOW! You moved it! Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!’ she said, throwing her arms around him.

  ‘David’s the one you need to thank, but I’ll always take a hug,’ he said, wrapping his arms tightly around her and kissing her neck.

  After a moment, Emily pulled away and got her mobile out of her pocket. It was only seven-thirty, but hopefully it wasn’t too early for David and Barbara. She found their number and pushed the green key to make the call. As she waited for it to be answered, she stared at the steel structure, the excitement building inside her. She was all but jumping up and down on the spot when Barbara picked up.

  ‘Oh my God, oh my God, OH. MY. GOD!’ she cried into the phone.

  Barbara laughed and said, ‘I take it you’re talking about the shed.’

  ‘Yes I’m talking about the shed! Thank you, thank you!’

  ‘I’ll put David on.’ A split second later, David was on the line.

  ‘Hey Em, I take it you like your surprise then,’ he said.

  ‘Do I ever! I’m just so blown away. Thank you so much.’

  ‘You knew it was going to happen sometime soon.’

  ‘Yes, but it’s actually done! Again, thank you!’ The words seemed inadequate, but what else could she say?

  ‘It’s my pleasure. We’ll be over tomorrow to do the iron. The footings need a day to cure; perfect timing being a public holiday and all.’

  ‘Who’s “we”?’

  ‘Jake and me, Bob Stanley, Steve Olsen, and Grant Anderson. And don’t worry, I made sure Jake didn’t overdo it – I had him in the tractor operating the loader bucket.’