by Sonia Parin
“I thought you only read fiction,” she said when Joyce returned with her coffee.
“It’s been fairly quiet around town so I’ve been reading up on useless information. It fills the void in my head.” Joyce drew out a chair and sat next to her. “So who’s looking after the pub?”
“The boys, of course. I played the pity card.” Eddie sighed. “I don’t like my chances of trying it for a third day in a row.” Seeing more customers walking into the café, Eddie lowered her head and focused on her coffee.
“You’re going to do your head in thinking everyone is talking about you.”
“But they are.” Eddie threw her head back. “I made such a fool of myself.”
“And you’re still here. The condition isn’t terminal.”
“So why does it feel like a life sentence?” For two months she’d been rehearsing how she’d ask Adam to be her date so she wouldn’t have to go to Sophie Wright’s wedding alone, only to see her efforts blow up in her face. “I don’t know what happened. I’ve tried figuring it out but it makes my head hurt.”
“You spent too much time working up your courage. Whenever Adam came into your line of vision, your voice trailed off and we all disappeared.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You should have stopped me.”
Joyce stirred her coffee and sighed. “Infatuation’s a bitch. You had it bad.”
Eddie tried to deny it but deep down, she suspected she had been head over heels in infatuation, or at least convinced she should try to be because it was better than not being interested in anyone. “I’m blaming my last birthday. Who knows what I’ll do when I turn thirty. It would be best for everyone if I left town.”
“Adam is a good guy. He won’t rub it in.”
It was Eddie’s turn to sigh.
“I’ve seen your new guest drive by in his convertible,” Joyce said after a brief silence. “If I had a guy who looks like him staying under my roof, I wouldn’t dwell on someone like Adam.”
“Newsflash. While I like your coffee better than ours, Theo Kendrick is the other reason I’m here.”
Joyce chuckled. “I wish I’d been there to see your attempt on his life. I hear it was a close call.”
“If I hadn’t pulled back at the last nanosecond, he would have ended up pinned to the wall.” She covered her face with her hands. “Remember the movie you forced me to watch for the umpteenth time?”
“Pride and Prejudice?”
Eddie nodded. “One of the lines keeps crisscrossing my mind. I could die of mortification. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to the guy.”
“You’ll have to give me a heads up when he’s at the pub. I wouldn’t mind a closer look.”
“Sure.” Eddie was about to take a sip of her drink when she saw him. Her hand dropped. The cup rattled on the saucer. “Speak of the devil.” She took in the smooth line of Theo Kendrick’s body. The broad shoulders. The long legs with well-defined muscles. The runner’s calves. He wore red shorts, a black cap and no T-shirt. Eddie tried to look away but it was a crime to ignore such well-defined abs.
He jogged? The guy sounded like a Shakespearean actor and looked like a model advertising the finest cognacs or cigars. He was definitely the type who belonged to exclusive wine tasting clubs and attended opening nights at the opera and ballet. No, she would never have pictured him as a jogger...
“About that closer look,” Joyce said, “I think my legs would melt if I got any closer to him.”
Eddie shook her head. “We were friends,” she said as Theo Kendrick disappeared down the street.
“You and Adam. Yeah, I know.”
“Why did I have to ruin it? Now he’s avoiding me and I don’t blame him. What the hell came over me?” Two years of being alone and seeing a handful of her friends getting married, that’s what. And now she had another wedding to look forward to...
“It’s been slim pickings for a while, but at least there are several of us in the same boat,” Joyce said.
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that. Overcrowded boats tend to topple over and sink.” Eddie drank the last of her coffee and stood up. “I can’t let this drag on any longer. Time to eat some humble pie and apologize to Theo Kendrick.”
* * *
According to the poster he’d seen outside the pub, Theo had slept through the Kevin Reynes and the Posse Brats On The Way to Nashville gig with a special appearance by Dani Reid, an up and coming local. They can’t have been that loud. Then again, if he hadn’t set his alarm clock, he would have slept through a fourth of July fireworks display in his room.
He put it down to the stress he’d experienced over the last few weeks. He’d been in London when he’d heard about his father’s car accident, the result of a stunt gone wrong. A stunt Jon Kendrick should not have been attempting because he’d promised…
In less than an hour, Theo had organized his flight, delegating all the rescheduling of meetings to his virtual assistant, while tackling everything else en route. The days that followed had been harrowing, not knowing if his father would survive, having no control of the situation, being forced to step back and allow others to take over.
His father had pulled through, but the close call had brought him face to face with unfinished business. Business Theo had to take care of...
Theo checked his watch and decided he had plenty of time to shower and go downstairs in time to grab a late breakfast. Then...
No more putting off what he should have done yesterday. Or the day before. Trying didn’t count. Just because Claire Muldoon hadn’t answered the door or picked up the phone...
He splashed water on his face. No more delays, he told himself. “Today. Do it today. No excuses.” Even if it meant sitting on her front porch and waiting for her to arrive. He only had a few days left before he had to return to Melbourne and catch his flight back home to L.A.
The run had cleared his head, but he could already hear the chatter that had kept him company these last few days creeping up on him.
Do this for me, son. Then we’ll be squared. And I’ll never ask for anything else.
No more cliff-hanger phone calls in the middle of the night urging Theo to drop everything and troubleshoot the latest hiccup?
Theo couldn’t quite shake off the image of his father’s battered body lying in hospital. Otherwise, he’d laugh.
Find her and make this right. If... when I pull through this, I don’t want to waste any more time. She needs to know.
His father’s brain must have been rattled. Why else would he experience this uncharacteristic bout of nostalgia?
“Claire Muldoon, you’re about to strike it rich.” But not before Theo ran a thorough check on her.
Showered and dressed, Theo went through his messages, then he made a couple of calls, getting an update on his father’s condition, and touching base with his mother who was appearing in her latest London stage hit. Over the years, he’d become an expert at handling all his parents’ affairs, making sure their respective worlds ran like well-oiled machines. While they trusted his judgment on all issues concerning their careers and assets, their personal lives remained off limits—that had been Theo’s one and only condition when he’d agreed to act as their manager.
Theo wore his halo on a crooked angle, but his parents’ revolving door affairs had more than once made his hair stand on end. Now his father was dragging him into his private life, forcing him to act as his proxy and Theo had no choice but to go along with it all, albeit kicking and screaming.
He dug around his overnight bag and retrieved the velvet box he’d been carrying around all this time. No point in thinking today would be the day if he left the damn thing behind.
“On your way out, are you?”
He swung around in time to see Eddie Faydon striding into his room, her bright eyes peering at him from behind a pile of bed linen. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“And I should have knocked.” She tapped the door with the
tip of her boot. “Knock. Knock. Room service.”
“I was just about to clear out.”
“I’ll work around you, if you don’t mind.”
She didn’t wait for a response. Setting down her load on a chair, she strode over to the window, pulled back the drapes, and pushed the window open.
He stood there, watching how the play of light around her hair brought out a fascinating blend of rich russet red shades with hints of gold. When Theo caught himself appreciating the lovely shape of her butt, he forced his attention back to hunting through his overnight bag.
“Moonlighting as Dani?” he asked. So far, he’d seen Eddie working at the bar, serving the lunchtime and dinner crowds and at one point, he suspected she might have been doing the cooking. One thing he knew for sure, she’d been doing her best to avoid him.
She turned and surprised him by curving her lips into a smile. “I’m trying out for the role of Cinderella. Although, instead of wicked sisters, I have brothers.”
And no life to speak of, according to the gossip he’d been force-fed the night before when he’d settled at a corner table to have dinner. As the place had filled up, it hadn’t been long before someone had asked to share his table, taking the opportunity to impart some local knowledge.
She’d been recently dumped. Or turned down. The version had changed a couple of times, and while the facts had been hazy, he hadn’t been interested enough to encourage an in-depth discussion of Eddie Faydon’s private life. If he wanted to know more, he could always ask her.
“Actually, I drew the short straw... for the umpteenth consecutive time. My brothers are devious enough to cheat, but I’d need to get inside their male brains to figure out how they do it,” she said and gave him a speculative look.
Theo put his hands up. “Sorry, I can’t help you. I’m an only child with no tricks up my sleeves.”
“I’ll figure it out. They’re bound to slip up sometime.”
“So… what happened to Dani?”
“She had a gig last night. I hope the music didn’t keep you up.”
He shook his head. “Dani the cleaner is also Dani Reid the singer?”
She nodded.
“A town of multi-talented women,” he mused as he slipped his wallet into his back pocket and searched around for his car keys.
“Dani’s singing is her ticket out. She’s been doing monthly gigs in Melbourne and will be heading north to Townsville for the country music festival. She’s one of many trekking out into the wider world.”
“And you hope to join the mass exodus?”
She shook her head. “I have no reason to.”
What little he knew about life away from the bright lights of the city he’d seen in movies or read about in books. He strode toward the door and then stopped. “Well, there’s a trend to move back to the country. That’s something to look forward to. New people…”
She shrugged. “Over the years, we’ve had a few newcomers, but not many outlast the novelty. As for the locals, if you don’t stand to inherit a job, then your only option is to head to the city and try your luck there.”
“Clearly, you have no such trouble.” He’d met all three of her brothers and had heard positive comments about her father. The pub had been owned and run by the Faydon family for as long anyone could remember.
He leaned against the door, his hands in his pockets, his attention fixed on Eddie as she made quick work of tidying the room.
Eddie. Short for... Edaline?
Theo shifted away from the door only to lean against it again. He was in no hurry. After all, he was about to barge in on a complete stranger unannounced. He should at least do it at a more reasonable time of the day or maybe even try calling first... again.
Her shoulders rose and fell as if she’d drawn in and pushed out a heavy breath.
“Working here takes care of the fact that I have no aspirations.”
She turned then and he saw her cheeks had reddened.
“I have no idea why I’m telling you all this.”
He shrugged. “I’m a stranger.” The dimple he’d seen that first day made an appearance on her cheek.
“There’s that. I guess I’m also trying to work up the courage to apologize.”
“For?”
She chuckled. “I’d like to think I could be off the hook and not have to offer an apology, but it wouldn’t sit well with me. It’s bad enough I’ve put it off this long.” She straightened and looked at him without blinking. “I’m sorry for the other day... you know, the dart.”
“Think nothing of it. We all have our bad days.” And it had been entertaining. Almost like walking into a movie set.
“Crap,” she said under her breath. “I should have known it wouldn’t take long for chins to wag.”
Theo shifted. “There’s really no need to apologize.”
“We don’t get many tourists around here but I’d hate for you to walk away thinking we’re... I’m feral and inhospitable.”
“The thought didn’t even cross my mind.”
She smiled. “Sure it didn’t.”
Well, there had been that one remark… “Then we’re even. It was insensitive and judgmental of me to suggest you were being inhospitable.” Theo willed himself to move.
“So...” She gave him a quirky smile. “What brings you to Eden?”
The question caught him off guard. Theo knew he’d left himself wide open to curiosity, but he hadn’t expected it from Eddie who, until now, had been happy to give him a wide berth. “I take it you don’t get many Americans around here.”
“A few. During the skiing season. Mostly backpackers. Some get lost on the way up to the resorts, others wander down to town expecting to find a hot tourist spot, but there’s not much here to keep their interest. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the town has one foot in the grave, so to speak.”
He’d noticed that when he’d arrived and had taken a closer look during his morning jogs. Half the town looked derelict. In fact, the entire street on one side reminded him of unused movie sets while the other side appeared to be thriving.
“I’m sure there’s a story in there somewhere.”
“A long one. And someone thinks you might he related to the heiress.”
Theo took a step back inside the room. “Okay. I’ll take the bait.”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“A no.” At least, not as far as he knew.
She rounded the bed and focused on plumping up the pillows. “Zoe Wilde owns the ghost side of town.”
“I guess that means there’s not much of a fortune for her to inherit.”
She shook her head. “The Wildes are loaded. News about her has been splashed in all the newspapers. She’s from your neck of the woods and she’s only recently inherited.”
“Are you all expecting her to make an appearance here?” he asked.
“No one knows what to expect. But we’re having fun speculating. Your sudden appearance has made it more interesting. Maybe you’re a fortune hunter looking to get a head start in case she comes this way.”
“Do I look like a fortune hunter?”
She straightened and put her hands on her hips. “You dress well, so you’re either a man of means or you’re down on your luck but still managing to keep up appearances as you look for your next meal ticket.”
He tried not to laugh. “Sounds like you’ve been doing some serious speculating.”
“If you stay here longer than a week, you’ll give the town enough to talk about for several generations. You could become part of our folklore.”
“Is that a roundabout way of asking how long I’ll be here for?”
“You seem to be cagey about it.”
“I’m undecided.” While he had a return flight to catch, his business here could be wrapped up in the next couple of hours, leaving him no reason to linger. He shrugged. “There’s a difference, and the fact I haven’t made up my mind yet should work in your favor.”
> “How do you figure that?”
“I’m taking the focus away from you.”
“That would make you a knight in shining armor.”
“In disguise,” he agreed. “Don’t forget, I’m here to catch myself an heiress.”
Chapter Three
“Are you okay?”
Here comes the cotton wool, Eddie thought. Being the youngest of four siblings and a girl to boot made it almost impossible to escape her father’s tendency to overcompensate with extra attention. His tone suggested she was about to receive a bonus dollop of pampering. “How was your fishing trip?” she asked.
“Relaxing.”
Eddie didn’t bother asking if he’d caught any fish. Everyone knew her father’s trips were about catching up with a certain widow. Although why he kept it all hushed up, she had no idea. He’d been alone for twenty-nine years and Laurie Melville had lost her husband ten years ago. Her children were grown up. In fact, they’d moved to Melbourne years before to study and then to establish themselves in their respective careers. Eddie didn’t think they would object to the relationship. As for her…
She was used to seeing everyone around her in happy-ever-after relationships.
Her father cleared his throat. “I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Eddie sighed. She really needed to put an end to the coddling. “I’m fine, dad.” Although, her frame of reference for fine still felt shaky. As for her new habit of wiping her hands against her jeans every time she stepped out into the public bar...
Nothing but a bout of self-consciousness and flagging confidence, Joyce had said.
“You can rest easy now. I’ve put a stop to the yammering. Anybody wants to eat or drink here, they’ll have to keep their trap shut.”
“Won’t that make eating and drinking difficult?” she asked, trying for humor but her voice sounded as flat as the pancakes she’d been flipping all morning because their cook had called in sick.
“I’ll have a word with Adam—”
