by Joanne Hill
“Exceptional circumstances along the lines of the little white lie. Arthur went to his grave an extremely happy man knowing you had a good wife and that you were going to have children – in his mind anyway. It took his attention off Everett and Sean. He believed you were happy, and you were going to stay happy.”
Happy. It seemed such an odd word coming from Hugh but then Hugh had loved being married, loved his daughters and his grandchildren, loved the very idea of family. Daniel turned into the driveway of the rest home and as Hugh glanced around with interest, Daniel muttered half to himself, “We fulfilled our mission, then.”
He pulled up in the visitors’ car park and jerked on the handbrake. For a second, he sat still. In the end Arthur had died in peace. It was not a bad way to farewell this world and if he and Mel had contributed to that, then no, he didn’t regret the craziness for one moment. He’d achieved what he’d set out to do. They climbed out of the car. He just hadn’t figured he’d fall in love while doing it. Hadn’t figured he’d be in worse shape at the end than when they’d begun. Hadn’t figured that with each breath came the pain of a breaking heart. Hadn’t realised just how much he needed Mel.
And then there was Barnaby. He avoided thinking about him because it killed him. He’d gotten his knees acquainted with the carpet several times over the last few days as he’d prayed and begged the old boy would be found. Where was he? Was he alive, starving, being cared for, roaming the streets? Where the hell are you?
Hugh looked around the grounds and the buildings, and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets as they walked. “So what’s the story with Mel’s mother?”
“She suffered a stroke a few years back. It left her partially disabled. Mel was going to have her live with her and the fiancé when they were married but when that never happened, Ellie stayed here. Ideally, Mel wants her mum to have her own place with facilities to make it easier for her, or even live with her.”
Inside, Daniel signed the visitors’ book, and they made their way down the corridor heading toward Ellie’s room. “That’s why Mel needed the money,” Daniel went on. “She had to get her own place and she mentioned one time she’d had to put living expenses on credit card after she left her job, but ultimately it was to help out her mother. Ellie Green is barely in her sixties, if that, but her life is severely restricted.”
They stopped at the door with the name card.
He knocked and Hugh scratched his beard as he looked at the faded carpet and murmured, “I had no idea.”
“None of us did.” The door was ajar, and he called out, “Mrs Green? Ellie? It’s Daniel. Daniel Christie.”
“Come in, Daniel.” He pushed the door open to her apartment. She sat at her small table with a book in front of her, and her face brightened in welcome. She was an attractive woman. He’d never noticed it before.
“Hello, Daniel,” she said, then noticed Hugh. “Oh,” she said, startled.
“I'm sorry to surprise you, Mrs Green,” Hugh apologized.
“It’s – it’s Ellie.” She cleared her throat, and Daniel said, “My apologies. Ellie, this is Hugh Devereaux, a family friend. And Hugh, this is Mel’s mother, Ellie.”
Hugh moved forward and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Ellie? Is it short for Eleanor?”
“No. Elena.” Ellie’s eyes were wide and curious with a glimmer of interest as they shook hands. “Hugh Devereax. You’re the lawyer, aren’t you? Mel mentioned you a few times.”
Hugh arched his eyebrows but his mouth widened. “I don’t know whether I should be nervous or not that Mel mentioned me.”
Ellie smiled and her eyes lit up. “She spoke very highly of you. No need to be nervous at all.”
A miracle, Daniel thought wryly, in light of the blatant lie Hugh had told Mel about an annulment he’d known darn well was never going to happen.
Hugh gestured to the wall calendar of the national football team. “I have that exact calendar in my office at home. Do you follow football?”
“Oh, absolutely. I love it. Mel gave that to me last Christmas.”
“Do you ever get to any of the games yourself?”
Ellie shook her head. “Not since…” She glanced with regret at her arm and leg. “Not since the stroke. But I have cable. Mel gave me a subscription so I can watch most of the games when they’re on TV.”
“It’s not quite as exciting as being there though,” Hugh murmured. Daniel could see cogs ticking and for a moment he just stared at Hugh, then Ellie, then back at Hugh.
“No.” Ellie's cheeks had pinkened in spite of the cool day. “No, it’s not.”
There was silence as they stared at each other.
Daniel coughed loudly to clear his throat, Hugh realized he was still holding her hand, released it, and stepped back.
“Have a seat, both of you,” Ellie said. “Please.” She smoothed her palms down her skirt, a hint of nervousness in the movement. Hugh took the chair across from Ellie.
Daniel took the sofa. “Ellie, I’m here because it’s been several days since I’ve seen Mel and I need to find her. Has she called you? You said on Monday she hadn’t but surely she has now.”
Ellie watched him with suspicion and said nothing.
He added, “I need to find her. Have you got any idea where she is?”
She glanced from Daniel to Hugh. “I’m confused why you want to know. She was only your housekeeper. Why are you trying to find her?”
“There are personal matters that need to be sorted.” He cleared his throat. “The truth is, Ellie, that I have feelings for Mel and...” At the look of utter shock across her eyes, he rephrased, “There have been some things that have developed lately. Between us.”
Ellie regarded him closely. “You do know that Mel only broke up with her boyfriend, Max, this year? They were going to get married but it fell apart. She took a while to get over him, he hurt her quite badly. He was her first serious boyfriend.”
“I heard about Max.” He decided not to tell her that Mel had never been madly in love with him. And that if he ever laid eyes on the weasel, he’d squeeze the life out of the pathetic excuse for a man. On the other hand, Max’s cowardice had meant Mel was free and he owed him for that. “Max wasn’t good enough for your daughter, Ellie.”
“Confident, aren’t you?” Hugh muttered.
Heck, no. He rubbed his hands through his hair. “Ellie, you have to help me find her.”
Ellie sighed. “That’s the problem, Daniel. She did come to see me yesterday.”
Frustration clawed at him. There was a great big “but” in there. “And?” he pressed.
Ellie shook her head. “She didn’t tell me where she was going or what she was doing. I’m sorry, Daniel, but I can’t help you because right now, I don’t know where Mel is.”
Sir Arthur’s funeral was attended by dignitaries from state and federal government, by businesspeople who preferred to stay out of the limelight but weren’t going to miss this send off, by reporters from major media outlets, by employees who had respected the venerable old man and by countless onlookers curious as to the life of one of Australia’s leading business figures.
Daniel was about to climb into the car to head home from the cemetery, when he paused to wait for Hugh. His grandfather would, as per his wishes, be cremated. His ashes would be scattered off the coast of Bondi, in the sea that he loved. Members of the surf lifesaving club were preparing to grant Sir Arthur his final wish at the end of the week.
Daniel had wondered if Mel would show up. Surely she would. He'd scanned the mourners as they were leaving the gardens but there was no sign of her.
He was at a loss. He’d rung her mother again. Ellie had said that Mel had called and told her she’d needed to get away for a few days to think about life or something vague, and Ellie had reminded Daniel he was to pop over with Hugh for a cup of tea some time.
Hugh came up and pressed his hands across his shoulders to indicate it was time to leave.
Daniel swallowed on a thick, sore throat. “I know.”
As they climbed in to the Jaguar, he put his hand to his chest, over the familiar ache in his heart. He’d believed his life revolved around the company until his dying day, but it wasn’t the business at all. He had gently mocked Hugh his lifetime marriage but now he knew. Hugh had it right.
As the car began to move away towards the main road, Daniel checked his cell phone for messages, flicking through them. None were urgent and he didn’t feel up to responding to any of them. Absently, he tapped his phone on his knee. A scotch, he thought dryly, would go down well about now. Preferably a bottle of the stuff.
His cell suddenly went off, the sound shocking him out of his thoughts and he quickly muted it and cursed himself for not switching it off. He checked the screen but didn’t recognise the number. He was about to switch it to voice mail when a thought struck him.
What if Mel had a new number?
His heart began to race. What if it was Mel?
He quickly put it to his ear, said “Daniel speaking.”
There was hesitation. “Oh. I’m not sure if you’re the right person.” It was the voice of a stranger, a female, and Daniel squeezed his eyes shut. Not Mel.
“Go on,” he muttered, stifling the exasperation in his voice.
“My name is Enid and…well, the thing is, I’ve got a little dog here.” She hesitated again. “The tag says his name is Barnaby.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Jaguar pulled up outside a small house near Coogee and Daniel leapt from the back seat before it had a chance to come to a complete stop.
His nerves shattered as he strode to the front door, and knocked hard, tempted to pull the damn thing down and get the dog himself. If it was his Barnaby.
The door opened wide and the older woman’s eyes flashed with surprise as she took in the Jaguar at the gate, and Daniel in Armani. “You must be Mr Christie?”
“Yes. Daniel.” He could barely breathe. “I’ve come for Barnaby.”
“I’ll just go and find him. He’s been lying on a blanket but he just hasn’t moved. I think he’ll need to see a vet-”
She broke off and they both glanced down the long hall. The sound of dog paws, of claws clicking on polished floorboards, moved from a room and out into the hall.
A small desolate figure paused, then began to trot cautiously down the hall towards Daniel. He stopped half way, and his sad, brown eyes watched Daniel warily.
Relief swamped Daniel and at the same time his body began to tremble, and then to shake. Tears began to build up in his eyes, and he blinked them back.
He had not been able to cry when his grandfather had died. He couldn’t recall if he’d ever cried in his life. But now, seeing Barnaby, the tears came quickly and he blinked them back some more. He saw his grandfather, a man who had raised Daniel and loved him, and he saw Mel, who had taken Barnaby in and loved him and had been loved back by this crazy little dog.
He couldn’t hold the tears in any longer. They gathered, swelled and suddenly, they streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks and as he bent to his knees on the cold wooden floorboards, and held out his arms, Barnaby ran and hurled his small, exhausted body into Daniel’s embrace.
The woman had found Barnaby collapsed on her lawn late last evening. She’d fed him cat food, which he didn’t seem to mind, and had followed it up with a bowl of water. He had no name tag, but she guessed he was microchipped and planned to take him to the SPCA. But that morning, as she fetched her newspaper from the letterbox, she’d spotted a nametag under her lemon tree.
Even then, it hadn’t been easy to get Daniel’s number. Sir Arthur’s housekeeping staff were at the funeral, and it taken a while for the acting housekeeper to realise what the call was about and to make the decision to pass on Daniel’s private number, even though no one was ever permitted to do so. Daniel had already texted Nora to make sure the acting housekeeper and Enid in Coogee were well rewarded.
Now Barnaby lay asleep on the patchwork blanket in his basket. He’d been to the vet for a check up and been pronounced fine. He just needed rest and a lot of TLC.
Daniel sat cross legged on the floor next to Barnaby, a tumbler of barely touched Scotch in his hand, and tried to figure out where he’d gone wrong in a life that had been so ordered.
He didn’t believe in signs. He snorted at the notion. But he’d lost Barnaby and he’d found him again. He took a long gulp of scotch and let it burn its way down his throat.
He’d lost Mel – but he’d never actually had her. Not really. He rubbed his chest at the ache that had been sitting there for days.
Except… Mel had sent the cheque back. He still didn’t understand that.
Most people would have taken the money with a two fingered salute and run. It was her money. She deserved the cheque. Why on earth hadn’t she kept it?
Unless… Daniel suddenly rose to his feet, the glass falling to the ground and the whiskey spilling in a spreading puddle across the floor.
He ignored it as he stared blankly ahead of him.
He’d lied to her and she still hadn’t taken that money. Which could only mean one thing. The money had something attached to it, something she had no wish to be associated with. It might have been hatred. She could have considered the money nothing less than blood money.
But Mel’s mum was too important for her to do that. Ellie’s welfare meant the world to Mel for her not to take the cheque.
Which meant something else. Like maybe it had too many memories attached to it, too much emotion. She wasn’t taking that cheque with a finger raised and a 'stuff-you, Daniel' attached to it.
She’d thrown it back in his face – because he had hurt her. He had hurt her feelings. And if her feelings were hurt, it was because she cared.
She cared what he thought of her.
Something Ellie had said yesterday jumped out at him. Mel had mentioned to her mum she was going away to think about life. The day they’d met, beside her striped tent at the campground, she had said the same thing.
Hope began to surge in his heart, and he glanced down at Barnaby. He was asleep, his eyelids twitching as he dreamt.
Daniel was going to find Mel. He stood up, grabbed his keys and hesitated. He couldn’t leave Barnaby behind, and he didn’t want to waste another minute finding her.
“Never thought I’d say it,” he muttered as he bent down to grab the basket, “but you’re okay, Barnaby. Grandfather had good taste.”
He eased the basket up with a grunt. Barnaby opened one eye a fleeting second, caught sight of Daniel, then closed it. For a small dog he was heavy. A second later he was snoring.
I’m bloody certifiable, Daniel muttered, as he carried the basket to the foyer and jammed the button with his elbow to avoid losing his balance and dropping Barnaby.
As he waited for the elevator, his landline began to ring.
Daniel glanced behind him to the kitchen, where the ringing seemed to grow louder. Balancing Barnaby, he went back and checked the caller ID. The number wasn’t one he recognized.
He was about to turn away, when the number jogged something in his mind and his heart gave a violent jolt. He set Barnaby down on the floor, stared at the number again, and realised it was an overseas number. It couldn't be. He picked it up before it went to the answerphone. It stopped ringing, and he held it to his ear.
He swallowed hard. “Daniel here.” He shut his eyes and held his breath, and prayed it wasn't bad news.
Down the phone line there was a click, a pause, and finally, a voice.
“Hey, Danny. It’s me. Everett.”
Mel had been at the campsite two days and had one more night to go on her permit pass before she had to leave. She had walked the beach copious times, started to read two mysteries, and hadn’t got past chapter two with either of them. She’d lain on her sleeping bag looking out the doorway of her tent and watched people go back and forth. Generally happy people, she noted. And she officially loathed
cold showers.
The freezing cold water felt like a penance.
A penance for being stupid enough to fall in love.
She went over to the gas element and took the pot of hot water, and poured it into her cup with the teaspoon of coffee. She added powdered milk she'd made up. Hopefully Diane would be back soon. She’d taken Brits and Eli up the road to get some more food supplies.
This time it was Diane doing Mel the favour by being the friend, the one she could talk to, although Mel hadn’t told her the full story. Yet just being with Diane and the kids for a few days was helping. She was following her own advice – for a change.
She stirred sugar in for energy, and sat cross legged in front of the tent. Sir Arthur’s funeral had been this morning. She’d wanted to go, to offer her respects to the man, but the last person she wanted to see was Daniel.
A lump lodged in her throat. Even though he was the only person she wanted to see.
While she’d been with him, there were times, quiet times, she’d harboured a fantasy of a perfect world, but that perfect world had disappeared off into the distance.
She took her sweatshirt from the back of the chair and slipped in to it, hugging herself against a sudden chill of sea breeze. She had to go home tomorrow, back to her mum’s place. She could use the library’s wireless internet to apply for jobs online and look for an established flat closer to Ellie.
Her thoughts slipped back to Daniel. Would she still have gone ahead with it, if she’d known the truth?
The answer popped into her head, made her jerk up straight. The sun dipped in and out behind clouds. Yes.
She’d gone ahead with it for her mother. Daniel had done this for his grandfather. They had both sacrificed parts of themselves for people they loved.
If she had left the restaurant the day Daniel had proposed the marriage, and thought about it hard, knowing divorce was the only option, she would still have agreed. She would have done what it took to have been able to help her mother have a better quality of life. Her mother was destined to live a half-life because of the stroke and Mel owed Ellie her very life. Yes. Mel would have done it.
