“Why did Kent abandon his father?”
“How is the little girl related to Kent?”
She wasn’t able to push through the mass of bodies, so she held up a hand and waited until they had settled down somewhat. She was tired of all the accusations. Tired of being harassed. Didn’t these people have anything better to report on? “The little girl did not have a nanny when I started working for them,” she began, answering the first question. She turned to the second reporter. “You’ll need to speak to Kent about his father. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to fetch my car.”
Questions were shouted at her and microphones shoved in her face. She tried to walk around but it didn’t work. Frustration bubbled up inside her. They were crowding her and robbing her of the time she had left with Adrian and Kate. She just wanted to go home. As she was close to tears, a burly security guard came up and pushed the reporters away.
“Come on, folks. Let the lady through.” He helped her on the bus to the long-term car park.
“Thank you.” Libby smiled at the man.
“No worries, love.”
As the bus doors closed, Libby let out a sigh of relief. She’d had enough of this nonsense. She wanted to give Emily a piece of her mind, but she had to trust Piper had it under control.
She collected her car, and a few minutes later, Libby pulled up into a section of the airport where Kate and Adrian were waiting.
Adrian frowned when he saw the car. Libby knew it wasn’t much to look at and it might be ten years old, but it had just been repaired and was clean. Kate jumped in and George loaded her bags into the boot. Adrian came around to the driver’s side window and leaned in.
“If there are reporters at your house, bring Kate to the hotel.” He glanced around.
“I’ll take care of her, Adrian.” Libby placed a hand on his.
“I know you will.” He gave her a half-smile.
The fact Adrian trusted her with Kate gave Libby such a thrill. “I’ll see you soon,” she said. Adrian was going to join them after he’d checked into the hotel and made a media statement.
He nodded.
Libby drove off, avoiding the reporters who were still waiting for Kent to come out of the airport. She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned onto the highway and no one was following her. The road here was familiar and she allowed herself to relax.
“How far away do you live?” Kate asked peering out the window at the industrial sector they were driving through.
“About an hour from here. It’s south of Perth, close to the beach.”
“Can we go swimming?”
Libby laughed. “It might be a bit cold.” Today was a beautiful winter’s day with the sun shining, but there was still a nip to the air.
Libby turned on to the freeway and headed south for about an hour before leaving the freeway to head west.
Ten minutes later she was pulling into the carport of an old weatherboard beach shack. There was no drive, just compacted dirt, and the grass was in need of a mow. Despite its age she was going to miss this place when she moved in a couple of weeks.
“Wow, this place is old,” Kate said.
Libby laughed. “It’s one of the original shacks built in this area. Let’s get inside and I’ll show you around.”
Libby unlocked the front door and carried their bags in, enjoying the creak and groan of the old floorboards as she walked across them.
“Your room is over here.” Libby led Kate to her office, which had a single bed in it. The bedspread was pale blue and there was a small chest of drawers in the corner that Libby had salvaged from an op shop and redecorated, as well as her writing desk and a bookshelf.
Kate jumped on the bed and bounced up and down. “This is great.”
Libby dumped her case in her room, then called to Kate, “Are you hungry?”
Kate wandered into the hall and followed Libby through to the kitchen at the back. “No. Do you think we could go to the beach? I’d really like to get out.”
Libby felt the same way. After so many days not being able to leave the hotel, she was eager to get some fresh air. “Absolutely.”
She picked up her house keys and two hats, one of which she gave to Kate, and said, “Let’s go.”
“Yes!” Kate pumped her arm and raced down the steps toward the car.
Libby locked up and then gestured to Kate. “It’s not far. We’ll walk.”
Surprise lit up Kate’s face. She raced over to Libby and they wandered down the street.
“The trees here are real different from back home,” Kate commented.
“Most of these are native to Australia,” Libby told her and pointed out the few she knew the names of.
They crossed a road and the ground gradually began to rise.
“Wow, some of these houses are huge!”
Libby laughed. “This area is called The Bay. All of this used to be sand dunes, but now they’re big blocks. You need a fair bit of money to live here.”
“But you live across the road and your house isn’t big.”
“This is a newer area.”
They reached a path that ran parallel to the beach and Libby turned toward the lookout. Together they climbed the steps and gazed out over the sound.
The water was calm today, a dark blue with the occasional ripple as the wind blew over it. The sound curved around in a C shape and on the horizon were some small, rocky islands. To the north Libby saw houses but to the south it was mostly sand dunes. On the beach itself a man walked his dog and a woman jogged up the sand. The rest of the long shoreline was deserted. Libby breathed in a deep breath of the salty air. This was home.
“It’s so quiet here,” Kate said.
It was. Even in the summer there weren’t huge crowds on the clean, sandy beaches.
“Do you want to go down to the water?” Libby asked.
“Yeah.”
They turned and made their way down to the beach. Small piles of seaweed had been washed up in sections and Kate spent her time exploring what had washed up. They walked a couple of miles before they turned back.
Kate was more relaxed than she had been in days and the tension in Libby’s shoulders melted away. The hush of the waves washing up on the shoreline, the smell of the salt and the seaweed, and the gentle refreshing breeze soothed away all the troubles of the moment. Libby would have to bring Adrian here when he arrived.
Kate found a bit of driftwood that she swore was shaped like a person and decided to take it as a souvenir. “That way I’ll remember our walk on the beach after we leave,” Kate told Libby.
Libby smiled but didn’t answer. She was all too aware she had less than a week left with them. The rest of her editing could wait. She’d do it while Kate slept and would spend as much time as she could with Adrian and Kate before they left.
They walked back down the street, the sand dunes muting the sound of the wash of the waves on the shore. When they turned onto Libby’s street, Libby’s heart sank. Parked outside the shack were three cars with different television stations logos on the side. The reporters hadn’t spotted them yet.
“What do we do?” Kate asked.
Libby retrieved her house keys from her pocket. “We’ll go straight up to the house. Hopefully they won’t notice us until we get close and we can get inside before they realize we’re not already there.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t want any more pictures of Kate splashed across the television.
They were still a hundred yards from the house when the first reporter spotted them. The cameraman with him turned on his camera and pointed it in Libby’s direction.
Libby seized Kate’s hand. “Walk faster.” She kept her head down, shielding her face with the brim of her hat, and kept her body between Kate and the cameras. The other reporters realized what was going on and moved toward her.
“Who’s the girl with you?”
“Kent said your relationship was temporary. Does that mean you’re not
dating Kent?”
Libby felt like she’d been shot, but she didn’t stop walking. She’d look up Adrian’s statement when they were safely inside.
“Why did Kent abandon his father?”
Libby ignored the questions and trotted up the steps to her front door. Her hand shook as she fumbled to put the key in the lock, but finally it went in and she opened the door, pushing Kate in front of her.
She slammed the door behind her and let out a deep breath. “Are you all right?”
Kate turned to her, her eyes flashing. “No, I’m not. I’m mad. Those stupid reporters ruin everything. I want to tell them what I think of them.”
Libby shepherded Kate away from the entrance where the reporters wouldn’t be able to hear the girl’s shouts. “I know it’s unfair. Let’s have something to eat. Maybe they’ll go away.”
On cue someone knocked on the door. Libby flinched but ignored it.
She put on the kettle and searched through the cupboard for something to feed Kate. Her eyes fell on a box of instant soups and she pulled them out.
Kate paced up and down the kitchen.
“Can you fetch my laptop?” Libby asked. “It’s in my carry-on bag in my room.” That would give her something to do for a moment and Libby wanted to get online and read what Adrian had said.
Libby pulled out some mugs, tipped the powdery substance in and poured boiling water over it, stirring it vigorously.
It was then she heard Kate talking loudly.
Libby dropped the spoon and raced to the front door, which was wide open. Kate was standing on the porch, her notebook in her hand, talking to the reporters who were standing around her, cameras rolling.
Libby’s stomach plummeted. No. She blinked, hoping the vision of Kate in front of the reporters would disappear.
It didn’t.
She faltered, unsure what to do.
“Kent is my uncle. He’s been taking care of me since my parents died. Emily quit as my nanny and Libby took her place.” Kate glanced down at her notepad.
Libby couldn’t stop her now, not without causing a scene, which might make matters worse.
“My grandpa is not a nice man and you shouldn’t believe what he says. I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone now, because I’m not allowed out and you’re ruining my whole holiday. Thank you.”
Kate closed her notebook, turned and walked inside with her head held high.
The reporters looked stunned. Libby hesitated and then followed up Kate’s words. “As you can see you’re upsetting my friend. Please leave now.”
She closed the door and went to find Kate.
Kate was face down on her bed sobbing. Libby ignored the nausea she felt and sat down next to Kate and rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, Katie.” She couldn’t be mad at the girl for what she had done. She’d been cooped up for days and wanting to speak out about it.
Libby closed her eyes briefly. Adrian was going to be furious when he saw the footage. He might even think Libby had encouraged Kate to give the statement.
“They made me so mad. The things they said about you and Uncle Ade. It’s not true. You’re both good people and I love you both.” Her voice was muffled against the pillow.
Libby’s heart swelled and her eyes grew moist. “I love you too, kiddo.”
Kate sat up then, wiping her hand over her eyes and nose. “Really?”
“Of course.”
Kate threw her arms around Libby and hugged her tight. “Will you come back with us? You and Uncle Ade can get married and we can all live together and we won’t have to be apart.”
Libby’s throat closed up. There was nothing she wanted more in this world, but she couldn’t lie to Kate and say it would happen. “I don’t know, Kate. It’s not something your uncle and I have discussed.”
“But you love him, don’t you?”
If only life was that simple.
Kate was waiting for an answer.
Libby couldn’t answer her. “Why don’t we talk about this later? Our soup is going cold and I need to ring your uncle and tell him what you did.”
Kate bit on her thumbnail. “You’re going to tell on me?”
Libby forced a laugh. “No, I’m going to prepare him. You might have your face on television.”
“But they wouldn’t do that, would they?” Kate looked incredulous.
“They might.” Libby was certain they would. It was too good a sound bite. And Adrian was going to be furious. Nerves played table tennis in her stomach.
Kate bit her lip. “They really are stupid heads.”
“Yep, they really are.”
Libby led the way into the kitchen and handed Kate one of the mugs. Then she set her laptop up on the kitchen table.
Kate sat at one side of the table glumly stirring the soup around.
Libby dialed Adrian’s cell but it went through to voicemail. She didn’t want to explain what had happened in a voice message, so she said, “It’s Libby. We’re both fine. Call me when you can.”
One of the reporters had implied that Kent had made a statement. She turned to her laptop and after a moment found an article on one of the Perth-based news pages.
Quickly she scanned it. The article said Kent denied all Emily’s claims of a relationship. When asked about Libby, he said she was doing some temporary work for him and refused to answer any questions about Kate or his father.
Libby bit the inside of her lip. She picked up her phone and called George.
“What’s wrong?”
“Is Adrian with you?”
“Hang on, I’ll put you on speaker.”
“Is Kate all right?” Adrian’s voice came through full of concern.
“Yes, we’re both fine. We went for a walk on the beach and when we returned there were reporters waiting at my house.”
George swore.
“We got inside without too much trouble.”
“Then what happened?” Adrian’s voice was quiet but his tone said he knew there was more to come and he wasn’t happy.
Libby stood and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. “Kate made a statement to the reporters.”
There was silence.
“What did she say?” George asked.
“She said Adrian was her uncle, Emily had quit and her grandpa wasn’t to be trusted. She said the reporters were ruining her holiday and told them to go away.”
“You let her speak to the reporters when I said she wasn’t to?” Adrian didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Did they get a picture of her?”
“They had video cameras. I’m pretty sure they were on.”
“You’d better bring her back to the hotel.” The phone went dead.
Libby hung up in shock. Adrian’s voice had been so cold. He thought she’d let Kate talk to the reporters against his wishes. She would have to explain when she got to the hotel.
She pressed her hands to her eyes. It was her fault. She knew Kate was angry and she should have kept a closer eye on her. She should have taken the time to convince Adrian to let Kate speak.
She walked down the hallway to check outside. The reporters had left. Obviously they had got what they’d come for and were returning to edit their pieces for the next news bulletin.
Libby returned to the kitchen, where Kate was still stirring her uneaten soup. “We need to go back to the hotel.”
“Is Uncle Ade mad?” Kate asked in a whisper.
“I think he’s a little upset,” Libby said, forcing a small smile. “Are you going to eat your lunch?”
Kate shook her head.
“Then we’d better get going.”
Libby carried Kate’s suitcase back out to the car. She debated taking her own luggage and then packed it just in case.
She wasn’t sure how welcome she would be.
***
Adrian paced the room, unable to sit down. How could Libby have gone behind his back like that? He’d trusted her, been so sure she’d understood him, understood why he
didn’t want Kate in front of the media.
Could he have been so wrong?
“It might not be too bad,” George said from where he sat at the laptop, trying to find further details.
Adrian grunted. It hardly mattered what Kate had said. The issue was that she’d said anything. Libby had let her and Susan would be furious. The last conversation he’d had with Susan had not gone well. It would only take one more thing before she’d be suing for custody of Kate.
Something like Kate giving a statement to the media.
He huffed and ran his hands through his hair. “Found anything yet?” he asked George.
“Yeah, there’re a couple of teasers up on the websites. Turn on the TV.” George checked his watch. “I think it will be on the news bulletin.”
Adrian did as George asked and then walked over to check the articles. All of them led with the fact that Kate was Kent’s niece not his daughter, and that Libby was her nanny, adding stupid comments about women not having to worry, he was still available.
The news update came on, capturing Adrian’s attention. He walked closer as someone knocked on the hotel room door. He left George to answer it while he watched the report.
The footage focused on an old weatherboard beach shack that had seen better days. The reporter did her piece to camera, explaining that Libby had brought the mysterious young girl home with her.
The report then cut to footage of the front door opening and Kate standing there with a piece of paper in her hand. Libby was nowhere in sight. The cameraman moved to get a better shot and Libby appeared standing behind Kate in support of her.
The pain was nauseating. Until that moment, he had hoped that maybe it had been a mistake, that maybe it wasn’t as he suspected, but pictures didn’t lie. Libby was standing behind Kate, obviously complicit in what was happening. Then Libby added her few words further, proving his worst fears.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Ade.” Kate’s voice was quiet as she came into the room. Adrian turned to face her, not able to even look at the woman he’d put all his trust in.
“It’s not your fault, kiddo.” No, Libby was to blame for this. He held his arms open. “Come here.”
Kate rushed forward and threw herself into his arms. Adrian held her tight, his eyes closed.
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