The Start of Something New

by Stacey Nash

  ‘Not all of them.’

  ‘What? I thought you were happy to wait it out?’ Hannah glanced from Jase to Cooper. ‘All that innocent playing with blueprints and—’

  ‘Watch out. Watch out! Coming through.’ A deep voice boomed from behind them, but the crowd of protesters didn’t budge.

  ‘Cooper—this is nasty,’ Hannah said, ‘We need to leave.’

  ‘Like hell we do. I’m getting my tools.’

  ‘She’s right,’ Jase agreed. ‘Bad news.’

  The ground rumbled underfoot. ‘Move it!’ the same voice yelled, only to be taken up by others. A tractor rolled right for them and Hannah pulled Coop aside just before it rammed into the gate.

  The crowded cheered. The men inside the gates worked on, all but one ignoring the spectacle. Wearing the high vis of a foreman, he frantically waved at the tractor to stop while shouting words that no one could hear.

  The wire gates crumbled under the tractor’s assault.

  No one even took the time to cheer. A flood of men charged into the mill. The risk was insane. The press would have a field day dragging the Burton name through this mud. If Pop heard about this debacle …

  Hannah’s heart throbbed.

  Cooper no longer stood beside her. Sirens echoed off the buildings, but her twin was nowhere to be seen.

  Andy Clifton ran back out the gates, his arms laden with tools. His eyes skimmed over Hannah before darting away. Her every muscle turned to cold stone.

  Jase’s hand wrapped around her arm. ‘We don’t wanna be here when the cops arrive. Let’s go.’

  ‘But Coop—’

  ‘Needs to learn a lesson.’

  ‘Cooper!’ She shouted into the fray then, heart-heavy, Hannah sprinted back to the ute with Jase. This was worse than the so-called picket lines. In fact, it was exactly what she’d been afraid of when she first saw him chanting in front of a sea of protesters. She drove straight to her twin’s townhouse, where Jase fished the spare key from under the doormat. Letting themselves inside, they waited for their brother to return.

  More than an hour later, Jase’s phone rang again.

  ‘Hello,’ Hannah answered.

  Cooper sighed. ‘I need ya to bail me out.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Cooper.’ She tossed the phone at Jase, whose eyes questioned her as he raised it to his ear. Hannah just clenched her jaw. When had her twin become such an idiot?

  Chapter 26

  Morgan’s phone vibrated several times throughout his session, so the moment the student left his room he picked up. Nine missed calls. All from unknown numbers and some of them doubled up. Only three voicemails. He held the phone to his ear and pressed play on the oldest.

  ‘Morgan. This is Courtney Clifton. There’s been a riot at the gin and Andy’s … well, he was involved. Can we book an emergency appointment?’

  He clicked through to the next message.

  ‘Hi. It’s Asher. I need to see you about Dad.’

  Mindalby still needed his help. He’d up and left them without notice and although things should be easing off, they weren’t. He tapped to hear the last message.

  ‘Morgan. Elsie here. I—umm—it’s not really related to our sessions, but I wanted to talk to you about Hannah. Call me back.’

  Even though his heart told him otherwise, Morgan knew he had to call Courtney first. The lady was most probably in a bad state and prioritising clients was paramount. She picked up right away with a tentative, ‘Hello?’

  ‘Courtney, it’s Morgan Harris, returning your call.’

  ‘Oh, Morgan, thank goodness.’ Relief tinged her voice. ‘A riot broke out at the picket line this afternoon, and even though Andy promised he wouldn’t go there anymore he got involved and now’s he’s been arrested and I just don’t—’ she dragged in a breath, ‘—know what to do. He was rolling drunk when they called me to collect him. All that work we’ve been doing …’ The poor woman sounded as if she were about to break.

  ‘It’s okay to slow down. Just take a moment.’ He breathed deeply down the line, hoping she’d do the same. After several cycles Morgan continued, ‘People on the road to recovery often hit speed bumps along the way. Just because Andy’s slipped doesn’t mean he won’t climb back up. This thing with the gin is a big deal. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s putting the entire town on edge. Is he there with you now?’

  ‘Yes. But he’s passed out.’

  ‘Okay. When he wakes, don’t push him. He’ll already be feeling like a fool for getting arrested. If he wants to call me, give him the number.’

  ‘Can’t we come and see you?’

  His shoe scuffed the tiled floor. ‘I’m not in Mindalby right now.’

  ‘What? Where are you? When will you be back? We need to make an appointment.’

  ‘I’m not sure, but I’m always contactable.’

  ‘It’s not the same. What do I do if he wakes up and goes straight to the bottle? What if he refuses to talk to you?’

  ‘Courtney.’ Morgan took a deep breath, which she mirrored. ‘What can you see?’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘What can you see in the room where you’re standing? Something you love, full of detail.’ He looked around the plain white room he stood in.

  ‘There’s a picture on the fridge.’

  ‘Good. I want you to concentrate on the picture. What’s it an image of?’

  ‘It’s a finger painting Falcon made at kindy.’

  Morgan rubbed his temple. At least the man had the decency to marry the chick he’d knocked up. ‘Pay attention to the colours and the texture. The way he must have moved his hands to create them. Look at all the finer details and really appreciate the painting. Take your time.’

  He waited while she studied the picture, her breathing becoming slow and even.

  ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Okay,’ Courtney answered.

  ‘Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed I want you to practise what we just did, okay? It’ll help you feel better.’

  ‘I can do that.’ She sounded much better than she had before.

  ‘Now, I’m here anytime you need to call.’

  ‘Thank you.’ A smile lifted her voice.

  ‘Bye, Courtney.’

  ‘Bye, bye.’

  Morgan hung up and leaned back in the armchair, his hands scraping through his hair. Surely Trinity could cope here without him. He’d only seen a handful of people since returning and despite his earlier assumptions there seemed to be an oversupply of therapists. And the whole time he hadn’t been able to get Hannah off his mind. Every time he walked past the Chinese restaurant on campus … when he saw the river photo on his phone’s lock screen … his heart ached. Maybe he loved her. Maybe that was why he felt like utter crap. As if he’d broken the woman he was falling in love with.

  Morgan dropped his head into his hands. Shit, he loved her. Probably always had if he was being completely honest with himself. He just hadn’t allowed himself to realise it because she was off limits.

  Christ, he was an arsehole.

  Scrolling through messages, he found Elsie’s and returned her call. It rang and rang and he pulled the phone away from his ear, pressing speakerphone. The call went to voicemail, so he left a short message.

  Leaving the phone where it sat, he strode out of the room and down the hall. There were half a dozen private spaces in the centre they’d been given for counselling on campus. Each one of those had been allotted to a therapist, and peeking in the doors as he walked to the water cooler, he noticed at least two of them were empty. That wasn’t to say the professionals inside were being utilised, but still. He shoved a plastic cup under the cooler and filled up.

  On returning to his room, Morgan spotted his phone flashing with a missed call message. This one was Trinity. He glanced at his watch. Just another two hours and he’d be relieved, but there wasn’t a single appointment booked in that time.

  He threw back his drink, ready to call his boss, bu
t the phone vibrated in his hand.

  ‘This is Morgan.’

  ‘I was hoping you’d call back soon.’

  ‘Hi, Elsie. How is everything?’

  ‘Good. Well, not good. There’s still no pay, and apparently there won’t be any. The place is broke, but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. When I turned up at the centre for group session and saw your message, I thought that maybe … Have you heard from Hannah?’

  Bloody women and their gossiping; Elsie probably just wanted to get the lowdown on why he’d left Hannah alone at the Fat Buddha. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s old Mr Burton,’ Elsie said. ‘He had a heart attack.’

  Morgan dropped into the hard chair.

  ‘He didn’t make it, and I thought that maybe no one told you.’

  ‘Thanks, Elsie.’

  ‘The funeral’s tomorrow at ten.’

  ‘Damn.’ There was no way he could make that. Not with only one flight a day into Dubbo, then the two-hour wait for a flight to Cobar since his car was still stuck in Mindalby.

  ‘Well, bye then.’ Elsie waited on the line.

  ‘Thank you. I appreciate the call. We’ll see what we can do about those group sessions.’

  ‘That would be good.’ She ended the call and Morgan sat there, shell shocked, wondering how on earth he could get back to Mindalby before ten am.

  ***

  The state of Trinity’s office always made Morgan feel as if the woman never worked. Her desk wasn’t littered with client folders or training files, it didn’t host empty coffee mugs, and the wooden surface shone as if she polished it every day.

  Her long nails tapped against the keyboard; without glancing up, she said, ‘Come in, Morgan.’

  He pulled the spare chair up to her desk and waited until she finished typing. The certificates hanging on her wall weren’t much different to his. She had a similar degree and the same training. Maybe a little extra training and experience, since she was ten years his senior.

  The tapping stopped abruptly, and she met his gaze. ‘Morgan, what can I do for you?’

  ‘I’m not sure calling me back here was the best idea. It seems as though there are more therapists sitting around than there are patients to consult and well, the people of Mindalby are still in need. I’ve got clients calling me around the clock, and this situation, with so many different facets involved, it’s hard to help remotely.’

  ‘Right.’ She had a way of looking at down at people, even though they were the same height when both sitting. ‘So, you’re saying what’s happening here isn’t as urgent?’

  ‘Not exactly. I’m saying it’s well covered. I’m not needed.’

  ‘And you are needed out west?’

  ‘Those people still need help, Trinity. Me going there wasn’t even a short-term fix. The problem’s not resolved. Next to none of them are back on their feet. They still need support.’

  ‘There’s no long-term funding.’

  Morgan dragged his hands through his hair. ‘I don’t care. They need help.’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Thank you.’ He pushed the chair back against the glass wall and slipped out of her office. Suki looked up from her desk as he strode back to his, and Morgan offered a tight smile without stopping. He had to make an urgent call.

  Chapter 27

  Hannah pinned her curls back from her face, looking at the eyes everyone said were just like Pop’s. There was a definite colour resemblance, and maybe the shape was similar too. She pulled down the soft skin underneath. Pop’s eyes were just older. Sighing, she touched up her makeup and scooped up her handbag from her bedroom, then joined her mother and brother in the living room. Jase looked smart in a black suit she hadn’t realised he owned. It made his blue eyes pop against his tanned skin. Her mother wore a simple black dress that brushed her ankles. Cooper wasn’t there. She hadn’t seen him since he’d bolted at the mill three days ago. She’d let Jase go to bail him out alone.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Jase asked.

  Hannah nodded. She took their mother’s hand and the three of them made their way outside to Jase’s twin-cab, which waited by the gate to the house yard. Hannah offered Kate the front seat and climbed in the back herself.

  The silence filling the car on the drive to town was heavy with sadness and reminded Hannah of a similar drive many years earlier. Only then, Pop had been the one driving, while Hannah sat in the back jammed between her brothers, not really understanding death.

  About a kilometre out of town, her phone beeped with a message. It was probably the funeral parlour or maybe someone to do with the wake. She retrieved the mobile from her bag—Morgan. Sadness of a different kind blended with her grief. He hadn’t left a message. It was just one of those missed call notifications. From two hours ago.

  Her fingers were still wrapped around the phone when Jase pulled up out front of the building where Cooper stood, dressed in dark jeans and a black button-down. His curls, all wet and neat, weren’t the usual flyaway mess she was used to seeing on him. Still upset about the riot, she’d put that behind them for today. Pop was worth more than their argument. To Cooper’s left stood a stranger with hands folded in front of his neat suit.

  Last to get out of the car, Hannah moved to greet her twin. Cooper pulled her in for a side-on hug and Mr Tall, Dark and Men in Black pointed them towards a dark sedan parked on the street. Kate sat in the front, and her children all squeezed in the back seat, Hannah in the centre.

  The funeral parlour guy pulled away from the kerb and Hannah’s phone rang.

  She ignored it.

  Before she could blink, Cooper dived into her handbag and had the aqua case in his hand. As the Great Western Motel came up on the right Hannah peered past Cooper to see into the carpark. Morgan’s green hatchback sat out front of his room, and her heart sank just a little.

  ‘What do you want, Harris?’ Cooper demanded.

  Hannah snatched the phone from his loose grip and turned her back on her twin. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I heard about Abe. I’m so sorry, Hannah.’

  She studied Jase, who looked resolutely ahead. Then, on a sigh, she said, ‘I’m sorry too.’

  ‘I wish I could be there today.’

  ‘You won’t be?’

  The car stopped, and her brothers both climbed out. Jase turned back, quizzing her with an over-the-shoulder look. Hannah nodded to indicate that she’d be a minute.

  ‘I have to go. Thanks for calling though.’

  ‘Of course.’ Morgan didn’t hang up.

  ‘Bye.’

  ‘Bye.’

  His steady breath beat down the line and Hannah swallowed against the lump in her throat, wishing more than anything that she could reach out and touch him. Feel his skin against her own.

  ‘Hannah?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’m sorry about everything.’

  Everything could mean anything—it could mean Cooper. Andy. Or maybe that their almost relationship had finished.

  ‘Bye, Morgan.’ She ended the call and stepped out of the car. Jase closed the door behind her, pinning her with yet another questioning stare, but Hannah just looped her arm through her big brother’s and walked towards the church, her throat aching as if it were about to implode. The long black casket perched in front of the pulpit didn’t help one bit. Her chest tightened at the spray of red roses laid over the centre—level with where his failed heart rested in his tired body.

  An oldie Hannah recognised from CWA cake stalls sat at the piano, playing what sounded like a hymn, while Jase led them to the front row. Hannah slid into the pew next to Cooper, balancing her bag in her lap.

  ‘What did that arsehole want?’ Cooper’s hand fisted on his knee.

  Hannah gaped at him. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘I hope you told him to piss off.’

  She could’ve throttled him. ‘Grow up, Cooper. It’s none of your business anyway.’

  ‘Like hell it
is. He left you bawling in a restaurant.’

  ‘I wasn’t bawling.’

  Kate leaned forward to peer past her son. ‘Stop bickering, you two. Show your grandfather some respect.’

  Cooper’s jaw clenched and the moment their mother sat back he hissed, ‘Harris is still an arsehole.’

  ‘No, Cooper.’ She spoke more loudly than she should have. ‘You’re the arsehole, and I’ve had enough. If it wasn’t for your stupid attitude Pop would still be here.’

  ‘Like hell this is my fault.’

  ‘Like hell it’s not.’ Hands clutching her bag, Hannah stood. ‘If you had listened when I told you to pull your head in we wouldn’t be here.’

  She pushed past Jase and into the aisle.

  ‘Hannah,’ Cooper called, but she kept walking until she reached the back of the church where she slid into an empty space in an otherwise full row.

  ‘Hannah …’ Cooper stood in front of her now. ‘You’re upsetting Mum.’

  ‘Go back to your seat, Cooper.’ He stared her down and Hannah ground out, ‘As if putting him in his grave isn’t enough. You’re still carrying on like a child. Now stop it.’

  ‘You’re the one acting like a child.’

  Hannah almost laughed. ‘Getting yourself arrested for trespassing, Cooper. Stinking trespassing? Who thinks it’s okay to run with a lynch mob and break into private property?’

  ‘Welcome, everyone and thank you for joining us. We are gathered here today to farewell Abe Burton. A man—’

  With one last filthy look, Cooper turned around and stormed back to his place by their mother. The minute his back was turned, Hannah’s eyes overflowed. She dabbed at the corners with a hanky she’d secreted for just this purpose. When had life gotten so messy?

  A cool hand closed around hers and Hannah looked sideways at Elsie Sumner who offered up a small smile. As the service wore on, Hannah moved to the edge of the pew, resting her head against the hard side. She shouldn’t have said those awful things. Of course Pop’s death wasn’t Cooper’s fault. Stinging throat, aching heart, pressure built behind her eyes. Cooper wasn’t an arse, she was a bitch, and hurting her brothers didn’t make her any feel better.