Water under the Bridge

by Lily Malone

  Jake tapped Abe’s shoulder. ‘We’ll work it out, mate. We’ll work it out.’

  * * *

  Ella couldn’t put her finger on why she felt the way she did, driving home from Jake’s. All mixed up inside and not sure if she was angry or sad, just that she didn’t feel good.

  It could have all been down to what she’d nearly told Jake. If the kids hadn’t arrived for their lunch then and there, she’d been on the verge of telling Jake about Marshall. The enormity of it crushed her chest. That would make Jake only the fourth person on the planet who knew Erik wasn’t Sam’s father.

  It meant she trusted Jake, almost as much as she trusted Erik, and that was huge.

  Then, of course, she could be playing drama queen, brought on by the adrenalin rush of the day, or it may have been something far more simple bothering her. Like, maybe she felt on edge because it was so long since she’d driven anywhere with wet hair and wet clothes.

  Except that was the only part that felt right: wet clothes and wet hair. The water had felt amazing. The grip she’d got on it as she drove her hand over her head, stretched out, stroked down.

  So beautiful. Such freedom and speed.

  It had been way too long since she’d been in the water.

  ‘I still don’t see why I couldn’t have stayed out there, Mum.’

  Ella reached the bitumen and picked up speed. No, her edginess wasn’t because of the swim. ‘Jake had his brother there, Sammy. It felt like a good time to go.’

  ‘But I could have stayed with Ollie. You could have come back and picked me up later.’

  ‘I can’t be back and forth out to Jake’s like a yo-yo.’ She checked her speed and lifted her foot a little. ‘It’s too far out of town.’

  ‘Does that Abe guy live far away?’

  ‘I’m not sure where he lives, Sam. Perth, I think. Maybe up north further, like that town where you and me and Erik went a few years ago.’

  ‘Broome. We had to take the plane. Broome was a long way away.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Ella said, distracted. ‘It’s a long way. Australia’s a big country.’

  Sam digested that. ‘But you like Jake, don’t you? You kiss him.’

  That brought Ella’s attention from the road. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘I saw you the other night in our yard, and Ollie saw you in the water today. Ollie says you two are in love. Ollie said Jake is your boyfriend and if you got married, he’d be my dad.’

  ‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ Ella said, almost swerving off the road as Sam’s words rocked her. ‘Jake’s not your dad either, mate, although I know he likes you a whole heck of a lot.’

  ‘So does that make Erik your boyfriend still?’

  Lord, save me from curious boys. ‘Erik is my friend. My best friend.’

  ‘But not your boyfriend?’

  ‘Not the way you mean.’ Ella chewed the inside of her lip, and ventured carefully, ‘What would you think if we saw more of Jake, mate?’

  ‘Like how do you mean? You mean if you go out on a date with him? Ollie said his best friend’s brother has been on a date. They went to a movie.’

  Gawd. ‘I like Jake, Sam. It’s important to me that you like him too.’

  ‘I like him. He’d make a good new dad.’

  A new dad?

  If she hadn’t been driving, she might have thrown her head back and cried. Her poor confused boy! And that confusion was all her fault. She’d put off telling him about Marshall for too long and if she wasn’t careful now, the entire house of cards would collapse and she’d be blown away.

  Sam was getting older. Was he old enough? Could he understand why she’d kept Marshall a secret?

  It would be such a relief, wouldn’t it? Such a huge weight off her shoulders to have this all out in the open with Sam; to tell Jake.

  ‘So, are you two dating like Ollie said?’ Sam asked again.

  ‘We like each other, mate. Today was a kind of date, I guess. Going out there for lunch and the swim. That’s like a date.’

  Sam’s face lit up.

  And that niggling feeling played across the nape of her neck.

  Maybe her uneasiness was nothing to do with Sam and Marshall, and everything to do with Jake and Jake’s brother.

  She’d had to admit she hadn’t sold Irma’s house, and then she’d gone and dropped her bra right in front of Abel. How embarrassing was that!

  Bet Bob Begg’s never dropped his underwear in front of a client.

  Ella giggled, and Sam glanced across. ‘You okay, Mum?’

  ‘Yeah. I’m good. Just thinking about something funny.’

  It had been interesting, though, what Abel had said about Jake choosing to sell with her, and not with Bob.

  Jake said he’d wanted to give her a chance.

  Jake said he didn’t want to sell. What he wanted was to find out why Abe wanted to sell so much.

  And as Ella worked it out, the pieces slotted neatly into place, square pegs into square holes.

  Jake chose her to sell his nanna’s house because he was sure she couldn’t do the job.

  He never believed she had what it took.

  He’d never believed in her.

  CHAPTER

  27

  ‘Harvey? Have you got a moment?’ Ella spoke at the same time as she knocked on Harvey’s office door on Monday morning, and her boss beamed at her as his head came up.

  ‘Ella! Of course! And tell me, did you ring the bell?’ Harvey mimed ringing a bell with his hands.

  The sale felt so long ago now, all the way back to Saturday, and so much had happened since. ‘I forgot about it.’

  ‘What did I miss?’ called Gina.

  ‘Ella made her first sale over the weekend,’ Bob threw in, loud enough for Gina to hear.

  It appeared her sale wasn’t quite enough to get Bob up from his chair, but it definitely met Gina’s excitement parameters. Their receptionist was up and out of her seat, arms wide, coming at Ella like a goose for an open gate.

  ‘You sold the Honeychurch house? Ella, that’s fantastic.’ Gina wrapped Ella in a hug.

  ‘Not quite,’ Ella murmured. ‘Helen Nillson’s house next door.’

  Gina’s eyes went wide. ‘Oh. I didn’t even know we had it listed.’

  ‘We didn’t,’ Harvey said.

  ‘Wow. Well, go, you! That’s fantastic. And why didn’t you ring the bell?’ Gina stepped back.

  ‘I forgot about it.’

  ‘Well, do it now!’ Gina shooed Ella towards the front office and the shiny silver bell. ‘Go on!’

  Ella picked up the little bell, giving it a tinny-sounding tinkle.

  ‘That’s not a ring …’ Gina plucked the bell from Ella’s fingers, waving it like a maniac. ‘That’s a ring!’

  So Ella took the bell back and gave it a proper shake this time, and when she put the silver thing back on the counter, she wore a goofy grin. It did feel pretty darn amazing.

  ‘I’ll get the paperwork together for you, Gina,’ Ella said, smiling as she headed back to Harvey’s office to finish the conversation that had been hijacked.

  ‘So, Harvey? Is this a good time?’

  ‘Absolutely. Come on in.’

  Ella sat on one of Harvey’s lovely leather guest chairs, smoothing her skirt under her legs. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you were saying about the swimming pool.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Well … I’d like to do it. I think it would be good for the town. I have a few questions, though. I mean, how will it impact my work here? What would you need from me?’

  ‘Bob and I can help with your inspections and cover your roster if there are times you’d need to be out of the office. We’re a team, aren’t we, Bob?’ He called the last bit louder, to reach Bob’s ears in the next office.

  ‘Sure,’ said Bob.

  ‘Great news,’ Harvey said. ‘That’s really great, Ella. I’ll call the Shire President and see what we need to do to get the ball rolling. I’ll get back t
o you.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks. In the meantime, I’ll contact AustSwim and make sure my current teaching qualifications are up to date. My ex-husband, Erik Brecker, will know what I need to get.’

  ‘How lucky is Chalk Hill to have you and Erik Brecker involved in starting up its swim school?’ Harvey said, rubbing his palms. ‘Once the pool is up and running, we can have a review and rethink where we’re all at with the workload. I mean, we want you here too, don’t get me wrong. This is a great first sale on the Nillson place. Now you’re off and running. Or should I say, off and swimming!’ He laughed at his own joke.

  ‘Thanks, Harvey,’ Ella said, getting up from the chair.

  He was muttering about the Begg & Robertson Flying Dolphin Swimming Squad as she walked out his door.

  She didn’t get far.

  ‘Bob? Have you got a moment?’ Ella said, standing with her hand poised at the doorframe heading into Bob’s office. His door was open so there wasn’t much point knocking.

  ‘Sure. Come on in,’ Bob said, pushing back his chair, reclining in the seat. ‘What’s up?’

  Ella sat across from Bob and tried not to pay any attention to the many (many) framed certificates for ‘best salesperson’ lining his office wall.

  ‘I wanted to ask if you’d take over the Honeychurch house listing for me,’ she said. ‘I had the authority for ninety days and that’s nearly up. If Jake wants to extend the authority, I think it’s best if you handle it.’

  She’d thought and thought this through last night, and this was the only way. She couldn’t keep working for Jake, not now that she knew he didn’t think she was the best person for the job.

  Bob put his palms on his desk, straightened his arms and leaned back so far Ella worried he might flip his chair and crush the bright green ficus hiding behind him. Then he nodded once, narrowing his eyes. ‘Jake didn’t like you selling out the neighbour’s place to Henry Graham, hey?’

  ‘No. It wasn’t anything like that,’ Ella said. ‘I haven’t mentioned it to Jake yet, I just wanted to be sure you didn’t have too many other listings to take care of, and that it was okay by you.’

  ‘I’d be happy to help Jake out. Might talk to him about the price. But what went wrong? Why’d you want to give it up?’

  ‘No real reason,’ Ella said, shrugging it off as if she gave up her one and only listing every day of the week, as if it didn’t feel like cutting out her heart and handing it over on a plate. ‘I think it’s better for Jake to list it with you.’

  And she would always do the best she could for her sellers. Now that she knew Jake had only given her the listing because he didn’t think she was good enough to sell it, it made sense.

  Bob’s nod said it all made perfect sense to him too.

  He might make the right noises about being a team, but Bob didn’t think she was good enough either. Not really.

  * * *

  To say Jake wasn’t feeling particularly flash when he got to his office Monday morning was putting it mildly. He felt like shit. He felt like the shit that shit shits on. Nah, he felt shittier than that.

  Too many beers with his brother last night. Too many rum and Cokes when they ran out of beers. Too many tears from Abe.

  The pair of them had run an emotional marathon, with alcohol at the drink stations instead of water. He was hungover on a whole lot of fronts, and he’d bet Abel felt exactly the same way.

  Jake checked his watch. Abe might have surfaced by now for a morning coffee out at the farm. Then again, maybe he was still sleeping it off.

  Lucky bastard that he could sleep it off. Jake put his head in his hands and groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

  His office line bleeped, and it was like copping a knee to the ear. Who the hell wanted him now?

  Jake picked up the receiver. ‘Yeah, Jen?’

  ‘Bob Begg is on the line for you, Jake.’

  ‘Bob is?’

  ‘Yep.’

  What did Bob want? ‘Ah, okay. Put him through.’ The connection clicked as Jenny hung up, and he said, ‘Hey, Bob. What’s up?’

  ‘Jake,’ said Bob, and his booming voice was like copping a knee to the other ear. ‘About this house of yours … you want me to sell it for you or what?’

  ‘Which house are we talking about, Bob?’ Jake said.

  ‘Irma’s house. The one Ella hasn’t sold yet.’

  Jake shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Bob would get to the point. ‘Okay. What about it?’

  ‘Ella has asked me to help her on the listing.’

  Over her dead body. ‘What do you mean, “help her”?’

  ‘Well, she’s asked if I’d take over the listing. You gave her a ninety-day authority and that expires on Thursday.’

  ‘Ella hasn’t discussed it with me.’

  ‘Well, she’s been busy writing up the sale of the Nillson place this morning, so she can’t have got to calling you yet.’

  ‘Doesn’t sound like she has.’ Jake frowned at his filing cabinet. Ella was giving up the listing? Why hadn’t she discussed that with him? It was only yesterday that he’d seen her.

  Bob made a mumble sound, and the conversation faltered. Eventually Bob said, ‘I’m sure Ella will ring you about it. I thought I’d just touch base—’

  Bugger this. ‘Actually, Bob, you’ve saved me the trouble of calling you guys. I’m not selling Nanna’s house now. I’ve changed my mind.’

  ‘Why? Helen’s house next door sets a great price guide for it, not like before. You know, when you were testing the waters.’

  ‘I’m withdrawing it from sale all the same, thanks, Bob. I’ll let Ella know too.’

  ‘Jake—’

  ‘If you could take down the sign, and take it off the internet sites, all that sort of stuff.’

  ‘Well—’

  ‘Gotta go, mate. Got another call coming in.’ Jake hung up the phone.

  What the heck was that about?

  Why would Ella give the listing over to Bob Begg? Bob was the last person she’d want to see sell his nanna’s house.

  * * *

  ‘Mum? Jake’s here,’ Sam called from where he stood at the open front door later that same afternoon. Ella had only just managed to unpack a week’s worth of groceries into the pantry and fridge, and no chance to shrug off the rest of her day.

  The second she heard Sam say Jake’s name, adrenalin hit the pit of her stomach like a rubber ball. This was the moment she’d tell him she couldn’t work for him anymore.

  She rubbed her palms on her skirt for courage, and tried, unsuccessfully in the end, not to straighten her hair.

  ‘How was school today, Sam?’ Jake’s voice rumbled.

  ‘School sucks,’ Sam said, sounding so high-pitched next to Jake. ‘At least on Mondays we have sport.’

  Then the pair of them, man and boy, reached her kitchen.

  Ella stole one quick look at Jake, then checked again. He had a two-day stubble going on and his eyes, which were normally so smoking intense, looked like they put the closed sign out for the night and shut up shop. ‘You don’t look so flash. Are you okay?’

  ‘Self-inflicted. And you look gorgeous. So you win.’

  ‘Eww, yuck. Gross,’ Sam said. ‘Mum, is there anything to eat?’

  ‘I’ve just been shopping, so yes. There’s fruit. There’s some ANZAC biscuits in the tin in the cupboard.’

  Sam rushed to the pantry, and Ella’s gaze stuck on Jake’s face.

  ‘What happened to you?’ she asked him. ‘Can I make you a coffee? ANZAC biscuit?’

  ‘Trying to give them up.’ Jake pulled out a chair and sat heavily at the table in the kitchen. ‘Nah. I don’t need coffee. I just need a good night’s sleep.’

  Whatever Sam found, he took it back to his room to eat, leaving Ella and Jake alone.

  ‘You and your brother got on it last night?’

  ‘Could say that.’

  Then he didn’t say anything else.

  ‘Well
, I might make a cup of tea,’ Ella announced. She had to keep her hands busy because her fingers wanted to bury themselves in the back of Jake’s neck and massage away all that bleary tiredness, and that was no good because he didn’t believe in her and she wanted to be angry with him. She needed to stay angry with him for the same reasons she needed to keep her hands busy.

  ‘Why did you give Bob Begg the listing on Nanna’s house?’

  Her hand shook and made sugar overshoot the cup. ‘He didn’t call you already, did he? I told him I’d talk to you first.’

  She’d spent the whole afternoon writing out exactly what she’d say so she’d get it right when she spoke to Jake, because so often the words in her head hit a brick wall in her mouth and never quite came out straight. Now Bob had beaten her to it.

  ‘Reckon Bob couldn’t wait to call me,’ Jake said.

  Ella squeezed the teabag and stirred, squeezed and stirred again. Finally she added milk and shut the fridge. Carrying the teacup to the table, she wrapped her hands around it for strength. Bob’s actions weren’t very professional, in her opinion. But she’d be professional about this, just watch.

  ‘Something you said to me yesterday kind of hit home.’

  Jake’s brow creased. ‘And what was that? I told you a lot of things yesterday.’

  He’d told her he was falling for her yesterday. He’d also asked her to follow his lead when it came to Abel and the house, and she’d had no idea what she’d been walking into.

  ‘You basically said that you only gave me the listing on your nanna’s place because you knew I couldn’t sell it. That’s why you gave it to the new girl.’ Her fingers made quote marks around the words new girl.

  Jake didn’t deny it, so Ella took a breath and kept going. ‘I know I’m new at real estate, Jake, but I’ve given your nan’s house my very best try. It’s important that I have positive people around me, people that believe in me.’

  ‘I believe in you,’ Jake said, rubbing his eyes.

  ‘No, you don’t. Not really. I could have sold your nan’s house three times last week, if you wanted to sell. I would have sold the house despite everything you did to stop me, including that stunt with the whipper-snipper, and the sander—’

  ‘Hey, I told you that was an honest mistake. I mixed up the Home Open time.’