by Cathryn Hein
‘A born-and-bred local,’ he told Teagan with a wink when she’d asked where he was from. ‘But don’t hold that against me.’ Then he’d hunched across the counter like a conspirator, hand held up to shield his mouth. ‘We’re not all inbred. Although I can’t rightly say for Colin Walker.’ Then he’d groaned and quickly leaned back, muttering under his breath, ‘Lupus in fabula,’ followed by a wry, ‘Speak of the devil.’
And that moment had proved to be her downfall.
Teagan had taken one look at Colin’s purpose-filled countenance and attempted to bolt, but the old man was too wily.
‘Teagan,’ he said, hovering in the shop’s doorway, blocking her escape. ‘You’re just the person.’
Startled, Teagan could only manage a dumb, ‘Eh?’
Col took her elbow and guided her deeper into the shop. She threw a panicked look at Tony but he was too busy grinning in relief that it was her under fire instead of him.
‘Your aunt,’ said Col.
‘What about her?’
‘Very good woman. Smart.’
‘Our Col’s always been a brains-before-boobs bloke,’ said Tony, winking at Teagan.
Colin ignored him. ‘Influential, too. There are some in this town who look up to her.’
Teagan raised her eyebrows, wondering where the hell this was going.
‘But it appears she isn’t taking this business with the Wellness Centre seriously enough.’
Teagan held up her hands and tried to reach for the mail she’d left on the counter, but Col put in a nifty sidestep and braced against it, bony spotted hand splayed next to the envelopes as though ready to play ‘Snap’ should she try to grab them. Frustrated, she had to force herself to stay calm when what she really wanted was to snatch up the mail and scamper as fast as possible to her ute. ‘Nothing to do with me. As for my aunt, her mind is her own. If you want to change her opinion, you’ll have to talk to her yourself.’
‘Have you seen it?’
‘Seen what?’
Col flapped an arm as though she was a complete idiot. ‘The centre!’
She folded her arms, cocked a hip and pursed her lips, hoping Col would take the hint that she wasn’t interested in Falls politics. Her voice was as hostile as she could make it. ‘I drove past.’
‘Then you’ll understand that we can’t have this sort of thing in our valley.’
‘Why not? If rich people want to waste their money on quackery that’s their problem.’ Temper lost, in a lightning move she plucked up Vanessa’s mail from the counter before Col could react, and waggled it at Tony. ‘Thanks. I’ll catch you tomorrow.’ Although if Col remained at large she had a good mind to let Ness resume the mail run. Confident he was wrong-footed enough not to block her exit again, she paused to address him, her voice clear. ‘I’m just visiting. Village politics has nothing to do with me.’
She strode out as quickly as she could but the telltale shuffle of Col’s feet followed. Teagan glanced at the bakery, wondering if she could forego the bread and charge for the farm instead, but she’d promised Ness the rolls. She glanced at Bunny’s surgery. There was always sanctuary there if Col became too insistent. Bunny had been nice enough when they’d met the previous week, but Teagan had the impression of a no-nonsense woman possessing little patience for people like Col. At least the vet had declared Blanche perfectly well when Teagan had complained about her breath. Apparently it was normal cat breath. Which, in Teagan’s opinion, had to be the only normal thing about the creature. The cat’s strange affection for Teagan certainly wasn’t.
With a sigh, she strode for the bakery.
It smelled of yeast and good things, which was where the pleasantness ended. The thin old lady behind the counter regarded her with a combination of suspicion and interest. She was tall, with short silvery hair sporting curls as tight as her puckered mouth. ‘You must be Vanessa’s niece then.’
‘Mmm,’ said Teagan, hoping the non-committal answer would keep her from having her rolls spat on. The woman might not be like Tony’s sister from the takeaway, but Teagan didn’t like the look of her at all. And from the unfriendly tone, she wasn’t a fan of Vanessa’s either. ‘Could I please have half a dozen dinner rolls?’
The old lady continued with her moue and didn’t move.
The plastic fly strips protecting the entrance rattled as Colin burst through. He pointed, panting. ‘It’s her.’
‘Yes, Colin. I determined that.’
‘Teagan,’ muttered Teagan, raising her eyes heavenward. ‘My name is Teagan.’
‘This is Kathleen Ferguson,’ said Colin, scuttling closer and puffing out his chest as though it was himself he was describing. ‘Seventh-generation Falls resident. Family’s been here nearly since Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson.’
‘Impressive.’ She pointed desperately to the wire racks behind Kathleen Ferguson, where her prizes lay. ‘Six dinner rolls, please?’
Kathleen didn’t even twitch. ‘Seems your aunt is backing the expansion.’
Teagan’s shoulders sagged as she realised her predicament. Colin was hovering close, ready to block her exit, while Kathleen held her locked with those piercing grey eyes. A massive urge to tell them both to bugger off rose inside her, but the last thing Teagan wanted was to make trouble for Ness, and although it might only be temporary, The Falls was her home for the moment, too.
‘I have no idea if she’s backing it or not. She might be, she might not be. I don’t ask. It’s none of my business.’
Kathleen’s gaze sharpened along with her mouth. ‘Perhaps not, but it’s assuredly hers.’
‘I can’t see how.’ Teagan again pointed at the racks and tried not to sound pleading. ‘Six rolls?’
‘Do you have any idea what sort of people we’ll get in here?’ continued Kathleen. ‘Drug addicts. Drunks. The ment-ally dis-tur-bed.’ She spread out the syllables as though Teagan were an imbecile. ‘This is a good area. Traditional.’
Kathleen nodded as though agreeing with herself. Feeling a weird Pavlovian urge to follow suit, Teagan slapped a hand to her jaw as though resting her head on her palm, and gripped tight to stop herself.
‘Do you know how expensive land is here now, thanks to all these blow-ins? They go to that place, have a few crystals waved over their heads, drink wheatgrass smoothies and God knows what else, then next thing they’re buying land and building some monstrosity on it.’
Teagan dropped her arm. ‘Look, I’m just new in town.’
‘Exactly.’
She blinked at the cryptic statement. The morning was disappearing quickly up its own rear, and for what? All she wanted were six bloody rolls. Frustration made her words harsh and defensive. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Kathleen gave a derisory sniff before addressing Col. ‘Waste of time. The girl couldn’t care less.’
Col hopped from foot to foot, wringing his hands. ‘We have to try.’
Kathleen refocused on Teagan with distaste. ‘That man is ruining our valley with his charlatanism.’
‘Charlatanism?’
Colin sidled closer, nodding vigorously. ‘Charlatanism.’
Leaning away, Teagan regarded him with a mixture of horror and disbelief. God, it was like being dumped into some sort of quirky foreign TV show where the townspeople had gone mad from isolation.
‘Look, it’s all rubbish as far as I’m concerned, but if rich people with more money than sense want to waste their lives on enemas or whatever, that’s not my concern. What is my concern is six dinner rolls. This lifetime, if you don’t mind.’
‘Happy to see people ripped off, are you?’
‘No, but —’
Kathleen pointed a finger. ‘You watch that Domenic Ashe. He’s got your aunt curled around his finger.’
‘No one has Ness curled anywhere. Now, can I please have my rolls!’
Kathleen gave her a hard look before finally turning to the racks and loading a paper bag with rolls. Teagan paid quickly, and, without a
goodbye or acknowledgement of either local, shot out the door and jogged for her ute, catching a glimpse of Tony laughing in the doorway of his shop as she passed.
Vanessa listened to Teagan’s account of her time in the village with dismay. Being collared by Colin and Kathleen about the centre was the last thing Teagan needed. As for the part about Dom having Vanessa curled around his finger, well. She’d have words to say about that in good time. She was no one’s patsy, least of all a man’s.
‘That pair is nothing but trouble. Colin’s harmless on his own, but when he teams up with Kathleen Ferguson they cause all sorts of problems.’
‘What’s it all about anyway?’ Setting her elbow on the bench, Teagan flopped her chin into her hand. ‘I mean, what goes on behind the centre’s walls hardly affects them. I understand the land-price problem, and I can even appreciate that they don’t like seeing the village change, but we’re what? Ten kilometres from the suburban fringes of Sydney? The Falls is hardly the country anymore.’
‘It’s about small-mindedness and clinging to the past, among other things.’ Vanessa sighed and turned on the espresso machine. ‘The land the centre is on was owned by Kathleen’s family. Had been practically since settlement.’
‘Wow.’
‘Quite. Being female, naturally she didn’t get anything. Her brother inherited it all, but as with so many places around here someone came along and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. It was meant to be a golf course and day spa initially, with a housing development incorporated, but that all fell through. Only the spa ended up being developed alongside the original homestead, no thanks, I’m sure, to Kathleen’s intervention with the council. But that was when the council was mostly made up of conservatives. Things are different now. It’s more progressive. As you pointed out, the city is moving ever outwards. This valley can’t stay isolated forever.’
Vanessa turned back to load the filter head with coffee. ‘The people who originally owned the spa used to let Kathleen visit and walk around whenever she liked. Dom put a stop to that the moment he took over.’
‘You kind of can’t blame her.’ Teagan slid off her stool and headed for the fridge. Vanessa smiled her thanks as her niece placed the milk on the bench. She leaned back against it, arms folded and contemplative. ‘It’d be like me and Pinehaven if I was still in Levenham. I’d probably sneak in for a look around, too.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s hard to let places go.’
‘Perhaps, but it’s people that really matter. Whatever you think of the services Dom provides, a lot of people have been helped by the centre. The privacy he ensures means they undergo treatment for their addictions or problems without fear of being tormented by the media or anyone else.’
She tamped down the coffee and locked the head on to the machine, then set a stainless-steel jug under the steam nozzle. The hiss of steam put a momentary stop to conversation. As she worked, Vanessa wondered if now wasn’t a good time to address more deeply some of the issues they’d only danced around.
‘There’s another reason Kathleen is bitter, too.’ She glanced at Teagan and smiled. ‘I’ll tell you when I’ve finished making our coffee, but never forget that people’s motivations are often complex. Nor do they always make sense. Humans are very strange, complicated creatures.’
Teagan sucked on her bottom lip and contemplated her feet. ‘You’re talking about Mum and Dad.’
‘I’m talking about all of us.’ Vanessa lightly touched Teagan’s arm. ‘Why don’t you go outside and enjoy the sun while I finish up?’
When the coffees were made, Vanessa placed them on a tray with some of the orange-and-poppy-seed syrup cakes she’d made earlier that morning. Despite her best cooking efforts, her niece still wasn’t eating enough to put on weight. One look at Teagan when she had finally emerged on the verandah on Thursday night and Bunny had half-jokingly offered to inject her with steroids to increase her appetite. Having seen her in her bikini, rib bones corrugating under her pale skin, Vanessa had been tempted to take Bunny up on the offer.
She stared towards the front door. What she feared Teagan really required was a trip to the doctor and a prescription for anti-depressants. Yet with Teagan so deep in denial Vanessa knew that would be resisted at all costs. All Vanessa could do was try to feed her up, cultivate a positive environment and hope that the poor darling would find her own way out of the darkness.
The idea made her think of Lucas, the way his gaze had followed Teagan while they’d enjoyed their sangria. If ever there was a man to light the way it was Lucas Knight. Vanessa was sure they’d been about to kiss when she’d interrupted them in the pool, and had quickly made herself scarce, but a few minutes later Lucas was out on the verandah, Teagan remaining somewhere inside. He’d batted aside Bunny’s tease about being a fast mover with a riposte about her and Mark Dunkerton, and that had been the end of it. When Teagan had joined them again, she spent most of her time as far from Lucas as possible. Retreating with her drink to the end of the verandah where she’d stood staring at the sunset wearing that awful hollow expression that made Vanessa’s heart clench.
She pushed open the door. Teagan was in her cane chair with her legs tucked up and her arms wrapped around her knees, glaring at Blanche. The cat circled below, head tilted up in disapproval, which she voiced with loud meows.
‘She really has taken a shine to you, hasn’t she?’
‘Unfortunately.’ Teagan’s mouth twitched in apology. ‘Sorry. I’m just not a cat person. And Blanche is . . .’
‘An acquired taste, I know. But she means no harm.’
‘Tell that to Betty and Wilma.’
She handed Teagan her latte and edged the plate of cupcakes towards her as well, pleased when her niece picked one up. There was enough sugar in that cake to give an elephant diabetes.
‘So what’s the rest of the story with Kathleen Ferguson?’
Vanessa sipped and settled back. ‘Not long after Dom took over the centre a druggie tried to hold up the bakery when Kathleen was there on her own. Turned out he was one of Dom’s clients. Walked all the way into the village barefoot, completely off his trolley. Sniffed the bakery and that was it.’
‘Must’ve given her a shocking fright.’
‘I imagine it did. I used to feel sorry for her until I learned she accepted a without-prejudice offer from Dom to keep it out of the news. Turns out the druggie was the lead singer of some band that had just made it big. She could’ve made rather a mess if she wanted, but Dom bought her off with hush money.’
Teagan puffed out her cheeks in amazement.
‘Yes, I would never have thought it of her either, but I imagine the offer was substantial and apparently Kathleen was struggling financially at the time. Perhaps she didn’t have a lot of choice.’
‘That must’ve hurt. No wonder she hates Dom and the centre.’
‘Yes. Hurt pride is an ugly thing.’ Vanessa picked up a cupcake and smiled as Saffy immediately appeared by her side. The labradoodle placed a paw on the seat edge and gave Vanessa her best starving animal impression. Remembering Bunny’s warnings about overfeeding, she waggled a finger. ‘None for you, darling. Vet’s orders.’
Saffy immediately padded to Teagan, only to be chased off by a hissing Blanche.
Teagan rolled her eyes at the cat before picking off a tiny piece of cake and eating it. ‘So how did Dom end up with the centre?’
‘Without the housing development to keep the cash rolling in, the developer got into financial difficulty and had to sell. Dom already had a successful facility at North Ryde and was looking to expand. The Falls property was perfect.’
‘I bet it didn’t come cheap.’
‘No. I always wondered where he got the backing but he’s a smart operator. I also suspect he has friends in interesting places.’
‘Druggie rock stars?’
Vanessa laughed. ‘Even druggie rock stars need to invest their money somewhere. And that particular man is now very much rehabilitated. Like I said, Do
m does good work.’
Teagan spent a moment contemplating her cake. The rate she was going, crumb by crumb, the thing would never get eaten. ‘You like him, don’t you?’
Vanessa thought for a moment, wondering how to answer. She did like Dom, a great deal. He was smart, sexy, and would sometimes catch her with a look that made her stomach lurch and heart race. Men like him were also ruthless and covetous, and that made him trouble. ‘It’s a funny thing, liking a man. He’s so like my exes. An alpha male who thinks he’ll get his way simply by the force of his personality.’
Teagan frowned. ‘So you don’t like him?’
‘No, I do. Quite a lot as it happens, but I also see his warts far more clearly than he could ever imagine.’ She tilted her almost finished cake at Teagan. ‘You should be careful around him, too.’
‘Somehow I don’t think he’s interested in me.’
‘Perhaps not in that way, but never underestimate what a man like that will do to achieve his own ends. If he thinks he can get to me through you, he’ll try.’
Teagan sighed and put her cake down. It looked like a mouse had been nibbling at it. She dropped her head back on the chair, gaze turning empty. ‘I came here to escape secrets and games but it seems everyone’s playing them.’
‘Not everyone. Bunny doesn’t. I don’t.’ She paused. ‘Neither does Lucas.’
Teagan rolled her head sideways to face Vanessa. ‘You sure about that?’
‘As I can be.’
‘Huh,’ said Teagan. ‘We’ll see.’
Lucas sucked on his beer and stared unhappily around. When Vanessa had invited him over for a Saturday barbecue he’d thought it would be just him, and maybe Bunny and Dunks, perhaps even Dom. Instead, he’d encountered a yard full of cars and what felt like half the village indulging in Vanessa’s fruit-laden jugs of Pimms, or plucking beers from ice-filled buckets.
He stood near the far edge of the pool, catching the last of the afternoon sun’s rays and people-watching. Dunks hovered by Bunny, feigning ordinary friendship when it was obvious to everyone from the hot looks they kept sharing that they were shagging every moment they could get. Dom was hanging around Vanessa as he always did, sort of protective and watchful. Tony was joking with the Andersons, while flicking his ever-seeing gaze around the others. The rest were gathered in pairs and threes on the deck, chattering happily. But it was Callum Albright who concerned Lucas most. He’d barely left Teagan’s side since his arrival. Not that she seemed appreciative of the fact. From the mutinous look on her face Callum’s attention peeved her as much as it did Lucas.
