The Peppercorn Project

by Nicki Edwards

  ‘Is that so?’ Rachel took a sip of her drink and glared at Matt. ‘I’ll be surprised if Isabelle still wants to live in our town after Matthew’s ridiculous shenanigans this morning.’ Rachel glared at him, her eyes firing daggers. ‘What were you thinking, Matt? Dragging her kid in like that?’

  Matt hung his head, concentrating on the empty glass in front of him as if it had all the answers. ‘Yeah, that was stupid, I admit.’

  ‘What did you do?’ Joe asked.

  After Rachel explained everything, Joe swiped Matt’s empty beer glass and wiped down the wet bar. ‘It’s about time you started thinking like a local copper, not a city cop on the lookout to catch the big drug lords. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times, we don’t have a drug problem here.’ He stalked off to serve another customer, leaving Matt alone with Rachel.

  Her eyes flashed dark. ‘I happen to agree with Joe. You have to stop thinking the worst, Matt. Not everyone is a drug dealing criminal.’ She finished her drink and slid off the stool. Clutching the clipboard to her chest, she stared him down. ‘Come on then, out with it. What’s your opinion?’

  He frowned. ‘What do you mean? You already know my opinion.’

  ‘I know your opinion on the Peppercorn Project. But is it a yes or no for Isabelle Cassidy and her kids?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Afterwards, Matt pondered why his answer had come so fast.

  Chapter 10

  Isabelle’s heart hammered so loudly she was sure the others in the crowded pub could hear it over the din. The room was overflowing with anticipation. How much longer would they have to wait until Rachel arrived? Isabelle took a deep breath. In through her nose, out through her mouth. Tonight there would be many tears. Tears of disappointment. Tears of joy. Would one of the winning families be hers?

  She caught sight of Matt standing alone on the other side of the room. It was hard to miss him. He stood head and shoulders above much of the crowd. He sensed her gaze and when their eyes met, he raised his glass in greeting. She returned the gesture, along with a forced smile. Why did her heart slam against her chest whenever she was in a room with him? She took a slow sip of her drink, hoping it would ease the lump in her throat. The wait was interminable.

  After the second interview, Leah had driven Isabelle and the kids past the four available properties. The first was ten minutes out of town on twenty acres. Isabelle shuddered at the idea of living in such an isolated location. The next two houses were located in the heart of the town, on big blocks, situated in wide streets. She was impressed with how well maintained they were and would be grateful for either of them if she was lucky enough to win. The last house Leah drove them past was right down near the creek and was more rundown than the others, but it made up for it in charm and character.

  She placed her glass on the table in front of her. Surely, it was getting closer to the time for the announcement. Leah sat beside her, and Isabelle was grateful for her company. On Isabelle’s other side was Alison’s sister Fran. Her warmth and hospitality had exceeded all expectations. Isabelle and the kids had slept comfortably in their own rooms at Fran and Jim’s farm on Saturday night, after eating enough food to feed a small nation. They refused any payment for the accommodation, and after Isabelle argued profusely to no avail, she accepted their generosity graciously. The money she would have spent on accommodation would be able to be used elsewhere.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Isabelle spotted Rachel making her way through the crowd, trailed by Alison and Jack. Isabelle’s insides tightened. The noise diminished as people began shushing one another. Isabelle searched for Fletcher and Mietta in the crowd. They looked as nervous as she felt.

  Rachel unhooked the microphone from its stand and after it squealed, silence descended in the pub. ‘I’m not going to draw this out,’ she said when she had everyone’s undivided attention. ‘Thank you for coming. We have loved meeting all of you, but as we said right from the beginning, we can only choose four families. I’d like to congratulate the following families who, if they accept, will become members of our wonderful Stony Creek community.’ Rachel paused to check the names in front of her and called out the first winners. ‘Neil and Karina Baker …’

  There was a smattering of applause and Isabelle looked across at a couple surrounded by what looked like half a dozen kids. The woman was heavily pregnant.

  ‘They look like home schoolers,’ Leah whispered in her ear.

  ‘I wonder if Rachel convinced them of the merits of public school education and her teaching qualifications.’

  Isabelle smiled.

  The family stepped up onto the small stage and Neil accepted the keys from Jack while Alison hugged Karina.

  ‘The Bakers will move into the property on Survey Road.’

  The isolated farmhouse out of town up in the hills. Isabelle exhaled. One down. Three to go.

  ‘The second family is Andrew and Kim Bailey. We have allocated the Giles Street property to them.’

  A young, attractive brunette squealed in delight and hugged the equally attractive man at her side. He pumped his fist into the air. They received their set of keys from Jack while their twin toddlers watched on in surprise from their pram, no doubt confused by all the commotion. Isabelle wondered what their story was.

  She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. Only two houses remained.

  ‘Kuda and Rumbi Nyabadzwa,’ Rachel stumbled slightly over the pronunciation of their names, ‘are our third family.’

  A young black couple, possibly refugees, hugged before stepping onto the stage to receive their keys. Isabelle watched the locals cast curious glances. A girl around Mietta’s age looked shyly out at the crowd from behind her mother’s colourful skirt, and a chubby toddler squirmed in his father’s arms.

  Rachel looked at the family and smiled. ‘We’ve given you the house in Stuart Street.’

  Isabelle’s stomach churned. Her mouth was dry. This was it, the decisive moment. The only house left was the miner’s cottage near the creek. Was it about to be their new home?

  ‘And the final family we wish to welcome to Stony Creek is …’

  Isabelle’s heart stilled when Rachel paused and stared straight at them, her face an unreadable mask.

  ‘… the Cassidy family!’

  She let out a startled cry and stumbled, dazed, onto the stage. She gave a little wave and a bewildered mumble of thanks before Alison gripped her in a tight hug. She couldn’t remember pocketing the keys Jack handed her. Had she remembered to say how thankful she was?

  Within seconds, a small crowd formed around Isabelle and her kids. Clapping and cheering followed, along with a chorus of ‘fantastic’ and ‘well done’. Leah wrapped her arms around Isabelle and squeezed tight. Fletcher was quiet, but his face split in a wide grin. Mietta jumped up and down like a jack-in-the-box.

  A man’s deep voice added his congratulations and Isabelle turned to face whoever it was. Matt.

  ‘A worthy winner,’ he said, bending down to kiss her briefly on the cheek. ‘I’m happy for you, Isabelle.’

  Isabelle reached up to touch the spot and sensed unexpected warmth beneath her fingertips. Her legs liquefied and she searched for the nearest chair and sat.

  She couldn’t believe it! They had won!

  *

  Matt watched Isabelle touch her cheek and saw the way two spots of colour branded her pale cheeks after he kissed her. He also saw the rings on her left hand and frowned. If she was single, why was she still wearing her rings?

  He turned to congratulate Fletcher, hoping to high-five him, but he’d pulled the emotional shades over his eyes again. Leah and Mietta were doing a little celebratory jig and Rachel and Isabelle were chatting. The cacophony was overwhelming. He was desperate to know more about Isabelle, but the minute he starting asking questions, the townspeople would be straight onto him. He did not want or need that.

  He was a thinker, used to making logical decisions, and he could
not work out why his heart had overruled his head. Acting on impulse, he had kissed Isabelle. Not his usual style. He’d only meant it as a friendly gesture, but the way his legs had turned to jelly was evidence he needed to sort out his feelings for her.

  ‘See you later,’ he called out, waving in a generic manner at the group gathered around Isabelle.

  It was astounding how she’d made so many friends in the short time she’d been in town.

  ‘You’re heading off early,’ Joe said, as Matt was about to slip out the door. ‘Thought you’d stick around until closing tonight.’

  ‘I’m on duty tomorrow morning. Early start. It’s been a busy weekend and I’m tired.’ It was a poor excuse.

  ‘Saw you kiss Isabelle.’ Joe nodded in her direction.

  Matt felt his face redden. ‘On the cheek, Joe, on the cheek. Don’t go reading anything into it.’

  What was with the old men in this town? Between Geoff and Joe, they were constantly playing matchmaker – a role usually left to the women. Everyone acted as though Matt’s fast approaching fortieth birthday was a sign he should hang up his bachelor’s cap, find himself a nice wife, and buy a house with a white picket fence. Matt sighed. He kept reminding them he had tried that dream once before and it hadn’t worked.

  It had taken him a long time to get over his divorce. He’d thought he and Simone were happy, but Matt had wanted to start a family and Simone hadn’t. She constantly reminded him she had her career to consider, and that the timing had to be perfect. Unfortunately, as the years passed it seemed the timing was never going to be right.

  Joe gave Matt a look he couldn’t decipher. ‘Being a single mum, Isabelle’s gonna need looking after. Might be a good idea if you offer to help her out around the house. Hilary’s house is the most rundown of the lot of them.’

  ‘I’ll ask her if she needs me to help once she moves in. But she strikes me as the kind of woman who can take care of herself.’

  Joe harrumphed. ‘Rubbish. All women like a man to take care of them.’

  Matt tried to hide his smile. There was no point arguing. Men like Joe were stuck in a different era.

  ‘If she’s single, why’s she still wearing her wedding rings?’

  Joe’s eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice. ‘I haven’t asked, but I overheard her talking with Leah at the pub yesterday. Her husband died.’

  Exiting the pub, Matt inhaled deeply and let the cool night air fill his lungs. Joe’s announcement about Isabelle’s husband was not what he’d been expecting. No wonder they all looked so broken. As he walked home, he hoped the fresh air would clear his head and his heart. He didn’t need another woman in his life to muddle things. Especially not a woman who was still grieving and possibly still in love with her husband.

  It had taken eighteen months, but Matt thought he’d finally found peace. Peace with himself. At peace with where he was at in life. Now, as he walked the empty streets back to his house, he sighed heavily. Thinking about his failed marriage had caused an unwanted flux of forgotten emotions.

  He squared his shoulders, decision made. Just as he’d wager Isabelle would be perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he was perfectly capable of living without another woman complicating his life.

  And Isabelle Cassidy and her kids were a complication he definitely did not need.

  Chapter 11

  The moment Isabelle sat down at the table at their favourite Torquay waterfront cafe, she sensed something was different. She cast her eye around the group, but after a quick acknowledgement of her arrival, they had turned as one back to Sarah, who was clearly holding court.

  For the next five minutes Isabelle sat in silence, a smile glued to her face, as she endured Sarah’s tales of her European honeymoon with her second husband: candlelit romantic dinners beneath the Eiffel tower, moonlit walks along the River Seine, and lazy mornings where the loved-up couple had fed each other breakfast in bed. If Sarah brought out pictures, Isabelle was going to find an excuse to leave. It had been hard enough watching her friend get married six weeks earlier.

  Over the years, the five friends had shared all aspects of their lives – Skye’s infertility issues and multiple miscarriages, Sarah’s messy divorce and subsequent remarriage, Ebony’s parenting challenges with her autistic son, and Alex’s battles with her weight. Dan’s death signalled the darkest day for the group. At one time or another, each of them had something that kept them awake at night, but until then, Isabelle had lived a charmed life with barely a ripple on the surface.

  Isabelle’s hot chocolate arrived and she took her time stirring the milky froth. What is going on? She hadn’t missed the several furtive glances between Skye and Ebony, nor the way Alex was barely listening to Sarah, twisting a sugar sachet in her fingers. Even Sarah’s usually high-pitched voice sounded more shrill than normal. There was a definite chill in the air, and the early morning sea breeze coming straight off Bass Strait wasn’t the cause of it.

  ‘You’re going to do it then?’ Sarah finally said.

  There was an unmistakable accusatory tone to her question. Silence descended. They all looked in Isabelle’s direction. That was why there was so much tension in the room. A week earlier, she’d sent the girls a group text message with the news she was moving to Stony Creek. This was the first time they’d had a chance to catch up face to face.

  Dan’s death had changed the dynamics of the group, and now her move would completely cut the cord that tied them together. Isabelle was well aware her friends’ lives would move on. They would go back to their families, their jobs, their husbands with barely a second thought for her. She cared for this group of women, but the reality was, they would drift apart.

  ‘Yes, I’m moving to South Australia.’

  ‘I think you’re making a rash decision,’ Sarah said.

  ‘Even though you’re being incredibly brave,’ Alex added, trying to take the sting from Sarah’s words.

  ‘I’m not sure whether it’s brave or stupid,’ Isabelle replied, struggling to stop her voice from wavering, ‘but it’s my only choice.’

  ‘You know I would have helped out if I could,’ Skye said. The others nodded in agreement.

  Isabelle reached over and touched her friend’s hand. ‘I know, Skye, but you guys have spent so much money on IVF. I wouldn’t have wanted to ask.’

  ‘We should have organised a trivia night fundraiser or something.’

  ‘Or set up one of those “Go-fund-me” websites.’

  ‘Personally I think Dan’s work should have helped out more. How long had he been with them?’ Sarah said.

  Isabelle shook her head. ‘They can’t go giving money away like that – they’re a huge organisation. It would set a wrong precedent.’

  ‘I disagree,’ Sarah said. ‘Because they’re such a massive company, they should have done something.’

  Isabelle sighed. ‘I don’t want to be a charity case.’

  ‘Isn’t that what you’ve become?’ Sarah’s tone was sharp.

  Alex picked up another sachet of sugar. No one spoke. Isabelle’s stomach knotted.

  ‘We think you’re making a massive mistake.’ As usual, Sarah was the self-appointed representative for the group.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You’re running away. You’re taking the kids away from all their friends. For heaven’s sake, you’re moving to a town none of us have ever heard of, in the middle of South Australia! How many more reasons do you want?’ Sarah’s voice ended with an upward inflection.

  ‘You could have sold your house and found a rental,’ Alex added, ‘then you could have stayed in Torquay.’

  If only it were that easy.

  Isabelle searched her friends’ faces. She understood their concerns, but she needed them to accept why she was doing this. ‘It’s not only about the money. I need to get out of Torquay. There are too many sad memories here. Every time I walk down the street I bump into someone who knows what happened to Dan. It’s not getting any easier
. I need to start afresh where no one knows us.’

  Up until then Skye had been quiet, taking everything in. ‘What do you need from us, Issie? How can we help you?’

  Isabelle suppressed the urge to cry. Skye had always understood more than the others that she needed space and time to grieve. Instead of telling her to move on and find another life partner, as many people did, Skye had encouraged her to take as much time as she needed.

  The others leaned in, waiting for Isabelle’s reply.

  ‘I don’t know.’ What she meant was, she couldn’t explain it.

  ‘I’m happy to help you pack,’ Skye said.

  ‘I can look after the kids for you,’ Alex added.

  ‘I could contact that church who helped you last time,’ Ebony said. ‘Maybe they can arrange meals again.’

  Inwardly Isabelle groaned. In the days after Dan’s death, they’d eaten so much lasagne her kids would probably always associate it with death.

  Isabelle didn’t want her friends to make promises they wouldn’t keep. They had stuck like glue after Dan’s death, but things were changing. The week before she went to Stony Creek, Isabelle had overheard snatches of Alex and Sarah’s conversation as they waited in the carpark to pick up their kids after school. Alex admitted she didn’t like the way her husband Rob was so willing to help Isabelle out with things around the house. Isabelle had listened in shock. Never mind that Rob had been Dan’s best friend and was surfing with him the day before he died. How could Alex think Rob was doing anything more than what a friend would do? Isabelle had put the conversation out of her mind, but the comments hurt her deeply.

  Skye looked at her again. ‘Right now, what do you need the most?’

  ‘All my life I’ve prided myself on being organised and always on top of things. I work hard, fulfil my commitments. You know me – I cross off my to-do lists every night before I go to bed.’