by Lilly Mirren
He hung up the phone and stared out over the Brisbane river as it snaked wide and brown through the city. The footpath shadowed the riverbank, the cool breeze blowing over its waters and mussing his hair.
The Seaside Manor would be a good investment. A solid place to put the money he’d saved over the past few years. There were always tourists visiting Emerald Cove, and the Manor was one of the premier bed and breakfasts in the area. In recent years, Diana and Rupert had let the business slip as Rupert’s health declined, that much he knew. But whether they could build the business back up again was something he didn’t know for sure — but he’d like to try. With a grin, he jogged away from the river towards home. He was going home to Emerald Cove.
Chapter 6
Emily
The road curved ahead, snaking around a sloping hillside covered in brown grass. The winter weather in Emerald Cove was milder than it’d been in Coffs Harbour. Emily scanned the town as it came into view. It hadn’t changed a bit since she was a teenager.
Small, quaint, and picturesque, the town squatted on the edge of a golden beach, with small, clapboard or brick houses clustered around a series of rolling hills and stretching out against the shore.
She realised she’d been holding her breath and released it in one quick puff. She was nervous — she hadn’t seen her aunt and uncle since the funeral years ago and didn’t know what to expect. How would it all work? Would she fail and if let them down? She’d never run anything like the Manor before, and she wasn’t entirely certain she could do it. She knew how to cook and serve food, but every other part of the bed and breakfast experience was a mystery to her.
The directions to the Manor seemed to float out of grasp of her conscious mind, so she relied on her subconscious instead, turning left at the roundabout, then over the hill, left again, and then right along a long, straight road with large structures set back from the street behind impossibly green lawns and lavish gardens.
There it was.
A beautiful, three-story structure, painted all in white with forest green highlights on the architraves and shutters. The sight of it brought back a flood of memories — days lived in swimsuits, riding bikes with the salt air in her eyes, sunburn so bad it pushed blisters to the surface of her back, and the boy next door.
The gravel on the long drive crackled beneath the crawling tyres. She pulled her car into a lot, hidden from the road by a manicured green hedgerow. Then she climbed out, and with a glance at her suitcase in the back seat, decided to leave it there for now and headed for the front door.
She stopped at the door, stared at it a moment, then turned the handle and stepped inside. There was a reception counter close by with a small, silver bell on it. She rang the bell, then waited with her hands linked together, heart thudding. A sweeping glance took in the majestic staircase, the dark hardwood timber floors, and wood panelling on the walls with chandeliers overhead. The room she stood in took up half of the ground floor, a wide living area stretched out on either side of the entrance, one area a formal sitting room, the other a lounge with a large fireplace, bric-a-brac on tables, soft, floral print armchairs, and cozy book shelves stacked with books.
“There you are! Welcome home.” Auntie Di swept into the room in a navy-blue dress dotted with small red flowers, her dark-brown bob brushing her shoulders and brown eyes twinkling.
Her words brought a lump to Emily’s throat. Home. It was a word she hadn’t spoken out loud in a long time.
She embraced Diana. “Auntie Di, it’s so good to see you. It’s been far too long.”
“Yes, it has.” Diana wiped her eyes with a fingertip. “How beautiful you are, look at you — you’ve become a young woman. And so much like your mother.” Diana regarded her with a wide smile and reddened eyes for a moment, then reached for her arm. “Come on, let’s have a cup of tea. You must be tired after that drive.”
“What do you mean you’ve found an investor? We only spoke on Friday, now it’s Monday…how is that possible?” Emily’s stomach did a flip-flop.
She’d known her aunt and uncle were selling half of the business, but she’d hoped she might have a role to play in choosing the person she’d be working alongside. It could be a disaster if they picked the wrong person. Besides, she had ideas for the Manor, things she wanted to do to help bring the business back to profitability. She’d been thinking about it all weekend long and was excited about the possibilities. What if the new investor didn’t see things her way, or worse yet, what if the wanted to keep everything exactly the way it was now?
Diana beamed. “I know, can you believe it? Rupert and I are delighted. We thought it would take months, maybe even years, to locate the right person. We’re picky, you know. We wanted it to be someone we could trust, someone we believed would take the Manor and treat it with love. Of course, we thought about you as well, and wanted to find you a business partner who you’ll be able to work closely with, and we’ve found just the man.”
A man? Great. No doubt he’d want to take over completely, and she’d have no voice in any of the decisions about the business.
She sighed, rubbed her hands over her face. “I know, I’m really happy for you guys. And honestly, I’m so honoured and thrilled that you’d consider letting me manage the Manor for you. It’s got a special place in my heart and I know how much it means to the two of you.”
Diana’s eyes glinted, she leaned forward and reached for Emily’s hand. “Rupert wanted to be here when we talked to you about this, but unfortunately he’s not feeling well after we spent the morning scrubbing and cleaning in preparation for your arrival…” Diana shook her head. “Never mind, I’m sure he’ll be down for dinner and you can catch up then. What we wanted to tell you is this — we’re not asking you to manage the Manor.”
Emily’s heart fell. She knew it was too good to be true. All weekend she’d wondered why they’d chosen her to run the place. It was a first-class bed and breakfast, or at least it had been in its prime. And she knew nothing about how to manage it.
“We don’t want you to be the manager, well not only the manager, I wanted to tell you in person that we’re bequeathing half of the business to you. Giving it to you. It’s yours.”
Emily gaped. “What?”
Diana chuckled, squeezed Emily’s hand. “We could’ve waited until we dropped off the perch, of course. But then, who knows how long that would be. We wanted to see you thriving here long before that, it’ll bring us so much pleasure. Of course, you don’t have to accept — I understand that it means a long-term commitment and if you don’t want that—”
“I do,” interrupted Emily. A cold sweat broke out across her forehead. They were giving her half of the Manor? Things like that didn’t happen to her.
“Well, then that’s wonderful. Half of the business will be yours. You’ll be a partner with an equal share in the business, and you and Ethan will take the Manor to amazing heights, I know it.”
“Ethan?” Emily’s heart fell into her gut as fast as it’d leapt for joy only moments earlier. “Do you mean Ethan Flannigan, the boy next door?”
Ethan Flannigan.
She still remembered his name and the image of his face drifted across her mind’s eye. He’d been a few years older than her, tall, skinny, and mischievous. Always pulling pranks on the rest of the gang of kids from the surrounding streets who’d travelled to the beach and back together, even to the occasional movie in the old cinema on the main street set on the second floor above the Foodstore.
She’d had a crush on him then. The kind of crush that had her mooning about the manor, crying when no one was looking, and staring at her reflection in the mirror as she mourned the fact that he’d never see her the way she saw him, never love her as she did him.
She smiled now, remembering how desperate and deep those feelings had run. That was before she’d lost her mother, back when the world had seemed like a warm and friendly place where anything was possible. She didn’t feel that way anymore,
didn’t love that way either.
Even as Ethan’s face flashed before her mind’s eye, her cheeks flushed with warmth and the familiar stab of shame punctured her chest. There’d been a time when he’d laughed at her, humiliated her, changed her entire perspective of her adolescent self. She’d hidden away from the world after that, then left to return home to Sydney to go back to school, where her mother who was working shifts at the local hospital was waiting for her at the airport, still dressed in her nursing scrubs. She hadn’t seen Ethan since.
Diana’s eyes widened. “Well, yes but of course he’s not a boy anymore. I forgot that you two were friends until he brought it up when we signed the paperwork yesterday.”
“You’ve signed the paperwork?” This was getting worse and worse. There was no way to reverse it then, if they’d completed the documentation. She’d hoped maybe she could talk them out of it, find a silent investor that none of them knew. Someone who’d stay out of the day to day running of the business.
“You’ll manage the guest services and the kitchen, and Ethan would like to take on maintenance and grounds. Says he’s looking forward to getting his hands dirty again after working in an office for so long.”
Emily nodded, her face burning. She’d hoped Ethan Flannigan had moved away from the Cove and she wouldn’t have to see him again after what’d happened the last time they were together as teenagers. But it seemed she’d not only see him but would be sharing a business with him and would likely run into him on a daily basis.
With a sigh, she ran fingers through her long, sandy-blonde hair, pushing it back behind her shoulders. “I’m sure it’ll work out well.”
“And Rupert and I have a few retirement communities to look at this week. We’ve decided to get out of your hair as soon as I’ve trained you up on the basics, so probably in two weeks.”
“There’s no rush,” said Emily, her brow furrowed. “This is your home…”
“No dear, we want to go. Rupert can’t keep going up and down these stairs, and honestly, I need a break as well. We want to move. It’s time, and we’re so happy with how everything’s turned out we could jump for joy — if it wouldn’t break a hip.” She slapped one hip and winked.
Emily couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
“It is. I’m thrilled, and I’m so glad you’re back in Emerald Cove. I’ve missed having you around.”
“Me too,” replied Emily, and she meant it.
Chapter 7
Ethan
Running in the Cove was different to running along the bikeways in the city. Ethan pulled to a stop at the front gate and looked in the letterbox. There were a few bills, but not much mail came to his childhood home these days. Not like when he was a kid. He recalled running up the driveway with envelopes pressed to his chest — a big pile that threatened to break free and fall to the ground if he relaxed his grip. Now, it was one or two envelopes, if that, and only delivered every second day.
He flicked through the mail, realised that none of it was for him and carried it, still puffing gently, up to the house. He left it on the front step, then jogged into the backyard. He’d been working on building a new dining table for mum, as a thank you gift for everything she’d done in letting him stay at the house indefinitely and telling him about the Seaside Manor investment.
The paperwork had gone through a few days ago, and his solicitor called today to tell him it was official: he was now the part-owner of the bed and breakfast next door. He could hardly believe it. The decision had been an impetuous one, but with each day that passed he grew more and more excited about the project. He’d work on the place, update it a bit and make sure it was in good hands before he returned to Brisbane. In the meantime, he could relax, surf, enjoy a break away from the office. He could feel the ever-present knot of muscles in his shoulders releasing from the sleep, exercise, and fresh air he’d gotten since he arrived less than a week ago.
The table was sheltered in the garden shed, an open structure that was so old the timber walls had faded to a pale grey. He’d lined the floor with loose hay to keep out the mud, and the tabletop sat legless on a pair of sawhorses. He ran a hand lovingly over the smooth timber surface. The red gum timber fairly glowed in the fading twilight.
The sound of footsteps over the nearby fence thudded in the quiet. His eyes narrowed and he strode to the fence. There was a gate that’d been built into the fence, Rupert had crafted it twenty years earlier so that the children could go back and forth between the two properties without having to go out onto the street. He slipped the rusted chain up over the top of the fence post and pushed open the gate. It creaked, then stuck in place, half open, against a stout green bush. He slipped through it and walked to the back of the garden where he’d heard the noise — if it was Diana, he wanted to talk to her about the Manor.
A young woman crouched over a climbing vine, her eyes fixed on one of the leaves. With a sigh, she stood to her feet. He saw she carried a basket under one arm and strands of clipped greenery in it. When he saw it wasn’t Diana, Ethan decided it must be a guest, so he might as well say hello and make her feel welcome.
“Hi there,” he said, waving a hand. “Enjoying the garden?”
She startled, then faced him with wide smoky grey eyes. Something about her was strangely familiar, yet a name eluded him. Where did he know her from? Her long, blonde hair swayed down her back like a waterfall, then she crossed her tanned arms over her chest, and her grey eyes narrowed on him.
“Ethan Flannigan?”
He chuckled. “Uh, yeah — that’s me. And you are…?”
“I’m Emily Jones, your new business partner.”
With a hand outstretched he stepped forward. “Emily, wonderful to meet you. I’m so glad we’ll be running the Manor together. It’s such a beautiful property, I’m excited about what we can do with it.”
She shook his hand but seemed hesitant to do so with her lips pulled into a tight line. He wondered if he’d offended her in some way.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
She faced him with a smile he couldn’t decipher — lips pulled tight. “We’ve met before Ethan… many years ago. I’m surprised you don’t remember.”
It all came back to him then, the little girl with the blonde pigtails had become the feisty teenager who’d followed him and his sisters around all summer long a few times during their childhood. She’d stayed at the Manor and had been part of the neighbourhood gang, as mum always called them — kids who spent the entire summer running wild all over the Cove until the sun set each evening. Emily was one of them. She’d been there but he’d barely noticed. She’d played mostly with Adele, his younger sister, while his attention had been focused on surfing, fishing, and skate boarding.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “I remember you now… With the pigtails.”
She cocked her head to one side. “I suppose I wore pigtails at one time. Although not for years…”
“Well, welcome back to the Cove,” he said.
Her lips pursed. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to our partnership as well. My aunt and uncle tell me you’ll be working in the garden and doing maintenance while I run the place…”
“Well, not exactly,” he countered, brow furrowed. “I mean, yes, but of course I’ll be involved in running the Manor as well. We’ll be doing it together.” He ended the statement with the kind of smile that usually broke through the female reserve in his experience, but it didn’t make a dent on her pucker.
“Ah… I see,” she said. “Well, I guess we have some things to work out.”
“I guess so.”
She turned away, walking back towards the Manor. The sun winked below the roof, casting a long, dark shadow over the garden and them standing in it. The cold came with it and Ethan felt it seep through his sweat-soaked running clothes. He shivered.
“Well, good night.”
She nodded. “Good night Ethan. Glad we could catch up. Let’s talk soon.�
�
Then she was gone, striding for the back door and slipping through it. An internal light flickered on, and he was left standing in the darkening garden alone, a half smile fading from his face. Emily Jones, of course — he should’ve recognised the name the moment Diana told him about giving her niece the other half of the business. From what he recalled of Emily, she’d been a quiet child with big, stormy eyes. She’d certainly grown into a beautiful woman, even if she did appear to have a chip on her shoulder.
He shook his head at the back door, then left through the side gate and ran to the house. Mum would wonder what’d happened to him.
Inside, there were no lights on in the house. He listened for a moment, Petal, Cindy’s fluffy, white, and very spoiled dog, trotted over to greet him, her toenails scratching out a rhythm on the hardwood floors.
He bent to scratch behind her ears. “Good girl,” he said.
Mum’s voice wafted down the hall to him. He followed the sound and found her in her office. He walked on to the kitchen, switched on a light, then ducked into the office to wave. She waved back keeping the phone pressed to her ear.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you so much for calling,” she said.
In front of her, an accounts book lay open and paperwork was scattered all around covering every square inch of her desk. She hung up the phone and offered him a tired smile.
“There you are, I was about to send out a search party.”
He grinned. “I was introducing myself to my new business partner.”
One of her perfectly plucked eyebrows arched high. “Oh? And?”
“Why didn’t you tell me Emily Jones was the little girl with pigtails who trailed after Adele every summer?” He shook his head. “And I get the feeling she doesn’t have the warm fuzzies for me.”
“Really?” Mum stood and stretched both arms over her head with a wide yawn. “Sorry, I thought you knew who she was. I doubt it really matters…She seems like a lovely young woman, I’m sure you’ll get along great once she gets to know you better.”
