‘It’s over?’ guessed Rachel.
Again Amy nodded and kept her mouth sealed, though her bottom lip and chin were trembling.
‘I’m sorry.’ Rachel held her arms out. ‘Come here.’ Amy fell into her arms and hugged her friend. ‘I’m so sorry. I know how much the restaurant meant to you.’
Tears were screaming to be released, but Amy wouldn’t succumb. Not now. Not here. Amy sat up and blew out a long breath. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘This is not appropriate to be whingeing about the loss of my restaurant when your health and your baby’s health—’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Rachel interrupted. ‘Of course I want to know what’s going on with you. I know how hard you’ve pushed and pushed with that restaurant.’
Amy smoothed loose strands of hair behind her ears.
‘So what are you going to do?’
Amy shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t had time to think about what’s next.’ She hated that her voice was wavering. ‘I guess I’ll go get a job at a restaurant. Be someone’s lackey again. I just can’t face it. I feel like such a failure.’
Rachel shook her head, her eyes narrowed. ‘You’re not a failure, Amy Jenkins. You’re the most courageous person I know. Chasing your dreams like you have. There will be an opportunity again. You watch.’
Amy sighed. ‘I hope so. Anyway, let’s not dwell on my little issues. How long are you going to be in here?’
‘Two months,’ she groaned through gritted teeth. ‘At the most. They’re assuming the baby will need to be born earlier, but they’re holding out as long as it’s safe.’
‘This is just a little hiccup. Before you know it, you’ll be home with your baby, and this will be a faded memory.’
‘That’s a nice way of looking at it.’ Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. ‘But I’m going to go stir-crazy. You know me, I can’t stop.’
Amy giggled. ‘Yes, I know you very well. So who’s going to run your cupcake shop while you’re here?’
Rachel shook her head, her frown deepening. ‘I have to close the doors. All the businesses I supply will go elsewhere. They’re not going to wait around for me. I may as well shut the doors for good.’
‘Oh, Rach. I’m so sorry.’
Rachel shrugged and rubbed her hand over her stomach. ‘Bringing my baby home healthy is more important than anything else.’
‘Absolutely. The most important.’
But Amy knew the shop, though small, was Rachel’s sanity in that small town.
Rachel had married Mitch and moved out to Alpine Ridge four years ago. A move that was predicted to be easy, but Rachel had been a city girl her entire life and the first twelve months in the tiny town were tough.
Mitch had his vineyard and winery, which he ran with his two brothers, and Rachel was welcome to help him in any capacity she wanted, but it wasn’t her dream. And the longer she stayed in Alpine Ridge, the more her independence was eroded.
Until she decided to open up a little cupcake shop in Main Street. She supplied the local town but also nearby cafes and restaurants with cupcakes and made decent pocket money. Amy had marvelled at the change in her friend, how the social contact had helped Rachel blossom in that town.
‘And what about Mitch? What’s he going to do while you’re here? Travel back and forth?’ Alpine Ridge was a three-hour drive. On top of his duties at the vineyard that would be taxing for anybody.
Tears welled in Rachel’s eyes. She shrugged, but there was a hopelessness in the movement. ‘He’ll stay here in the city most nights at a hotel.’
Amy screwed her face up. ‘That will cost you a fortune.’
‘It has to be done. I need him close by … just in case.’
‘Of course.’
Tears rolled down Rachel’s face.
A deep, sharp tug of understanding burned in Amy’s chest as the immensity of this situation dawned on her. Not only was the health of Rachel and her baby in jeopardy, but their entire lives had to come to a halt for two months while this played out.
‘I’m so sorry, Rach. This is not part of the plan.’
Rachel shook her head and wiped her eyes. ‘No. It isn’t. But I have to look on the bright side—I’m alive and my baby’s healthy. I have good professional care, and a wonderful husband and beautiful life to get back to when all this is over.’
‘Absolutely,’ Amy said squeezing Rachel’s foot and offering a watery smile. ‘As soon as it’s over, everything can go back to normal.’
Rachel giggled. ‘Except for the sleepless nights because of a hungry, screaming baby.’
‘Yes, there’s that.’
Rachel smiled so wide and sincere. ‘I can’t wait to meet this little one. It all feels so real now. She’s kicking and moving, and I love her to bits.’
Amy arched a brow. ‘She?’
Rachel laughed. ‘I’m guessing she’s a girl.’
‘And what are you planning on calling this little princess?’
A soft, warm smile tugged at Rachel’s lips. ‘Sophie.’
Tingles spread over Amy’s arms and along her scalp. ‘I love that.’
‘Me too,’ Rachel cooed. ‘Mitch and I hadn’t been able to decide on a name. And then last night when I was airlifted here, and we thought she might be coming early, we had to make a decision. We knew that Sophie was the right name for her.’
Airlifted here? Amy swallowed hard. ‘It’s been a scary twenty-four hours.’
‘Yep. Too scary for my liking.’
Mitch came back with a coffee in his hand. ‘From the bloodshot eyes, it looks like you two have caught up on each other’s lives.’
Rachel giggled. ‘All up-to-date.’
‘Good to see.’ He sank into the chair beside them and leaned back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. ‘How’s the restaurant going, Amy?’
Amy caught the narrowed eyes and subtle head-shake Rachel was throwing at Mitch to tell him to shut up.
Amy’s jaw ached as it tightened with tension. ‘It’s not.’
It burned her tongue to speak about it while the pain was fresh. Her insides were as taught as a rubber band ready to snap at any moment along with her emotions. But mostly, she was consumed with hot-cheeked embarrassment.
Mitch frowned. ‘Shit. I’m sorry.’
Amy lifted her chin high and held herself straighter, though her face was burning. ‘Right now, the most important thing is Rachel and baby Sophie.’
Mitch smiled at his wife and shared a look filled with warmth and hope for their little family.
‘Anyway,’ Amy said, standing. ‘I might take off and let the two of you have some privacy. I’ll pop back in tomorrow.’
Rachel nodded. ‘That would be nice.’
‘Do you need me to bring you anything?’
Rachel pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she thought. ‘How about a book. Or two.’
Amy grinned. ‘Sure.’
‘You know what I like.’
‘Yep. Romance. Sexy shirtless guy on the cover.’
Rachel winked. ‘You know I’m a sucker for a hot guy.’
Mitch laughed. ‘I’m not going to argue with logic.’
‘I’ll see you both tomorrow.’ Amy kissed Rachel’s cheek. ‘You stay strong, okay? Everything’s going to work out just fine.’
‘I sure hope so. Thanks for stopping by.’
When Amy arrived back to her car and paid the ridiculous hospital parking fees, she pulled out onto the street to join the midday traffic. Tension, like a heavy weight, pushed down on her shoulders and head.
First the restaurant and now hearing about Rachel, her stress levels had her wound so tight she could crack wide open at the mention of more bad news no matter how slight.
As she accelerated up the bustling city street, she shook her head. She had to get her priorities right. At the end of the day, she wasn’t the one stuck in a hospital room for the next two months in fear for her and her baby’s health
.
Yes, Amy had a crushed ego. Her reputation was destroyed. And she had an unfathomable amount of debt. But the situation could be worse.
In twelve months’ time, she would look back on this and see that it wasn’t as bad as she presumed. She simply had to work through it.
But no amount of self-talk stopped the churning anxiety in her gut or the weariness burning behind her eyes. Dealing with the stress she’d had over the last twelve months, trying to make ends meet, clambering to bring customers through the door, reading the critics’ horrible reviews, applying for more and more credit she couldn’t afford, so she could pay her staff was like running a marathon every single day.
And right now, the accumulation of all that strain was making itself known. She was spent.
She would love to run away. Go hide under a rock for a year or two until the restaurant industry forgot about her. Until she forgot about her problems, her failures.
Amy squeezed the steering wheel, her nails digging into her palms. If she had have known a year ago that this was the result of all that risk, hard work and effort, she may never have done it.
The worst thing, above all else, was that she knew she could whinge and regret and get angry all she wanted, but it wasn’t going to change anything. No matter what, this was her life now, and she was going to have to deal with it.
Amy arrived back at her apartment. She eyed the couch in the tiny lounge room, then looked through to her bedroom. She thumped her forehead with her palm. She should have suggested Mitch stay here instead of a hotel.
This apartment didn’t have a spare room, only a couch, but it would beat the fourteen hundred plus dollars he’d be up for in a hotel. Not to mention parking fees. Takeaway food. She even had a spare parking space in the basement. He could buy his own food while he stayed here.
Amy shut the door behind her and went to the kitchen. She flicked on the jug to boil and pulled a mug from the cupboard.
But could she have Mitch staying here while she was going through the most stressful time of her life? She’d have to pretend that she was okay when inside she was falling apart. She’d have to be strong every day so as not to put any more on his plate, and she wasn’t sure she was capable of that right now when she was barely holding herself together.
Amy spooned coffee into her mug. She was silly; this wasn’t about her anymore. This was about her best friend needing help during a difficult time in her life. If the roles were reversed, Rachel would have her back without a doubt.
She reached for her phone on the bench and dialled Rachel’s number.
‘I have an idea,’ she said when Rachel answered.
‘Um … okay.’
A different thought stung her then and before she knew it, it was out of her mouth. ‘Why don’t I run your shop for the next couple of months? And in the meantime, Mitch can stay at my place in the city. It’s small, but it will save you the expense of a hotel. And that way he can spend as much time as he needs with you.’
There was no answer. Amy glanced at the screen to check if the connection had cut out. She pressed the phone back to her ear. Rachel was weeping.
‘Rach?’
A deep breath sounded, followed by Rachel’s shaky voice. ‘You would do that for me?’
Amy’s throat tightened with emotion. She swallowed hard. ‘Of course I would.’
‘I would appreciate that more than anything. To have Mitch here with me, not worrying … you don’t know how much stress that takes off us.’
A smile crept onto Amy’s lips though her eyes were watering. If there was one positive that could come out of her circumstances, this was it.
‘I’m glad I’m in the position to help.’ And she was, from the bottom of her heart, grateful to be there in any way she could while her friend went through this ordeal.
And two or so months in a small town without the hubbub of the city around her might be a great way to take a few breaths while she came up with a plan about what she was going to do next with her own life.
Chapter 3
Tom Mathews arrived at the vineyard late afternoon. He climbed from his ute and stretched his hands high above his head, sighing all the accumulated stress from the last three weeks of work from his lungs.
The highlands of Victoria were cooler than the harsh Western Australian mining town he toiled away in for most of the month. The hills were lush with green grass; it must have rained recently. The property stretched as far as his eyesight would allow.
And despite him escaping this place for most of the month, The Mathews Vineyard was his home—always had been.
He stretched his legs and back, breathing in the cool country air. After eight hours on a plane to Melbourne, then another three hours on the road to Alpine Ridge, he was stiff, and his arse was numb. Working twelve-hour shifts on his feet, day in day out, his body had learned to detest long periods of sitting in cramped spaces.
And economy seating didn’t accommodate for someone his height. Tom lifted out his small bag of gear from his ute and lugged it inside. He had a quick shower, changed into some fresh clothes and headed to the fridge for a beer.
But following him wherever he went was an undercurrent of anxiety he couldn’t shake. When his eldest brother, Mitch, had rung him last night, voice wavering in a way Tom had never heard before, he knew the complications with Rachel’s pregnancy were a big deal. Mitch’s voice barely ever showed emotion. He was always calm and easy, no matter the circumstances.
Tom uncapped the bottle and gulped down the cold brew with his eyes closed.
He needed a few moments to acknowledge he was home before he started on the strict set of instructions Mitch had left for him.
But his eyes snapped open. He was unable to relax, not with that list swirling around his mind but especially knowing Rachel was in the hospital, and his niece or nephew had a strong possibility of being born earlier than recommended.
His heart raced a little each time he thought about that. Now more than ever, he understood when parents’ only stipulation about their child was that they were born healthy.
Tom swallowed the last of his beer and threw the bottle into the recycling. He may as well get started. He’d be hanging around here thinking all night otherwise. He headed on foot across the fields.
The exercise was blissful after being cooped up all day, and this time of the evening was his favourite when the sun was sinking and would saturate the property in fluorescent colour.
Mitch’s house was a ten-minute walk away, and the main office and barrelling shed were on the way, so he stopped by, poking his head inside to make sure all was okay and the office had been locked properly by the staff before they left for the evening.
Shadows were swallowing the landscape when he reached Mitch’s house. A few lights glowed from inside, and an unfamiliar car sat in the driveway.
Amy.
He remembered her from the few days she stayed at the vineyard over Christmas. How could he forget someone so gorgeous—blonde, petite and a right little firecracker?
They had flirted a lot—an attraction between them as hot as fire from the moment they were introduced. Then on Christmas night, he had stolen a kiss from her as they dished up late-night dessert in the kitchen. He could still remember the feel of her hot mouth on his. If Mitch hadn’t interrupted them, he would have kissed her all night.
Amy, offering her apartment to Mitch and running Rachel’s shop for the next few months was a generous offer. Selfless.
Tom glanced up at the wall of windows that panelled the front of the second-storey for her silhouette. But all was quiet inside. He lumbered up the stairs, hoping she wouldn’t mind him stopping by now.
At the top landing, he peered through the screen door to the dim foyer. Amy was sitting at the kitchen table with paperwork spread out before her. His stomach tugged to see her again. He knocked.
Her head snapped up. She focused on him, then fumbled with the papers, ordering them into a pile. She stood, wip
ed at her cheeks, and smoothed her blonde hair off her face.
Was she crying?
Amy strode to the door and opened it wide. Her eyes were bloodshot, which made her pale blue irises stand out even more, and her cheeks were wet.
‘Tom,’ she said, her voice weak.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, skipping re-introductions and social greetings.
A tense smile reached Amy’s lips, but it didn’t find the rest of her face. ‘Yes. Fine. I was, um, thinking …’ she trailed off, her gaze casting downwards.
‘If I’ve got you at a bad time—’
‘Not at all.’
‘I was hoping to pack a bag for Mitch tonight, so we can head off early tomorrow morning. If that’s okay with you?’
She nodded, gesturing him inside. ‘Come in.’
Tom wiped his feet on the mat and followed in after her. He was familiar with Mitch’s home, but it felt awkward with Amy now staying here, like he didn’t have quite the same rights.
Judging by Amy lingering close to the wall like a shadow, she didn’t feel comfortable either, which was strange because he recalled her being the exact opposite.
Standing next to him, the disparity between their heights was never more pronounced.
He’d not had this impression over Christmas. Her presence then was enormous like a giant. But now all that aura had shrunk. Her energy had dimmed.
What had happened?
He followed her across the foyer, through to the dining room. Tom glanced at the paperwork she had been engrossed in sitting on the table and the calculator beside it.
‘So, I guess you know where Mitch keeps his things,’ Amy said. ‘I’ll get a start on the baby’s clothes. Luckily Rachel made me a list because I’m not sure where to even start.’
Tom smiled. ‘I’m glad they left that job up to you.’
He started off up the hall when Amy called after him. ‘Mitch said the pram and capsule are in the nursery.’
‘Okay. Thanks.’
His voice sounded fake. Too socially polite. He hated that. But it was because this interaction was awkward. He was tiptoeing around his brother’s place because Amy, a woman he had kissed yet had not spoken to again since, was staying here. And not only that, he had interrupted her crying, and that hung in the air like a proverbial elephant.
Bittersweet Page 2
