Authors: Tammy Robinson
“Much better,” she said then
she took a big bite from her apple, enjoying the loud sound of the crunch echoing in the quiet solitude of her room. She walked over to the small stereo in one corner and flicked the on switch. It was set to the local radio station, to Willow’s disgust, as, according to her, it played a selection of ‘ancient’ and ‘uncool’ songs. However Maggie enjoyed them, and humming along to the one that was currently playing she walked over to the tall bench she used as her counter. It came up to just above her waist and was heavy, solid wood. She’d found it dumped in a skip outside someone’s house, and had became its proud owner after knocking on the front door and asking if she could have it. Sanded down and given a few coats of varnish, it had come up looking like she’d paid thousands of dollars for it. The bags with the unsold soaps from last night’s markets were on the counter and she started to unpack them, stopping only every now and then to take more bites from her apple.
She was so engrossed in what she was doing
that she didn’t hear the door open, and it was only when she turned around and bumped into him that she realised Jack had entered the room.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked
taking a step back, frowning at him for invading her space.
“
I’m lost, sorry. I was looking for the bathroom but I must have misheard your father’s directions.” His eyes scanned the room and its contents. He wandered over towards one of the shelves and started reading the framed cards with pictures of each different kind of soap and explaining what its benefits were.
“What exactly did my father say?”
“He said, ‘up the stairs and last door on the far right. You can’t miss it’.”
“Oh I see
. This is you being funny again is it?”
“
I don’t know what you mean.”
“This room, as you well know, is on the ground floor and is at the
back
left
of the house.”
“
Ah. My mistake. He obviously meant
the other right,
” Jack grinned.
“
Idiot.”
“
Now that’s just not nice. Your father’s right, your manners do leave a lot to be desired.” He turned back to the soaps.
Speechless, Maggie resorted to poking out her tongue and stomping a foot hard on the floor. Unfortunately he turned at just that moment, catching her.
“You know,” he said, “you do like to express yourself in a most interesting way.”
“Shut up.”
“No I’m serious. It’s rather fascinating.”
“Well I find you
insanely annoying and I wish you hadn’t come here. In fact why are you here? Wasn’t I clear enough last night?”
“
Oh perfectly clear. I came to return your daughters raincoat, remember?”
“
But why are you
still
here? I told you, I’m not interested in going out with you. Not to dinner or anywhere else.”
“
I know. And don’t worry, I’m not interested in going out to dinner with you anymore either.”
Maggie narrowed her eyes at him, suspect
ing another joke.
“You’re not?”
“Nope.”
“You’re not here to try and get me to agree to go out with you?”
“Nope.”
“But
,
yesterday, and last night - you were so insistent.”
“That was then. I’ve moved on now.”
She crossed her arms and leant back against the counter. “You’ve moved on.”
“Yep.”
“Fickle aren’t you?”
“Hey
, I know when a man’s beat. I’m no sucker for punishment.”
He had picked up one of
the cards and was studying it closely.
Maggie couldn’t understand why this change in attitude left her feeling a little deflated. It wasn’t
that she liked the man, quite the opposite. She could only guess it was because for the first time in a long time she had felt wanted. She had enjoyed the thrill of being chased, albeit briefly. It was just a shame she hadn’t enjoyed the person doing the chasing.
“Well
that’s good,” she said. “I’m glad you finally got it through your thick skull.”
“Ouch,
I’m glad too. My ego couldn’t take your compliments.”
She walked over to the door and opened it, standing to one side.
“I have work to do,” she said, in a clear sign of dismissal.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” he
walked over and stood a little too close than was polite. His eyes looked into hers like he was trying to read the instructions stamped on her heart, and she could feel his breath, hot on her face. It made all the little hairs on her arms stand up and tingle. She shivered.
He noticed.
“Here,” he said softly, and she felt parts of her body that had been dormant start to awaken. He pressed something into her hands, and the shock of his fingers touching hers caused her to gasp as if she had just submerged herself into a cold creek on a hot day. He smiled and left, and she slammed the door closed behind him and kicked it, despite her earlier promise. It took a minute for her breathing to slow and her heart to beat at its normal rate. She looked down at what he had given her; it was one of her soaps, creamy white with purple flecks. She sniffed it. Lilac. Even though she knew exactly what it would say she crossed the room and picked up the card he had been reading.
‘Purple Lilac – widely considered to be a harbinger of spring. If you are experiencing the first
flushes of a love affair, bathe with this beautiful soap and it will greatly enhance your exhilarating and beautiful new emotions. Be warned though, you will be unable to contain yourself from declaring your new love, so use only if a declaration is considered appropriate’
What the hell was he playing at? She put the soap back where it had come from, but not before smelling it again. As well as the lilac there was a trace of something else; his scent
still lingered, she realised. It hinted at sandalwood and mint, earthy and woody tones.
“First flushes of a love affair my ass,” she muttered. “One second he says he’s moved
then the next he’s giving me soap with a meaning like that? Stupid man. Makes no sense.”
She carried on mut
tering along the same lines as she attempted to go back to unpacking the soaps, but when she realised that she was mixing them all up, she threw her hands up in frustration.
“
Damn him,” she said, knowing it was Jack that had left her so flustered.
“Well I guess there’s no point trying to work today,” she decided, and she switched off the radio and left the room. She was hoping to avoid everyone but as she walked through to the living/dining/kitchen area her parents and Jack were all there, seated around the table
and chatting as if old friends. Her mother really wanted to impress, Maggie noted. The table was set with a jaunty red and white checker tablecloth and bowls of fresh whipped cream and saucers of jam adorned the top, as did matching plates and cutlery. Maggie briefly wondered how her mother had managed to find a matching set; the drawers and cupboards in this house were so stuffed full with an assortment of crockery and cutlery acquired over the years that it was rare to find two pieces the same.
“Darling,” her mother said, oven mitts protecting her hands as she held a tray of hot, steaming scones
straight from the oven. “I was just about to come and fetch you.”
“Thanks
, but I’m going out,” Maggie answered, grabbing her keys from the hook by the front door.
“I thought we would all have a nice lunch together, get to know our guest a little better” her mother said, raising her eyebrows and nodding sideways towards Jack.
“I’m pretty sure I know all I need to know. Besides, I’ve lost my appetite.” Then she left, letting the screen door bang shut behind her.
Dot sighed and looked apologetically at Jack.
“Was it something I said?” he asked.
Chapter eight
“He thinks he knows everything
and that he’s oh so irresistible, but worse than that, he thinks he’s better than everyone around here,” Maggie fumed, as she nursed a cold coke and dangled her legs off a tall bar stool.
Her friend
Harper was behind the bar, pretending to wipe the counter top for her bosses benefit, but really just consoling her friend.
“He sounds like a giant pain in the ass,” she observed. “I hate men who think they know everything.”
“What I don’t understand is why he keeps hanging around? I’ve made it perfectly clear I can’t stand him.”
“Perhaps he’s one of those men who get off on the thrill of being rejected?”
“Maybe. He seems slightly smarter than that though.”
“Perhaps he thinks he can win you over then, are you sure you made it crystal clear?”
“I told him I wouldn’t date him even if he was the last man left alive on earth.”
“Right.
But did you say it like you really meant it?”
“Of course I did.”
“Well then honey, I don’t know what his problem is,” Harper declared. A man came up to the bar for a refill and she quickly served him then turned her attention back to Maggie.
“So is he just passing through do you think?”
Maggie sighed, cupping her chin in her hands and resting her elbows on the bar.
“Who knows,” she said. “I hope so.”
“Is he good looking?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“I’m just curious.”
Maggie
pictured Jack. She was reluctant to admit it to her friend, but he was good looking, although not in the conventional way. There was something about the dimensions in his face that weren’t quite right, but it worked for him.
“I guess so,” she admitted reluctantly.
“If you’re attracted to that sort of guy.”
“And what sort of guy is that?”
“Blond, tall, blue eyed. But don’t forget arrogant, self assured and supremely confident.”
Harper stopped wiping and
frowned, “Wait, what did you say his name is again?”
“Jack Cartwright.”
Harper turned to where her boss Wade, owner and operator of the bar and who also happened to be her boyfriend, was stocking one of the fridges.
“Wade baby, where have I heard the name Jack Cartwright before?”
Wade put the last beer inside and closed the door then he got up and dusted off his knees. “I think that bit of the counter is clean enough sweetheart,” he teased, letting Harper know he was on to her. She flicked out at him with her cloth and laughing he grabbed her, holding her hands down at her sides and kissing her.
“Get a room you two,” someone hollered.
“Ahem,” Maggie coughed after a minute, when it seemed like they had forgotten to surface for air. They pulled apart and Harper pretended to straighten her hair.
“That
,” she pouted at Wade, “is workplace sexual harassment, and I would like to remind you that I could have you arrested for that.”
“Be my guest, I
’ve always wanted you to lock me up in handcuffs,” he grinned.
Maggie groaned. “You two are so sickeningly in love,” she complained. “
“Sorry,” Harper said to her friend, and she did feel a little bit bad. Ever since Jon had left, leaving Maggie high and dry with a young Willow and no income to support herself, she had been itching for her friend to find someone new and have the same kind of happiness she had. But Maggie had never shown any interest in anyone of the opposite sex, focusing only on Willow and building her business.
“It’s ok,” Maggie said. “It gives me hope that not all men are
no hopers like Jon, or conceited know-it-all’s like Jack.”
“Oh right,” Harper remembered her earlier question. “Baby
, do we know a Jack Cartwright?”
“Know him? No. Know
of
him, yes.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“Not at all. From what I hear, he’s made quite the impression already.”
“On who?”
“Locals,” Wade said, “both the two-legged and the four-legged variety.”
Maggie frowned. “What are you on about?”
“He’s the new Veterinarian in town. Moved here to replace old Bob Hawkins who’s retiring.”
“Oh
no,” Maggie covered her eyes with her hands and started moaning.
“What’s wrong?” Harper asked in alarm.
“That means he’s not just passing through,” Maggie wailed, “he’s here for good.”
“He’s really got under your skin hasn’t he,” Wade observed. “Sounds to me like someone maybe
has piqued your interest a little?”
“
Don’t talk crazy,” Maggie said. “I’ve already said I can’t stand the guy.”
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” said Harper.
“Well methinks the bar lady should keep her opinions to herself and pour the customer another drink. Something stronger this time.”
“Wine?”
“Stronger.”
“Coming right up
ma’am,” Harper saluted, grabbing a glass from below the counter and the whiskey bottle off the shelf behind her. She poured one shot into it.
“Don’t be stingy,” Maggie said, “and don’t call me
ma’am.”
“You’re not normally a big day drinker,”
observed Wade.
“
Yeah, well nothing about the last two days seems normal, so there.”
Sometime
later, after plenty of chatter and laughing and three games of darts with some of the other patrons, all of which she lost, she checked her watch and realised that she’d better be getting home. The sun had started to sink lower in the sky which meant Willow would be making her way home, fish or no fish. She would stay out all night if she could; “the fish always bite better in the dark,” she’d protested once before when Maggie had been forced to go and fetch her back home.
“Thanks for listening,” she said to Harper, stepping up onto the foot rest that ran around the bar and leaning over the bar
to kiss her friend on the cheek, to catcalls and whistles from some of the local men.
“
Anytime my sweet, you know where I am. Give that gorgeous little girl of yours a big kiss from Aunty Harper.”
“
I’ll try. Sadly she’s not big on the soppy stuff anymore.”
Maggie drove home in a much better mood than when she had left.
She wound down the window, enjoying the intoxicating mix of smells the world offered at sunset. They swirled throughout her car and tugged at her hair. She felt refreshed and invigorated, as a few hours with a best friend can do for you.
Pulling into
her driveway and getting out of the car, she hesitated; she was reluctant to leave the beauty of the outside world for the confinement of wooden walls and electric lighting. So she wandered over to the big Magnolia tree beside the wire fence that framed the driveway. Next to it stretched acres and acres of empty paddocks, the couple nearest belonging to them but the ones after that belonging to the farmer next door. A ridge in the distance broke the endless fields, and although the sun had sunk behind it, it had only just gone, and its colours were still smeared across the sky like a messy child’s painting.
Standing near the fence she stretched, like a cat after a nap, arching her back and extending her arms above her head to the sky. She
sucked the fresh air deep inside her body and then exhaled in one long breath.
Life, she thought, doesn’t get any more beautiful than this.
There was nothing like a sunset to remind you look up and marvel at the great big world around you. Stars were starting to twinkle in the dusky sky.
Reluctantly a
ccepting that she couldn’t stay out here forever, she turned to go inside the house but then she saw the tyre swing her father had hung from the tree a long time ago, when she was about Willow’s age. The ropes had been worn into the branch from relentless swinging, and the tyre itself had been replaced at least twice after the rubber, exposed to the elements, had become flimsy and cracked. She felt a childish urge come over her and succumbing to it, she climbed onto the swing, wrapping her arms around the ropes and her legs around the tire. Pushing off the ground over and over until she had a good swing going, she leant back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair; whistling softly past her ears.
She was
just starting to wind slowly to a stop when she felt strong hands on her back, pushing her gently off again. She smiled.
“Thanks,”
she said, thinking it was her father and wondering how many times his hands had pushed her on this same swing over the years.
“You’re welcome.”
Her eyes flew open and she tried to stop the swing, overbalancing and falling off so she landed on her backside in the grass.
“You ok?” Jack reached out a hand to help pull her up.
Ignoring it, she got up and wiped grass off her jeans. “What the hell is wrong with you, sneaking up on me like that?”
“I’m
sorry, I thought you would have heard me. You were lost in your own little world though, I think.”
“What are you still doing here?” she demanded, “you should be
long gone by now.” She looked past him. “And where is your car? Did you hide it or something?” Her tone was accusatory.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did. I hid my car behind a hedge so that I could lull you
into a false sense of security, thinking that I was gone, but then BAM!” He smacked one fist into the other hand. “When you walked through the front door, there I would be, sitting at the dining table as plain as day and, according to you, up to no good.”
“H
a ha, funny guy. That still doesn’t explain where your car is.”
“It’s in the shed
. Your father’s bike wouldn’t start so I had to jump start it.”
“
Oh great, what have you done to his bike?”
“
I didn’t do anything, it was like that when I got here, I swear.”
“You must have done something.”
“I hardly touched the thing. I don’t have the first clue about the inner workings of anything mechanical.”
“No, only animals from what I hear.”
A smile spread across his face. “Why Maggie Tanner, have you been doing a little asking around town about me? I’m flattered.”
She flushed, grateful it was dark enough for him not to notice.
“Don’t be,” she said. “I was devastated when I found out you’re here for good.”
“Ouch.” He put a hand over his heart and shook his head sadly. Then his expression turned serious. “You really don’t like me do you?” he asked.
Maggie shrugged and headed past him towards the house. “So far you haven’t given me a whole lot to like.”
“I know we got off on the wrong foot but I’ve apologized for that, more than once. I don’t know what else I’ve done to upset you but I’d love to know so I can try and fix it.”
Maggie paused, turning to him. “Why?” she asked. “Why do you care so much what I think about you?”
She was unnerved with the look he gave her when she asked this. All traces of
his trademark humour and cheekiness were gone from his face. Without this armour he looked,
vulnerable
. She wasn’t sure whether to trust it or whether it was just another trick he’d pulled from his arsenal.
“Well?” she asked.
“I like you,” he said. When he saw her expression he hastily added, “Not like that. Just, you know, as a potential friend. Possibly. One day.”
She regarded him
sceptically.
“I haven’t met many people since I’ve moved here that interest me in
the way you and your family do,” he carried on. “I find your parents charming and as for your daughter, well. Let’s just say she’s brightened up both of the days I’ve seen her.”
“If you’re having a go at my daughter again -”
“I’m not. I promise. She’s a complete delight.”
Maggie scanned his face. He
features appeared genuine, but there was something else there also, something written across his face that made him seem a little lost. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Thank you,” she
said. “As you’ve probably realised, Willow is everything to me. I’m sorry if I’ve been a little prickly. I’ve been known to be slightly,
overprotective,
when it comes to my daughter.”
A small smile tugged at his lips but disappeared again before she could be sure.
“Did you just smirk?” she asked.
“Of course not, it must have been a trick of the light.”
“I sincerely hope so.”
He stepped closer until he was within a step of her again, as he had been earlier in the day. The smell of him did something crazy to her breathing, making it shallow and raspy.
She held it so he wouldn’t hear, but she refused to take a step backwards.