Echoes Of The Past (Fermosa Bay #1) (4 page)

He met her gaze. “Okay. I’ll be there. I suppose Jack will come, too.”

“Of course,” she almost shouted and rolled her eyes. “He wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She checked the time and instinctively, so did he.

“It was nice
crushing on you
again, but I need to go. I’ve got one more visit to do and then I can call it a day. I’m starving.”

She stood, and suddenly he noticed that with Emily moving out of his arms, he felt a sudden loss and the desire to pull her back in again.

“Can I invite you for dinner?” he heard himself asking. Not quite sure how to read her surprised expression, he added, “There’s still more to find out.”

“I’d love that,” she said in almost a whisper. “The thing is, though, I’m not sure whether you’re ready for the gossip and rumours that will follow. Eating out might not be the best idea.”

He understood her train of thought. “Here?”

“How about at my place? Cooking isn’t one of my talents, but I can whip up a nice salad and throw some meat on the barbeque.”

When he saw her smile, he wasn’t able to say anything but yes. “Give me your address and I’ll be there at seven. With the meat,” he added. “Your job tonight is to fill in all the blanks.”

She laughed. “Oh boy.”

“I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

Connor could’ve sworn he saw a little blush on her cheeks.

“None of us were angels, but hey, we all turned out right.”

She laughed again, and Connor couldn’t help but stare at her. How he loved that laugh. As much as he tried, he wasn’t able to remember Harriet ever laughing so openly and genuinely. It’d always been about appearance. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered what he’d seen in her. And again, jealousy crept up in him that he could’ve had this life here in Australia. But was it really what it seemed? He needed to finally confront Jack as to why his mother had left all those years ago. What had the reason been?

“Earth to Connor.”

Emily’s words hauled him back from his thoughts. “Sorry.”

“Not sure where you were, but it didn’t look like a place you liked.”

“How’s that?”

She shrugged. “The expression on your face changed.” Then she added more quietly, “It’s the same expression Jack has when he
reminisces
about the time when you left.”

He cocked a brow. “When we left? He kicked us out.”

Emily’s face went blank and for some reason his inner lawyer instincts came out, knowing he hit a raw nerve.

“He didn’t,” she whispered, her voice tinged with emotions he wasn’t able to pinpoint. Sadness? Anger?

“No one knows the reasons, but I’ve never seen a grown man cry, so it’d be hard for me to believe he wanted you to leave.”

It didn’t make sense. It was the scar story all over again—his story so different from theirs.

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’d better talk to Jack. I’ll see you later?”

She smiled. “I look forward to it.”

Chapter Three

Connor watched Emily as she walked up the dunes. Letting out a long breath, he turned and looked out at the sea towards the horizon. It was time to find out what had happened all those years ago.

Time to connect more pieces of the puzzle.

Ten minutes later he was back at the house and found Jack in the lounge room drinking a cup of tea.

The old man looked up and smiled. “Son.”

Connor took the seat opposite his father and studied the old man. His struggle with the illness was obvious, and Connor wished he could convince his father to take his medication. But it was something else he found out over the last few days; he was stubborn to the last minute, it seemed.

“What happened all those years ago, Jack?”

The old man let out a long breath before he took another sip of his tea. “I don’t know, Son. I wish I did, but—”

Connor waited patiently until Jack’s coughing fit was over.

“I need to know,” he said after a long moment.

Jack nodded, looked up at the window, and then back to Connor.

“Your mum was travelling through Australia with her friend.” He stopped and rubbed his chest. Guilt flooded through Connor. He knew how hard it was for Jack, not only physically, but emotionally as well.

“I think her friend’s name was Cindy.” He laughed. “They were trouble. Double trouble. I saw that the moment she came into the bar and asked for a job. Your mum needed to get some money to fly over to Sydney. She wasn’t good with money. Budgeting was a foreign word for her.”

Connor chuckled. “Still is.”

There was a moment’s silence before Jack continued. “She flirted shamelessly with me despite the age gap. I loved it. Waitressing came easy to her. She was a goldmine, customers stayed and drank more.” He stopped, overcome by another coughing fit. “But each night we noticed a discrepancy in the till. She was the obvious suspect. When I confronted her, she wrapped me around her finger, so instead of firing her I ended up in bed with her.”

Connor stared at his dad.

Jack shrugged. “I’d fallen for her charm. Anyhow, she was gone the following day.”

Their eyes met, and Connor had a feeling he didn’t have to ask the unspoken question.

“Three months later, Jane stood in front of my door. Pregnant. I insisted on a paternity test. She hadn’t lied. We married, mainly for immigration purposes. The day you were born was the happiest day of my life.”

Connor didn’t need any more words. Jack’s expression said it all. His face had lit up as soon as the words had been spoken, the memory mirrored in his eyes.

Shaking his head from side to side, his eyes unfocussed, he continued. “Your mother, though, was never happy here. She was in Melbourne most days, spending money, leaving you with me. I struggled balancing work with fatherhood, but Sabrina, Neill’s grandmother, and Emily’s mum, Jacqui helped out a lot.”

Even though Jack spoke about Connor’s mother in an apologetic way, Connor wasn’t surprised. His mother’s character traits were still the same. Shopping in London, leaving all motherly responsibilities to others.

As Connor sorted all the information he’d been given in his head, he hadn’t noticed that Jack had gone to sleep on him. Frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his two fingers, but at the same time guilt overwhelmed him. Jack was in his mid-seventies, fighting cancer in a one-sided battle, and tried his hardest to reach out for his only son. Connor knew he had to try just as hard to understand and accept his father’s efforts. He stood quietly, took the cup of tea out of the old man’s hand, and placed a blanket over him.

Jack looked so peaceful, but Connor assumed he’d never know what his father went through the last twenty years. Too much time had gone past. Too much time wasted.

Had his mother lied to him about Jack? Were the last twenty years based on a lie?

Connor blinked a couple of times, checked the time, and headed into his room for a quick shower.

***

Emily was relieved when she finally arrived home just before six o’clock. She was close to getting a headache, her body was so tense from anticipation as well as apprehension. After a quick shower, it took her almost three quarters of an hour to figure out what to wear, when she realised she still had to prepare the salad. Hastily, she pulled up her hair in a ponytail before heading into the kitchen. She’d decided on a casual, green summer dress. Although she thought it was silly, she still made sure she wore her sexy underwear. Not sure what to expect or whether she’d read too much into the dinner invitation, she sat down for a moment to take a deep breath. Calming herself down, she reassured herself that he possibly only wanted to catch up on his past. After all, it seemed he had truly forgotten most, if not all of it.

She remembered a photo in the top drawer of her desk with all five friends in it and went into her study in search of it. They’d only started school a few weeks earlier and they’d all been still excited about the novelty of going to school every day. Still, they’d met most days at the beach. It’d been a hot summer that year. Their parents had made sure that there’d been at least one adult to supervise them, but as hard as Emily tried to think back, she wasn’t able to figure out what had been different that day. They’d been on their boogie boards for a while before heading for the cliffs. Niall had taken his sandals off because he’d been slipping on the rocks, but Connor had helped her up on a rock and hadn’t seen the sandals. He’d tripped, slipped, and hit his head against a rock. Blood had run down his face instantly from a cut above his eyes. Emily vaguely remembered tears, but most of it was a blur. Jack had been there in an instant carrying Connor to the car and taking him to the hospital.

Boomer strode into the room, meowed insistently while staring
her
in the face. She picked him up for a little cuddle.

“We’re having a guest tonight,” she said into Boomer’s ear, but he didn’t want any of it, escaped out of her arms and curled up on the pillow on her bed.

“Traitor,” she whispered as she focussed on the photo again. Her finger traced his face on the picture. That was the last time she’d seen him until earlier this week. Nobody knew what had happened afterwards. Jack had been quiet about the subject, but his loss and his pain had been obvious.

Emily had been only a small girl, but in her own little world she’d already had it all planned—their wedding, children, retirement. She chuckled. Ethan was right. No other man had ever been good enough for her.

The doorbell rang, and she startled. Quickly, she placed the photo back into the drawer and rushed to the door.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late. I had a little chat with Jack.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Come on in.”

Emily tried to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach and the sudden thumping of her heart when his arm brushed hers as he stepped inside. It took Emily a second to redirect her mind back to the current situation.

“My last patient took forever to take his medication, so I’m running behind time a little bit,” she lied. “Did you find the address all right?”

He laughed. “This is Fermosa Bay. It takes some effort to get lost here.”

Hands on hips, she raised her eyebrows and said mockingly, “Excuse me Mr. Hot Shot.”

Shaking his head, Connor placed the meat on the bench. “Yes, I found your place all right. Jack made sure of it.”

She waited for him to turn and look at her, when she asked, “Am I intruding too much if I ask about your conversation with him?”

Connor lifted a shoulder in a light shrug. “Nah, but how about we get some food on the table first? I’m starving.”

Not really sure how to take his reply, whether he was indeed only postponing the subject or hoping for her to forget about it after dinner, she simply nodded. Within minutes he was busy cooking the meat on the barbeque in the backyard, while she prepared a tossed salad, as well as some bread and cheese. When they both sat down for their meal, she opened a bottle of red wine as they sat on her small veranda.

Compared to Jack, Ethan, and Niall’s houses, hers was small. It had two bedrooms, each with a bathroom, a lounge room with a fireplace, and a spacious kitchen. It was exactly what she had wanted and needed. With a small garden in the back, it was close to perfect for her. Furnishing had been the hardest part for her. Her parents had given her some furniture when they’d downsized to a smaller house, but most of it was bought new. She’d always thought mahogany to be the most elegant wood, and furnished her house mostly with it. But then there were also little treasures like her grandmother’s rocking chair in the corner, next to the fire place. Or Jack had given her this massive grandfather clock. It was the pride and soul of the house—as well as the rocking chair.

“Have you always lived here?” he asked.

She looked up at him, arching a brow. “Seriously? Why would I leave?”

He shrugged. “Studies, a man, job…hell, I don’t know.”

It’d been something she’d never considered. Leaving Fermosa Bay would be the last thing on her mind. Not even for a man.

She shook her head. “No. I’ve always lived here and probably, or at least hopefully, will always live here.”

Boomer jumped up onto Emily’s lap, nudging around her ears, purring in a sweet, rhythmic, and soothing tune.

“This is Boomer.”

He cocked his brow, not sure what to say.

“I’ve had her since—”

“Her?”

She held up the cat and pressed her nose against Boomer’s, while talking to her in baby talk. “No place for a male in my life.”

“I’m not taking this personally.”

She looked at him and then placed the cat back on the floor with a little pat on the back. “Sorry. Except you.”

Amused, he had a sip of his wine.

They ate in silence for a long moment before she spoke. “Tell me about your life in London. You’re a lawyer. No Mrs. Connor. Any ex-Mrs. Connor?”

He chuckled. “Nope, no ex either.”

“I always thought lawyers were chatty people. You must’ve missed that lesson.”

His mouth curled in a smile.

“How about what made you choose to be a lawyer?”

“My father’s got a firm. In a way it was expected of me.”

Emily paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, and stared at him. Something within her stirred, but she wasn’t able to define it. Surprise? Pity? Or was it the tone in which he’d delivered his last answer?

“Are you serious?”

Their gazes met, and he returned her stare with raised eyebrows. “Okay, which part of my answer doesn’t sit well?”

She placed the fork on the plate, leaned forward with her elbows on the table and arms crossed. “Well, I have to admit, you calling someone else your
father
sounds vaguely weird, but
it was expected of you
? Connor, this is the twenty-first century, you cannot expect your children—”

“London is not Fermosa Bay, Emily.”

“I get that, but—”

He sipped his wine, but never broke their eye contact. Was that his way of telling her to let it go? Telling her the subject was taboo? The excitement of a dinner with Connor all of a sudden abated and anger mixed with sadness built up in her.

“It wasn’t the perfect upbringing,” he said suddenly.

She blinked a couple of times, trying hard not to let her emotions get the best of her.

With a shrug, he added, “But it is what it is, and I cannot change it.”

Not sure how to respond, she stayed quiet.

He placed his knife and fork on the plate as well and pushed it away. “I’ve been wondering for the last couple of days how life would’ve been if Mum and I hadn’t left. But I cannot complain. I received a good education, a great job, some good friends, and a neat little house outside London.” He looked up at her. “Life’s not always wrapped up in some fancy, colourful wrapping paper, but it’s still a gift worth treasuring.”

Emily stayed quiet for a moment, took a sip of her drink before letting out a long breath. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to be ignorant,” she whispered.

He winked at her. “It didn’t fit in with your picture of me.”

“No, it’s…it…” She sighed. “I suppose not,” she finally admitted.

Nodding, he leaned forward and took her hand. “I became a lawyer because I liked it when Dad or his colleagues talked about
justice
or
putting the bad guys behind bars.
” He chuckled. “Little did I know, they failed to mention they made a quid or two from getting the bad guys off the hook as well.”

Emily did her best to focus on his words, but watched his fingers play with hers. A little shiver ran down her spine.

“Midway through my studies I changed track and became a corporate lawyer.”

“No big murder cases?” she asked quietly.