Fly with Me (42 page)

Thanks so much
for looking after Tilly and the house. We understand if you have a
sleep-over now and again *wink*. Have a wonderful two weeks! See
you soon. P/s: a little gift for you.

Carefully
unwrapping the box, Elissa opened it and laughed. Inside was a
little squat statue of a fireman complete with helmet and glasses.
On the base of the statue was printed ‘Hot Stuff’.

Ash was so
right.

Elissa looked
at Tilly, who was now demanding to be let out for a run. “And he’s
my
hot stuff.”

Tilly didn’t
look impressed.

“All mine.”
Elissa grinned.

Tilly looked
pointedly out the security screen. Definitely not impressed.

Epilogue

“This is the
last of it.” Elissa slapped the top of the lid down.

The second
hand dealer counted out the cash into her hand while his assistant
wheeled out the last box. The dealer shook hands with her and
followed.

Standing in
the middle of the empty room, Elissa placed the notes in her purse
before looking around. The flat was empty. Completely empty. There
was nothing left that even hinted that she’d lived there.

It felt damned
good. She’d feel even better when they went back home to Gully’s
Fall in a week’s time.

Moving to the
window, she glanced out into the street. Simon and Moz still hadn’t
returned, but they should be back soon with food.

Cripes, how
Simon could possibly maintain such a hot physique when he ate like
a horse was beyond her. He even out-did Moz, and that said a lot.
He’d chowed down Moz’s stew last night, topped it off with Moz’s
homemade bread and cheesecake, and had homemade scotch shortbread
for supper. He polished off the rest of the cheesecake right before
bed.

Good thing he
and Moz got along like a house on fire. Moz loved to cook, Simon
loved to eat, it was a match made in Heaven. Elissa was pretty sure
if Moz had been a girl, Simon just might have got engaged to him
instead of Elissa.

Feeling
thirsty, she walked into the empty kitchen and picked up the bottle
of water, taking several mouthfuls. Packing up the flat had taken
several days. After flying over to NSW, she and Simon had stayed
with Moz while going through the flat. The furniture had all been
sold, things she wanted boxed and freighted back to Gully’s Fall,
everything else given to charity.

Looking
around, she thought how empty the flat had been even when all her
things had been in it. It had never really felt like home, never
felt like a sanctuary. Not like Gully’s Fall, and not like Simon’s
home which was now hers as well. They might have only been together
for six months but it felt like forever. A very good forever. They
fit so well, like perfect pieces of a puzzle.

This was the
final loose thread of her old life, neatly snipped. She’d waited
long enough, a friend of Moz’s sub-letting it until Simon and she
had holidays and could travel across the country to finalise
details.

It was
done.

“You’re really
doing it.”

Startled, she
whirled around to see her parents standing in the doorway. Well,
they’d finally turned up. Inconsiderate as always.

“Mum?” Feeling
a little awkward as she’d always done in her presence, she moved
across to hug her, feeling the stiffness in her mother’s returned
embrace.

Her father was
friendlier, giving her a hug. “Hi, pumpkin.”

Shifting back,
she watched them look around before they looked back at her.

“You didn’t
show at the restaurant last night,” she said. “We had a date. You
were going to meet Simon.”

“We were busy
with Lisa’s show. Lisa, my
new
client.” Her mother flicked a
piece of lint off her expensive trousers before she sighed.
“Really, Elissa? You’re really going to do this?”

Oh great.
Elissa mentally steeled herself. “Mum, we’ve had this conversation
before. Yes, I-”

“I mean, for
God’s sake, burying yourself in the backwoods of a scrubby little
town?” Her mother flung out her hands in exasperation. “After
living the highlife, you’re really going to do it?”

“We only want
what’s best for you, pumpkin,” her father said soothingly, stepping
forward to put his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe you haven’t
thought this through enough. It’s still a novelty for you,
still-”

“Dad,” Elissa
said firmly, pulling away from him to stand and face them both.
“Stop it.”

“Okay, okay.”
Holding up his hands in a parody of placating her, her father
stepped back.

Leaving the
floor for her mother, just as he always did, only this time Elissa
just raised one eyebrow. “Really, Dad? Really?”

“What?” He
blinked innocently.

“You’re not
going to take a stand?”

“Now, dear, I
think your Mum understands these things much better.”

“You mean
you’ll leave it up to her to browbeat me.” She cut her gaze to her
mother. “Or try to.”

Mrs Baylon’s
face grew colder. “You need to stop fooling yourself and get back
in the circuit, Elissa. You need to live your life.”

Oh boy. Where
once the words would have battered her down, Elissa now leaned back
against the counter, crossing her ankles indolently as she studied
her parents.

Her mother was
done up in an expensive trouser suit, hair sleek, jewellery
glittering. Her shoulder bag alone probably cost more than Elissa’s
weekly wage. Her eyes were cold, calculating as she took in
Elissa’s dusty slacks, the open blouse over a t-shirt, blue
sneakers, and her hair up in a jaunty ponytail.

“I’m a mess
because I’ve just finished cleaning the flat,” Elissa stated
easily. “I dress neat for work, casual for home, and I’m
happy.”

“You’re
wasting your life.”

“No, Mum, in
fact, I’m living my life. I’m doing what I want, enjoying it, being
free.”

“Freedom is
for no-hopers.”

“There are
definitions of no-hopers. My definition is great.”

Mrs Baylon’s
gaze dropped to the engagement ring on Elissa’s finger, her sneer
meant to hurt. “Is
that
your engagement ring?”

Elissa held
her hand up to admire the small diamond flanked by two equally
small emeralds. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Beautiful?”
Mrs Baylon’s lip curled. “Couldn’t your fiancée afford a decent
sized ring?”

“My fiancée,
Mum, knew exactly what I wanted. In fact, he always knows what I
want because he listens to me, he sees me. He knows way more about
me than you will ever know.” Elissa shrugged. “And he cares way
more about me than you and Dad ever did.”

“Oh, now,
pumpkin,” Mr Baylon protested. “We care about you. We only want
what’s best for you.”

“For you two,
you mean.” Taking a leisurely sip of water, Elissa eyed them
both.

Her father
smoothed his hand down the front of his expensive jumper, his hair
neatly trimmed, slacks pressed to within an inch of their lives and
his Italian loafers. “We gave up everything for you-”

“No, Dad, you
didn’t. You forced me to live for you. You and Mum wanted money and
fame, and because you couldn’t get it yourselves, you got it
through me. Well, the money part, anyway, because fame by-passed
me, and hence you two as well.”

“You could
have gone far,” Mrs Baylon snapped. “And now you’re throwing it all
away, everything we did for you gone!”

“Actually,
Mum, I did it myself, too. I sang, I had the voice, I went on
stage. You tied me down with guilt, you nearly crushed the very
breath from me.” Screwing the cap onto the bottle, she placed it
down on the bench. “Now here’s what’s happening, Mum and Dad. I met
a wonderful man who set me free.” She ignored her mother’s snort.
“He encourages me to be myself, to do what I want, and what I want
is a life with him, a sharing, caring life of love and laughter.
Sure, there’ll be bad times, hard times, that’s a part of life, but
Simon will be there with me every step of the way. We’ll laugh
together, cry together, get mad together. We’ll work at jobs we
love to live the life we love, and we’re both free in ways you two
will never be or know. We have great friends, live in a sweet
little town, have a cranky cat and a dodgy house that we’re fixing
up together. I have Moz. And you know what?”

Mrs Baylon
sighed heavily. “What?”

“I’ve never
been happier in my life. Because I’ve found my life, I’ve found me,
and most importantly, I’ve found Simon. So.” She smiled brightly.
“Coming to Gully’s Fall for the wedding?”

Her mother
visibly shuddered.

“Actually,” Mr
Baylon said carefully. “We’re kind of busy.”

Surprise,
surprise. “You don’t say.”

“Your Mum’s
managing a new client. Lisa’s a fantastic singer, she’ll go a long
way.”

“And take you
both with her, no doubt.”

“It could have
been you,” Mrs Baylon pointed out.

“But it’s
not.”

Her mother
paused, picked at the strap of her bag. “If you come back, Calum
said he’d consider taking you on again. We could be a family again,
be a-”

“Family?”
Elissa snorted. “Mum, we were never truly a family. Moz was the
only one who really cared about me. You only cared about my singing
and ability to make money. Dad only cared about keeping you happy
and reaping the rewards.”

Mrs Baylon’s
lips tightened. “Is that your last word, then? It’s final?”

“Now, honey-”
Mr Baylon began.

“Now nothing,”
she snapped. “Elissa? Is that it?”

“I do believe
it is,” Elissa drawled.

“Fine.” She
glared at Elissa. “Don’t expect me at the wedding, don’t expect me
anywhere near that backwoods town. I’ll be too busy helping a
singer who appreciates her natural talents.”

“Mum?” Elissa
unscrewed the cap off the water bottle.

“Yes?”

“Please,
do
let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.”

With an
outraged gasp, Mrs Baylon swung on her heel and stalked out. “Come
on, Howard!”

Mr Baylon
looked from Elissa to his wife’s departing back and back to
Elissa.

Steadily,
Elissa watched him, waiting for him to make a move.

“Well...” He
looked helplessly at her.

“
Howard!”
Mrs Baylon almost screamed.

“Yes, honey!
Coming!” Mr Baylon leaped forward, gave Elissa a quick hug. “Now,
pumpkin, you look after yourself, okay?”

“
Howard!
Come
on
!” her mother called furiously.

Mr Baylon gave
Elissa quick peck on the cheek and left. Fast.

Leaning back
against the kitchen bench, Elissa listened to the front door slam
as she took another mouthful of water.

Well, there
they went, the two people who should love her the most, off to make
another woman’s life miserable. Or maybe happy, maybe they’d
finally found a woman who matched their ambitions.

She should be
crying, be upset, but all she felt was contentment. Okay, there was
hurt, they
were
her parents after all, but she didn’t feel
the ties that bound, those very cold, uncaring, guilt-laden ties.
She was truly free. Simon had set her free with his love and
caring, and it was he who mattered to her the most. Because she
mattered to him.

Lifting her
head suddenly, she listened. From outside she heard voices rising
and falling in tone, her mother’s shrill tone, her father’s
slightly deeper one, and then a definite deep, familiar tone. That
deeper tone sounded furious. Simon. He was talking to her parents
and he didn’t sound happy. Oh boy. Then came the slam of a car
door. Huh.

A few minutes
later Simon walked into the kitchen.

She smiled up
at him. “Hi.”

He strode over
to her, leaning down to brace his hands each side of her on the
kitchen bench. He didn’t return her smile.

Her own
faltered. “Is something wrong?”

“Sweetheart,”
he replied softly, and leaning forward, he kissed her gently, light
as a feather before pulling back enough to look down at her.

He might not
have been smiling, but his eyes were tender.

Reaching up,
she pushed a thick hank of red hair off his forehead. “You
heard.”

“I had just
come in the door. I hovered in the lounge.”

“You heard all
of it?”

“Every last,
horrible word.” He grimaced. “I was going to come in and start
reaming your parent’s new arseholes, but I knew you wanted to deal
with meeting them again yourself. You warned me about that last
night before we went to the restaurant.”

“Had to,” she
corrected. “I needed to do it myself.”

“That, too.
But I was waiting.”

“And
listening.”

“I respected
your wish to deal with them yourself, but I wasn’t going to leave
you here alone with them. If you needed help I was right there. One
little sound of distress from you and nothing would have saved
them.”

“You followed
them outside, though, and had your say, didn’t you?”

He didn’t
flinch. “Hell, yeah.”

“You ripped
them a new one each, didn’t you?”

A muscle
ticked in his jaw, his gaze didn’t waver. “Hell, yeah.”

“Anything else
you want to tell me?”

“You’re my
fiancée, the love of my life, and I’m sorry if you don’t want me
ripping your parents, but it felt damned good and was bloody long
overdue.” He paused. “There’s just no way to put that any more
eloquently.”

The man just
made her heart swell. His love and protectiveness, well, it just
did it for her. “You’re my hero.”

“Never mind
that.” He moved forward, his warmth seeping into her as his body
brushed hers. “Lis, are you all right?”

There was no
hiding anything from him. He could look at her, know when something
was wrong, and he cared. Really cared. She loved him so much, way
too much to hide her feelings from him, her thoughts. Because she
knew he’d understand.