The Patterson Girls (40 page)

‘What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at work?' she asked, scanning the nearly deserted car park. It was the last day of term and most of the teachers had zoomed away almost as soon as the bell rang. ‘And where's my car?'

Grinning like a kid who'd just been given a year's supply of lollypops, Joe stepped up to her, relieved her of the box and then kissed her firmly on the lips. ‘Surprise! I took some time off and I got Mum to drop me off to pick your car up this morning.'

‘Why?' Once upon a time, she'd enjoyed surprises. But now … things like this just irritated her. It was like she had no control over anything anymore.

‘To celebrate you becoming a lady of leisure,' he said, heading towards a red sports car that was parked a few feet away. He heaved open the boot and shoved the box inside. She noted two small suitcases in there as well. From the outside, it didn't look like it could fit a shoebox.

‘You didn't buy that, did you?' She couldn't keep the horror out of her voice.

‘With you quitting your job?' Joe laughed and shook his head. ‘I don't think so. It's on loan from a workmate. I told him I wanted to take my wife away for a dirty weekend down south and he was more than happy to oblige.'

At the cheeky, boyish expression on Joe's face and the mention of a weekend away, Lucinda felt the annoyance draining from her body. She'd made plans for the first weekend of her holidays—most of them involving flopping on the couch and eating copious amounts of cookies and cream ice-cream—but she appreciated Joe's effort. It would be good to do something special together. ‘Where down south?' she asked, smiling.

‘Where else but Bunker Bay?'

That won her over completely. She threw her arms around Joe and kissed him. They'd gone to Bunker Bay on their honeymoon and their first few anniversaries, but somehow the tradition had lapsed these last few years.

‘Steady on, sweet pea. There'll be plenty of time for that when we get to the resort.' Then he pulled away and patted her playfully on the bum. ‘I've packed clothes for you for a few nights away, but do you want to check in case I've forgotten anything?'

Lucinda shook her head and opened the passenger door. ‘I trust you.' Then she slipped inside the luxurious interior. She'd already clicked her seatbelt into place by the time Joe lowered himself into the seat beside her.

‘Let's hit the road.'

For the first time in what felt like months, they talked to each other on the three-and-a-half hour drive south. Without the distraction of their iPads—for Joe to play Minecraft or Lucinda to google stuff that only made her feel worse—they made proper conversation, not simply stuff like whose turn it was to put the bin out for collection. She was careful to steer clear of their fertility problems or anything that might bring them back to the baby issue. They didn't even talk work. Instead, they reminisced about other holidays and made plans for the next couple of days. The Margaret River Chocolate Factory was high on Lucinda's wish list. Joe added a few of their favourite wineries and a brewery and also suggested canoeing along the coast as they'd done years ago.

‘And of course we'll want to spend a bit of time at the resort,' he said, reaching over and squeezing her thigh so she could not mistake his intentions.

She put her hand on top of his and stroked her thumb over his warm, smooth skin. ‘Of course.' She didn't mention that it was a good time of the month—the ovulation kit had said so that morning—but maybe he'd been taking more notice than she thought. Maybe being away from home would be a good thing. They could relax in the lap of luxury and even spice up their lovemaking a little. Maybe that would be the key to success.

Joe pulled over at a roadhouse between Bunbury and Busselton and grabbed them each an ice-cream to eat in the car. Those few minutes munching were the only quiet moments during the whole trip.

Excited by the weekend ahead, Joe suggested maybe they should plan an even bigger holiday. ‘We could go overseas for Christmas, to Europe or Canada maybe?'

‘That sounds good.' Lucinda stopped herself asking what Rosa would think about him missing another Mannolini Christmas. Hopefully she'd be heavily pregnant by then and such a trip would be impractical anyway. Instead, she encouraged his enthusiasm, adding her two bob's worth about cities and places she'd always wanted to visit. By the time they arrived at the five-star resort, they had a whole fantasy itinerary planned out.

Joe had ordered a welcome basket with a bottle of top-of-the-range fizz to be in their room on arrival, and he insisted on running her a spa bath and pouring her a glass. As she sank into the warm bubbles, she felt special, cherished. When she'd walked out of her classroom that afternoon, she'd wondered if resigning was a mistake, but now she felt sure it had been the right thing to do—for herself, for Joe, for their marriage and future family.

Knowing Lucinda didn't like sharing baths, Joe perched himself on the toilet seat and also sipped champagne as she relaxed. ‘I could stay here forever,' she said, before taking another sip of her drink.

Eventually the water went cold and Joe lured her out with the promise of dinner and something chocolate for dessert. She climbed out of the spa, he wrapped the resort's fluffy white robe around her and then led her into the bedroom. There he untied the robe he'd done up only a few seconds before and slipped his hands inside, palming them against her wet skin.

She sucked in a breath as his fingers inched upwards, one hand cupping one of her breasts while the other twirled circles around her other nipple. Maybe it was the champagne, maybe it was their opulent surroundings, but her body relaxed under his touch in a way it hadn't done for a long time. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, relishing his familiar taste as he eased the robe off her shoulders and let it pool onto the floor.

He gazed down at her nakedness, appreciation evident in his adoring smile. ‘I love you, Lucinda Jane.'

Her eyes began to water. ‘I love you too, Joseph Roberto.' And then she took the initiative, lifted her hands and pushed him down onto the enormous king size bed.

Afterwards they lay in each other's arms, sometimes talking, sometimes simply being, until their tummies began to rumble.

‘I don't want to leave the comfort of this bed,' Joe groaned. ‘Shall we order room service?'

‘Good idea.' Lucinda nodded, already reaching for the in-room menu.

Half an hour later they were gorging on gourmet cheeseburgers and the most delicious sweet potato fries either of them had ever eaten, washing it all down with a crisp fruity chardonnay from a local winery.

It was a magical night, reminding her of what their relationship was like before they had started trying to conceive and the stress and pressure had taken over. She slept well and—judging by Joe's contented snoring—so did he. After waking later than usual with the autumn sun shining in through the window, announcing a beautiful day, they had fabulous morning sex and then showered together before hitting the road. They drove along the spectacular Indian Ocean coast and through the forests, stopping at wineries and cheese factories along the way.

Although she'd almost raised the fertility thing a couple of times, Joe was the first to mention children. They were sitting down for lunch at the Eagle Bay Brewing Company and, much to Lucinda's dismay, found themselves surrounded by young families. He reached across and took her hand as a gorgeous little girl who looked to be only about one year old started bellowing at the next table. Her older brother, maybe by two or three years, clearly wasn't happy about the attention her outburst brought so he started hurling his French fries across the table.

As Joe ducked to avoid a flying piece of deep-fried potato, he chuckled. ‘See? Having kids isn't all it's cracked up to be. We'd never have another peaceful weekend like this again. Not to mention this morning's luxurious lie-in.'

He was probably only trying to make her feel better about their situation, but she bristled anyway. How could he think like this when he was so good with his nieces and nephews?

She smiled tightly and took a sip of her wine. ‘They're probably just tired or something.'

Joe nodded and they turned their attention to the menu. Lucinda ordered a coconut chicken salad and tried to tune out her surroundings. But the squeals and happy laughter made her heart ache. No matter what her husband said, she couldn't think about babies as anything less than a blessing—one she wanted desperately. She and Joe weren't like the loved-up young couples that sat out on the balcony staring into each other's eyes; still so new and into each other that they didn't need another soul. They'd been there, done that and were ready for the next stage of their lives.

Joe kept up the talk of things they might do on their European holiday, but although Lucinda played her part, her heart wasn't in it. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

‘Shall we go hire a canoe now?' he asked, when he'd hoovered up the last of his chocolate mud cake dessert.

‘Yep. Sounds great.' Maybe the fresh air would do her good.

He drove them down the coast to a little bay with a rustic looking shack that hired out canoes. The one good thing about this place was that it didn't seem to be overrun with young families. Although they'd canoed a number of times before, they pretended to listen as the boathouse guy rattled off rules and instructions as he handed out their life jackets. Her zip was a little stiff, so Joe helped her yank it up and then kissed her on the forehead. ‘Fluoro orange suits you.'

She laughed, feeling herself loosen up a little. ‘Pity I can't say the same about you.'

‘Come on,' he said, giving her a wounded look, ‘I look hot in any colour.'

She rolled her eyes, but it was true. If only being good-looking could help them with their fertility woes.

‘You kids have fun,' said the guy as Joe held Lucinda's hand while she stepped into the canoe. They were almost old enough to be his parents.

‘Thanks.' Joe waved as he pushed the canoe out into the water and then jumped in. The boat rocked and Lucinda squealed like a teenager as they glided out towards the open sea. Joe laughed and then started paddling like they were in the Olympics. Lucinda half-heartedly made an attempt to do her bit, but he had it under control and as they travelled slowly along the coastline, she gave him her oar and relaxed back to enjoy the ride. The afternoon sun beat down on them but thankfully Joe had remembered to pack their hats. He was responsible like that. If they had children, he'd be a great dad, remembering things like sunscreen without having to be reminded.

‘Ah … isn't this the life.' Joe lifted the paddles into the boat, splashing a little water onto her legs. He sat back and they floated awhile, letting the gentle waves rock the canoe.

Lucinda couldn't remember feeling this relaxed for a very long time. Her eyes grew a little heavy and she guessed if she wasn't sitting upright, she'd likely fall asleep, but then something Joe said snapped her out of her serene state.

‘It wouldn't be that bad, would it?'

‘What?' she asked, stifling a yawn.

‘This. Being out here with you, just the two of us, surrounded by such beauty, is magic. I'm having the best weekend. Would it really be so bad if we couldn't have children?'

Her heart froze, but he went on, oblivious.

‘It'd be a different life, sure, but it could be just as good, just as full. Think of all the things we could do together.'

Lucinda tried to rein in her frustration. ‘I'm not ready to give up just yet, Joe.'

‘Course not.'

She couldn't understand why he didn't appear to care as much as she did about their conception problems.

And then as if he'd never brought up the baby issue, he picked up the oars and started paddling again. ‘What do you want to do tonight? We could go out for dinner or we could head up to Busselton and go to the drive-in.'

‘Do you know what's showing? After that lunch I'm not sure I could eat much for dinner.'

They decided to check the movie schedule as soon as they got back to the shore.

After another half hour on the water, Lucinda's arms grew tired and they turned back. They returned their canoe, oars and life jackets, thanked the boathouse guy and then trekked over the dunes to their car. Just as they were climbing inside, Joe's mobile rang.

He glanced down at the caller ID. ‘It's Matt,' he said.

‘Go on, answer it.' Lucinda smiled, telling him she didn't mind. Matt was a long-time friend and had been best man at their wedding. He worked on the mines too but a different one to Joe and they rarely managed to coordinate their schedules.

‘Hey, buddy, how you going?' Joe said, turning the key in the ignition so he could wind down the windows while he talked.

Lucinda could hear Matt's voice but couldn't make out his side of the conversation.

Suddenly Joe's face lit up in excitement. ‘Yeah, I'm off that weekend too. That'd be great. I can't remember the last time we went out fishing. Who else is coming?'

She got her phone out of her bag and checked Facebook while she waited for Joe to finish up. She was enjoying Charlie's updates of the hotel redecoration—they made her feel like she was a part of it, even though she was far away. On Charlie's personal page, there was also a photo of Dad's new caravan, which she ‘liked' while pondering Charlie's suspicions that he and Mrs Sampson were becoming an item. Lucinda wasn't sure how she felt about that possibility, but she did want Dad to be happy.

‘Okay, can't wait. Talk soon.' Joe disconnected his call and Lucinda slipped her mobile back into her handbag.

‘You and Matt planning a fishing trip?'

His nodded, his grin stretching right across his face. ‘It'll be ace to catch up.'