The Patterson Girls (49 page)

‘Yes, it's really us, Dad.' Abigail sprang away from her sisters and went over to hug her father, pleased to see him looking less tired and a whole lot healthier than he had been at Christmas. She held onto him tightly, taking comfort in his embrace.

‘This is such a surprise. I don't know what to say,' he said, patting her on the back before extracting himself to briefly hug Madeleine. She'd never been as touchy-feely as the others but Abigail heard her oldest sister utter a contented sigh as Dad's arms closed around her. She was trying to be strong, trying to put on a brave face, but Abigail knew Madeleine was hurting just as bad as she was.

‘A good surprise, I hope,' Madeleine joked, extracting herself.

‘Sure.' Dad shrugged and then grinned. ‘Free labour is always welcome. If you two stick around, maybe I can retire sooner than I thought.'

‘Don't go getting any ideas, Daddy dearest.' Madeleine winked at him.

‘Who's getting ideas?' Mrs Sampson asked, bustling into reception. ‘Oh, my, girls, so my ears weren't playing tricks on me. I thought I heard your voices.' She rushed over and gave them each a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. ‘This is a lovely surprise.'

‘It is,' Lucinda agreed, ‘but as great as it is to see you both, we need to get back to our guests.'

‘It's fine.' Madeleine yawned and grabbed hold of her suitcase handle again. ‘We'll check ourselves into a room and catch up tomorrow.'

‘Oh.' Lucinda paused on her way back out and looked to Charlie and then Dad. ‘We're actually all booked out. No vacancies till tomorrow afternoon.'

Madeleine raised an eyebrow.

‘Really?' Abigail couldn't recall the last time they'd been fully booked. ‘That's great news. In that case we can sleep on the couches.'

‘Don't be silly.' Lucinda shook her head. ‘You've both had a long journey. One of you can have my bed and I'm sure Charlie won't mind giving up hers for the night.'

‘Not at all. I could always go stay in the spare room at Mitch's.'

‘And I can sleep in the caravan,' Dad piped up, his grin ridiculously huge. ‘I've been wanting to give it a dry run and that way one of you can have my bed.'

‘Where is this caravan we've heard so much about?' Madeleine asked.

Dad blushed and looked to Mrs Sampson. ‘It's at Sal's place.'

Abigail tried to stifle her grin. She'd never heard him call Mrs Sampson by her first name before. Any uncertainly she'd harboured about their relationship vanished in the face of Dad's happiness. If Mrs Sampson had made him smile again, then who were any of his daughters to stand in the way?

‘Looks like we're sorted then.' Lucinda held up the camera, reminding the others why she'd come into reception in the first place. ‘Everyone will be wondering what's happened to us.'

‘Ooh, yes.' Mrs Sampson wiped her hands on her apron. ‘And I'd better help Rob plate up the cake.'

‘Do you need any extra hands?' Abigail asked as the others made their retreat.

‘We'll be fine,' ‘You girls get some rest,' ‘See you in the morning,' came the various replies, and then Madeleine and Abigail were once again alone in the reception area.

‘Did you see Dad blush when he talked about the caravan and Mrs Sampson?' Abigail asked, wriggling her eyebrows. ‘It was so sweet.'

Madeleine rolled her eyes. ‘I never knew you were such a romantic.' She started towards the house door.

‘Neither did I.' Abigail sighed as she gathered her things and followed Madeleine. It was all Nigel's fault. Until she'd met him, she hadn't known what she was missing out on in the world of love and romance. But now that she did, she wondered if her heart would ever feel right again.

This thought led her into the house where it was obvious Lucinda had been hard at work. The place was immaculate in a way it had never been when Mum was alive. Not that Mum had been a bad housekeeper but she'd always put her efforts into the motel, which left little time to be a domestic goddess.

‘Fancy a drink?' Madeleine asked, dumping her suitcase, handbag and overnight travel bag on the lounge room floor. ‘I'm physically exhausted but my mind is wide awake.'

‘Sounds good.' A nightcap with her sister was a better idea than heading to bed where she'd no doubt toss and turn for hours with thoughts of Nigel and her mega stuff-up. ‘I'll just go dump my things and get changed into something more comfortable.'

The two of them went off to the bedrooms, returning a few minutes later wearing warm pyjamas and fluffy slippers. They grabbed glasses and a bottle of wine and then trekked into the lounge room.

Chapter Forty-three

After bidding their patrons and staff goodnight, Lucinda, Dad and Charlie tiptoed inside so as not to disturb their surprise overseas houseguests.

‘I wonder how long they're staying?' Dad whispered.

‘I guess we'll find out tomorrow,' Lucinda said.

Dad and Charlie planned to collect their toothbrushes and a change of clothes and then head off to Mrs Sampson's and Mitch's to spend the night, but they were all surprised to find Madeleine and Abigail still awake.

After a long day and the prospect of another sleepless night, Lucinda welcomed the sight of the wine bottle. ‘Can I join you?'

‘Sure, grab a glass.' Abigail gestured towards the kitchen.

Madeleine lifted her glass as if in toast. ‘The more the merrier. Dad? Charlie?'

‘Well … I shouldn't stay up too late, but maybe just one quick drink,' Dad said. ‘It's not very often I have all my girls under one roof now, is it?'

Charlie sighed. ‘I'm shattered, but I'll have a quick one too. I don't want to miss out on the gossip. What brings you two home in the middle of the year?'

As Lucinda went to get the glasses and another bottle of their favourite McLaren Vale chardonnay, she heard Madeleine say, ‘Does there have to be a reason besides wanting to see our beloved family?'

‘Yes,' Lucinda called over her shoulder and everyone laughed. That simple sound made her heart feel lighter than it had in days. She returned and began to pour glasses for herself, Dad and Charlie who'd already taken up residence in the two armchairs. Lucinda handed out the drinks and then perched on the edge of Dad's chair, looking in anticipation to Madeleine and Abigail who were sitting, legs curled up behind them on the couch. ‘Well?'

Madeleine took a long sip of her wine and shrugged. ‘I've been getting itchy feet for a while. Coming home at Christmas made me a little homesick, believe it or not. I missed you guys and I started to think about maybe looking for a position in Australia. It's been on my mind a bit, but when Abigail called and told me her news, I made up my mind.'

Lucinda got the feeling this wasn't the whole story—Madeleine wasn't the type to suffer homesickness—but she looked to Abigail. ‘News?'

Abigail bit her lip, glanced down at her wine glass and then back up again. She looked as if she were close to tears. ‘I got sacked from the orchestra.'

‘What?' Lucinda, Dad and Charlie asked in unison. ‘When?'

Abigail didn't give a definite time or very many details but, like Madeleine, she said she thought it a sign that it was time for her to return Down Under. ‘I'm thinking of trying my hand at teaching music,' she confessed. And then she looked to their father. ‘Are you terribly disappointed in me, Dad?'

‘Baby girl. Of course not.' He crossed the shag rug, then bent down and pulled Abigail up into a hug. ‘I'm proud of all you girls, and your mum was too.'

At his words, Abigail lost her battle with tears and Lucinda felt her own throat and eyes burning with emotion. So much had changed in the last year; it was as if the moment Mum died, the rest of their lives had started to unravel as well.

‘So, do you mean studying teaching at university?' Charlie asked when Abigail had stopped sniffling.

‘Yep. Well, possibly.' She shrugged. ‘I might just see if there's anyone interested in lessons in Meadow Brook first and save a little money. I'll do my bit round here too.'

‘Have you had much interest in the motel, Dad?' Madeleine asked.

He shook his head. ‘I knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but I hoped we'd have had a few nibbles by now. Ah well, you can't rush these things—and having Charlie and Lucinda here to help has eased my load.' He put his hand over his mouth but failed to hide a yawn. ‘I'm sorry my princesses, I'm going to have to head to bed but I'm so happy to have you all back home for a bit.'

‘Thanks, Dad.' Abigail kissed him on the cheek and then flopped back down onto the couch. ‘Sweet dreams.'

‘You too.' He moved around the room, kissing each of his daughters goodnight before heading to his bedroom to collect the few things he needed for his first night in the caravan.

When he was gone, Madeleine looked to Charlie and Lucinda. ‘Is this thing with Mrs Sampson serious then?'

They both shrugged.

‘We don't know,' Lucinda conceded.

‘He hasn't actually admitted there is anything going on,' Charlie mused. ‘I think he's embarrassed.'

‘And maybe worried about what we'll all think,' Lucinda added. ‘But they sure do spend a lot of time together.'

‘What
do
we think?' Madeleine asked.

‘I admit I was a little upset by the prospect at first,' Lucinda said, twirling her wine glass between her fingers. ‘But I don't want Dad to be alone for the rest of his life, and how long do we expect him to mourn? He'll always love Mum, but that shouldn't mean he has to be miserable forever.'

Her other sisters nodded.

‘You know, I didn't know her name was Sal until tonight.' Abigail laughed and her wine splashed over onto her knuckles.

‘Neither did I,' Madeleine admitted, plucking a tissue from the box on the coffee table and passing it to her sister.

‘Do you think they'll be, like, sharing the caravan?' Abigail screwed up her nose.

Madeleine almost choked on her wine. ‘Let's not even go there. I'm not ready to think about such things. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready.'

Lucinda laughed, leaned back in the seat she'd stolen when their dad left and took another sip. The conversation and wine flowed easily. Lucinda and Charlie filled the others in on the latest dramas in Meadow Brook and all the improvements they'd been doing at the motel.

‘What about you, Luce?' Abigail asked. ‘How are
you
doing?'

Lucinda immediately knew her sister was thinking of Joe. She swallowed. ‘I'm taking it a day at a time.'

‘Are you in contact with him?' This from Madeleine, who always got straight to the point.

‘A little. I write to him every night and it's helping me sort out my feelings.'

‘That's great.' Abigail smiled and then lifted her glass to her lips. ‘Ahh,' she sighed. ‘I had some fabulous French wines in London, but nothing beats the homegrown South Aussie plonk. Being able to drink is one very positive aspect of not being pregnant.'

‘Pregnant?' Lucinda's grip on her glass tightened at Abigail's strange choice of words. ‘Why would you be pregnant?'

Abigail's eyes widened. She'd obviously said something she hadn't intended.

Madeleine lifted one shoulder and looked at Lucinda. ‘Apparently, you and Joe weren't the only ones trying to make a baby these last few months.'

Abigail went bright red and lifted her wine glass as if hoping to hide behind it. ‘You promised you wouldn't say anything,' she hissed.

‘Sorry.' And Madeleine sounded genuinely so. She reached out and took Abigail's hand in hers. ‘I get loose lips when I have a few too many wines but, like I said, no one's going to love you any less.'

Lucinda didn't care about Madeleine's loose lips or Abigail's obvious mortification. Her heart was pounding at the possibility of her little sister getting pregnant before her. ‘What's going on? Did you have a pregnancy scare?'

‘If you don't want to tell us, you don't have to,' Charlie said at the same time.

Lucinda glared at Charlie but when Abigail's face crumbled and a tear snuck down her cheek again, her anxious curiosity made way for concern. When Madeleine put down her wine glass and pulled Abigail into a hug, Lucinda's heart clenched. Madeleine didn't hug lightly.

‘What's going on?' she whispered, her mind running away with a hundred awful possibilities.

Abigail sniffed. ‘I miss him so much.'

‘Who?' Charlie asked.

‘Nigel.' She sobbed again.

Lucinda frowned, recalling that Abigail had mentioned a boyfriend at Christmas. She hadn't spoken about him in emails or phone calls since and Lucinda hadn't given it much thought, assuming they must have broken up. ‘I thought your boyfriend's name was Jack.'

‘It's complicated,' Madeleine said, rubbing her palm up and down Abigail's back. ‘Do you want me to tell them?'

‘Yes, please,' Abigail managed.

Madeleine took a quick breath and then launched into the dramas that had unfolded in Abigail's life since she lost her job just before Christmas.

‘I can't believe you didn't tell any of us when we were all home.' Lucinda couldn't keep the recrimination from her voice.

‘I didn't want you to know how pathetic I was. To be honest, I wasn't really thinking at all. Without music, I was lost.'

‘But then she met Nigel,' Madeleine said.

Abigail nodded, a soft but sad smile forming on her face. ‘He was amazing, but he said he didn't want anything more than a fling, so I got it in my head that if I got pregnant I'd have reason to come home. I also wanted to disprove the curse. I didn't tell him but we started sleeping together and he thought I was on the pill, but … I wasn't.'