February Or Forever (31 page)

After an early five o'clock dinner, Drew had sunk into the comfort of his bed at Serendipity, and fatigue from lack of sleep and stress had claimed him. Two hours later he'd woken, groggy, his mind swirling with everything that had unfolded during his time here. His thoughts returned to Barry, and he felt kind of sorry for him. No longer guilty though; what was done was done, and Barry needed to get himself out of his rut and move on with his life. There was no point having further discussions on the issue, it was best left alone. If they kept feeding off each other's resentment they'd get nowhere. They'd have the same conversation over and over again.

A realisation hit Drew between the shoulder blades. He'd been trying to talk Barry around, apologising numerous times for leaving the band, telling him he still wanted to be mates, but Barry didn't need words to realise that Drew still gave a damn about him. Words didn't always convince. He needed to
see
it. Sure, he wished Barry would make the effort to tell him he was forgiven for putting himself first and going after a solo career, but Barry was stubborn and wouldn't take the initiative, even though Drew was sure he'd feel a whole lot better if they could finally put the past to rest. No, it had to be Drew.

He pushed himself up off the bed and grabbed his guitar. It was time to step up.

Chrissie sipped on her latte and tucked into the chocolate hazelnut cake as she sat at a corner table at Café Lagoon. She needed this. Time out, on her own, with no potential for arguments, disagreements, or rejection. Jonah had introduced her to a couple of the locals and they'd chatted briefly, but now she had only her Kindle eReader for company and the cruisy, husky singing voice of Barry Reynolds. He was good. Not as stand-out as Drew Williams, but good, and easy to listen to over a meal. She decided against introducing herself as Drew's yoga instructor; she didn't know where the pair were at with their longstanding feud.

The dim lighting gave a comfortable balance of visibility and cosiness, and her mind had phased out the chatter and hum of the small crowd gathered around tables. Until something shifted. Someone gasped, someone cheered, followed by a few ‘hello's' and ‘what are you doing here's'. The music from Barry's guitar and voice stopped. Chrissie peered over a table of people and her breath halted. Guitar in one hand, someone's handshake in another, Drew had entered Café Lagoon.

She gulped and her heart pounded. She hadn't expected to see him tonight, especially not here, in a public place. His presence was certainly no secret now.

A young woman's hands covered her mouth, and her friend sidled up close beside her with a surprised grin on her face. Jonah came out from behind the counter and greeted Drew, and by the looks of things offered him something to eat or drink, but Drew politely waved the offer away. He edged through the crowd that had gathered around him, and Chrissie's gaze darted to the direction he was heading. Barry's expression could only be described as dumbfounded. He sat there, frozen, his hand where he'd left it on the guitar. So they obviously hadn't planned to meet here.

Drew approached Barry and took him aside. Chrissie swiped loose hair from her face, and took an awkward sip of her latte. He hadn't seen her.

The men spoke; Barry's arms were crossed, then they dropped by his side. Drew's hands helped with the talking, he appeared to be explaining something, then he held one out in front. Barry glanced at it first, then at Drew's face, then slid his hand into Drew's grasp and gave it a short, sharp shake. Barry pulled up an extra stool next to the microphone, and they both sat side by side.

Some members of the crowd were saying, ‘Oooh', and, ‘Ahhh', and Drew smiled at them.

Barry took hold of the microphone. ‘Change of plans, folks. This next song is going to be a duet. An old mate of mine, as you can see, has dropped in unexpectedly, begging me for a chance to be in the spotlight.' He slid a grin in Drew's direction and Drew shrugged. ‘You probably haven't heard of him so I better introduce him. Ladies and gentleman, please give a warm welcome to Tarrin's Bay born and bred, Mr Drew Williams.'

A wolf whistle sliced through the air, people clapped, and cheers rang out in the crowd. Some people got out their phone cameras, and Jonah leaned eagerly against the counter.

Drew's gaze scanned the crowd and landed on Chrissie's. His eyes widened, and she hoped her presence wouldn't interfere with his impromptu performance. Drew lifted his right hand from in front of his guitar and gave a small wave, and nodded a hello. She waved and nodded back. Friendly, but still holding some tension from their unresolved conflict.

Drew's guitar came to life with his hands, and Barry's joined the party. Barry started singing the first verse of an unknown song. His voice reached a crescendo, and the tempo intensified, then Drew sang the chorus along with Barry…

‘This has been the best day, the best day, the best day, the best day,

And it's gonna be the best night, the best night, the best night, the best night,

Don't want it to…end.'

It sounded familiar, and Chrissie wondered if this was the song they'd performed in their audition for
Search for a Star
. From memory they'd had to sing two songs, after which they'd got Drew to sing solo. The lyrics weren't as accomplished as Drew's later songs, but the music gave off a feeling of teenage fun, experimentation, and partying. The beat was good, the chorus catchy, and both men had smiles on their faces as they sang.

Drew sang the second verse, and when the chorus returned, the crowd clapped along and some got up and danced between the tables. The vibe rubbed off on Chrissie and she clapped along too, Drew eyeing her as he sang, his smile widening. Music was such a powerful way to communicate, to reach out, to heal. The enjoyment was palpable, and Jonah was probably wishing he'd known Drew was coming so as to advertise and make a killing from coffee sales.

The final chorus tailed out…

‘Don't want it to…end…'

Drew and Barry gave a final strum of their guitar strings, finishing with a flourish of their hands. The crowd applauded and cheered, and Drew stood and held his free arm out towards Barry. Barry did the same, the men leaning forward and embracing in the manliest way possible. The top of Drew's face, scrunched over Barry's shoulder, revealed shiny eyes. He blinked them shut as he patted Barry on the back. The moment sent a shiver across Chrissie's skin. Two men with a twenty year grudge had just put their differences aside for a few minutes and bonded over a combined love and talent for music. Did anything else really matter but this moment?

Chrissie stood and clapped, a wide smile on her face. If only Gemma had been here to witness it, but by the looks of things it would probably end up on YouTube, and Drew didn't seem the least bit concerned.

The men spoke for a bit, shook hands again, and Drew took the microphone. ‘And now I'll let you get back to what you were doing, thanks folks,' he said, stepping away from the makeshift stage area. Barry played an instrumental piece, a smile still on his face, as Drew braved the crowd. People shook his hand, patted him on the back, and some asked for autographs and photos. He obliged, graceful and modest and friendly. He moved like peak hour traffic through the gathering of people, until he was able to break away and turn in her direction. He stopped where he was, his lips clamping together, then he mouthed, ‘I'm sorry.'

Chrissie smiled at his apology, then mouthed, ‘I'm sorry too.'

He walked over to her. ‘Nobody puts Chrissie in the corner.'

She laughed and stepped out from behind the table. ‘What are you going to do about it, Williams?'

‘I'm going to ask the lady if she would like to get the hell out of here with me.'

‘The lady would love to.'

He held out his hand and she took it, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. She glanced at Barry who had a look of curiosity on his face as he waved goodbye to Drew.

She weaved through the tables with him, and he stopped at the counter, opening his wallet and holding out a credit card to Jonah. ‘Everyone's bill is on me tonight, mate.'

Jonah's eyes widened, and he took the card. Café Lagoon had full table service on Saturday evenings, so unlike their daytime process of paying and taking a number, no one had yet paid their bill and it would rack up to quite a lot.

‘That's very generous, thank you,' he said.

‘And add a ten percent tip for the café.'

‘You rock,' Jonah replied. ‘In more ways than one!' He laughed. ‘Sorry, couldn't help it.'

‘Ah, I love a good pun.' He shook Jonah's hand and after payment was made, Drew held onto Chrissie's hand as they walked out of the café.

Just as they left, Jonah called out to the crowd, ‘Your bills have all been taken care of, guys, courtesy of our unexpected guest.'

People clapped and cheered yet again, the sound of Barry's voice and his guitar soon took over, and the melody followed them down the road and across into Miracle Park.

‘Did you walk here?' Drew asked.

‘Yep, no wheels tonight.'

‘Mind if I walk you home then?'

‘Not at all.'

They walked down to the harbour and followed the footpath until they reached the stretch of beach that led to both Serendipity and Chrissie's house.

‘That was great, what you did in there. I think Barry really appreciated it.' The slow whooshing of the sea followed them along the beach.

‘I'm so glad I came. Things were awkward between us earlier today, and I couldn't leave it like that. Just like I couldn't leave us like that, after last night.' He glanced at her briefly, then returned his focus to straight ahead.

‘Drew, I hope you'll forgive me, I should have known you wouldn't do anything like that, what happened to Jolene. It was stupid of me to allow myself to consider it.'

‘It's okay, I understand where you were coming from now. I forgive you, and I hope you'll forgive me for the terrible way I handled the situation.'

‘I do. You must have been pretty worked up with Jolene turning up out of the blue like that. And what I read online about the scandal, I can't even imagine what that must feel like; people accusing you of something you didn't do, tarnishing your reputation. I should have been more sympathetic to what you were going through, especially after what happened to your dad. How is he?'

‘He's recovering well, doctors are pleased. Mum's treating him like a king, which I think he's kind of enjoying, though he can't wait to get back to the kitchen.'

‘I bet. He is an excellent cook.'

‘They really liked you, my parents.' Drew smiled softly.

‘They did?'

‘Uh-huh.'

‘I really like them. And I'm so glad your dad's doing well. I was worried.'

‘Thanks. And Sarah was so grateful for you looking after Sam like that. It was a big help,' Drew added.

‘Sam's great. He's been like a brother to Kai lately.'

‘And how is Kai going?'

‘Good, he even caught the bus for the first time yesterday.'

‘That's awesome! Tell him the painting man said well done.'

‘Ha, I will.' She chuckled.

Relief swept throughout Chrissie's body. Last night may have been terrible, but tonight had showed her there was always hope. Bad situations could always be turned around if both parties were open and understanding. If a twenty year feud could be mended, a one-off argument was nothing. If anything, it had made her appreciate him even more, knowing what he'd been going through and how much it had shaken his sense of ease. Last month he'd been an inaccessible star in her eyes, now, he was just another human being — an equal — with emotions, frustrations, fears, and goals. If she couldn't be with him she'd just want him to be happy, to go on and do what he did best and share his gift with others. Life was what it was, and regardless of the outcome, February had been a gift.

They walked beyond the section of beach alongside Serendipity, and around the rocky hill where they'd watched the fireworks, then past the sand dunes where they'd watched the stars and shared their first kiss. The beach may hold bad memories, but things were starting to even out with some good ones too.

‘I'm glad we didn't have to wait till tomorrow to talk,' Drew said.

‘Me too.' Chrissie stopped at the edge of her verandah. Maybe this was the right time to say goodbye. There was still Sunday, but wouldn't it only make things a whole lot harder if they saw each other again? Tonight had been a nice ending to his time here; making amends with Barry, then putting aside their argument and forgiving each other. A goodbye, now, she could probably handle, but tomorrow could be a different story. ‘So, I guess you'll be packing up tomorrow and getting ready to leave.'

‘Yep. Not that I have much to pack, though.'

‘You men have it so easy.' She smiled.

Drew smiled too, then looked at her with serious eyes. ‘I know everything's been leading up to this moment. To the inevitable,' he said. ‘I just want to say that you've given me the best damn holiday I could have asked for.' He touched the side of her arm. ‘And look, I can touch my toes easily now with no knees bent.' He placed his guitar against the railing and bent forward, touching his hands to his toes.

‘Very good. I'm impressed.' She grinned.

‘And I promise to never fall asleep during
Shavasana
again.' He winked.

Chrissie thought back to the time he'd faked it, pulling her on top of him for a kiss, his body under hers firm and supportive.

‘And I promise to never use the word
buttocks
,' she added.

He laughed and tipped his head back, his cheeks rippling with the curve of his smile. ‘When it comes down to it, the bottom line is…' he grinned, then his lips straightened and his serious expression returned. ‘I'll never forget you, Chrissie.' His eyes were unblinking, the graduation of blue hues merging and swirling together in the moonlight.