Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) (4 page)

“Where’s Dad?” she asked the twins, who
were finishing off a batch of pies ready for the next day.

“In the yard.” Missy stamped small
triangles out of pastry to mark the batch of pies she’d finished as steak and
cheese.

Honey hesitated. “Is he okay?”

The both glanced up at her. They weren’t
identical and although both slim and pretty, they were very different to look
at. Missy had blonde hair and favoured floor-length skirts and pretty blouses.
Belle had pinned her brown hair in a tight bun and wore jeans and sporty
T-shirts and sneakers. Nevertheless, both their expressions reflected Honey’s
concern.

“He’s been quiet,” Belle said. “But I guess
that’s not surprising.” She smiled at her sister. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Honey hung her apron on the hook
behind the door. “Out there I thought I saw…” Her voice trailed off. Belle
looked interested but Missy had raised an eyebrow, and she reminded herself of Missy’s
vehement declaration on the day after their mother passed away that when you
died that was it—lights out. Most of her sisters and her father found it
comforting to believe they were going to see Marama again one day, but Missy
had refused to entertain any notion of an afterlife. It had been how she’d
dealt with her mother’s death, and Honey supposed she couldn’t blame her for
that, even if she wished her sister would be a little less…vocal about her
beliefs.

Honey smiled. “Nothing.” She walked toward
the back door to the yard.

“Aroha’s out there with him,” Belle called.

“Okay.” Honey pushed open the door and
stepped out.

Her hand still on the handle, she paused.
Her father stood by the door on the opposite side of the yard, obviously in the
process of saying goodbye to the woman who supplied the café with wine. They stood
close together, a little closer together than was natural for two people who
didn’t know each other very well.

Cam Summers was a fine figure of a man,
Honey thought, knowing she was biased but able to view him as other women might
see him, even though he was her father. Tall—six three in his bare feet—his light
brown hair now edged with grey, he had strong features and eyes the colour of a
stormy sky that creased at the outer edges with a dozen laughter lines. He
wasn’t laughing now, though, his head down and his hands on his hips, and Honey
could see from across the yard that he was trying to hold in his emotion.

The woman standing in front of him rested a
hand on his arm. Aroha’s forehead creased with concern as she rubbed his arm
and whispered something Honey couldn’t hear.

Honey brought her hand up to her mouth, breathless
with emotion, feeling like an intruder to this personal, intimate moment of
affection between her father and the vineyard owner. Clearly, Aroha was
attempting to comfort Cam during a moment of grief just as any friend would do
to another. And there was nothing too forward about Aroha’s gesture—she didn’t
take him in her arms, or kiss him, or reach up to stroke his hair.

And yet still the look on her face made
Honey’s stomach swirl. Aroha liked him, and not just as one friend likes
another friend.

Honey had known the two of them got on
well, and she liked Aroha, thought her fun and pleasant to be with, and she
respected how hard she worked on the vineyard. But still, Honey hadn’t expected
to discover this. And on the anniversary of her mother’s death, of all days.

 Did Cam return Aroha’s affection? He showed
no sign of it at that moment, obviously too full of his grief to think about
anything else. But the way he didn’t pull away from Aroha’s touch told Honey it
wasn’t unwelcome.

She bit her lip. Her mother had been gone a
year. To Honey it seemed like nothing. The grief felt as raw as it had the day
in the hospital when Marama slipped away, slowly and gently as a leaf in a
stream. The thought of her father loving anyone else caused a lump to form in Honey’s
chest, and her throat tightened and she held her breath until she went dizzy. Her
hands clenched at the notion of another person thinking she could take the
place of the woman who had been the centre of their family.

And yet, it must feel like an eternity for
her father. 365 days alone. He was a relatively young man, only forty-eight—it
was no age to think about being celibate for the rest of his life. She knew Dex
had found it incredibly difficult to go without sex for six months, and Cam
wouldn’t only be missing the sex. He must be missing the other things that made
it so special about being with the one you love—the cuddles, being able to
discuss worries and fears with another person, just knowing you’re not alone. Was
it so incredible to think he might eventually want to share his life with
someone else?

Without looking up, Cam nodded at Aroha’s
whispered words and rubbed his nose before returning his hand to his hip. She
gave a small smile, touched his arm once more and then slipped out of the gate.

Honey hesitated, not wanting him to think
she’d been spying on him, but not wanting to leave him if he was upset, either.
At that moment, he looked up and glanced across to the building to see her
standing there. She paused, unsure whether to turn away, but then he smiled and
held a hand out to her, and she walked over and put her arms around him.

He hugged her tightly. “Hey, sweetie.”

“I wasn’t spying on you,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“Are you okay?”

He nodded and kissed the top of her hair.
“You?”

“Yeah. Dex is taking me to the cinema.”

“Nice. He’s a good boy.”

She stifled a chuckle, thinking that her
fiancé wouldn’t appreciate being called a boy, but she’d always be her father’s
little girl, and Cam wasn’t going to change his ways now.

They stood there like that for a minute, content
in the warm sunshine to hold each other, she resting her cheek on his chest and
listening to the steady thud of his heart, he with one arm tight around her,
the other stroking her hair.

“Aroha’s nice,” she said eventually.

“Mm.” He sounded distracted.

“She’s very pretty.”

He drew back at that and studied her,
frowning. “We were just talking.”

“I know.”

“I’d been thinking a lot about your mother,
and Aroha asked me how I was and I…well, got a bit upset.” He rubbed his nose
again. “She told me how lovely it was that I missed your mother so much. That I
was lucky for having had a relationship like that.”

Guilt swept over Honey. She’d assumed Aroha
had been trying to make a move on her father, and that had been unfair. “That
was a nice thing to say.”

“It was.” He cleared his throat and met her
gaze. “Nobody can replace your mother, Honey.”

Her throat tightened. “Aw, Dad…”

“She was everything to me. My whole world.”

Her lips trembled. “I know.”

“I don’t want you thinking… I would never…”

She buried her face in his neck. Her voice,
when she spoke, was nearly a squeak. “I didn’t realise this would be so hard.”

“It’ll get easier,” he said hoarsely. “At
least that’s what they say. I can’t see it myself.”

“I don’t want you to be unhappy, Dad.”

His arm tightened around her. “Aroha and I,
we haven’t… I wouldn’t do that to you all. I couldn’t, understand? I miss your
mother too much. Sometimes I think I’m going to die from missing her.” He stood,
rigid with held-back emotion.

“Me too.” She wanted to wail, to throw herself
in his arms as if she were six years old again, but the grief coming from him
in waves made her hold back, and she bit her lip hard so she wouldn’t cry.

She’d lost a mother, which was bad enough,
but while they were alive Cam and Marama Summers had been inseparable. Their
relationship had been tempestuous at times, and once Marama had even walked out
on him and driven from their home in their only car to a friend’s house on the
coast, prompting him to walk ten long miles in freezing November rain to apologise
to her and fetch her back. Honey could still remember the day when they came
home—the fierceness in Cam’s eyes as he promised he’d always treat her like a
queen so she’d never do that to him again.

It hadn’t worked of course—they’d argued
frequently, usually, Honey thought, so they could have the fun of making up. They’d
loved passionately, had seven children, and when Marama had died, part of Cam
had died too. He was a shell, a hollow man, an echo of the vibrant spirit he
used to be. And suddenly Honey wished with all her heart that he’d find someone
else to fill his life again.

She moved back and cupped his face with her
hands, stroking his bristles with her thumbs. “I wouldn’t mind,” she said,
surprising herself by meaning it. “If you and Aroha… you know. I wouldn’t
mind.”

A shadow of a smile crossed his face. “Dear
Honey.” He turned his head and kissed her fingers. “Such a big heart. But let’s
not talk about it. Not today.”

She nodded, swallowing.

He heaved a sigh and forced a smile. “So.
Off to court tomorrow?”

She let out a long breath, deflated. “Crap.
I’d forgotten about that.”

He laughed and moved away to put the lid on
the rubbish bin he’d obviously gone out to fill. “I’m sure they’d let you off
jury service if you told them you’re getting married at the end of the week.”

She shrugged. “It’s good to do your civic
duty. And besides—I’ve been called before. It’s only a one in ten chance you’ll
get chosen, and even then the lawyers can challenge you if they don’t think
you’ll decide in their favour.”

“I guess.” He walked back to her. “So what
movie are you seeing tonight then?”

“The latest Bond. It’s supposed to be
really good.”

“Yeah, I saw the trailer. Looks great.”

“You could always come if you wanted.”

He grinned then. “I’m sure Dex would
appreciate me playing gooseberry.”

“He wouldn’t mind.”

“He’s hoping to get you in the back seats
and make out,” he advised.

She whacked his arm. “Dad. We’re not
sixteen. If Dex is paying fifteen bucks to watch a movie, he wants to watch the
movie, not make out. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time for that at the
weekend.” She giggled. Suddenly it didn’t seem so far away.

Cam smiled fondly. “I’m amazed the two of
you stuck with it. I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d be able to wait when
you first announced it.”

 “Me too,” she admitted. “It’s been
difficult in one way, but easy in another. I…respect him, I suppose, for being
willing to wait for me. I just hope…”

“What?”

She gave a tremulous smile. “I hope he
turns up.”

Cam laughed. “He’ll be there.”

She didn’t laugh back. “He’s done it
before, Dad. What if he changes his mind at the last minute?”

“Then Koru, Jude and Chase will drag him
there by his hair.”

“That’s not comforting. I mean what if he
decides on the day he doesn’t want to go through with it? I don’t want a
shotgun wedding. I want him to be there because he wants to be there.”

Cam held her by the arms and looked firmly
into her eyes. “What happened with him and Cathryn is nothing like what you two
have. From what I understand, that was a bitter, destructive relationship that
Dex had already decided was over, and that’s why she pulled her little stunt.
Telling a guy you’re pregnant to get him to marry you is never going to end
well. I’m just thankful he found out she was lying in time. She thoroughly
deserved what she got, and I don’t think anyone blames Dex for jilting her at
the altar.”

He kissed her forehead. “But what you two
have is completely different. He loves you—I can see it in his eyes. He
suggested you wait until your wedding night because he wants to prove to you
that he respects you, and to remove the shadow of everything he’s been through
before. This way there’s no worry that the two of you are getting together for
anything except the desire to be together.”

Damn it. She’d tried so hard to be the
strong one and yet here her father was again, comforting her. Why was she
always so frickin’ needy?

She smiled brightly. “I know. I shouldn’t
worry. And I am looking forward to it, very much.” She cleared her throat. “How
are the other girls? Have you seen them much today?”

He shrugged. “Missy’s Missy. You know what
she’s like. Belle seems okay. Daisy would never show it, even if she was upset.
Jas went out to Whangarei early so I haven’t seen her, although she texted to
check on me and said she was fine. Lily’s the only one I really worry about.”

Honey nodded. “Me too. I’ll have a chat to
her tonight when I get back from the movies.”

He smiled. “You’re so like your mother.
Anyone would think you were the eldest. But don’t worry too much. Concentrate
on your big day on Saturday, eh?”

“Yeah.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on,
then. Dex will be wondering where I’ve got to.”