The Maxwell Sisters (32 page)

Tash's eyes narrowed. ‘But the lingerie and the –'

‘It was all just a big misunderstanding.'

‘I don't know,' Tash said doubtfully. ‘He looked pretty keen on you to me.'

Eve blushed. ‘Maybe he is, but I don't think I should go there.'

‘Why not?' Tash's eyes widened. ‘You're not still hung up on …'

‘No, no.' Eve immediately sliced her hand through the air. ‘Definitely not.'

It was the truth. She was completely happy for her sister. Ecstatic in fact, that she was finally able to let go of all those fruitless feelings she'd harboured for years and realise for the first time that she and Spider would never have been good together. Not like Phoebe and Spider were. They were just too alike. Phoebe challenged him in ways that she never could.

In exactly the same way that Adam challenges you.

She banished the thought. Yes, in a perfect world she would love to date Adam. But she wasn't going to set herself up for a fall. And that's exactly what going out with Adam would be. She quickly outlined to Tash everything she knew about him, hoping she'd be able to confirm that she'd made the right decision.

‘So let me get this straight,' Tash said as she clicked back to the search engine, ‘he came to town to get over a broken heart.'

‘Yes,' Eve nodded.

‘And you're afraid he might be using you to do it.'

‘Well, isn't he?' Eve demanded. ‘I mean, look at him. Him and me together? It's just totally unrealistic.'

Tash snorted. ‘I don't think so. Eve, you've got everything going for you. Looks, brains and talent. Don't sell yourself short. He'd be lucky to go out with you.'

She blinked. ‘You reckon?'

‘
I know
,' Tash responded adamantly. ‘But that doesn't mean you should. You're right to be cautious. You need to do what's best for you.'

Eve sighed. ‘Thank you. I just feel the kind of relationship I want is not the relationship that's on offer.'

Tash licked her lips. ‘You think he'll hurt you.'

‘I think it's more likely than not,' Eve shrugged. ‘I wish there were some way to know for sure.'

‘You and me both, darl,' Tash squeezed her hand and Eve wanted to cry. ‘You and me both.'

After a moment's pause, Tash turned back to her screen. ‘Hey, it looks like Saracen's has a new menu. I say we go with this one.'

Tash had paused on the website of the Saracen's Estate. It was a winery and brewery in one. They had a large spacious restaurant that doubled as a pub; both classy and elegant for its decking on the water and a giant fireplace for those cold winter nights.

‘Okay,' Eve agreed. ‘I don't have a problem with that.'

‘Now for the guest list.' Tash pulled a pad and pen towards her. ‘Who are we inviting?'

Eve shrugged. ‘All the ladies going to the wedding?'

Tash pulled a face. ‘Then we'll have all Mum's cousins there and Spider's aunties as well.'

Eve giggled. ‘Not to mention Mum and Patricia. Can we really trust them not to fight?'

Tash hesitated slightly before saying, ‘Nope. Let's keep it small. Just a few of Phoebe's girlfriends and us.'

‘Great.'

Just at that moment, Phoebe walked in. ‘There you are!' She was sunny smiles and suppressed excitement. ‘I've been searching all over for you guys.'

Tash smiled back. ‘We're making the guest list for your hen's night.'

‘Oh,' Phoebe clasped her hands together, ‘that reminds me. You know that girl we saw at the Wildwood Bakery, Bronwyn? The really nice one.'

‘Y-yes,' Tash drew out the word as she caught Eve's gaze.

‘I found out she's not actually staying with Claudia, she's filling in for her. Claudia's gone to the big smoke for a break or something. So I say we invite her.' Phoebe's face lit up like it was the best idea anyone had had since they turned strawberries into jam. She leaned in confidingly. ‘She's all on her lonesome there with a bunch of scruffy vineyard workers and could probably use a night out. I for one would like to get to know her better. What do you reckon?'

‘Well –' Eve hunched a shoulder, darting her eyes towards Tash for guidance.

‘I suppose we –' Tash searched Eve's face for clues on what to say.

‘I knew you guys wouldn't mind,' Phoebe burbled on before Tash finished her sentence. ‘But we can work the other guests out later. Dad's got a surprise for us in the barrel room.'

‘The barrel room?' Tash repeated as Phoebe flew out into the hallway, calling over her shoulder, ‘Meet you there.'

Eve groaned. ‘I hate surprises.'

‘And with Phoebe,' Tash agreed, ‘you never know what you're going to get.'

‘What are we going to do about Bronwyn?'

‘Let's invite her,' Tash nodded. ‘Dad won't talk to us. But there's no harm in slipping a hint in her ear to back off.'

Eve touched a hand to her temple. ‘At the hen's party? I was afraid you were going to say that.'

 

The barrel room was a large brick and timber warehouse located in the winery. It was one of the oldest buildings on the property and in Eve's opinion the most romantic. With a tall gable roof set with muddy red tiles, it had that old barn look from the outside, until one realised that there were no windows – just two large wooden doors at the front.

This was where Tawny Brooks stored all their oak barrels, on large steel racks. With the doors closed, it was dark and cool. The perfect conditions for fermentation of must in oak. Eve loved the smell of the place, woody, sweet and heavy. The locals called the aroma ‘angel's share' – the vapour of evaporated wine saved for heavenly spirits.

When she and Tash arrived, their father, Adam, Heath, Phoebe and Spider were already there, standing in the centre of the room. As vintage wasn't even halfway through yet, the barrel room was mostly empty.

‘So what are we doing?' Tash folded her arms.

Eve could tell she trusted the situation almost as much as she did.

Phoebe's grin could have rivalled Willy Wonka's at the beginning of a tour. ‘Dad is going to teach us all how to waltz.'

It was a well known local fact that at one point Mad Maxwell had been a ballroom champion for five years in a row. It was one of the many legends in his rather extensive and mysterious résumé that had not yet been fully disclosed.

Eve glanced into his smiling grey eyes and he nodded ever so slightly.

‘Is this really necessary?' Tash sounded completely unenthusiastic.

‘Come on, Tash.' Phoebe grabbed her arm and tugged her in front of Heath. ‘Don't be like that. This is going to be fantastic. After Spider and I do the bridal waltz, the bridal party has to get up and dance as well. It's tradition.'

Eve glanced nervously at Adonis, who winked at her. It made her want to run for the hills and leap into his arms at the same time. He was just so beautiful. The word handsome wasn't strong enough. He was perfect. So perfect, in fact, that she had the sinking feeling that he would probably be an excellent dancer as well. The last thing she needed was to put her complete lack of coordination on display.

‘Won't I be dancing with Spider's brother?' she asked quickly. ‘He's the best man, right? And Heath's the other groomsman.'

‘Yes,' Phoebe nodded. ‘But since he's not coming till the day before the wedding, I thought you could practise with your boyfriend.'

Of course.
Maybe she should have taken Phee into her confidence.

‘Come on, sweetheart.' Adonis took her hand and twirled her in a circle. ‘Surely you can put up with me for half an hour.'

She swallowed. ‘It's going to take longer than half an hour to teach me how to dance.'

Phoebe nudged her. ‘Oh, Eve, you're always so pessimistic.'

In the next instant she was back in Adam's arms, which played havoc with her decision to protect herself at any cost.

Yes, but where has that ever got you, Eve?

She had hidden from her restaurant dream too and it was only in setting herself free that she had realised how much she stood to lose.

He smelled like sunshine and man and felt so strong and dependable, it was hard to imagine him ever letting her down. Had she made the right decision to keep their relationship platonic?

‘Concentrate, Eve,' her father smiled as she bumbled her way helplessly through his instructions, stepping on Adam's feet several times before he had to stop, sit down and take a ‘pain' break.

She watched in embarrassment mixed with apology as he rubbed his feet. ‘I told you I wasn't good at this.'

‘Maybe you guys should change the dress code to include steel-capped boots,' he grinned.

Her eyes lit up. ‘Can we do that?'

‘No, we can't,' Phoebe said over her shoulder. She was dancing fabulously, of course. Thank goodness Tash wasn't also her usual over-achieving self. In fact, if she had to describe her elder sister's face at all, it would be to say that she looked rather green. Eve hoped she wasn't having another bout of morning sickness.

She turned back to Adam as he stood up, vowing to keep focused this time. The steps weren't actually that complex. The hard part was working out in which direction to take them.

‘Eve.' Her father put his hand on her arm when she bumbled in the wrong direction yet again. ‘Stop trying to work it out. That's the man's job. Just let Adam lead you.'

‘Surrender,' Adam leaned down and whispered in her ear, sending a shiver straight through her body. It worked though. When she gave in, she floated around the barrel room easily enough as though they were one body instead of two. He gripped her tighter as they increased speed, pulling her in so there was no space between them at all. It was so weird dancing like that in her father's barrel room, warm and heady. They broke apart after one last circle and everybody clapped for them.

‘Woohoo, guys! Well done,' said Phee.

Adam held on to her hand, his fingers laced through hers and that feeling of daring returned.

Why shouldn't she have him? Why shouldn't her fake boyfriend become real?

As he loosened his hand and walked away from her to get them both a bottle of water from the esky, she watched that long lean body, those broad dependable shoulders.

If you want a real relationship then why don't you go after it, Eve?

The concept was so simple it sent a jolt of electricity straight through her, rooting her feet to the floor as she wondered if she dared.

She was always the girl who waited, the one who couldn't speak her mind because that would be giving away too much. She was terrible with men, not because of the way she acted, but because of not acting at all. Her invisible dance with Spider had certainly proved that.

She watched Adam bend down and extract bottles of water from the esky and hand them out to everyone. She watched her sisters thank him with a smile, her father clap a hand on his shoulder, a joke passing between them she couldn't hear. And then Adonis turned back to her, his eyes softening perceptibly as they rested on her face.

Her hand went to her throat as a realisation paralysed her. It wasn't that she loved him, because that had been more than obvious for a while now. She was insanely in love with him.

No, it was the certain knowledge that she was going to fight for him as well. She, Eve Maxwell, was going to pursue the man of her dreams.

And she was going to get him.

Life without risk was only half a life. When she had decided to cook in the restaurant again, the fears of the past had left her. Last night, she had picked up the phone and made the call to Margareta's.

‘I'm resigning,' she told May. ‘I'm staying at Tawny Brooks.'

Absentmindedly, she had listened to her old boss's protests, whose outrage quickly turned to pleading. But Eve didn't care. She didn't give in. It was time to let go completely and pursue what she wanted, because she wasn't the girl who waited any more.

Of course, even as she made the decision, panic bubbled up.

Manhunting was uncharted territory for her and she wondered whether she needed some sort of plan. And if so, how was she supposed to come up with it.

‘Hey,' Adonis said, crossing the room, causing her stomach to somersault, ‘are you okay?'

She raised her eyes, wondering how to cover her obvious nervousness when luckily Tash took the words right out of her mouth.

‘You know what, I think I'm going to be sick.'

When Tash flew from the barrel room, her hand over her mouth, Heath almost sighed in relief. At last! An excuse to get some time alone with her. He wasn't happy that she was sick, of course. However, her sisters had been working hard to keep them apart and he had a feeling that now, more than ever, they needed to talk. He looked at her family, who were staring wide-eyed at her sudden departure.

‘Don't worry,' he raised his hand to reassure them, ‘I've got this.'

He walked out of the barrel room, squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the sun. He did not see Tash but could hear someone gagging in the scrub beyond a large green open shed in which an old tractor was parked. He hurried past the tractor and stepped into the bushes.

‘Don't come any closer,' he heard Tash's weak voice warn him. ‘It's not pretty.'

He frowned. ‘I'll live.'

It's not like he hadn't seen her throw up before. This scenario, in fact, was pretty familiar to him – her pale face, early bedtimes and odd eating habits; the way she couldn't look at food one minute and then was ravenous the next. He'd seen all this before.

Did she honestly hope to keep this food-poisoning ruse up indefinitely? Particularly when her last pregnancy had been exactly the same with morning sickness starting earlier than the norm. Why couldn't she trust him with what was really going on?

His boots crunched on gravel and his hands pushed aside tall reeds as he found her in a small clearing, leaning against a stringy bark tree, a shaky hand passing over her moist mouth.

‘I told you not to come.' Her eyes flicked towards him dispassionately.

He shrugged. ‘I had to see if you were okay.'

‘I'm fine,' she nodded, abruptly straightening and coming towards him.

She would have passed him too and continued to walk back but he caught her around the upper arm.

‘Tash, please. Talk to me. I don't know what to do any more.'

She stopped walking but refused to look at him. Feeling like a bear, he let her go and was relieved when she didn't continue her backtrack but turned to face him.

‘Neither do I,' she said at last.

‘I take it your sisters know about our marriage difficulties now,' he murmured. ‘They're treating me differently.'

‘Well,' Tash said slowly, ‘we can't pretend forever.'

His heart sank like a rock in a pond at the finality in her voice. The sound of someone who had given up. He took a breath. ‘You could have told me you were ready to start telling people.'

‘Why?' She looked up. ‘Do you agree that we should?'

‘No,' he took a breath, ‘I don't. Not yet.'

He studied her face with a sense of futility. He thought he'd been reaching out to her all this time, showing her how much he wanted her back. She had seemed to respond too, to those little gestures he'd started to reintroduce into their life. Yet last week she had told him that she didn't trust him emotionally – a blow that had been very difficult to face. Or even believe. Yet now he saw the evidence of it right here in front of him.

She was pregnant and she had not told him. He had never felt more separate from her in his life.

‘What's the matter, Heath?' She broke the silence that had lengthened between them. ‘Upset because you can't see inside my head?' She grimaced. ‘Join the club.'

Realisation hit him. This is how she must have felt, this was how she had suffered, when he hadn't opened up to her after their daughter had died. When you didn't know what your partner was thinking or feeling it was like being cast adrift on a raft to nowhere.

‘Tash, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't try to open up to you more when …' he swallowed, ‘Sophia died.' He said his daughter's name for the first time. ‘I can see how much I hurt you.'

‘Yeah,' she agreed. ‘You did.'

He looked down into her steady glistening eyes. ‘It was a stupid thing to do. Proud. Dumb,' he admitted. ‘I just wanted to fix what had happened without looking too closely at it. My dad went through a lot of grief and anxiety when he came back from the war and that's how I was taught to deal with it. My family didn't talk about what he'd been through because it upset him. We avoided touchy subjects because we just wanted him to be our father again and not feel any more pain. We did everything to distract him from his past. And I guess I was trying to do the same thing with you.'

‘Thank you for telling me.' She grabbed his hand and held it against her heart. ‘I wish you'd told me earlier but I understand why you didn't. Really, I do.'

‘If you understand,' he said quickly, ‘then why are you so keen to start telling everyone our marriage is over?'

‘That's not what I'm doing, Heath,' she said quickly. ‘Not by any stretch. I just need some time to think, to process.'

‘To talk?' he queried gently.

Tell me you're pregnant, Tash
, he begged her in his head.
Tell me
.

If he heard it from her own lips then he would know that she trusted him again and was willing to put her life back in his hands. Not because he was pressuring her to but because she wanted to. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, searching his face. He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her trembling lips. When he raised his head, however, her eyes were cool.

‘We should get back.' She nodded and began to walk out of the scrub.

He pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans and watched her go.

Too little too late, Heath.

Too little too late.