Authors: Fiona McCallum
Time Will Tell (46 page)
âOh wow, what was that like? Huge? I hear it's a must-see.'
âIt did look pretty big. We didn't go in. You wouldn't believe the activity for a Sunday. Quite amazing really.'
âMust have been an eye-opener,' David said. âSpeaking of which, have you told Jake about your run-in with the steel sculpture across the way?' He asked jovially.
Emily blushed beetroot.
âWhat run-in?' Jake asked, looking from Emily, who now had her head in her hands, to David and Barbara, who had big grins on their faces.
âCan I tell him?' David asked. âPleeeease.'
âCome on, you're amongst friends,' Barbara said gently. âWe will be laughing with you, not
at
you.' She was now starting to laugh.
âNo, it's too embarrassing.' Emily groaned.
âOh but so bloody funny,' Barbara said.
âIs someone going to share the joke?' Jake asked, looking around the table.
âNo,' Emily said.
âOh come on, even you've got to admit it was pretty funny,' David said.
âMaybe from your point of view â safely on the ground! Oh all right,' Emily said, throwing her hands up. She turned to Jake. âYou're going to hear about it sometime, with or without my say-so. Go ahead, David,' she said with a melodramatic sigh.
May as well get it over with.
David rubbed his hands together and then began to speak. âRight, so on Friday we turn up with the boom sprayer. Grace is in the yard going nuts, which was really out of character. So we start investigating andâ¦'
Between them, David and Barbara told the story and after a few minutes Emily joined in and filled in the details they didn't know about â that her being up there was a waste anyway since she'd forgotten the tools. Looking at it from their point of view, she had to admit it must have been pretty funny. And no one was hurt; they could laugh about it now. And they did. Before long they were all laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces.
âBloody hilarious,' they muttered, shaking their heads as they finally calmed down enough to wipe their tears away and blow their noses on the paper serviettes.
âYou poor thing,' Jake said when they were again settled. âThank goodness you weren't hurt.'
By eight-thirty they were all yawning. David and Barbara bid their farewells soon after.
Back in the kitchen after seeing them off, Emily refused Jake's help with the few dishes; they would wait until the morning.
They cleaned their teeth together in the bathroom and then there was a slightly awkward moment when they said their good-nights before retreating to opposite ends of the house.
Lying in bed, Emily wished she had Jake beside her, or at least that she had shown him more affection. Installing him in the spare room had been a head decision, but her heart felt very differently. He'd said it was a good idea. But was he just being polite and not wanting to embarrass her? She rolled over, telling herself what would be, would be, and to stop overthinking it. She'd discuss it with him in the morning; tell him she'd changed her mind.
She was almost asleep when she heard the floorboards creak in the hall outside her bedroom door. Grace lifted her head, hopped off the bed, and trotted out, her feet barely audible on the thick carpet. Emily sat up a little, holding her breath.
A silhouette appeared in the doorway.
Jake.
Her heart rate quickened and her breath caught as he made his way across to the bed. Without a word, he climbed in beside her. Moments later they were entwined and kissing, tenderly at first and then more and more passionately. Within minutes all clothing had been shed and their naked bodies fused.
*
Emily woke to Jake's gentle kisses upon her face and lips. She opened her eyes, smiling as the night before came back to her. She turned towards him and held out her arms for his embrace.
âThank you for last night,' she said, burying her head in his smooth, warm chest.
âThank
you
for last night, and for coming to Melbourne and rescuing me,' he said, lowering his face and gently raising her chin towards him.
âI love you,' she said quietly.
âAnd I love you too, Emily Oliphant. Now my darling, can I get you coffee in bed?'
âHmm, after you give me more of what I had last night,' Emily said, easing herself closer.
âYour wish is my command.'
Later, Emily sat propped up in bed, staring at the button jar on the tallboy. She thought back over the past few weeks; all she had learned, everything she had lost and everything she had gained.
You were right, Gran. Sometimes the very best can come out of the very worst of situations.
She could hear Jake rattling around in the kitchen, and Grace's gentle snoring at the foot of the bed. Who knew what the coming days and months would bring?
Time will tell, indeed!
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed the second part of Emily's journey and want to know more, don't worry. This isn't the end. Book three of
The Button Jar
series is due out November 2014. I really hope you'll read on and enjoy where Emily's life takes her. Meanwhile, you can keep up with all the latest news on my website,
www.fionamccallum.com
, and follow me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/fionamccallum.author
.
With very best wishes,
talk about it
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Time Will Tell.
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ISBN: 9781488710179
TITLE: TIME WILL TELL
First Australian Publication 2014
Copyright © 2014 FIONA McCALLUM
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilisation of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the permission of the publisher:
Harlequin Enterprises
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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