The kauri pines were barely a hundred metres from the lake on a well-maintained path. At the viewing platform, Roberta hugged her arms around her chest. The lack of sunlight penetrating through the thick forest sent a chill over her skin that had nothing to do with the actual temperature around her. Craning her neck, she looked up and up, inhaling the rainforest smell, strong with moisture and damp leaf litter. Filling her core with its pungent aroma, she closed her eyes for a moment, willing success to come her way. How, was any man’s guess.
Opening them again, she set her sights on the top branches clearly visible from the cruise boat that morning. With a rough swallow, she couldn’t help but feel small and insignificant. This job required a strong woman. She’d been told before she was strong. Didn’t fully understand what that all meant. She got things done; could that be it?
Snapping her attention back to the base of the giant trees, she considered her other issue. Yep, time to stop agonising. Time to get things done. Her mother hadn’t said anything about how impossible it would be to reach either of the bases. It wasn’t a case of just walking up to the base of either tree. A mere three decades was nothing in the life of these 1000-year-old beauties, but the viewing improvements put in place by the national parks since put an entirely new spin on everything.
Roberta eyed the purpose-built viewing platform painted mission brown to blend in perfectly. A visitor viewed the trees without trampling or disturbing the forest. Meaning to get anywhere close to the base, Roberta would need to physically climb over the rails and slide down the supporting posts for a couple of metres without killing herself. Or her mother when she returned to Melbourne. These murderous thoughts momentarily disturbed her.
“Hey.”
Roberta spun around.
Nate frowned. Roberta tried to change the scowl she was sure she sported by lifting the corners of her mouth to some degree. After all, wanting to murder her mother and a reminder she and Nate were enemies tied in perfectly with how she probably looked. Discovering they would be working together only added to her dilemma. Nothing to smile about, but she tried.
“Everything okay?”
Roberta chuckled wryly. If only you knew. “These trees are something.”
Nate watched her warily.
Sheez!
“Are you okay? Er … after what happened?”
Did something happen? She was already past that and onto bigger and greater things, so to speak. Squaring her shoulders, she needed to say something to placate Nate. “Yeah, all good. It’s not the first time I’ve been in that kind of situation. I handle it okay these days.”
Her heart did its usual twist, reminded again of the one time she wasn’t skilled enough to help. Watching her injured friend die was the lowest moment in her life. God help her if her mother was about to create another one to better that.
“He’s going to pull through, thanks to you.”
Roberta shrugged. It felt wrong to accept any platitude from Nate, considering their short and recent history. If his family lived and breathed this lake and its surrounds, she didn’t expect their history to improve with her temporary stay. Or with what she planned on doing.
It better be a short stay.
She made to walk past him on the narrow path. “Sophie’s expecting me back soon. She promised me a sample of your famous scones. See you later.” Her heart thundered as she passed Nate, their shoulders barely grazing. She reached up to rub the back of her neck, feeling Nate’s gaze burn a hole there. Ignore the good looks, girlfriend. This man was nightmare territory. She’d seen another side of him, exposed at his best. With his hair messy in a hot, desirable way, he was not to be trusted. Neither was his gorgeous and tanned body which she easily pictured tangled with her own.
She bit down hard on her lip, willing all her womanly fluttery bits to calm down.
Do. Not. Go. There.
* * *
Enjoying the solitude of the balcony at the teahouse, Roberta savoured each bite of the warm, fluffy scone. She’d lavishly topped it with strawberry jam and cream, oblivious to the fact that, for once, if she wasn’t careful, it wouldn’t take long for this deliciously wicked food to land on her hips. With a smile, she lifted her espresso for another sip. She quite liked her smooth curves. She was okay with some shape and who in their right mind didn’t love sweet temptation?
A pelican swooped low before landing on the water. The view from where she sat was so incredible she couldn’t help but feel grateful. It was spectacular. Serene. Relaxing. If she could relax. Roberta didn’t know the full story yet. Why had her mother chosen the kauri pines to bury the box? The hardest goddamned place in the universe to get to without starting a riot!
Her mother’s ‘I’ve said enough for now. Find the box, and then I’ll tell you more’ irked her no end. Her patience levels wavered somewhere between zero and negative one hundred, so this wasn’t helping. Being forced to wait, plan and devise a way of recovering the box was driving her nuts. In a national park, for God’s sake. Where visitors and tourists hung around all day. She mentally swore, wrapping both her hands around her espresso for another sip. It was becoming a daily ritual to thank her mother in the not-so-kindest way. Thanks, Mum.
Pushing her worries aside, she glanced away from the serene lake to the busy teahouse where every table looked to be full. This would be her tomorrow. Busy, hectic and working the tables again. A rush of excitement bounced across her chest. No stress in this job and the change of scene would do her good.
Natasha promised to show her the small cottage that came with the job before she left today, but with the number of people queued for food, Roberta didn’t see how this would be possible. Not unless she stayed until closing time, which wasn’t ideal as she’d promised to meet up with Sally after her teaching day ended. Roberta conceded it didn’t matter how tiny or cramped the cottage was. It was a means to an end. She’d cope with whatever was offered. The only requirement was a coffee machine. She’d refrained from bringing her own with her. Her car had been cramped as it was. If there wasn’t one available, she’d buy one. Simple really. Roberta needed her morning dose of coffee or she didn’t function. She needed to be functioning at her best to solve her current dilemma.
* * *
“Oh, my God, the Surrey family. Nate Surrey. You’re tangled up with them?” Sally’s laughter gurgled, filling the air around them.
Sally drank her chai tea while Roberta swallowed a piece of chocolate brownie that seemed hell-bent on staying stuck in her throat. Obviously, there was something about this family she needed to know.
Sitting inside a quaint little café in the adorable village of Yungaburra, the delicious forkful of the sweet treat slid down her throat with a thud. A sip of her coffee couldn’t help settle it.
“I am not tangled up with anyone. One freakish incident. That was all.” Not even all the dizzying variety of coloured flowers in hanging baskets lining the streets of Yungaburra could distract her. What was she dealing with here?
“I knew of Nate. Didn’t have much to do with him as he went to another school. But I remember girls would drool over him. Good looks and all that.” Sally winked at her. “Then he disappeared off the face of the earth. No idea where he went or why, but clearly he’s back.”
Oh, great. Roberta hadn’t shared with Sally her reasons for being in the north, and she intended to keep it that way.
“By the way, you’re on the front cover of today’s Cairns Post. No doubt the same photo is in the local Express paper, too.”
Roberta groaned. “How bad do I look?”
Sally continued to smile and laugh in between her sips of chai. “You look great. It’s Nate’s expression that won’t do his charming looks any good. Or his cause. Something must have happened in the past few years for him to be so worked up about environmental issues. I get his family have always been passionate about it, seeing they own the freehold on the lake. His great-grandfather played a key role in saving large areas of forest from being felled, but to go to this extent? Hmm … interesting. What bug does he have up his backside?”
What bug, indeed. Once again that day, she thanked her mother for putting her in this predicament.
“Look, it’s only a job to pass the time. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll look elsewhere. No big deal. From what I saw today, he just does the boat cruises, so we don’t have to cross paths unless I’m doing the Devonshire teas on the cruises. Surrounded by visitors, I’m sure he’ll be on his best behaviour.”
“Yeah, this is Roberta, after all.” Sally quipped with a smile. “I’ve never known you not to cope when around difficult men. Now, tell me the story of the man’s life you saved. I wouldn’t be surprised if the story turns up in tomorrow’s Cairns Post.”
Roberta shrugged, dismissing the possibility. Why would saving a man’s life make news, when it was a frequent occurrence in her normal day? She worked on finishing her massive slice of brownie, finding it was settling much better in her stomach now that she’d shared her news with Sally. As Sally reminded her, dealing with men was her strong point. Look at how she’d dealt with Antonio when she realised it wasn’t an ideal life after all, despite how much money would be at her disposal. No way would Nate stand in her way and her mission. In fact, she would avoid him entirely during the day and sneak over to the cottage once her shift finished.
She could be civil for those hours. Heck, she could be whatever she needed to be. Just get the damn job done and get out. Fast!