There was a chorus of goodbyes from the Carringtons as Dylan got into his blue ute. ‘Thanks for dinner,’ he called out and then, with one final wave, he gave them all a grin before driving off.
‘I might head off as well,’ Seb said as everyone started to wander back into the house. ‘I have a couple of movies calling my name.’
‘I like the sound of that,’ Lix said. ‘You don’t mind if I tag along and crash at the pub, do you?’
‘Course not—I’d love the company.’
‘Okay, give me a sec. I just want to grab a couple of things and raid the kitchen for snacks.’
Maddie put her hand on Lix’s shoulder. ‘Leave us some,’ she said with a laugh.
‘You got it, Maddie,’ Lix said before disappearing inside.
Maddie waited for the others to move inside before she looked back at Seb. ‘So, just between us, has Dylan still got a thing for Tam?’
Seb’s eyes widened at the question. ‘How did you know?’
‘It’s pretty damn obvious,’ Maddie replied. ‘He’s been carrying a candle for her since high school.’
Seb walked over to the seat swing on the porch and sat down. ‘I reckon he still does. Although I wish he didn’t.’
A frown flickered across Maddie’s face. ‘I thought you’d be all for it. Dylan’s a great guy.’
‘But I don’t think Tam is the right person for him.’ Seb blew out a breath. ‘That came out wrong. What I’m trying to say is that they’re not suited.’
Maddie sat down next to him. ‘I think they’d make a great couple.’
Seb shook his head. ‘Tam doesn’t take anything seriously. It might work out for a while but she’d lose interest and move on.’
‘That’s a bit harsh,’ Maddie replied as she searched Seb’s face.
‘No, it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, I love her and she and Dylan are two of my favourite people but …’
‘Don’t you want Tam to be happy?’
Seb shot her a hurt look. ‘Of course I do but Tam has a wild streak and I don’t think Dylan could handle it.’
‘She doesn’t have a wild streak,’ Maddie said. ‘She’s just making up for lost time.’
‘Maybe.’ But something in Seb’s eyes told her that he didn’t believe her.
‘You’ve both had to give up so many things—hanging out with friends, partying and being teenagers. And I wasn’t as much help as I should have been in the beginning,’ Maddie said quietly.
Seb took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Don’t ever say that, Mads. We all leant on you, even though you had no one to lean on yourself.’
Maddie gave him a smile. ‘I don’t regret a minute of it. But I was an adult, you guys were just kids. You two bore the brunt of the responsibility, and Felix did too—maybe not quite to the same extent but he was always there, doing what he could. You and Tam may be twins but you’re very different people. Tam’s just kicking over the traces and having a bit of fun. She deserves it.’ Maddie looked Seb in the eye. ‘And so do you.’
Seb closed his eyes as memories flooded over him. Trying to hold a business and a family together when it had been ripped apart. It had been hard, and at times he wasn’t sure that they would make it, but against all the odds they had. But they hadn’t done it alone, many people had helped, like Michael Chen, who they all called Uncle Mick as he was one of Dad’s best friends. He had stepped up and managed the pub until Seb was old enough and confident enough to take over the reins. Without Mick’s help, the family would have lost their only stream of income.
‘Perhaps you’re right,’ he said.
Maddie gave him a nudge with her shoulder. ‘Of course I am. You’ve taken on a lot of responsibility, Seb, and that’s a credit to you but sometimes you tend to treat Tam like a daughter rather than your twin. It drives her.’
Seb nodded. ‘Yeah, I know I can be—’
‘A bit of a control freak?’ she butted in with a laugh.
‘Wow … okay,’ Seb said quietly. ‘I guess I am.’
‘Only sometimes, darling,’ Maddie said. ‘All I’m saying is Tam deserves some happiness and if that comes in the form of Dylan, well, all the better—he’s practically family already.’
‘I just don’t think it’s a good match,’ Seb said again, before adding, ‘and I don’t want either of them to get hurt.’
‘I understand but that isn’t your call. We love who we love and no one, no matter how well intentioned, can tell us otherwise. And even if it gets messy, Tam will always be your sister and Dylan your friend.’
Seb nodded. ‘I’ll try to step back and learn to hold my tongue.’
‘Exactly, let them work it out for themselves,’ Maddie replied. She was quiet for a moment. ‘Has Tam ever taken an interest in Dylan?’
Seb shrugged. ‘Not that I know of, although she doesn’t share her secrets with me. All I know is Dylan was besotted with her when we were younger.’
‘Besotted, really?’
‘Oh yeah.’ Seb nodded. ‘He used to be teased about it a lot.’
Maddie gave him a look that had him holding up his hand in a sign of denial. ‘Oh God, not by me … what do you take me for? He’s my best friend. No, all I’m saying is it was pretty obvious that he liked her and the other guys gave him a bit of flak over it.’
‘Does Tam know?’
‘I doubt it. As far as I know she’s never seen him as anything other than my friend and now a damn good builder.’
‘If other people could see that Dylan liked her, I would imagine Tam would have known too—she’s pretty perceptive.’
‘You’d have to ask Lix—the two of them have always been close,’ Seb said.
* * *
It was about 10 p.m. when Lix carried two mugs into the office and set one down in front of Tam.
‘Hey,’ she said, ‘I thought you were hanging out with Seb tonight. Wasn’t there something about a movie marathon?’
‘He didn’t make it to the end of the first one,’ Lix replied. ‘He fell asleep before the climax. So I figured I might as well come back here and catch whatever horror fest Lucy and Gray were watching.’
‘And Seb?’
‘I chucked a blanket over him and left him snoring on the couch,’ Felix said with a grin.
‘So what’s this?’ Tam gestured to the mug.
‘Mocha with a heap of whipped cream.’ Lix pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her.
‘You spoil me,’ Tam said as she reached for the mug.
‘So whatcha doing?’ Lix looked at the laptop and the stack of papers that were strewn across the office table.
‘I’m playing around with the decor for the summer house.’
‘It seems like a lot of work for one bride,’ Lix said. ‘I mean, it’s going to cost quite a bit and we’ve only got one possible wedding.’
‘But once it’s fixed up we can offer it as an option for other couples,’ Tam said. ‘Even if it’s only used a few times a year, it’s better than it sitting there doing nothing.’
Lix pointed to several sketches. ‘What’s that?’
Tam gave him a smile. ‘Some ideas. I was thinking about this sort of thing for the main focal light.’ She pushed one photo forward so he could get a better look.
‘So is it going to have the same sort of vibe as the barn?’
‘Yes and no. I want all three venues to look cohesive but for each to have its own distinct style too.’
‘I might take a few pictures tomorrow before Dylan gets here. You know, we can do the whole before-and-after photos as well as some construction shots. They might be fun to add to our website.’ Lix took a sip of his mocha. He glanced at Tam and grinned. ‘I’m quite talented, you know?’
‘You really are. There’s no way I could have made the website look so beautiful and inviting. Your photos are always stunning,’ Tam said earnestly. It was true. Lix had a gift. Which is why she and Maddie had enticed him into running the social and advertising side of the business.
‘Thanks, sis, but I meant the mocha.’ He laughed and his green eyes twinkled with amusement.
‘That goes without saying,’ she said as she started to gather up her things.
‘Calling it a night?’
Tam was silent for a moment. ‘I might go out for a bit.’
Lix gave her a nod as he stood up, taking his drink with him. ‘I thought you might. Have a good night.’
‘Yeah, see you tomorrow,’ Tam said as she closed her laptop. ‘Love you.’
‘Love you too,’ Lix said before he disappeared out the door.
Tam sat there for a little while longer. Out of all her siblings, Lix was the one who really understood her. He had always been her friend, her sounding board, cheer squad and keeper of her secrets. She was so grateful to have him.
She stood up and placed her laptop and papers on the old sideboard before heading upstairs to grab her handbag and jacket. She made her way back downstairs and through the house towards the back door. In the darkened kitchen she grabbed her keys out of the bowl on the bench. Light came from the lounge room where Gray and Lucy were watching some terrifying movie with a lot of screaming and jump scares. Quietly she slipped out the back door. Within minutes she was heading towards Turpin Hill, the motorbike’s headlight illuminating the old bitumen road as she went. Above, the clear night sky was dusted with a thousand stars and Tam felt anticipation begin to flare inside of her as she turned down the dirt track towards the hidden cottage in the middle of the night-shadowed bush.