‘Brrrr, tonight could freeze the balls off a pool table, sis!’ Jake sat down and wrapped an arm around Sid’s shoulders so they could share the blanket. ‘Aren’t you cold out here?’
‘It’s warmer than it is inside the villa with Mum.’
‘She’s gone to bed. You two really need to pull your heads in. Honestly, sis, cut her some slack. You’re going to be a mother soon enough. Karma, remember?’
‘I know, I know, but something’s not right.’ Her words shocked her brother ramrod straight.
‘With the baby?’
‘No, no, relax, Jake. The baby’s fine. I have one hell of a headache, and my back is pinching, but neither ailment concerns me as much as Mum’s moods.’ Sid rubbed her stomach, flinching when the same sharp pain radiated from her back to her abdomen. ‘When I found her up at the gallery today with David, I swear something was going on. She and the boss were acting like naughty schoolkids caught out behind the school shed. You know what I mean?’
‘Flippin’ fishcakes, Sid! I know what I got up to behind the shed and I do not want to be thinking that about my mother.’
‘Be serious, Jake. I’m saying that Mum’s not taken an interest in any man since Dad died. David is a nice guy and–’
‘Nice guy? Since when? You said he was . . . Let me see . . .’ He held up a hand and started counting on his fingers. ‘Rude, arrogant–’
‘That was before.’
‘Before what?’
‘Before I spent the night with him.’
‘You what?’
‘Not like that, Jake. We sat up most of last night talking. Once we found common ground, he was easy to connect with. We talked a lot about his art. He has the same passion as Mum. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
‘Nup! And I don’t think I want to.’
‘You remember what Dad was like when it came to Mum’s art, or her gallery stuff? He didn’t get it. People have to get each other, or else there’s no connection.’
‘I get that,’ Jake said, smiling. ‘So what are you saying, Sid?’
‘I don’t know, except when I turned up and witnessed them together David was guarded and awkward and Mum acted really weird–kind of nervous and giddy. That was until she went back to being Mum.’
‘You mean she went ballistic?’
‘Not quite, Jake, but seeing her with a man got me thinking about how nice it would be if she was to meet someone–like David. Maybe that’s what she needs in her life.’
‘Are you matchmaking Mum? Wow! You reckon you haven’t pushed her buttons enough already?’
‘If Mum got a life for herself she might stop trying to control ours.’
‘Good point.’ Jake stood to stretch, leaving the blanket behind for Sid. ‘I like your thinking, sis, but you’re on your own. I treasure my life too much.’
‘Wuss!’ Sid giggled, drawing the blanket around her body. ‘Maybe this trip wasn’t about our grandfather, but fate. Do you believe in fate?’
‘I’m learning to,’ Jake said, surprising her.
Her brother was starting to surprise Sid in lots of ways. She remembered lying in her bed at Brushstrokes before the trip, hoping some good might come out of this expedition. At the very least she might learn more about her father’s side of the family. Not for a moment did she think Jake would fall in love, or that Natalie, who hadn’t been privy to Sid’s plans, would even factor into things. David had said he and her mother intended catching up again tomorrow. Perhaps this might be the start of something. Two like-minded adults spending time with each other.
According to Pearl, the gallery was closing for a while, which was good, as Sid could do with a day in bed. She was feeling a little bloated and the headache that had started a few days ago was hanging around. A day alone to rest might also allow Sid the time and mental capacity to complete the puzzle she’d been working on. There were dots to join in David’s story and she was determined to see the full picture.
Rest, yes. That’s what she’d do tomorrow. Sid would say she needed a lazy day and that Natalie should take the Jeep and take David up on his offer of a personal gallery inspection. Then she would let nature–or fate–take its course.