On framing Friday, as Sophie was calling it, she took the day off work.
‘It’s too momentous an occasion to miss.’
Josh agreed.
As Sophie watched the blue steel struts rise and be bolted into position on the concrete slab, she felt the pressing weight of the long months of worry—fear that this day would never come—rise from her toes and vanish out through the top of her head. This was hope. This was vindication. This was the change in fortune they not only needed but deserved. All day, she’d found herself bursting into spontaneous laughter. It wasn’t just from observing the progress of the frame but from watching Liam and Josh.
Caught up in his parents’ excitement, Liam had insisted on wearing his toy hard hat and tool belt from the moment he’d tumbled out of bed. Scotty made a fuss of him, calling him his right-hand man and high-fiving him whenever he walked past. At one point, Scotty lifted her son up into the cab of the crane to touch the levers. Later, Liam cried in disappointment when the crane drove away.
Like his son, Josh had worn a smile from ear to ear all day. Hours later, he was still smiling. It made her heart sing.
When the builders declared the job done, Josh grabbed her and danced them around the uprights like they were in a fifties musical. She’d barely caught her breath when Erica arrived with not only French champagne but her husband.
‘This is Nathan.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Sophie. I can tell from your face that Erica’s told you all about my many and varied domestic disasters. She never lets the truth get in the way of a good story, but sadly, they’re mostly accurate.’
Sophie laughed. She’d sketched an image of Nathan in her mind based on Erica’s anecdotes. But this lanky, sandy-haired and self-deprecating man looked more like a surfer than a successful share-trader and business advisor. ‘My favourite story’s the Thermomix.’
‘Nathan used it to whip up some dips for the party.’ Erica set down a platter on the waiting trestle table.
‘Sorry, Josh, but it was a matter of honour,’ Nathan deadpanned. ‘Champagne or beer? I chucked in some Prickly Moses just in case.’
As Nathan finished pouring their drinks, Layla and Osman arrived bearing a tray of Turkish meatballs. Sophie and Josh had only just greeted them when Bec and Adam pulled up in their SUV with their daughters. The girls wore dresses in the same shade of blue as their mother, and a perfect match to the teal uprights. Gracie, the youngest, rushed her hellos before racing over to the trampoline. Ivy hung back, standing quietly between her parents.
‘Ivy can mind the kids.’ Adam slung his arm over his elder daughter’s shoulder. ‘She’s great with littlies, aren’t you, sweet pea?’
‘Maybe,’ Ivy muttered, gazing at her feet.
Sophie could see Liam, Rafi and Malik busily driving toy trucks through the sand pile and Scarlett and Trixie playing close to the slab. She remembered being Ivy’s age. It had been an awkward time when part of her had wanted to be a kid but another part was desperate to hang out with the adults. ‘There’s no pressure, Ivy. Right now, the kids look pretty happy.’
‘Off you go, Ives.’ Adam gave her a gentle push on the behind before turning to Nathan, who’d appointed himself bartender. ‘G’day, mate. I’ll skip the girly bubbles and have a beer, thanks.’
Sophie noticed fine fatigue lines on Bec’s face as her friend presented her with a large platter groaning with tastefully arranged antipasto. ‘I hope this is okay.’
‘Are you kidding? It’s amazing.’ Sophie caught sight of Julie and Phil climbing over the stile. ‘Bec, have you met Layla’s husband? Osman, this is Bec …’
Leaving Bec in conversation with the Buluts, Sophie ran towards the older couple. ‘Look! Can you believe it!’
Julie kissed her. ‘It’s a very pretty blue.’
‘That’s what I think.’
Phil wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. ‘It’s worth celebrating, that’s for sure. Where’s Josh? I haven’t seen him in ages. It’ll be good to have a chat.’
Sophie scanned the growing crowd but she couldn’t spot her husband. ‘He’s around somewhere. Maybe he’s setting up the barbecue. Come and have a drink.’
‘Sophie!’ Erica stood in the middle of the slab with Layla and Bec, waving a champagne bottle at her. ‘You’re lagging behind. It’s time for a refill.’
Sophie waved and after introducing Julie and Phil to Nathan, she was making a beeline for the women when Adam Petrovic caught her arm.
‘Sophie. Great party. Thanks for inviting us.’
His appreciation momentarily threw her. This was the man whose largesse had fast-tracked their house and saved them tens of thousands of dollars. ‘Are you serious? We’re the ones supposed to be thanking you. Without your generosity, we’d still be a good six months away from framing.’
‘It’s my pleasure. Your husband’s a good worker and we reward reliability.’
He sipped his beer and Sophie tried not to stare at the two missing digits on his left hand. Tried not to think about the paralysing terror he must have experienced before the fire burned him. Adam had selflessly put his life on the line to save others. Did he ever resent the fact that the men he’d saved had escaped with minor burns? That he’d spent months in hospital and now lived with the debilitating effects of his injuries? Given his generosity to her and Josh, she decided it was unlikely he held any ill will towards anyone. Adam Petrovic was a true hero—a quiet achiever who just got on with things, putting his family and his community ahead of himself.
‘There’s more work coming through with this eco-tourism resort. You never know, Sophie, you might have external walls and a roof sooner than you think.’
‘Oh my God! I think I have to hug you.’
Adam laughed. ‘My wife might have something to say about that.’ But he leaned in anyway.
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, feeling the uneven skin of his face under her lips. Giddy from a glass of champagne and emboldened by his hint of further help, she asked the question she hoped was the solution to their immediate problems.
‘With this eco-tourism resort, will there be enough work for Josh to finish his apprenticeship?’
Adam wiped his watering eye with a white handkerchief monogrammed with AP. ‘If that’s what he wants to do, of course we’ll take him on as an apprentice electrician.’
Her hands flew to her lips, her palms pressing together. ‘Thank you, Adam. Thank you so much.’
It was impossible to believe that after almost two years of struggle, they were finally closing the book on the worst chapter of their lives. What a day! She couldn’t wait to tell Josh the good news.
Claire pulled up at the Dohertys’ open gate at exactly 5.35 pm. It was five minutes after the stated time on the texted invitation, which meant Claire was politely on time just as her mother had taught her. She saw the taillights of the Petrovics’ distinctive red and white SUV disappear around the bend of the drive and she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Was she mad coming to this party? Who put their hand up to attend a social gathering of young families when they had neither a husband or children?
She impulsively threw the car into reverse, backed out onto the road and drove a couple of hundred metres before braking. Too many thoughts spun and twirled in her mind and she dropped her forehead to the steering wheel as if the act would still everything and give her peace. The first thought to rise out of the melee was that she should turn around and return to the Dohertys’.
‘We wouldn’t miss it,’ she’d assured Sophie earlier. Now, if she didn’t go, her non-attendance would spark more questions from this group of women than the fact that she was arriving without Matt. She’d already planned exactly what she’d say to explain his absence—there was a break in the fence and they couldn’t risk prize sheep getting onto the road. Their eyes would predictably glaze over at the mention of sheep, effectively killing any more inquiries. After that, Claire was skilled enough to keep the conversation well away from herself by asking them questions about their kids.
Decision made, she checked over her shoulder and commenced a three-point turn, pulling onto a gravel verge.
It took her a second but she realised she’d pulled over at the school bus stop. For months after the fires, she’d experienced this sort of delayed recognition, because so many identifying markers—both natural and manmade—had vanished. This was where Hugo’s creation of a 44-gallon drum painted to look like a Holstein had once stood. It had worked a treat, pulling tourists in for a photo of the decorative letterbox and making them notice the garden produce for sale along with bags of horse poo. The honesty box did a roaring trade.
Hugo. A pang of desolation caught her under the ribs. Instead of reversing back onto the asphalt, she put the car into first and thudded over the cattle grid. It was surreal to be following the same path down the hill but experiencing a smooth ride. It wasn’t the only change. Gone was the weathered corrugated-iron dairy with cows filling its yard. The air was free of the sounds of blaring music blasting from speakers accompanied by Hugo’s enthusiastic but off-key singing. The road suddenly stopped where the sheds once stood. She turned off the ignition and sat staring into the blank space, struggling to sketch the missing buildings and trees in her mind.
Giving up, she got out of the car and walked towards a flat and grassy rectangle—the only evidence that a house had once graced the space. In the mild evening, it was as if it never existed and sadness rolled through her like damp Myrtle fog. Squatting, she pressed her palm against the moist ground.
‘I miss you, Hugo, darling. You always made me laugh. More importantly, you always gave me sensible advice.’
Disconsolately, she wondered what Hugo would have suggested about the current situation with Matt. She pushed herself to her feet and walked around what had been Hugo’s garden, trying to find the nook where Matt had told her he’d broken up with Taylor. When he’d asked her if she wanted to explore the attraction that arced between. But nothing looked the same. Nothing hinted at its position, and why would it? Nothing between her and Matt was the same anymore either.
Hugo had been so supportive of them. Given his shock death, she now regretted how self-indulgently happy she’d been back then. Blissed out on new love, she hadn’t given much thought to how Hugo’s new relationship was progressing. Before she’d moved back to Myrtle, Hugo had requested they swap houses for a few weekends. She’d happily acquiesced, thanking him for his thoughtfulness at giving her precious time with Matt, but at the same time teasing him about the perils of falling for a city woman.
‘Are things easier where you are, Hugo, darling?’
The closest she got to a reply was a low bellow from Mick Albanini’s bull.
Her phone beeped with a text. I’m desperate for the salty hit of chips. Are you far away? Erica. It was accompanied by a smiley-face emoji with a tongue hanging out.
Claire recognised the text as a hand of friendship. She also knew she wasn’t very good at reaching out and grasping those hands. She glanced up at the sky, seeking her best mate.
‘You telling me something, Hugo, darling? You do realise there’ll be husbands and kids there, the full catastrophe?’
The strident squawks of corellas filled the air.
‘Okay, fine! I’ll go. I could do with a drink and I’ll have one for you, shall I?’
With fingers flying, she texted a reply. Hang in there, E. The chips are five minutes away.
* * *
Josh twisted the top off another beer. He was standing on the edge of the slab, watching everyone jostling around the trestle table. It was groaning with food, most of which the guests had brought with them to help them celebrate the frame. Today was a good day. A hell of a good day in fact. He just wasn’t sure about this party. God, the conversation at these things irritated the hell out of him.
He’d got stuck in a conversation with Nathan about cricket. Even after he’d clearly told him that watching grass grow was more entertaining, the bloke had put the hard word on him to join the club. If that wasn’t bad enough, ten minutes later, Nathan and Adam were talking about investment portfolios. He’d walked away seconds before he’d lost it. For fuck’s sake, after he and Sophie paid the mortgage, bought food and fuel, and put money in the house fund, there was just enough left over for a few beers.
And then there was Phil. His neighbour had bided his time before cornering Josh at the barbecue.
‘Why not come along to the early-morning men’s exercise group? They meet at the stadium Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.’
Josh had felt a pressure building up inside him—the same sort of tension that had exploded out of him when Sophie’s moronic sister had visited. This time, he’d managed to slow it down and keep it inside.
‘You’ve probably forgotten what early mornings are like with little kids.’
The retired dairy farmer had laughed before clapping him on the shoulder. ‘Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour. If you change your mind, just turn up. Be good to see you there.’
Yeah, like that was going to happen.
At least the Turkish guy was quiet. All he’d asked of Josh was to explain the controversial umpiring decision in the previous week’s AFL grand final. Josh had managed that.
Sophie was waving a bowl at him, her smile wide, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed with excitement and expensive champagne. She looked exactly as she had the night they’d met, except then her glow had come from a couple of cans of UDL. He’d got hard just listening to her laugh. Now he struggled to get hard even when she offered to go down on him, but he couldn’t blame her. Hell, he couldn’t even get hard watching porn.
Adam appeared next to him. ‘Josh, you got a minute?’
He wasn’t going to say no to the man who’d absorbed the installation costs of the frame. ‘Sure.’
‘Let’s walk and talk.’
Josh followed Adam behind the shed to the water tank. The sun was a vivid red ball dropping fast and sending out fingers of orange and peach across the cloud-streaked sky. He knew it was pretty. Knew he should enjoy it. But he couldn’t look at those colours without flinching.
Did pretty sunsets make Adam’s heart rate jump wildly? In the fading light, Josh looked for a sheen of sweat on Adam’s top lip, faster breathing and a reddening of his face—although that was hard given it was permanently pink. But the builder looked cool and calm in his neat, casual clothes.
‘I’ve always had a soft spot for this bit of land. You bought yourself a good view,’ Adam said, staring out towards the horizon.
‘Yeah.’ It was all Josh could get out as he worked on slowing his pulse.
‘I was telling your lovely wife earlier, Petrovic Family Homes needs to keep reliable and dependable workers. It makes our life easier and you’re a good worker, Josh. That’s why we helped you out with the framing. It doesn’t matter whether we’re asking you to clean up after the brickies or rig up a complicated hydroponic system, we appreciate the way you always get the job done and done well.’
The warm words of praise steadied him. ‘I really appreciate the work and your faith in me. Your help with the build, I mean, shit. It was totally unexpected. I’m happy to do odd jobs. Hell, I’m just happy to be working. Being unemployed sucked.’
‘Would have been tough.’
‘Yeah.’
‘I get it,’ Adam mused. ‘A bloke’s gotta work. The good news is, there’s plenty more of that if you want it.’
Since Josh had installed the LED lighting in the greenhouse and planted a shed-load of tomato seedlings a few weeks earlier, he’d been back labouring for Scotty. Josh enjoyed the diversity of the work and the pay—cash and plenty of it. Up until now, he’d been content with being a casual but the week before he’d overheard Scotty and Adam discussing the eco-tourism resort. It sounded like it was close to getting off the ground and a project like that could be a game changer for him.
Josh bit the bullet. ‘Are you offering me a full-time job on the books?’
Adam took a thoughtful sip of his beer. ‘At this point, do you want that? It’d mean you earn a lot less.’
Josh’s father had been a factory-floor union rep throughout his career as a fitter and turner and Josh had grown up surrounded by conversations about the importance of workers’ rights. Many evening meals had been spent listening to his father discussing safe work environments, sick leave, holiday pay and superannuation.
Always remember, son, working cash-in-hand only benefits the bosses.
Then again, his father had never lost everything he’d ever owned in a fire and then been retrenched. The last twenty-two months had taken Josh’s well-entrenched views of security—both at home and work—and rendered them unrecognisable. Even so …
Adam seemed to sense Josh’s hesitation. ‘I’m only thinking of what’s best for you, Sophie and the kiddies right now. And that’s getting you out of this bastard shed and into the home you deserve. For that you’re gonna need as much dosh as you can get your hands on so cash works best. Doesn’t mean we can’t formalise arrangements down the track. You’re young and fit. Plenty of time to load up your super after the house is built, eh?’
Adam’s reassurance quietened the memory of his father’s insistent edicts, lessening Josh’s feelings that he was somehow a traitor to the union cause. ‘Yeah. Good idea.’
‘I’m glad we’re on the same page. Listen, Josh, I’ve got a bit of a favour. There’s a job needs doing on Monday.’
‘Something at your place?’ Given Adam’s reduced finger dexterity, Josh assumed it was a job that required fine motor skills.
‘No. Back at the vineyard.’
Josh stomach churned. ‘Did your sparky pick up a problem with my wiring?’
‘No, all good. Excellent, in fact. You impressed Ricky and that’s hard to do. This problem’s a bit complicated. You know how the supplier was late delivering the tomato plants? It’s put us right up against it, time wise. Trav’s running the lights twenty-four-seven to fast-track the crop. Watching that freaking electricity meter whirl makes me dizzy. I may as well be throwing hundred-dollar bills into the creek.’
Josh knew exactly how much electricity cost. It was one of their most expensive household bills. ‘I bet.’
‘I should charge the nursery a late fee to cover the costs.’ Adam sipped his beer. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Josh. God knows, I’m all about helping my community. Growing the tomatoes seemed like a good idea at the time but at this rate, getting them ripe and ready for the farmers markets and Put Myrtle on the Map day is going to send me out backwards. That’s where you come in.’
Josh didn’t follow. ‘I know sweet FA about tomatoes.’
‘But you know electricity. I need you to install a bypass for me. Just for this crop.’
A tingling whoosh shot along Josh’s spine. ‘A bypass is illegal.’
Adam nodded. ‘Sure. And I hate asking you. Under normal circumstances I’d never do it but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. The fires fucked Myrtle’s economy. No one in Spring Street gives a stuff about us. As far as they’re concerned, they’ve done their bit by throwing buildings at us and saddling us with a maintenance debt that’s currently bigger than our budget. It’s up to us to kickstart the town and get the money flowing again. If we don’t, she’s gonna die. I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared to have that happen on my watch and sometimes …’ He shrugged. ‘… Well sometimes, needs must.’
Josh’s brain was struggling to compute under the assault of alcohol and adrenaline but he heard Adam’s reasonable tone and accurate words. Josh couldn’t argue that Myrtle’s economy barely had a pulse and the government didn’t care. It was Adam’s solution that slipped and slid against everything Josh believed to be right and true.
‘Surely there’s another way to fix the problem. One that doesn’t involve stealing electricity?’
‘Stealing’s a bit strong, mate. It’s more of an interest-free loan just to get this first crop over the line. Believe me, I’ve thought about it every which way from Sunday but if we reduce the hours we run the lights, plant growth will slow. That means we’ll miss the peak tourist period and if that happens, I’m screwed. If I’m screwed, then Myrtle’s screwed, because I’ll be strapped for cash and it’ll put a filthy black cloud over the eco-tourism project. If that happens, there goes a whole heap of jobs, including yours.’
Josh’s scalp itched and he rubbed his head hard. ‘What about taking on another partner for the tomatoes?’
‘Partners expect profits. This project’s a labour of love for Myrtle, but even love’s got to break even, right? You see my dilemma?’ Adam’s gaze moved from the horizon to Josh. ‘Our dilemma, really.’
Josh swallowed around a fast-closing throat. Installing a bypass wasn’t just illegal—if it was discovered that he was the sparkie who’d done the job, he’d be charged with a criminal offence. ‘If the tomatoes are charity, can’t you get a grant to cover the power costs?’
‘A good idea, mate but again, no time.’ Adam sighed. ‘I can see I’ve made you uncomfortable.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Thing is, Josh, I want to see you right. You, Sophie and the kids deserve to be comfortable and installed in your house as soon as possible. If you want that, I can help make it happen. All I need from you is a show of good faith. Install the bypass and remove it in January. I’ll keep you off the books so there’s no paper trail leading back to you. No one else needs to know. Too easy.’
Too easy? Was he serious? Josh’s left leg trembled uncontrollably. ‘What about Scotty?’
‘This is nothing to do with Scotty. If you do this job for me, you’re not only cementing your place as an esteemed friend of Petrovic Family Homes, you’re committing to Myrtle.’ His scarred hand clapped Josh’s shoulder. ‘And I don’t know about you, Josh, but I didn’t survive that fire to lose the town two years later. Did you?’
The faint roar that had taken up residence in Josh’s head on the day of the fires kicked up a couple of notches. He’d lost a house and a job to that fire. It had saddled him with a mountain of debt, made him renege on his promise to Sophie that she could stay at home with the kids while they were little and it kept him tied to a town that was barely functioning. And now, just as everything seemed to be coming together for him and Sophie, it was all turning to shit again.
The buzzing in his head intensified and the choking scent of smoke in his nostrils dried his mouth. Fear threatened to drop him to his knees. He’d fought this fire so many times already, he’d be damned if was going to let it win again. The bypass was just a job.
One job.
‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’
‘Good man.’ Adam clinked his beer bottle against Josh’s. ‘That’s the spirit we need to put Myrtle on the map.’