He bent to kiss her cheek. ‘You haven’t changed a bit,’ he said, then turned to the blonde woman hovering beside him wearing a surprised smile. ‘Sorry, darling. This is Mia Petros. We worked in the same office back in the dark ages. Mia, this is Debra, my partner.’
‘Not quite that long, James.’ Mia held out her hand with her own surprised smile. Could she be Arlo’s Debra?
‘Are you a local?’ Debra asked.
‘No, I’m finalising my father’s estate. He lived here but he died last year.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry to hear that, Mia,’ James said. ‘Are you still in Sydney?’
‘Yes. Are you?’ But she knew they were.
‘Yes, I’m an adviser on the personal staff of the NSW treasurer. How about you?’
Debra intervened before Mia could reply. ‘We should sit down, James, we’re in the way of the waitress.’
‘Oh yes, right. Are you here alone, Mia?’
‘James, come on.’ Debra all but tugged on his arm. She sent Mia a little, apologetic smile. ‘Sorry.’
‘Yes, I am alone. Talk to you later.’
James Baxter. Must be ten years since they worked together. He was with someone else back then. A red-haired girl he couldn’t stop talking about. Better not ask what happened to her. Now he was a de facto stepfather and seemed to get on well with Arlo and presumably the son. That was good. James was a decent man.
Betty brought the spring rolls.
‘You know those people?’ she asked. ‘That’s Arlo’s ex-wife.’
‘I wondered if she was. I used to work with James, her partner.’
‘They book for four so Arlo and the boy come soon. He’s come to live with his father.’
‘Yes, Arlo told me.’ She hid a smile. She could hold her own in this information exchange and had added to the accumulation of knowledge by admitting she knew James. No harm in that spreading around town.
‘Here they are.’
Betty hurried to the door to greet the newcomers. Riley was up to his father’s ear already and would probably draw level and more in a few years’ time. He had the same unruly straw-coloured hair and blue eyes but his features were more like his mother. A handsome boy, he looked awkward in his gangly body as he took off his parka in the warm restaurant.
Arlo glanced her way and raised a hand in greeting, his eyes lingering for a moment but the smile on his face was all pride and happiness at having his son by his side. Mia smiled back, warmth prickling her neck.
Riley led the way to their table with Arlo following. She wasn’t the only person he knew in the restaurant of course, he had to stop and exchange words with someone on every other table he passed but she’d bet she was the only one he’d kissed—apart from Debra. The thought made her hot and she drank water, the glass cool under her fingers, the liquid sliding down her throat, distracting her from Arlo’s lips and how his touch felt gentle on her cheeks.
Arlo’s group was still eating by the time she’d finished her meal so she tried to make an inconspicuous exit. James wasn’t letting her escape however. While she waited at the counter for Betty to tot up her bill he appeared at her elbow.
‘Arlo said you’re staying at The Crown too,’ he said. ‘Have a drink with us later. We’ll be finished here in half an hour. I’d love to catch up.’
She kept her eyes firmly on his face, away from Arlo. ‘Do the others mind? What about Riley?’
‘He’s fine. It’s not late and Arlo can take him home if he gets tired.’ The brakes already on his time and his desires. She reined in those thoughts. Riley was his son, she was a passing fancy. No contest and she wouldn’t make it one.
‘It’s pretty noisy over there … I think they won the football match and there’s a band.’
‘We’ll squeeze in. Arlo said there’s a quieter room than the main bar. The Ladies Lounge.’
‘Gosh, a Ladies Lounge, that’s a throwback. Okay. I’ll meet you there.’
The street was empty when she stepped out into the chill. Light, misty rain clung to her face and beaded on her coat and she wound her new scarf snugly around her neck. A good buy despite the saleswoman and her attitude, the wool was soft and warm and a lovely dark forest green.
She crossed the road and walked the half block to The Crown. A couple of cars went by and then a motorbike purred past, slowly as though he was looking for an address. The black helmet turned her way, lingered. Didn’t envy him although he was well rugged up in his black leathers, scarf, gloves and helmet. The engine sounds died away replaced by shouts and laughter from the hotel. Eight-thirty and the celebrations were just warming up, with the band belting out ‘Start Me Up’. Could be a noisy night in her room.
Upstairs she hung up her coat, used the bathroom and examined her reflection while amplified thuds from the bass reverberated in the floor beneath her feet. Stray hairs combed into place, teeth brushed and lipstick reapplied, she went downstairs to find the Ladies Lounge. A polished wood door with glass panels had the name in old-fashioned curling gold lettering. The room was quieter than the main bar with the edge taken off the band, now on ‘Twist and Shout’, and almost full. She bought a glass of wine and hovered at the bar but claimed a table when a group pushed their chairs back noisily and headed for the door.
Arlo and his son came in first, saw her and threaded their way between the tables.
‘Hi, Mia, this is Riley.’ Arlo smiled proudly.
‘Hello, Riley. Nice to meet you.’ Mia held out her hand and the boy flushed and put his chilled one in hers briefly.
‘Sit down, Riley, and I’ll get us a drink.’
Arlo flashed Mia another smile, hung his jacket on a chair and hurried away. Riley sat down awkwardly then stood to remove his parka.
‘Much colder than Sydney, isn’t it?’ Mia said. ‘I had to buy a beanie and a scarf today.’
He smiled and sat down. ‘I’ve got a beanie but it’s in my suitcase.’
‘You’ll have to unpack that quick smart. Where in Sydney do you live?’
‘Cheltenham.’ North shore, houses in leafy gardens.
‘Nice. I’m in Balmain.’
‘Do you have a terrace house? They’re cool.’
‘Yes. I’ve lived there since I was a kid. How do you think you’ll go in your dad’s place? It’s pretty small.’
‘Have you been there?’ A flicker of interest lit his eyes.
‘Yes.’ She wasn’t about to explain how often and why, that was Arlo’s job. ‘I hear you want to be a journalist.’
‘Yes.’
‘What area interests you?’
‘I don’t know exactly.’
‘I imagine there are heaps of things you could get into now with the online thing.’
‘I want to do something really worthwhile like Dad did. Investigate corruption and injustice,’ he said with a spurt of energy animating his voice.
‘There’s plenty of that in the world.’
‘Exactly.’
‘We certainly need people to hold politicians to account.’
He nodded enthusiastically.
‘It can be dangerous,’ Mia said. ‘Speaking out.’
‘Yes, but if someone doesn’t then the evil people triumph.’
‘You’re right. Your dad was good at speaking out.’
‘Did you know about him before you came here?’
‘I remembered his name from things I’d read or heard on the news. Vaguely though.’
Arlo placed a glass of sparkling water and a red wine on the table. ‘What are you two talking about so intently?’
Mia glanced at Riley. He smirked and said, ‘You.’
She picked up her own glass and took a sip, avoiding Arlo’s eye.
‘I don’t blame you,’ Arlo said. ‘I’m fascinating.’
Riley groaned.
‘Where are James and Debra?’ asked Mia.
‘Mum needed the bathroom,’ said Riley.
‘How late does the band play?’ Mia turned to Arlo.
‘About eleven-thirty or midnight, I think.’
‘Gosh.’
‘What are you going to do tomorrow?’ asked Arlo.
‘Nothing much. There’s jazz here in the afternoon. I might come in for that. What else is happening?’
‘I’m hanging out with Sam tomorrow afternoon, Dad,’ said Riley.
‘Are you? What about unpacking your gear?’
‘There’s no rush, is there?’
‘S’pose not. As long as you can find what you need for school on Monday.’
‘Yeah.’
‘But you can’t leave those bags in the living room.’
‘They won’t fit in my room.’
‘Maybe we should find somewhere bigger to live.’
‘Cool. Where?’
‘Mia’s house is available.’ Arlo looked at Mia. She remained silent. Not her discussion.
‘We need three bedrooms and I’d really like an ensuite.’
Arlo laughed. ‘Not going to happen, mate. Not here.’
‘Sam’s house has an ensuite in every bedroom.’
‘His parents spent a fortune renovating that place,’ said Arlo. ‘Most people in town don’t have that kind of money. The houses are old. Some probably still have outside toilets complete with spiders.’
‘Dad!’
‘They did a good job on the hotel. My room is lovely,’ said Mia.
‘There’s Mum.’ Riley waved an arm to attract her attention as she and James hovered in the doorway scanning the crowd.
Arlo borrowed a spare chair from the next table and shuffled his chair closer to Mia to make space.
James sat on her other side with Debra between him and Riley.
‘I’ll get drinks.’ Arlo was on his feet. Mia shook her head at his questioning glance.
‘Beer and a mineral water, thanks,’ James said.
He turned to Mia and launched into a barrage of questions about old work colleagues and her current situation while Debra and Riley talked quietly across the table. Arlo returned but James barely broke stride in his explanation of his current position.
‘My minister is on the lookout for new staff if you ever want to change jobs,’ he said.
‘Thanks, but I’m happy where I am. I haven’t thought about leaving at all.’
Arlo listened to Mia and James discussing a world he was totally unfamiliar with and happy to remain so. They were both obviously highly skilled in corporate finance and the wheeling and dealings that go on between companies and politicians but unless it involved corruption and illegal activity he couldn’t raise any interest. Mia assumed a different persona in James’s company. She was in her element, confident, opinionated and knowledgeable. What on earth could she see in him, a messy, casually dressed journalist in a tiny rural town where the main stories were wedding anniversaries and potholes?
He liked James and was happy Debra had found a good man who loved her and Riley. But Mia belonged in that world too and very soon would be back there surrounded by the smartly dressed movers and shakers like James. He sighed and downed red wine.
‘Tired?’ Debra leaned across Riley with a smile.
‘A bit. I spent most of the day clearing space for Riley’s gear.’
‘Dad reckons we’re moving to Mia’s house,’ said Riley.
‘But isn’t that …’ Debra stopped short.
‘She’s having renovations done,’ said Arlo quickly before Riley could ask what she meant.
‘I know what happened there,’ Riley said in a long-suffering voice. ‘Everyone does.’
Arlo caught Debra’s eye. Of course he did. Kids talked and when it happened it was the sole topic of conversation in town for months.
Mia and James had stopped talking and started listening.
‘That would be a good solution,’ said James. ‘Too easy.’ He smiled happily. ‘Saves everyone a lot of hassle.’
‘How much rent do you want, Mia?’ asked Arlo with a grin.
‘I’ve no idea. Carl will manage it for me. I don’t want to be involved when the roof leaks or the toilet gets blocked.’ She looked at Riley. ‘It’s inside, don’t worry.’
‘We should go up soon, honey,’ said James. ‘I’m getting tired. It was a long drive.’
‘Yes. I’m ready,’ Debra said. She stood up. ‘Come and say goodbye to us, Riley.’
‘I’ll wait here with Mia,’ said Arlo. He rose and gave Debra a kiss and shook hands with James. ‘Don’t worry, Riley and I will be fine,’ he said.
When they’d gone Arlo sat twirling the stem of his wine glass between thumb and forefinger. Mia had finished her wine.
‘Would you like another drink?’ he asked.
‘No, thanks.’
‘Mia … I really …’ He stopped, conscious of her dark eyes focused on his face. He wanted to close the space between them, a gap which seemed to have widened this evening to a distance greater than ever before. He wanted to kiss her again but didn’t dare touch her hand for fear of the feelings it might unleash. He wouldn’t be able to let go.
‘It wouldn’t work, would it?’ she said softly.
‘It could.’
‘I don’t see how. You have your life here and I have my life there. You have another priority at the moment too.’
Words eluded him. Everything she said was correct and irrefutable. Everything she said hurt more than he believed possible. How could that be after knowing her less than a week?
‘Would you like it to work?’ he asked.
She ran her tongue over her lips. And nodded. ‘But I don’t want to come and live here.’
‘I know.’
After a few moments he said, ‘I still want to follow the story. I think there’s a whole lot going on there.’
‘It could get dangerous if what we think happened really did happen.’ Her expression changed. ‘Don’t stir something up, especially with Riley here.’
‘I’ll be careful.’
She smiled. ‘Good.’
‘When can I see you?’
‘Monday?’
‘Would it be all right if I took Riley round to look at the house? That is, if you’re serious about renting it to us for the rest of the year.’
‘I might as well, seeing as there’s a tenant eager to move in.’
Arlo grimaced. ‘I wouldn’t say keen. I spent the day lugging boxes of stuff into the shed so moving it again won’t be much fun.’
‘You won’t have to move much to my place. I can leave the furniture if you like. The charity people haven’t picked it up yet. I can tell them not to come.’
‘That would be handy. I’ll have a look tomorrow.’ He didn’t have time to mess around moving house, there was still work to be done on the main story. ‘I’ve got to concentrate on the paper this coming week.’
‘There’s no rush. The work needs to be finished first.’
‘And then you’ll leave.’
She nodded. ‘You can call me if you find out anything about my father.’
‘I’ll call you anyway.’
Mia looked past him and smiled. Riley sat down.
‘Ready to go?’ Arlo asked.
‘I’m okay.’
‘Want to look at my house tomorrow?’ Mia asked.
Riley’s face brightened. ‘Sure.’
He was probably hoping there were still bloodstains on the floor.
‘Mia said she’d leave the furniture.’
‘Good. I bet it’s better than yours.’
‘It sure is,’ said Mia. ‘That couch of his nearly swallowed me whole.’
Riley grinned. ‘It’s like camping.’
‘Come on, it’s not that bad. You wanted to come and live here. You knew the conditions.’
‘Yeah. But you have to admit it’s pretty rough.’
‘No, I don’t. You don’t know what rough is …’ He felt Mia’s eyes on him and stopped. Neither the time nor the place. It never would be. What happened was finished and over with.
***
Mia went down to the dining room in time for breakfast the following morning. According to Meg, the hotel receptionist, she’d been the only guest when she checked in on Thursday. James and Debra would have left early this morning but now two men sat at separate tables, one concentrating on buttering toast, the other reading a newspaper. Three other tables had places laid. The football yesterday must have drawn guests.
The toast eater looked across as she entered the dining room, a brief assessment. Physically he was unremarkable, forgettable. Pale blue eyes, greying hair and an expressionless face added to the aura of a man who left no mark behind as he passed through life. A thin, unused-looking smile appeared.
‘Good morning.’ The voice was unexpectedly ordinary and friendly.
She managed a smile. ‘Morning.’ She sat at the nearest table with a place set, between the two men, and waited for the server.
The other man, on her right, younger with receding dark hair, glanced up but didn’t speak.
‘Are you here for long?’ asked toast man.
‘I’m not sure. Are you?’
‘No.’
She nodded. Fortunately the swing door to the kitchen opened and a blonde teenage girl bustled in to deposit a plate of sausages and bacon in front of the paper reader and take her order.
‘There was a frost last night,’ toast man said when she’d gone.
‘It’s been cold.’
‘What brings you to town?’ He picked up his cup and drank. ‘The game yesterday?’
‘No, it’s personal business.’ Who was this man? He seemed intent on talking. No way was she discussing her affairs with him, or anything else. Was she being overly jittery? Rude? She smiled to smooth the reply.
‘I see.’ He must have taken the hint because he returned to his neglected breakfast.
The waitress reappeared with the coffee and while she sipped, Mia checked her phone for messages. Nothing that couldn’t wait and nothing from Arlo. Not that there would be, she’d seen him a matter of hours ago and he had Riley to attend to and work to do on the paper today. He had no time for her.
With her peripheral vision she saw the chatty man push his chair back and stand up. ‘Take care,’ he said. ‘Goodbye, Joel.’
‘Goodbye, Lucian.’ It came from her left.
She looked up. They know each other?
‘Goodbye,’ she said but he was already opening the door and the next moment he’d gone.
She looked at the other man. Joel. He wasn’t eating, he was watching her as though she was a specimen in a science lab and his little smile was one of quiet satisfaction.