was sitting, calm as you please, on Daniel’s foot. If she called out to the dog she’d draw attention to herself and—worst-case scenario—Lucy might stay seated at Daniel’s feet and ignore Charlotte.
No choice then. Heaving in another breath as her heart rate subsided, she climbed the stairs in front of her and padded cautiously down the walkway. She passed the closed beauty parlour, the empty toy shop and the grocer’s store but stopped a few metres short of Morelly’s. More people stood there than she’d seen in once place since the committee meeting. Must be something major to see this many townspeople out and about on a weekday afternoon.
‘Let’s listen to what Josh has to say,’ Daniel said, both hands raised, obviously trying to temper the reactions of the people in front of him, who were talking over each other, agitated, as though attempting to get their own opinion aired before someone else butted in.
‘What kind of mood is he in, Josh?’ Ethan stood between Josh and Daniel, his son in his arms.
Josh hooked his thumbs into the belt loops on his dark blue jeans. He had his shirt tucked neatly into the waistband and he wore a good leather belt. He’d been polite the two times Charlotte had met him and hadn’t come to any of the meetings or mentioned anything about colour schemes.
The Tillman twins were next to him, staring, arms folded as though waiting for him to make a mistake. During one of their rare keen-to-chat moments, they’d cornered Charlotte inside the stock feeders’ and spoken of Josh and their utter disappointment in him. Apparently he used to be a cool-dude type in his younger days but was growing more urbane and detached than either twin appreciated. Charlotte suspected it was more a case of the tall young man standing next to Ethan not being particularly interested in the retro-style attractions either of the twins offered. She couldn’t say the same for the grinning, sporty-looking blonde teenager who stood the other side of him. Gemma Munroe, the toy shop owner’s daughter. She opened the shop for a few hours at the weekends.
Josh cleared his throat and stepped away from the twins. He bumped Gemma’s shoulder, turned and apologised. She smirked up at him, made a quick remark and nudged him in the chest. Josh paused, then faced the town.
Despite her reticence about doing so, Charlotte stepped forwards in order to hear better.
‘He’s getting tetchy in the hospital,’ Josh said. ‘Told me he’d be mighty pleased if some schmuck from town could go get him sometime soon.’
Ethan laughed and Lachlan put his hand on his face and smiled. Ethan covered the boy’s hand with his own and planted a kiss on his sandy-coloured head, settling him against his shoulder: a picture-perfect show of unconditional love in the midst of a raucous mob, who also seemed to love them without reservation. A satisfying scene to view, if you were involved and included.
Charlotte was overcome with a memory of her gran loving her, guiding her and giving her strength until she wasn’t able to do so any longer. Even now, Charlotte felt their connection, like an aura that descended from above and gently surrounded her.
She caught Daniel’s eye.
He nodded down at Lucy, who still had her rump nestled on his foot, and winked at Charlotte, his grin so smug she nearly laughed. She gave him a rueful smile instead, but genuine amusement prodded the surface of it. She’d caught up with Lucy yesterday where Dan said she would, coming out of the back alley behind Kookaburra’s. She had a note tucked in to her collar: I don’t serve dogs not on a lead .
Charlotte couldn’t remember what a chuckle was, let alone a guffaw, but his note had made her laugh harder than she had in years. She hadn’t even giggled for over nine months. Sometimes that charm of his worked, and she admitted to a niggling doubt that he turned it on purposefully.
‘Grandy said he doesn’t want any fuss for his birthday
No choice then. Heaving in another breath as her heart rate subsided, she climbed the stairs in front of her and padded cautiously down the walkway. She passed the closed beauty parlour, the empty toy shop and the grocer’s store but stopped a few metres short of Morelly’s. More people stood there than she’d seen in once place since the committee meeting. Must be something major to see this many townspeople out and about on a weekday afternoon.
‘Let’s listen to what Josh has to say,’ Daniel said, both hands raised, obviously trying to temper the reactions of the people in front of him, who were talking over each other, agitated, as though attempting to get their own opinion aired before someone else butted in.
‘What kind of mood is he in, Josh?’ Ethan stood between Josh and Daniel, his son in his arms.
Josh hooked his thumbs into the belt loops on his dark blue jeans. He had his shirt tucked neatly into the waistband and he wore a good leather belt. He’d been polite the two times Charlotte had met him and hadn’t come to any of the meetings or mentioned anything about colour schemes.
The Tillman twins were next to him, staring, arms folded as though waiting for him to make a mistake. During one of their rare keen-to-chat moments, they’d cornered Charlotte inside the stock feeders’ and spoken of Josh and their utter disappointment in him. Apparently he used to be a cool-dude type in his younger days but was growing more urbane and detached than either twin appreciated. Charlotte suspected it was more a case of the tall young man standing next to Ethan not being particularly interested in the retro-style attractions either of the twins offered. She couldn’t say the same for the grinning, sporty-looking blonde teenager who stood the other side of him. Gemma Munroe, the toy shop owner’s daughter. She opened the shop for a few hours at the weekends.
Josh cleared his throat and stepped away from the twins. He bumped Gemma’s shoulder, turned and apologised. She smirked up at him, made a quick remark and nudged him in the chest. Josh paused, then faced the town.
Despite her reticence about doing so, Charlotte stepped forwards in order to hear better.
‘He’s getting tetchy in the hospital,’ Josh said. ‘Told me he’d be mighty pleased if some schmuck from town could go get him sometime soon.’
Ethan laughed and Lachlan put his hand on his face and smiled. Ethan covered the boy’s hand with his own and planted a kiss on his sandy-coloured head, settling him against his shoulder: a picture-perfect show of unconditional love in the midst of a raucous mob, who also seemed to love them without reservation. A satisfying scene to view, if you were involved and included.
Charlotte was overcome with a memory of her gran loving her, guiding her and giving her strength until she wasn’t able to do so any longer. Even now, Charlotte felt their connection, like an aura that descended from above and gently surrounded her.
She caught Daniel’s eye.
He nodded down at Lucy, who still had her rump nestled on his foot, and winked at Charlotte, his grin so smug she nearly laughed. She gave him a rueful smile instead, but genuine amusement prodded the surface of it. She’d caught up with Lucy yesterday where Dan said she would, coming out of the back alley behind Kookaburra’s. She had a note tucked in to her collar: I don’t serve dogs not on a lead .
Charlotte couldn’t remember what a chuckle was, let alone a guffaw, but his note had made her laugh harder than she had in years. She hadn’t even giggled for over nine months. Sometimes that charm of his worked, and she admitted to a niggling doubt that he turned it on purposefully.
‘Grandy said he doesn’t want any fuss for his birthday
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