Someone Like You(30)

     



 

Harri grabbed another biscuit from the packet. 'That's good news, Joe,  because I want the skinny on what's really been going on in New South  Wales politics. I've been reading your column online and I don't know if  I agree with your take on the next election.'

Lizzie hopped up when the kettle boiled and made herself a tea, then  refreshed Harri's and Joe's. She watched them talk without taking in any  of it. She could see by the look on Harri's face that someone else in  Middle Point would enjoy having Joe home, too.

As for her, having Joe home would help her keep her mind off Dan. Yes,  she thought as she sipped her tea, Christmas might not be so bad after  all.

Julia closed the guest bedroom door behind her with a quiet click. She  and Ry had managed to get Anna up the stairs, in between more moaning  and an emergency trip to the bathroom to throw up. Julia figured she  needed to sleep it off and convinced Anna and Dan that the guest bedroom  here was a lot nicer than Dan's bedroom. She was willing to lay money  on it that he didn't even have any clean sheets.

Once Ry had left the room, she'd sat Anna gently down on the edge of the  bed, peeled off her jeans and tucked her up, dropping the blind to give  her the cover of darkness.

'Julia, I'm so sorry. This is not me, I swear.' Anna could barely open her eyes and a plump pillow muffled her voice.

Julia smiled, touched her shoulder. 'Get some sleep. You'll feel better.'

'I owe you.'

'Ssshhh now. You don't owe me anything.'

Anna managed to open her eyes, squinted at Julia. 'Tell Lizzie to be  patient,' she croaked. 'I'm think he's in love with her. He just doesn't  know it yet.'

Julia's ears pricked up. She desperately wanted to know more but  pondered the ethics of picking the brain of someone who was possibly  still drunk or, at least, seriously hungover. That silent debate raged  in her head for about half a second.

'Is he really?'

Anna's eyes fluttered closed.

'Anna?'

Damn it. She'd fallen asleep.

Ry threw a piece of bacon into his mouth, straight from the frypan, then  swiped his hands on his shorts. 'Hey, Dan, another coffee?'

'Make it a long black,' Dan sighed. 'Double strength.'

Ry got the coffee machine steaming again. 'You said the tables and  chairs are arriving this week? Does that mean it'll be finished by next  weekend?'

Dan wondered how many cups of coffee that thing could make without  blowing a fuse. 'Should be. I know Lizzie's been on the phone,  organising people for the first market, the Sunday before Christmas.  She's had a good response so far.'

Ry handed Dan his coffee. 'Good. You two have done a great job with it.'

'Yeah, thanks.'

'We need a name for it though. We can't keep calling it "the car park".'

'And beer garden doesn't seem right for the family crowd we're after,' Dan added.

'No.' Ry crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his chin to Dan. 'Hey. I need to ask you something.'

'What's that?'

'Will you stand up for me as best man at the wedding?'

Dan shrugged. 'Sure.'

Julia sat on the top step of the stairs, out of sight of the two men,  eavesdropping on the conversation. It wasn't spying, she'd reasoned, as  she tucked a curl behind her ear. And at the one word reply from Dan,  she propped her chin in her hands and let the relief flood over her.  After months of waiting and judging the right time, Ry had just gone  with it. He and Dan didn't need a big deep and meaningful discussion  about their friendship. The question was asked and answered.

Julia knew this was a big step for Dan. A warm buzz flitted in her  stomach. Things were coming together nicely. She would finally be able  to organise a fantastic party to celebrate the beginning of her life  with Ry.

But there were some way more urgent matters to take care of first.

'Joe, tell me. Really. Who needs Bondi when you can have this?' Lizzie  spread her arms wide and spun around on the sand, turning circles like a  playful child, laughing at her good fortune. She'd figured Joe needed  to dip his feet into the Southern Ocean again after so many years of the  Pacific, so she'd dragged him out of bed early. The morning sun was  still low in the sky, shadowing the hills to the east. A light wind blew  off the water and they were alone. Maybe there was an old man with a  dog in the distance, and a few gulls, but that was it.

Space. Freedom. Fresh air. Middle Point in a nutshell.

'Bondi's not bad, Lizzie. Hugh Jackman swims there when he's in Sydney, you know.'         

     



 

Lizzie snorted. 'While that does give Bondi some bonus points, I'll  admit, he's there with thousands of other people and a million  paparazzi. What good is it when you can't see the sand for beach towels  and tourists?'

Joe fell into an easy rhythm beside her. He knew there was no point in  arguing. Sydney held no attractions for his sister. He'd tried during  the years to convince her to fly over, especially at Christmas, to spend  it with him and Jasmine so she wouldn't be alone. But she'd claimed the  pub couldn't do without her and had never made it. Funny, the pub had  also been mysteriously busy on most weekends and in the middle of winter  too. He would have liked to show off Sydney to her, introduce her to  his friends, but he'd never got the chance.

'And Joe? I bet you don't run into your best friend when you're on Bondi  beach.' Lizzie jogged along in front of him and waved to a couple  approaching in the distance.

Her best friend? That could only mean one person. Julia Jones. He  watched the two women hug. As they approached, he could see Julia's  beaming smile.

'Joe!' She enveloped him in a warm embrace and planted a smacking kiss  on his left cheek. 'Look at you!' She eyed him up and down. 'Just as  gorgeous as ever.

'Well, well. If it isn't Julia Jones.' Joe tousled her hair. 'It seems the evil twins of Middle Point have been reunited.'

'I can vouch for that.' The bloke standing next to Julia held out his  hand. 'Ryan Blackburn. I've succumbed to the charms of the more evil of  the two.'

His handshake was solid. 'I'm Joe. Good to meet you.'

'Ry's my boss, Joe. He bought the pub six months ago. Made me manager.'

'How long are you and Jasmine here for?' Julia asked.

'It's just me on my lonesome, I'm sorry to say,' Joe said with a shrug.

'Jasmine couldn't get away,' Lizzie added. 'She's back in Sydney, but Joe is here at least until New Year, aren't you Joe?'

He nodded, glad Lizzie had answered that complicated question for him.

'Brilliant!' Julia clapped her hands together. 'You have to come to our  place for Christmas dinner. We're having a casual thing, dress beach  style. It's our first real Christmas together.' She gazed at Ry. 'We  have a lot to celebrate this year.'

'We hope you come,' Ry added as he slipped an arm around Julia's shoulders. 'Lizzie's family is our family.'

'Thanks, that sounds great,' Joe replied.

'We'll see you,' Julia called as they continued walking. 'Can't wait to hear what you've been up to in Sydney.'

Joe gave them a casual wave and turned his attention out to the sea. He  hadn't been out in the waters of Middle Point for such a long time. Too  many years to count; a lifetime.

'You okay?' Joe turned to see Lizzie staring at him.

He shook it off. 'Fine. But you dragged me out of bed so early I haven't had coffee. Need one. Now.'

For the next few days, Lizzie kept busy at work during the day and spent  time with Joe at night. They'd pulled out old photo albums and laughed  at themselves as children. Lizzie had cried over photos of their mother  and grandmother, while Joe patted her on the shoulder consolingly and  remained stoic. Just like old times, they'd even argued about using the  bathroom and who was responsible for the wet towels on the floor.

At the pub, things were beginning to hot up for the Christmas holiday  season. From mid-December on, the holidaymakers began arriving. The grey  nomads were filling the town's caravan park and on hot city days, the  day-trippers took the short drive to the haven of the waves and the  cooling breezes. At the end of the day, they'd pack their sunshades,  bodyboards and wet towels into the car and head up to the pub for a  meal. The next step was tucking the kids up in the back seat in hope  that they'd fall into exhausted sleep on the drive back home to the  suburbs.

Lizzie hadn't spoken to Dan since the morning they'd run into each other  at Ry and Julia's. She'd heard from Julia that Dan had driven Anna's  car  –  and Anna  –  back to Adelaide late on the same day that Joe had  arrived. Julia told her Anna had been embarrassed beyond words at her  behaviour and had promised to make it up to them. She'd sent a huge  bunch of flowers to Julia and Ry as an apology.

Dan had reverted to project managing by text message, which was fine by  Lizzie. The paving was complete and the tables and chairs had arrived,  just as he'd said they would, and the delivery guys had stashed them in  the storage shed. Dan had texted her to say an electrician would be on  site in the afternoon to connect some extra power for the stallholders  at the market. Her day off came and went with no mention of the lunch  he'd promised her. It was as if he'd never asked. Instead, she slept in  late, took her bodyboard down to the beach for an hour, then drove into  Victor Harbor to buy Christmas presents. She even bought a little  plastic tree and some shiny silver baubles to decorate it. It would make  her home feel more like Christmas this year.