That seemed to pique his interest. ‘Wow. Okay. What kind of work are you doing to the place? Besides gardening, I mean.’
She shrugged. ‘Just general maintenance. Small repairs. Giving it a bit of a facelift.’
Noah nodded. ‘Right, well, just so you know, besides delivering eggs and working on the family farm, I’ve got some experience in all of those things. I completed a roof carpentry apprenticeship back in the day and I’ve renovated a few houses now, so if you need any help or advice, I’m your guy.’
Those words did strange and unexpected things to her.
She swallowed, not without difficulty. ‘Uh, thank you. That’s good to know. And kind of you to offer.’
‘Anytime.’ He smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement, his hands still shoved deep in his pockets. She expected him to turn and leave, but he stood there a moment longer, his smile stretching wider.
Beth blinked and glanced away, unable to hold his gaze.
‘Okay, well, I’m gonna go.’ He stabbed a thumb over his shoulder. ‘More eggs to deliver and all that.’
‘Okay.’ She let her hands hang by her sides, finally giving up on the pretence of cleaning.
‘Have a nice day, Beth.’
‘You, too.’
She watched him walk away, then sagged against the nearest solid surface. Letting out a shaky breath, she inspected her trembling hands. Despite the intense, physical reaction happening in her body right now, she could still acknowledge that she’d managed to have a fairly normal conversation with an incredibly attractive, confident, self-assured man. The complete opposite of her, really, and not the sort of person she usually conversed with at length. Or at all.
Letting out a short, sharp burst of laughter, she touched her quivering fingers to her lips, recalled the way he’d checked in with her and offered to help with the house—not that she’d be taking him up on his offer. God, no. Her nerves couldn’t handle that. She’d make do with watching YouTube DIY tutorials. The internet was made for people like her—people who found it impossible to ask for help.
Still, she counted her exchange with Noah as a small success. Not one she wanted to repeat anytime soon … but perhaps she wouldn’t have to cross the street to avoid him next time.
CHAPTER
SIX
A few weeks later, Beth sat at the desk in her room at the B&B, her laptop open in front of her, and stared at the email in her inbox. She’d been putting off opening it all day. Given the potential magnitude of the news it contained, she hadn’t wanted to open it before work, but now she had no excuses. She figured one of two things was about to happen. Either she was going to open this email and discover that Vince O’Dwyer, executor of her aunt’s will, had his wires crossed … or she was about to find proof that Rosie had lied to her.
God, what had she been thinking, contacting the South Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages? She’d made a mistake and should just delete the email.
But the longer Beth sat there staring at it, the more suspicious she became.
No, she had to open it. If she didn’t, the not knowing would drive her crazy.
Touching a finger to the trackpad on her laptop, she hovered the pointer over the email’s subject line, took a deep breath and clicked.
She scanned the first part of the email, but it simply rehashed the information she’d provided during the application process. Scrolling further, she found what she was looking for:Dear Ms Sullivan, we regret to inform you that no record of your birth exists in the state of South Australia.
What the hell?
The words played on a loop in her head—no record of your birth exists, no record of your birth exists—getting louder and more volatile with each repetition. She tried to make sense of it. Jumping to her feet, she started pacing the room. What did thismean?
Rosie had told her that she’d been born in Adelaide.
Perhaps Rosie had simply got it wrong. She’d never stayed in one place for long, after all. Maybe she’d just incorrectly recalled which state she’d been living in when her only child had been born.
The thought left a bitter taste in Beth’s mouth. What kind of person would forget a detail like that?
The only other explanation, though, was that Rosie had intentionally deceived her.
This wasn’t fair! She shouldn’t be questioning her mother’s actions or motives right now. Not when she wasdead. But what choice did she have? The evidence was stacking up against her.
She shook with rage, her emotions boiling violently until she could no longer hold them in.
