Page 14 of Return to the Waratah Inn

Chapter Eight

January 1998

Tweed Heads

“This is a terrible idea,” Reeda said as Duncan parked the Porsche outside the tennis centre at Arkinstall Park.

“What? Why would you say that?” Duncan asked as he peered through the top of the windscreen at the downpour. “Who doesn’t want to play tennis in flooding rains?”

Reeda covered her face with her hands. “We should cancel.”

“I think it’s a bit late now.” He pointed at Bindi and Josh’s car as it pulled into the lot and parked beside them.

Reeda climbed out of the car, readjusting her white pleated tennis skirt. She’d bought it recently in the hopes it would motivate her to play more often. She enjoyed tennis, but she often felt too tired to set up a game. They’d planned this game for the past three weeks, and now it was raining so heavily that she could barely see the courts.

She could hear Bindi’s laughter over the roar as her sister stepped onto the asphalt. “Whose idea was this?”

Reeda shook her head. “Mine, I think. I was feeling inspired. Did you see that Leyton Hewitt beat Andre Agassi today?”

“So, you have grand plans for us, then? Because I have bad news…” Bindi teased as she held up her tennis racket.

The rain eased, and the four of them made their way over to the court. There was a break in the clouds, and a little blue sky peeped through. They settled onto the court with a warm-up. Reeda hadn’t played in months and was feeling rusty. She missed more balls than she hit, but by the time they started the game, she was feeling better and found the mark more often.

She’d purchased a mobile phone recently. It felt strange to carry a phone around with her wherever she went, and she often forgot and left it at home. For a few days, it’d sat on the kitchen bench with a dead battery because she hadn’t gotten around to charging it. But now, it rang in her purse on the side of the court under a small shelter.

With one hand up to halt the play, she jogged over to the sidelines.

“Come on, Reeda!” Duncan patted his racket in exasperation. “We’re just getting going.”

“Won’t be a moment. Sorry, I’m expecting a call.”

Her heart jittered in her chest as she fished around in her purse for the phone. She pulled it out and pressed it to her ear.

“Hi, this is Reeda.”

“Reeda, it’s Noreen calling from the Department of Community Services.”

“Hi, Noreen. How are you?”

“I’m well, thanks. As we discussed last time we spoke, I’ve been processing your application to foster children in New South Wales, and I wanted to update you on how that’s going.”

“Great. I’m all ears.”

“I wanted to let you know that I’ve filed your paperwork to get the application process started for fostering. Once we’ve completed the steps involved, including an assessment of your home, I’ll add you to our program, and you should expect to receive your first placement soon after that.”

“Really? Wow.” Reeda didn’t know what to say. Blood rushed to her head and made it spin. “Is there anything else for me to do right now?”

“You’ll receive a letter in the mail detailing next steps. But I thought you might like to know before that. I’ll speak to you soon.”

As Reeda hung up the phone, she turned to look at the others who shot her quizzical looks. The rain returned in a downpour that drowned out any conversation within seconds. Huge, fat drops of rain thundered into the sodden earth around her.

Duncan jogged over to where she stood. “It’s pointless trying to play today. Let’s go home.”

Bindi and Josh joined them in the tiny shelter.

“We could rent a movie and get some food,” Bindi suggested.

“Let’s go back to our place,” Reeda said. “There’s a great fish-and-chip restaurant down the street, and it’s not far from here. Plus, I have wine chilling.”