Page 39 of Return to the Waratah Inn

They grinned at one another.

Ten minutes later, all of the children emerged from the bedroom to the kitchen. They stood quietly waiting. Reeda ushered them to the dining table and set plates of steaming food in front of them.

“I hope you all like sausages.”

There was no response, but before long, all three of them had devoured the food on their plates and drank their full glasses of fruit cordial. Reeda refilled the cordial and the food, and they ate that as well, finally slowing as their plates cleared.

All the while, Reeda and Duncan chatted to them and to one another without much to indicate the children had heard them. It worried Reeda that they were so quiet and withdrawn. What had they been through? She had no idea, and it wasn’t likely they’d tell her. But she hoped they’d eventually open up at least a little bit. By the end of the meal, she was glad it was over and they could all go to bed.

“You must’ve been hungry,” Reeda remarked as she cleared the plates. “Every single one has been cleaned. I have dessert, too! Ice cream with Ice Magic. Have you ever had Ice Magic before? It hardens when it lands on the ice cream.”

Simone shook her head. Carly grinned widely and kicked her feet under the table with excitement. Marc showed the first hint of interest she’d seen from him all evening. Ice cream, it seemed, was the magic. She spooned it into bowls and poured on the topping.

As they ate the ice cream, they finally started to engage in conversation with one another. They continued to ignore Reeda and Duncan, but at least they looked more relaxed. She was happy about that. After dinner, the three children cleared the dishes without being asked. Simone offered to wash up.

“Oh, sweetie, I’ll do that tonight. You must all be so tired. Get some rest, and maybe you can do the dishes for us tomorrow night. I’d really appreciate that.”

Simone dipped her head in acknowledgement and guided the smaller kids back to the bedroom. Reeda heard them turn on a shower.

“Should I go back there?” she asked, wringing her hands together. “Does a six-year-old need adult supervision with showering?”

Duncan raised both eyebrows. “No idea. But I guess they’ll ask if they need help… I’m sure Simone can handle it.”

“You’re probably right.”

“We’ll figure all of this out,” Duncan reassured her with one hand on her arm.

She shook her head. “There should be a book or something.”

“I’m sure there are thousands of parenting books. Not likely they’d help in this particular situation, though.”

Reeda rinsed off the plates and slipped them into the dishwasher.

By the time she and Duncan had cleaned up the kitchen, the shower had stopped. Reeda returned to the bedroom and knocked on the door before opening it. All three kids were wearing the pyjamas she’d bought for them. They fit pretty well, although Simone’s were a little big on her. She was a petite twelve-year-old.

“Ready for bed?” Reeda asked, coming into the room and helping put away Carly and Marc’s clothes in the dirty clothes basket she’d tucked into the wardrobe. “How about a bedtime story first?”

“What do you mean?” Simone asked as she climbed onto her bed covers.

“I thought I could read to you from one of these books. Would that be okay?”

“You’re gonna read to us?” Carly asked as she scrambled over to the edge of her bed.

“If you like.”

“Yes, please,” Marc replied, while Carly nodded vigorously.

“Okay, here’s my favourite childhood book. It’s called The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Nope.” Simone pulled back her covers and climbed beneath the sheets.

“Everyone into bed, and I’ll read Chapter One,” Reeda said as she helped tuck in first Marc, and then Carly. The children were fresh-faced and clean, with damp hair and eager expressions. It made Reeda’s heart sing to see them so excited to hear a story. Duncan sat with his back pressed up against Carly’s bed frame, knees bent.

Reeda lowered herself down beside him and opened the book. As she read, she was transported back to a time when her own mother had read this very same dog-eared book to her and her sisters every night. She’d loved imagining a fantastical place where there was a new world at the top of an enormous tree every time the children climbed it. When she was a kid, she’d dreamed of stumbling into the land of goodies—with fences made of marshmallows, ice cream trees and lollypop bushes. It seemed like the most wonderful place anyone could imagine at the time. It still made her mouth water even now.

As she finished reading the first chapter, she glanced over to see that Carly was sound asleep. Marc was close. Simone was on her side, staring at the wall. Reeda kissed Carly’s cheek, patted Marc’s hand, and then knelt beside Simone.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “Have a good night’s sleep. You can wake me if you need anything at all. Okay?”