Page 9 of Return to the Waratah Inn

Josh had made a steak and mashed potatoes. Easy comfort food. They sat at the small dining table by the back sliding door and chatted while they ate.

“Have they given you a date for the detective’s exam yet?” Bindi asked around a mouthful of potato.

Josh nodded. “It’s the eleventh of January. I wish I had more time to study, but I can’t do anything about that now.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” she replied. “You know, I was thinking, with you getting a promotion…”

“That’s not certain yet.”

“I know, but I’m sure you’ll get it. And after visiting Kate in the hospital, seeing baby Noah, it’s on my mind…”

“What is?” His brow furrowed.

“Having a baby. I want to have a baby. Don’t you?”

Josh blinked. “We’ve been married a little over a month.”

“It’s not long, I know that, but I’m twenty-nine years old. And Noah is so delicious, all I could think about when I saw him was that I want one of my own. It takes nine months to grow a baby—we’d be ready by then. We already have a house, and you’ll be making a better salary when you pass the exam. It’s the perfect time.”

He set down his fork and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think we should rush into it. We’re newlyweds—we should enjoy that for a while. Let’s talk about it again later.”

Bindi swallowed the hurt she felt. “You talk about kids all the time. You love kids. I thought you’d be excited to start a family right away. How long do you think we should wait?”

He reached for her hand and held it between his. “I do love kids, and I want children, but we’ve had so much going on in our lives. You’re in remission after pretty intensive cancer treatments. And I’m not ready to jump directly into the baby stage. Let’s catch our breath and discuss it in a year or so. There’s really no rush. Is there?”

“I suppose not. A year is fine. I guess I’ve got baby fever from spending time with Noah.”

“It sounds like it,” he said as he picked up his fork again.

She tapped her fingertips on the table. If she couldn’t have a baby yet, she needed something to aim for, something to give her a sense of direction and purpose. “Maybe I could go back to university, then.”

He jolted. “What? Why would you do that?”

“I’ve been wanting to learn more about hotel management, hospitality, accounting… as the manager at the inn, there’s so much I don’t know and have no experience with. Since we’re not going to have a baby yet, this is probably the best time for me to upskill.”

He grunted. “Won’t that be expensive?”

“I can put it on HECs. The government will let me pay it back over time, so it won’t cost us anything upfront.”

“It’s still a debt, Bindi. We can’t afford that, especially if you want to have babies as well.”

“It’s an investment,” she replied.

“Both of us studying at the same time?” He shook his head. “That seems like a recipe for disaster. When would we see each other?”

“We’ll make the time. It’ll be fine. I promise.”

He offered her a resigned smile. “Okay, I guess we’ll figure it out. You’re determined, huh?”

She replied with a firm nod.

“Great. I’ll wave to you when we pass in the hall in the middle of the night after falling asleep at our desks.”

“How romantic,” she teased.

Chapter Six

January 1998