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Annabelle opened her mouth to tell Kate that it was none of her business and that sheshouldbutt out, but she hesitated, realising Kate was right. Annabelle did love Ron, as surprising as it might seem considering they’d met less than a month ago. But when you know, you know, right? Ron was the polar opposite of Troy. He was everything her ex-husband was not, everything she’d wished Troy had been. If someone asked her to describe her perfect man, the person she’d describe would be Ron – he was considerate, thoughtful, kind, undemanding, passionate (oh, yeah, he was passionate, all right), and dependable. And he was as sexy as hell.
So what was holding her back? If what Kate said was true and he loved her, what was she waiting for?
There was one thing she could think of…
***
‘How do you feel about living in this house?’ Annabelle asked Jake and Izzie after dinner that evening.
She had persuaded her parents to let her be the one to break the news to them, not wanting her mum and dad to be upset if Jake went off on one. Being told that this house was to be their permanent home might relight the fuse of his anger as he understood once and for all that they weren’t going back to Australia, and she wanted to try to manage his reaction. Her mum and dad were excited about their new home and what they were doing for Annabelle and the children, and she didn’t want Jake to take his disappointment out on them. She guessed he might still be harbouring a faint hope that they would go back, and this news would definitely burst his bubble.
‘It’s OK,’ Jake shrugged.
‘How about if Granny and Grandad live somewhere else and we have it all to ourselves?’
Another shrug. Jake didn’t appear to be very interested.
Izzie, however, was. ‘Where will they live?’ she asked.
‘Granny wants to go and live in an apartment nearer the sea,’ Annabelle explained.
‘How much nearer?’
‘A street away.’
Jake looked up. ‘Cool.’ The news regarding the location had caught his attention, and she guessed he was thinking about surfing.
Brighton wasn’t renowned for its waves, but it did have a small, thriving surfing community, and although the weather was often damp and the sea was invariably colder than in Cairns, at least Jake was able to go in the water without the fear of crocodiles – so there was that. And the best time of year to catch a decent wave was in the winter, which would soon be upon them.
‘I’ll move into Granny and Grandad’s room,’ she continued, ‘Jake will stay in the room you’re sharing now, and Izzie can have my room. What do you think about that, Izzie?’
‘Can it be pink?’ she asked. ‘And can we have a dog?’
Eh? What? ‘No, no dog. When I find a job, I’ll be out at work all day, so it won’t be fair. You can borrow Pepe.’
‘It’s not the same,’ Izzie complained. ‘I want a dog of my own.’
‘Can I have a surfboard? And a wetsuit?’ Jake asked. ‘I can keep it in the garage.’
‘I expect so,’ Annabelle said. His was a much easier request to grant.
‘That’s not fair!’ Izzie was furious. ‘He asks for something and you say yes, but when I ask for something you say no.’
‘A surfboard is hardly the same as a dog,’ Annabelle pointed out, as Jake stuck his tongue out at his sister and chanted, ‘Loser, loser.’
‘Jake, stop winding your sister up, or I might change my mind about that surfboard.’
It was Jake’s turn to whine. ‘That’s not fair!’
‘Kids! Give it a rest! There’s something I want to ask you. You can say no, if you want, and I’ll respect your wishes, because this affects you as much as it affects me. And before you ask, Jake, it has nothing to do with going back to Australia,’ she added hastily.
‘If I say yes, can I still have a board?’ Jake attempted to bargain.
‘Don’t you think you’d better hear what it is first?’ Annabelle suggested, then took a moment to compose herself and said, ‘How do you feel about seeing Ron?’
‘Yay!’ Izzie cried. ‘Will he have Pepe with him?’
Annabelle’s reply of ‘We’ll see,’ was said absently – her attention was on her son. It was his feelings about seeing Ron again that concerned her the most, because he would understand that what she was really asking was whether Jake felt OK about her dating.
