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She said no more about it, just smiled. And then when she reached the end of the path, she gave him a brief wave.
Gus closed the door behind her and headed straight up the stairs for the bathroom. ‘We’re leaving in half an hour,’ he called out to Abigail as he passed by her bedroom.
Gus made his shower a quick one, although he couldn’t help but think about Julie and the way she’d been today compared to the way she was the last time she’d shown up in Heritage Cove. And as he switched off the water and wrapped a towel around the bottom half of his body, he wondered whether all the yelling at the practice the other day had initiated a shift between them. Perhaps it was a good thing, them hurling accusations at one another. They’d aired what they’d both been keeping quiet and now they might be able to move on from it.
He wiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror and ran a hand over his chin, smooth enough for tonight, not much stubble poking through at all. He splashed on some aftershave and got dressed before knocking on his daughter’s bedroom door. ‘You ready yet? There are waffles, remember.’ Perhaps that would entice her to speed up.
‘Duh, I kind of figured that, Dad,’ came a voice with the sarcasm he thought was reserved for someone at least three years older than she was. It was a reminder that she was growing up much faster than he sometimes appreciated.
‘You can come home if you don’t like it,’ he called through the closed door as it dawned on him that she might not want to go to a place where a bunch of strangers were gathered and might stare, ask questions.
The door clicked open. ‘Why wouldn’t I like it?’
‘They might not have any fresh cream or strawberries,’ he said, when he saw how happy she looked. She didn’t look uneasy or nervous and Joan’s voice in his head told him to go with it.
Gus picked his daughter up in a hug, her legs dangling as she squealed and laughed. ‘Da-ad!’ When he set her down, he could see she’d put on a bit of foundation to take some of the redness away from the scars. It was never going to hide them, something that had upset her at first as she tried brand after brand to find the magic make-up that would. Over time, however, she’d begun to come to terms with it and looking at her now, dressed in denim shorts with a pale blue top, he wondered whether he was the one who was struggling with what happened more than she was. She didn’t like looks or questions, but since coming here to Heritage Cove, she’d taken everything in her stride, and he hoped it would continue.
‘You look lovely,’ he told her as she picked up the lightweight cardigan Julie had bought her, its sequins sparkling.
‘You do too, Dad.’
‘Ready for waffles?’ He decided to make more of the food than the company, even though what he was really looking forward to was seeing Hazel.
Because the way she’d felt in his arms that night as he carried her inside was a feeling he didn’t want to forget, no matter how she felt about him right now, given she’d seen him at his worst after the art class.
* * *
It was a pleasant walk to the waffle shack and Abigail was more animated than she usually was after a visit from her mum. Gus still couldn’t believe that Abigail had come right out and tackled Julie’s guilt, just like that, to her face, saying she didn’t blame her for what happened. His little girl was growing up, but she wasn’t too mature to hold his hand as they made their way along The Street and past the bus stop towards the Little Waffle Shack that looked more like a log cabin than an eatery.
‘Would you look at this place, Abigail?’ The shack was a treasure, at the top of a wide-open green space where plenty of people sat, some eating waffles from small containers, others enjoying an ice-cream or simply sitting there to make the most of the long evening. ‘Ready to find everyone else?’
‘I wonder if Hazel will be here.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be here soon.’ He was about to tell Abigail to be brave, but he stopped himself. It was time to let his daughter judge new situations for herself. ‘Now, let’s get in there before all the waffles are gone, what do you say?’ Gus thanked the person who stood aside to let them inside the waffle shack and held his arm out for Abigail to go first.
She answered with a smile and Lucy soon rushed over. ‘You came!’ Glass of champagne in hand, she extended her free hand for Abigail to shake. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you at long last.’
‘Lucy is the blacksmith,’ Gus told his daughter as he handed Lucy a bottle of Prosecco with a big pink bow tied around the top. ‘Happy birthday.’
‘You didn’t have to bring a thing, but thank you.’
‘Do you make horseshoes?’ Abigail asked, more interested in horses than bottles of booze.
‘I don’t, I’m afraid, I’m not a farrier, but I make lots of cool stuff, decorative things like…’ She looked around. ‘See those coat hooks over there? I made those. And the sign outside, did you see that?’
‘We did,’ said Gus. ‘I’m impressed.’
Lucy turned her attention back to Abigail. ‘I hear you have a horse at the Heritage View Stables.’
‘Denby.’
‘Great name. And if you’ve been near the office, I made the boot scraper outside. Check it out next time you’re there.’
‘I’ve seen it, it looks too fancy to scrape mud on.’
Lucy laughed and as her boyfriend Daniel came out of the kitchen and welcomed Abigail, gesturing for her to follow him, Gus lowered his voice. ‘Thanks for not mentioning the plaques I requested for Denby and the tack room.’
‘When’s her birthday?’
