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“It’s okay, I get it.”
“I think it was guilt, you know, he couldn’t live with himself. About what he,what weboth did to you. And then with your pop dying so suddenly, it just sent him over the edge.” She paused and Solo sensed her steeling herself. “We’re both so sorry for—you know, and he’s well enough to apologise. It’s been eating him up.”
Their eyes met and he saw the abject pain in hers. “Please stop doing this to yourself, Em,” he said gently. Reaching over the table he took both of her hands in his and held her gaze. “This stops now. Here. Do you hear me? No more guilt. I’ve thought about it a lot and I realise now we were both ready for it to end. It’s just that I was never going to face that fact. You did. You made the right choice and I don’t blame you. You love him.”
She didn’t answer.
“You and Drew. You’re okay?” He felt her hands flutter in his. Solo pressed on firmly, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I want you both to be happy. With each other. There’s no ill will, Em, that’s long gone.”
She gave a shallow laugh. “You barely showed ill will in the first place. It would have been easier if you’d shouted at me. Said horrible things. I deserved it.”
“That’s not how I operate, you of all people should know that.”
Except with Polly, a voice muttered inside of him. Polly could make him mad, make him hurl barbs of anger and rage. He had this morning. In fact, he had sworn before he stormed off, a blind, frustrated string of words. Not at her, not directly, he would never do that, but at the fucking hopeless situation. He hadn’t looked back, just taken off on his bike, fighting the urge to weep like a kid.
Because deep down, intuition told him she was lying through her pretty white teeth.
But that didn’t make the pain of rejection any easier.
He brought himself back to the present with a jolt. Heard Emma’s phone ding with a message. “Drew’s ready,” she said.
Solo stood up. Crumpled his coffee-stained napkin. “Okay, let’s go.”
A few minutes later, standing on the sand, the phone rang. Emma answered.
She looked at him over the top of her sunglasses, her eyes huge. “Here he is,” and she handed Solo the phone.
And then there was Drew on the screen.
The Drew he remembered. That big grin slicing his handsome features. His deep resonant voice full of warmth. “Solo, mate. How’ve you been?”
And it was like nothing had ever come between them. They were ten years old again, in the back paddock, down by the dam, playing with the old rowing boat. Taking two days’ supply of food and their swags and sailing it down the river. Tinkering in Pop’s shed, rounding up the sheep in the back of the ute. So many great memories flooded back.
Solo grinned. “Good to see you looking better, mate.”
How long they talked, he wasn’t sure afterwards. They discussed Drew’s new health regime; exercise and therapy and healthy eating and avoiding the media. And Solo’s life in Perth. Solo couldn’t bring himself to mention Polly.
Finally, Drew said, “I want to go back to the farm. Pop’s farm.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. For a while. If you agree. Maybe six months. I need to be in nature, away from the limelight.”
“I see.” It made sense for Drew to go back to the place he was happiest to recuperate. And the farm was surviving under management; there wouldn’t be major maintenance to do. It would put off the awful decision to sell.
Drew’s face on the screen was hopeful. “So, what d’you say? You have to agree, it’s half yours.”
Solo frowned. “You won’t feel too isolated?”
“Em will be there, between jobs, and I guess I was thinking we’d keep the manager on for another six months, and I can lend a hand. Then decide, you know, if we keep or sell. The physical work will do me good.”
“That makes sense.” Solo nodded. “I’m in no hurry to sell.”
Drew grinned, his face relieved. “Maybe you’ll make a farmer of me yet, eh?”
“I can think of worse things.”
“Me too.” A moment’s silence, then Drew said, “I want to thank you for saving me. That night. I don’t remember much, I was out of my head, you know, with the psychosis, but you always believed in me when I didn’t. That there was someone good inside the fucking hellhole I was drowning in.”
