AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bea led Dani to the side of the ferry, where they collected their luggage. Then they stepped onto the dock, and she crossed her arms as she scanned the faces of those waiting to meet passengers.
Her father stepped forward, his grey hair lifting slightly in the breeze. He waved a hand, and she hurried to him, falling into his embrace with a sigh. “Dad, it’s so good to see you.” A lump rose unbidden to her throat. She swallowed it down. There’d be time to cry later. Her father had never been good with displays of emotion.
“You made it, then,” he said, giving Dani a quick hug. “Good to see you both. You must be tired.”
He picked up the handles for each of their wheelie bags and pulled them behind him. “Come on—let’s get to the truck. We can talk on the way.”
They followed him and climbed into his truck. Three across the front seat. It was cosy. Bea had to sit with her legs straddling the gear stick like she had when she was young. Nothing changed on the island, least of all her father, although he’d aged a lot since she last saw him. Was thinner and had more grey in his hair and the stubble on his chin.
“Thanks for meeting us, Dad.”
He cranked the truck and put it into first. “I don’t get many visitors.”
She felt convicted by his words. “Time flies, I suppose.”
“It sure does.” He smiled. “No need for apologies. We can make up for lost time.”
“Did you know Mum was coming too, Pa?” Dani asked.
“She called me a few days ago.”
“Glad she let someone know,” Dani murmured, looking out the window.
“Sorry?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ve grilled some fish on the BBQ, if you’re hungry.”
“Starved,” Bea replied. “That sounds delicious.”
“Went spearfishing this morning. Caught a big old snapper.”
“You’re still doing that?” Bea had always worried about him spearfishing, especially with the number of sharks in the water around the Coral Island coastline.
“Best place in the world is under the water with a spear in your hand and nothing but your wits to save you.” He chuckled. “Besides, it keeps me fed.”
They drove along the coast road around the headland and then climbed the only small mountain on the island. The truck growled to a stop in front of a tall timber structure. Her father had built the house with his own hands. It sat on the point overlooking a towering cliff that led down to a cosy private beach, surrounded by black rocks where it met the azure waters. When she climbed out of the truck, a cool wind whistled through the scrubby trees that flanked the house.
She hugged herself while she waited for her father to unload the luggage from the back. The trees around the house had grown. The timber was more weathered. There was some kind of shed further along the driveway that hadn’t been there before. But otherwise, the place looked exactly the same as it had throughout her childhood.
It’d been her mother’s dream to build this house on the headland. They’d purchased the land when Bea was born. It’d taken her father ten years to build the place, along with running the hardware shop and providing for the family.
“The place hasn’t changed much.”
Dad grunted. “Nope.”
“It looks good, Dad.”
“Come on inside, then. Get out of this wind. We can put a fire on if you like.”
Only Dad would think it was cold enough for a fire on a mild winter’s evening on a tropical island, Bea thought with a wan smile.
With one last look around, Bea followed her father and Dani inside. Her heart thudded against her rib cage at the prospect of facing all the old haunts, the memories, the pain. She wondered for a moment how many of her old friends lived on the island. There’d been a few still around the last time she’d visited three years earlier, but she hadn’t stayed long enough to catch up with any of them.
Preston hadn’t wanted to be in her father’s house for too long, and they’d finished up their holiday in a resort in Airlie Beach instead of on the island. She regretted that now. Too much pandering to her husband and not enough time with her own family. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
After a delicious meal of fresh grilled snapper and vegetables from the garden, Dani and Bea unpacked and then Bea slumped down on the couch. Dad sat in his armchair, flicking through channels on the widescreen television fixed to the wall beside the fireplace in the living room. A small fire crackled in the hearth.
