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‘Will, I didn’t expect to see you tonight.’ She racked her brain.Had they made an arrangement? Had she forgotten?
‘I have some news I thought you’d like to hear. Can I come in?’
Realising he was still on the doorstep, Cleo stood aside. ‘Of course.’ She led the way to the kitchen, turning on the lights on the way.
‘You’ve been sitting in the dark? What’s happened?’
Cleo drew a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. ‘Han rang.’
‘That’s good, isn’t it? What did she say?’
‘Oh, Will. It was horrible. She called me all sorts of names, brought up all the times I’ve let her down in the past, accused me of lying to her, wishing Stan was alive.’ Cleo felt her eyes moisten, the tears she hadn’t shed when she was on the phone now beginning to trickle down her cheeks.
‘Come here.’ Will placed the wine on the benchtop and drew Cleo into his arms. She felt his lips in her hair and inhaled his familiar scent – a mixture of soap and the sea. It felt safe here. Maybe if she could stay here in his arms, she could forget everything that was happening around her, forget Hannah, forget Kerri-Ann, even forget the food and wine festival which she needed to make plans for.
‘Better?’ Will released her and peered into her eyes.
‘Thanks.’ Cleo did feel better, as if a weight had been lifted, as if she didn’t need to bear all of this alone. She looked at the wine Will had brought. ‘Let me get glasses.’
‘Now, what did you come round to tell me?’ she asked, when they were seated in her living room with glasses of wine and a platter of cheese and biscuits she’d put together, remembering she hadn’t eaten.
‘It’s about Hannah – and Nate.’ Will waited for her reaction.
Cleo managed to smile.So, she’d been right.They had got together. ‘How do you know?’
‘Owen let it slip when we were having breakfast after training this morning. Or, should I say, he teased Nate about it. I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘I am. There was a hint of it in her voice when she rang. But I didn’t dare ask. Didn’t get the chance to say much at all. It’s my fault, Will. I should have told Han about Kerri-Ann being here, but I never expected her to turn up like that.’
‘There was no way you could have predicted it,’ Will agreed. ‘What will you do now – about Kerri-Ann?’
‘I need to see her again. I know how Hannah feels about her, but I feel some sort of obligation to her… to Stan. I know it sounds weird.’
‘Not weird at all.’
‘Thanks.’
‘So, you’ll be seeing her again?’ Will asked.
Cleo took a sip of wine, then carefully placed a piece of cheese on a cracker before continuing. ‘Probably, but I haven’t made any arrangement. I don’t know how long she intends to stay in Bellbird Bay.’ She paused. ‘She wants to know about her dad, Will. About Stan. I can help her, even if Han continues to refuse to see her.’
‘You’re a good woman, Cleo.’
‘Not really. I’m only doing what I think Stan would want me to do. Anyone would do the same.’
‘And Hannah?’
‘I don’t know.’ Cleo bit her lip. ‘We’ve fought before, of course we have, but this… I can’t seem to get through to her. I can only hope she changes her mind.’ She picked up her glass, twirling the stem, before putting it down again. ‘She said Nate told her to phone me. Maybe… maybe he’ll help her see things from my point of view. She can be so stubborn, just like her dad.’
‘Sounds like this Kerri-Ann may be like him, too?’
‘Maybe. She certainly looks like him. There’s no doubt she’s his daughter. She and Han… they’re like two peas in a pod. That’s probably part of the problem.’ Cleo sighed. ‘It was bad enough before they met. Han was adamant she wanted nothing to do with Kerri-Ann, wanted to pretend she didn’t exist, that there was no connection, that she couldn’t possibly be Stan’s daughter. But now she’s seen her… it must have been like looking in a mirror. Of course, there are differences. Han has some of me, and presumably Kerri-Ann has some of her mother. But… you didn’t see them together… Ailsa did. She said they were like twins. Oh, Will!’
‘Come here.’ Will drew Cleo into his arms again, giving her the comfort she so dearly needed.
By the time they pulled apart, Cleo felt even closer to Will, to this man who’d come into her life and filled the gap she had refused to acknowledge even existed.
Thirty-three
