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10
The rain pounded down on my windscreen as I pulled up outside Luke’s. I parked my car in the drive and gazed up at the grand old house in awe. It looked gorgeous when I glanced across the road the day before, but up close it was spectacular.
I spotted Luke waiting on the veranda and sucked in my breath. It was near impossible to surprise anyone around here. Thankfully, Mum was out running errands, and Dad and Nate were picking up supplies, otherwise they would have all been out to greet me.
Luke popped open an umbrella and ambled down the stairs to meet me. He reached my car as I stepped out.
“Hey.” He grinned, pulling me under his cover.
My heart fluttered as he grazed my shoulders. “Hey.”
As he led me up onto the veranda, my jaw dropped. I didn’t think it was possible for Dawn’s house to look more beautiful, but it did. Each weatherboard had been repainted, the windows and shutters weren’t shabby anymore, and the large veranda had not one broken plank. It was obvious Luke had spent a lot of time restoring it to its former beauty.
“So, I take it you like what you see so far?” he said, holding back a smile.
Awe transformed my face. “Luke, it’s...amazing.” I reached the front door and gestured inside. “Can I see more?”
“Definitely.”
I eagerly let myself in and gasped in wonderment. The place was immaculate. The entire floor had been cleverly redesigned. Walls had been removed to create open plan living, and rooms had been repainted to brighten each space, yet it still managed to look cosy and warm.
Everything looked so different, but I could still see Dawn’s personality in each room. Luke kept photos, ornaments, and specific pieces of furniture as design features, and part of me expected her to waltz into the room at any moment. My emotion built up inside, but I was determined to hold myself together.
It wasn’t until I stepped into Dawn's music room that I let out a sob. This was the room I spent most of my childhood in.
My main focus was on the centrepiece of the room, the grand piano. At first I thought Luke had replaced it with a new one, but as I got closer I realised it was the same piano, just completely restored. I ran my hand over the French polish and marvelled at its beauty. It was something Dawn always wanted to do, but she could never justify the cost.
I was speechless, and Luke lowered his eyes with a half-smile.
I drank in the rest of the room. The walls were still covered with Dawn’s old jazz posters, but they were now all professionally framed and hanging from picture rails. Luke’s guitars were mounted in a line across one wall, and thousands of old records lined the other. Everything looked so clean and organised. Traits Luke definitely didn’t get from his grandparents.
I gazed over to the other side of the room and was left dumbstruck. Every award I had ever received was on display. Everything from my childhood first place ribbons and trophies, to all the industry awards I had won since moving to Nashville. I sent every achievement back to Dawn, but never knew what she did with them until now. There were framed photos and multiple scrapbooks of old newspaper clippings, documenting my entire journey, up until Dawn passed away.
I stumbled back into the piano stool, trying to find my voice in the very room it was discovered. I wiped away a tear that tracked down my face.
Luke placed his hand on my shoulder in comfort. “I told you she was proud of you.”
“I owe her everything,” I sighed, sadly. “I just wish she was still here.” I really needed her advice.
We fell silent for a long moment, before Luke dropped his arm and picked up a photo from my first piano recital. “You can have it all back if you want,” he said, gazing down at his nan’s smile. “I wasn’t sure what to do with it all after Nan died. It didn't feel right boxing it up, so I just left it here.”
Luke placed the picture back on the shelf and turned to face me. “I don’t really use this room much these days, so it can stay until you work out what you want to do with it.”
My brows drew together. “You don't play anymore?”
“Not here. I play at the apartment and at the pub, but there hasn’t been any music in this house since Nan left.”
My mouth parted as I breathed in my shock. Their house was always full of music.
Luke eyes glistened and he smiled tightly. “C’mon, I’ll make you a cuppa.”
* * *
I sat at the kitchen bench, observing Luke make a pot of tea with ease. Dawn believed every remedy started with a cup of tea, and I was chuffed to see he followed her example.
The kitchen matched the rest of the house perfectly. Homestead style with all the necessary modern touches. The island bench was a magnificent polished slab of red gum, which was a brilliant contrast to the antique white cabinetry.
We took our tea onto the back veranda and relaxed into Dawn’s weathering cane chairs. The rain poured down in front of us, and we listened to the rolling thunder in the distance. Any anxiety I was feeling before melted away as I sipped my hot tea.
