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They were good people, and yes, despite having been on my own for so long, living with TullyandEllis had been great. He and Tully bickered as often as they laughed, and despite the name-calling and frequent threats of homicide, they loved each other dearly.
I envied them all.
To have a family that loved as loud as they did was a beautiful thing.
I, on the other hand, had spoken to my father all of three times in the last month. And that included the day of the cyclone when Tully had held the phone to my ear, and the time when our lines were reconnected when he called to say he had seen my interview where I’d told him I was okay.
And once after that when I’d called him.
We’d never been particularly close, but it still stung.
Now that we lived at opposite ends of the country, the effort to stay in touch seemed too difficult. Maybe I hadn’t realised just how much effort I’d put in when I’d lived in Melbourne. Or more to the point, just how little effort my father had put in.
I could see now that my relationship with my father was a thread stretched a little too thin.
Yet I didn’t regret my move here.
In fact, perhaps it reinforced my resolve. I’d made the right decision to stay.
I’d never felt more loved in my whole life than I’d felt since I met Tully.
“You okay?” Jeff asked.
I hadn’t even realised he’d walked up. “Oh yes. Sorry.”
“M’girls not annoying ya, I hope.”
“No, of course not. They’re a joy.”
He nodded to the office building. “How are the repairs coming along?”
“Slow.”
He sighed. “Yeah. Same here. I got my place waterproof, so that’s a start. But the roofing guys reckon they can start next week.”
“Oh, that’s great news.”
Just then, a white Range Rover pulled into the yard and parked near the Jeep. Tully got out, and when Presley raced over to him, he collected her over his shoulder like he did with his nieces and nephews and put her in the backseat of the Jeep.
“Afternoon,” Tully said to Jeff, giving me a smile instead of hello.
“A slow day at work?” I asked.
He groaned. “Busy as hell, actually.”
“Which explains what you’re doing here.”
I noticed then just exactly what he had stuck on his collar. And he noticed me notice it, and he gave me that grin that sent the butterflies in my belly into a frenzy.
He was wearing the gold star I’d put on the stupid chart.
“I was comin’ to take you out for lunch,” Tully said. “Because I knew you wouldn’t have eaten.”
“Yeah, I gotta get these girls some lunch,” Jeff said. “Good to see you both again. Hopefully we’ll be neighbours again soon.”
“I hope so too,” I replied.
He rounded up his two kids, and as I watched them go, I could feel Tully’s eyes on me and the smile he was aiming at me, waiting for me to look at him. “And I actually called around to see if you were okay after last night. I meant to treat you better last night, but I fell asleep. I didn’t even hear you leave this mornin’.”
