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‘No. We did our best, but...’
‘Oh.’ The smile slid from her face like wet seaweed. ‘I’m...’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Euan was becoming accustomed to the idea that Sam seemed to feel all of their losses almost personally. ‘We have to do our best, and take what successes we can.’
‘And the failures?’
‘We never forget them. Every day they remind me that I have to do better.’
The heavy sunglasses stopped him from seeing her eyes, but her lip was quivering and Euan would have bet that there were tears behind the protective lenses. He was about to lay a hand on her arm, ask her what the matter was, when she turned away from him abruptly.
‘So...this guy...?’
Clearly she didn’t want to betray her emotions. ‘A lot of people gave up on his daughter and we didn’t. He says that the house is no good to him now as he can’t come back here because it was the place he associated most with Kathryn.’
‘That’s her name?’
‘Yeah. And this is Kathryn House. In memory of her.’ Euan looked at the sun-warmed bricks, the low spreading eaves, cradled in a wide circle of trees. The place was perfect. And the gift entailed an enormous amount of work.
He couldn’t see her face, but her hand trembled as she hefted the car door closed. ‘Can we go inside?’
‘Of course. I brought you here to show it to you. We need to redecorate, and make a few modifications, but we’ve raised enough to do that now and the work star
ts soon. We have enough in our reserves to get the place up and running, and...well, getting the ongoing funding for it is where you come in. I thought you might like to see what it is we’re all working towards.’
She nodded, half turning towards him. ‘And this is where Juno’s sculptures will be.’
‘Yeah. A lot of people have been very generous. Beyond what we could possibly have ever hoped for. We have offers to help with the renovations, volunteers to help with the work. It’s humbling.’
‘And terrifying, I imagine.’
‘That too. Although less so than not doing it.’
‘I can imagine. I think that’s why I wrote this software. I was more afraid of not doing it than I was of doing it.’
The inevitable questions began again, throbbing once more in his brain. He started to walk along the gravel driveway towards the house, and felt her falling into step beside him. ‘Come and see the house.’
* * *
Sally would have really benefitted from this place. Not just the house, or the grounds, but the calm, peaceful environment that Euan described as he showed her through the house. The muted colours, which were currently just tester blocks on the unprepared walls. The light, streaming through the large windows.
‘And this is where the phoenix is going to go?’ They were back in the wide hallway.
‘Nope. We thought about it, but one of Juno’s sculptures is specifically in memory of Kathryn—she knew her. When David and I saw it we knew that it belonged here, where it’s the first thing that people see when they walk in. The phoenix goes through here.’ He opened a door that led through to a long, light-filled room, which led in turn onto a veranda that ran along the back of the house. ‘This is going to be a community room.’
Sam nodded. ‘Yeah, this is the place for it.’ The phoenix would shimmer and sparkle in here. A symbol of hope.
He walked over to one of the glazed doors leading to the veranda, twisting the key in the lock and opening it. ‘So, your computer program. The work you’re doing here with us. That’s your phoenix?’
‘What do you mean?’
He was gazing out at the broad expanse of lawn. ‘I mean that you have a reason to do what you’re doing, just as Juno does. Just as the donor of this house did.’
‘Yes, I do. I made that clear at the interview.’ She’d said personal reasons. Personal. ‘Does that really matter?’
‘I think so. Sometimes it’s helpful to examine our motives for what we do.’
Right. So he was thinking she needed counselling or something? Sam felt the muscles across her back and shoulders stiffen. ‘And...?’
