Talk of the Town Read online

  As Tab positioned them on the bottom step outside, she shook her head at Lawson.

  ‘What?’ he asked, lifting his hand to his chin. ‘Have I got Vegemite on my face or something?’

  ‘You took Ned to get a hair cut on the weekend. Did you not consider getting your own chopped while you were there?’

  ‘Nothing wrong with my hair.’ He ran his hand up and through it. ‘I can almost tie it up and haven’t you heard? Man-buns are all the rage.’

  The expression on her face told him exactly what she thought of that.

  He laughed.

  ‘Can we go now?’ Ned leaped up, eager to get to school. He was always like this to start with—the excitement of seeing his friends again spurring him on—but as the year dragged on, his enthusiasm waned a little. Farm mad, exactly like Lawson himself had been as a boy, Ned often asked if he could stay home and help.

  ‘Okay, okay. I get the message.’ Tab shoved her phone in her pocket, then offered her hand to help Ned up and pulled him into a hug. ‘You have a fun first day. I might have a new ice-cream flavour for you to test after school.’

  ‘Thanks, Aunty Tab,’ Ned said as he broke free and ran towards the ute, his Minecraft backpack bopping up and down behind him.

  ‘See ya later, sis.’ Lawson lifted a hand as he followed after his son.

  Normally Ned took the bus, but the first day of the year most people drove their offspring, which meant Lawson had left Ethan to finish up the milking and get the cows back out to pasture. The farm was only a ten-minute drive out of Walsh, but the way Ned went on you’d think it was ten hours.

  ‘Can’t you drive faster, Dad? When are we gonna get there? I can’t wait to tell all the kids that someone’s living in the haunted house. Can we go out and see her again soon?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Lawson said, not about to admit to Ned that he too had been unable to get the mysterious redhead out of his mind over the weekend. Something about her had captured his interest, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  The small car park at school was already filled with dusty four-wheel drives when they arrived. Lawson’s vehicle was the sole ute, just as he was pretty much the token male in the sea of mums yakking to each other as they ushered their children towards the school gate.

  ‘Hi, Lawson,’ called Tennille Wellington, the older sister of his best mate, Funky (christened Sam), from where she was locking her youngest into a pram.

  ‘Hey there.’ He waved and crossed over to join Tennille as Ned ran ahead of him and joined the other kids all dressed in blue and yellow school uniforms. They looked like a tribe of Eagles fans, which annoyed the local Dockers supporters no end. These days Lawson didn’t have time to get too hung up on football.

  ‘Can I help you with anything or anyone?’ he asked as Tennille hooked a big nappy bag on the back of the pram. She and her husband, Boots (christened Toby), had five kids under seven—just the thought made Lawson’s head spin but nothing seemed to faze Tennille.

  ‘I’m all good.’ She started pushing the pram towards the gate, her younger children shuffling along beside her. ‘Is Ned excited about being back?’

  ‘Crazily so.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Tennille said and then lowered her voice. ‘So, I hear the new junior room teacher is young and gorgeous.’

  Lawson raised an eyebrow and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. ‘And the reason you’re telling me this is …?’

  She made a tsking noise with her tongue. ‘You know young female teachers come to the country for one reason and one reason only.’

  He played dumb. ‘What? To gain good teaching experience?’

  Tennille whacked him on the arm. ‘They’re man-hunting.’

  Lawson scoffed as he helped her manoeuvre the pram and her kids through the gate. ‘Maybe you should tell Funky about her then.’

  ‘Oh come on, please. That brother of mine doesn’t have a settling-down bone in his body, but you …’ Her voice drifted off but Lawson knew what she was thinking. He had a kid and the kid needed a mother. Besides, he’d married once already so why wouldn’t he do it again?

  ‘If you’re set on playing matchmaker, I suggest you aim your Cupid’s bow in another direction. You know I’m not interested.’

  Honestly, he got sick of the whole damn town trying to set him up with people. For two years they’d allowed him his grief over Leah and then suddenly almost everyone he knew had turned into an obsessed matchmaker, as if two years was long enough to mend his heart. He’d contemplated making up an online girlfriend, but he’d confided the idea to Tab and she’d pointed out that eventually he’d have to manifest a real live female for public scrutiny, so he’d scrapped that idea. Even if he was contemplating dating again, which he was not, he doubted many women would be interested in hooking up with a single dad. And between running the farm and looking after Ned, where was he supposed to find the time to date?

  Tennille sighed. ‘Pity.’

  ‘Hey gorgeous,’ called a high-pitched female voice from across the yard.

  Lawson didn’t need to look up to know who the voice belonged to and to know that the ‘gorgeous’ was supposed to be him. For once, he was glad to see Adeline hurrying towards them as it meant an end to this ridiculous conversation with Tennille.

  ‘Ooh, is that because the rumours are true and you have a thing with Adeline?’ Tennille said under her breath.

  He ignored her. It didn’t matter what he said anyway, the local gossips would never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, trying not to sound rude as Adeline stopped in front of them, wiggled her fingers in greeting at Tennille and then leaned forwards and pulled him into a hug.

  ‘I’m taking first-day-back photos for the Walsh Whisperer,’ she said, pulling back and lifting the camera that hung around her neck to show him. Editor for the local paper was just one of her many volunteer roles.

  ‘What’s that?’ piped up Tennille’s five-year-old daughter, Natalia, pointing to the camera as if it were a live insect necklace.

  They all laughed.

  ‘This is a camera,’ Adeline spoke slowly. ‘People used them to take photos before smart phones.’

  ‘Oh,’ was all Natalia said in reply, but her eyes were wide as if she wasn’t sure whether Adeline was pulling her leg.

  She placed a hand against Lawson’s arm. ‘Can I get a photo of you and Ned?’

  ‘Shouldn’t you be taking photos of the kids who are starting school this year?’

  ‘I’ll get the kindy crew later,’ she said, and then all but dragged him away from Tennille and over to where Ned was already playing handball with his friends. ‘Neddy,’ she called, ‘come over here a moment.’

  Lawson cringed and smiled apologetically at his little man, who was too polite to ignore the request of an adult.

  ‘Hi, Adeline,’ he said, looking longingly back at his mates.

  ‘Hello, Neddy.’ She stooped a little and reached out to straighten the collar of Ned’s polo shirt. ‘Are you super excited to be back at school?’

  She elongated each word, speaking as if Ned were two years old, not eight. It grated on Lawson’s nerves and he couldn’t help comparing her to Meg on Friday afternoon. She’d spoken to him like an equal. Then again, she’d also kicked the footy with him and he couldn’t imagine Adeline doing such a thing. She may be wearing a classic RB Sellars pink chambray shirt, work shorts and RM Williams boots, but she looked more like a catalogue model or Farmer Barbie than someone who actually worked hard enough to get dirty.

  ‘Yeah,’ was Ned’s monosyllabic reply.

  ‘O-kay, excellent. I just need to get a quick photo of you and Daddy for the Whisperer and then you can go back to your little friends.’

  Ned grimaced in much the same way Lawson wanted to, but they both understood Adeline wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. They posed as she instructed and were happy when the bell rang, giving them an excuse
to get away.

  ‘I was wondering, now school’s back,’ she said, before Lawson could escape after Ned towards his classroom, ‘whether you’d like to go out for lunch sometime?’

  He shuffled from foot to foot, trying to work out how to let Adeline down gently. Adeline was a friend, a die-hard supporter of keeping the town alive and undoubtedly one of the best-looking women in the district, but he just didn’t feel anything like that for her. He didn’t feel anything like that for anyone and it wasn’t fair to get her hopes up.

  ‘I’m pretty busy on the farm right now,’ he said, his cheeks heating even though this was the truth. ‘We’ve got heaps of new calves and we need to service the machinery leading into seeding. There’s also a lot of fencing needing repair.’

  He felt like a schoolkid clutching at excuses for why he hadn’t done his homework.

  She offered a sympathetic nod. ‘I understand. So how about I bring a picnic out to you one day? I’ll even bake my famous cream puffs for dessert.’

  Lawson swallowed, his traitorous taste buds standing to attention. Adeline was president of the local branch of the CWA Belles—a group of young farming women determined to keep the institution alive—and there was no doubt she could cook.

  He summoned a smile. ‘That sounds great, and I’m sure Ethan and Tab will appreciate it as well.’ Then, before she could set him straight, he added, ‘I’ve gotta go meet Ned’s new teacher. See ya round.’

  Ned had already unpacked his bag and was laying out water bottle and stationery items on his desk by the time Lawson got to the classroom. Tab had spent two nights the week before labelling all Ned’s new things. He’d tried to help, but she’d insisted he didn’t do it properly and she was probably right. She might only have one arm, but she did most things better than most people who had two.

  Ned’s teacher this year was Mrs Warburton, a woman who’d also taught Lawson and Tabitha when they were at school and yet didn’t look like she’d aged at all in that time. Teaching would give a lot of folks grey hairs but it seemed to keep her young.

  ‘Hello, Lawson dear,’ she said, noticing him lingering on the edge of the classroom like a spare part.

  ‘Hi, Mrs Warburton. I’m stoked Ned has you this year. You’re still one of my favourite teachers.’

  She smiled warmly. ‘And you’re still one of my favourite students, but don’t you think it’s time you called me Joanne?’

  He wasn’t sure he could do that but he promised her he’d try.

  Mrs Warburton patted him on the arm and then went around the room to the other parents. Lawson went to say goodbye to Ned.

  He squeezed his shoulder. ‘I guess I’ll be making tracks. You have a good day and I’ll see you when you get off the bus this arvo.’

  ‘Bye, Dad.’ Ned grinned and threw his arms around Lawson’s middle. ‘You have a good day too.’

  When Mrs Warburton called the class to attention, Lawson slipped out the door and headed for the car park. As he turned his key in the ignition, he felt a little lost without his sidekick in the passenger seat beside him. He’d got used to having Ned around over the summer holidays and knew from experience it would take him a few days to readjust to being alone again. He decided to go visit his grandmother—her cheery personality always made him feel better—but when he drove out of school, he turned right instead of left onto the main road that would lead him to the local nursing home. A few hundred metres up the road, he realised his error but he didn’t do anything to correct it.

  He drove on towards Rose Hill—yes, it was a detour, a very long detour—but he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. Meg had been slipping in and out of his mind all weekend, leaving a tight feeling in his chest every time he thought about her being so isolated. He didn’t know what he planned on doing when he got there and truth be told he felt a little stalkerish as he slowed his ute in front of the old general store.

  If he hadn’t seen and spoken to her on Friday, he wouldn’t believe that someone actually resided here. Quite aside from the peeling paint on the verandah, the drawn curtains and glass door so dirty you couldn’t see through it, the sparse dry garden beds with nothing but weeds growing made the place look sad and lonely. It needed a little colour.

  Maybe he could buy her some pot plants to put on the front verandah as a housewarming gift? Or would that give her the wrong idea? Dammit, what exactly was he doing there?

  He looked down at the plain gold wedding band on his finger and then twisted it round. Just thinking about another woman didn’t feel right when the love of his life was buried in the local cemetery. He missed Leah more than he could ever explain to anyone but, despite having Ned and Tab, he was starting to feel a little lonely. The blokes he’d grown up with had thought him crazy settling down so young, but now they were all pushing thirty and starting to get into serious relationships themselves. Aside from Funky—who reckoned there was plenty of time for that kind of stuff—a few of his friends had recently got engaged and another one was having his first baby.

  Once again, Lawson felt on the outer and had experienced the odd twinge of something he could only identify as jealousy when he saw how content his friends were. He didn’t begrudge their happiness but he couldn’t help wishing life hadn’t dealt him such shitty cards. He and Leah should almost be celebrating ten years of marriage together, instead he was living with his sister and hadn’t so much as kissed a girl since a one-night stand he’d had six months after his wife died. A one-night stand fuelled by grief and drunken stupidity and which he’d regretted mere moments after the act. The poor girl had been horrified when he’d sprung from her bed and been physically sick, feeling as if he’d cheated on his wife.

  Luckily she had been a backpacker waitressing at the pub and had left Walsh not long after, so he hadn’t had to relive his mistake every time he went for a beer.

  But he’d made the decision then not to use another woman like that and he hadn’t felt tempted to renege on it once. He kept himself busy with Ned and the farm and told himself that was enough, so he didn’t know what to do with the fact that Meg was suddenly taking up real estate in his head.

  The engine idling, Lawson stared at her building, contemplating getting out and saying hi. He could play things by ear, suss out his feelings and see if he felt anything more than the urge to look out for her.

  Remember me, Meg? Well, I was just passing through again and I thought I’d see how you were settling in.

  Would she buy that excuse? And if she did, then what? Would she ask him in for a drink? Did he want her to? Would there be awkward silence as they tried to make small talk? His gut twisted as questions whirled through his head.

  No! He wasn’t ready for whatever this was, so he pushed his foot down hard on the accelerator and zoomed back out of town.

  Having wasted precious time on a stupid whim, he probably should be getting back to the farm, but unsettled, he felt the need to see his grandmother more than ever. He called Tab and told her he was popping in to see Gran and that he’d pick some pies up from the bakery for lunch. Then, he turned his stereo up loud to drown his thoughts and drove back into Walsh, arriving fifteen minutes later at the hospital.

  Jenny, a girl who’d been a few years above him at school, sat behind the reception desk when he entered the building. He chatted briefly to her, then turned right towards the residential wing. The old people were all sitting outside on the verandah, enjoying fresh air and cups of tea in plastic beakers. He hadn’t been to any nursing homes in the city, but he understood they weren’t like this at all. Here the nurses looked after the six residents as if they were family.

  At eighty-four his gran was the youngest resident—she had Parkinson’s too far gone for her to look after herself. Despite this she had to be the most positive person he’d ever known; Tab had inherited the same disposition and he reckoned one of the reasons he’d been so attracted to Leah was that she’d been the same. They were glass-half-full women who always looked on the bright si
de and saw the best in people.

  ‘Hello, my love.’ Gran’s eternal smile grew wider and her eyes lit up as she saw him. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, already feeling a little better just for seeing her. ‘Where’s that gorgeous great-grandie of mine?’

  Lawson kneeled beside her portable recliner. ‘Sorry, Gran, you’re stuck with only me today. I’ve just dropped Ned off for his first day back at school.’

  She reached out a shaky, papery hand and patted his check. ‘You are just perfect, my darling. Now, tell me what’s been happening on the farm? How are the cows? You know I miss that fresh milk more than anything in here.’

  ‘Why’d you never tell me that before?’ Lawson frowned, feeling a stab of guilt that she’d been there a few years and he’d never thought to ask her if she wanted him to bring some. His father’s mother, she’d lived in a cottage on the farm till Lawson had married Leah and she’d insisted the young couple needed their own space. Then she’d moved into Walsh to one of the seniors’ units owned by the shire, but she’d come out to the farm almost daily. When Dad had his heart attack three years back, his then new wife had insisted they move to Bunbury to be nearer medical help should he need it, so Lawson had moved back into the main house with Tab. Now Ethan lived in the cottage and on the rare weekends Dad and Sandra made the trek to see how things were ticking along, they stayed at the pub in town.

  ‘Oh, you know I don’t like to cause a fuss,’ Gran said.

  ‘I’ll bring you some in tomorrow,’ he promised, glad of something he could do for her.

  ‘What other news have you got for me?’

  Before Lawson could think of anything, the door from inside opened and he automatically looked up. He bit down on a groan as his eyes met with Adeline’s.