Secrets in Pelican Crossing (Pelican Crossing #2)

Twenty-six

Next morning, Liz moved around in a dream. It had been late when Finn left her bed to return home, very late. She hugged herself remembering how she had felt in his arms, how their bodies had been so in tune as their passion mounted.

Then she reminded herself she must focus on today, on lunch with her mother, on Julie and Tilly.

As she showered and dressed in a pink dress she knew her mother would approve of, she chided herself for worrying about her mother’s opinion. She was fifty, not fifteen, but lunch today was important. She hoped Joan would like Julie and Tilly, would behave and wouldn’t repeat some of the things she’d said to Liz. She hoped Tilly would behave, too.

Liz had arranged to meet Julie and Tilly for breakfast at The Blue Dolphin . The café was opposite the marina and not far from their motel. By the time she got there, she was a bag of nerves.

‘Hi, Liz,’ Julie greeted her with the now familiar hug. It felt so good to be hugged by her daughter… this daughter.

Tilly only muttered a brief ‘Good Morning’ before dropping into a seat and picking up a menu.

Liz waved away Julie’s apologetic glance. She understood teenagers. Tilly was no different from what Mandy had been at that age, though Tara had seemed to bypass the sullen stage completely.

Liz and Julie ordered coffee, Tilly a banana smoothie, and all three opted for scrambled eggs with bacon and sourdough toast .

‘Is he a special friend… the man we met yesterday?’ Julie asked, while they were waiting for their meals to arrive.

Liz reddened, and Tilly looked up from her phone, clearly interested in the answer.

‘You said he was the editor of the local newspaper,’ Julie said, ‘and a very good friend.’

‘Yes, he… we… We’ve only got to know each other recently, and…’

‘He seems nice. Who were the woman and boy with him?’

‘His daughter and grandson.’ Liz was on more comfortable ground. ‘It’s a sad story. Adele’s husband drowned trying to save their son, and Finn moved to Pelican Crossing to support them.’

‘And we hit town just as you were getting to know him. Sorry.’

‘No, it’s not…’ Liz felt herself redden at the memory of the previous evening.

‘Please say if you want to spend time with him. We can always find something to do. You don’t need to spend every day and night with us.’

‘But I want to. I’ve waited so long for this, was afraid it would never come, that I’d never meet you. And now there’s Tilly, too. I don’t want to waste a minute,’ she said. But she was flooded with guilt. She meant every word, but wished she could fit in time with Finn too. Last night had only made her want to see him again, to spend more time with him. But she didn’t want to lose time with Julie and Tilly. She was caught between two competing desires.

Fortunately, their breakfasts arrived, and Liz was able to change the subject, but she could see Julie hadn’t forgotten about it. She recognised an expression of her own on her daughter’s face.

*

As she drove through the entrance gates to the complex of villas, Liz thought, as she always did, what a peaceful place it was. Although she knew there were always a number of activities taking place, it was rare to see many people around.

Today, as she parked opposite her mother’s villa, the door opened, and, instead of seeing Joan emerge as she expected, it was an elderly man who came out, turning at the door to speak to someone inside. Was this Stan? Liz felt an unexpected flash of annoyance. She’d been anticipating her mother to be waiting for them at the door not entertaining her… she had no idea what to call him.

The man walked smartly away from the villa, his thinning white hair the only sign of his age. As he passed Liz’s car, he gave her a wave, adding to her annoyance. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way and took a deep breath. ‘Ready?’ she asked.

Julie nodded.

The door to the villa was still open, and when they reached it, Joan was standing there to greet them, just as Liz had expected.

‘Mum.’ Liz hugged her mother, then drew forward Julie… and Tilly who wanted to hang back. ‘This is Julie and Tilly.’ She bit her lip to prevent her from asking her mother to be nice to them.

‘I’m glad to meet you both at last,’ Joan said, as if she too had been hoping Julie would get in touch.

Liz silently congratulated her mother on her tact. Perhaps this was going to go well.

‘You just missed Stan,’ her mother said as they made their way inside. ‘He wanted to meet you, Liz, but I thought it better to wait till another time.’

‘We saw him leave,’ Liz said.

Her mother blushed, something Liz didn’t remember ever happening before.

‘Well, come in and take a seat. Lunch is almost ready. I hope you like roast lamb,’ Joan said to Julie. The aroma of the roasting meat permeated the villa, making their mouths water.

‘Yum,’ Tilly said, making them all laugh and breaking the ice.

To Liz’s surprise and relief, the lunch went well. Joan asked Julie and Tilly about themselves and their life in Brisbane, and Tilly seemed happy to chat about what they had seen in Pelican Crossing. The only sticky part came when Joan asked Julie about her adoptive parents, but Julie managed to respond without becoming upset or annoyed, and Joan really appeared to be pleased she’d had a good life. Liz could almost see her thinking how things had worked out for the best, just as she’d predicted.

But she didn’t repeat any of her previous prophecies, only saying she was glad Julie had experienced a happy childhood. Then she began to relate stories about Liz growing up, bringing out an old photograph album which both Julie and Tilly seemed to find fascinating. These anecdotes of her younger days embarrassed Liz, who took the opportunity to retire to the kitchen to wash up the lunch dishes – her mother refused to have a dishwasher.

It was mid-afternoon before Liz, Julie and Tilly rose to leave. Their farewells were less awkward than the greetings had been, with both Julie and Tilly joining Liz in hugging Joan and promising to make another visit before they left Pelican Crossing, although Tilly seemed to be somewhat reluctant at the prospect of seeing Joan again. The trip back to Liz’s was spent rehashing the visit which all three deemed to be successful.

‘My turn to cook,’ Julie announced when they arrived at the apartment. ‘Will you be okay here if I duck out to do some shopping?’ she asked Tilly.

Tilly muttered something indecipherable, and although Liz insisted there was no need, Julie headed off.

This was the first time Liz had been alone with Tilly, and the sense of awkwardness she’d felt when they arrived at Joan’s villa returned. What was she to do with the fourteen-year-old till her mother came back? ‘Tea?’ she asked. It was always a good start.

‘Okay,’ Tilly scowled, ‘or do you have any hot chocolate?’

‘I certainly do.’ Hot chocolate sounded good to Liz too. She was in the kitchen, taking two mugs out of the cupboard along with the container of chocolate and the Tim Tams which were still uneaten, when Tilly wandered in.

‘Oh, yum, Tim Tams,’ she said, taking a seat at the table.

Liz smiled. She was becoming accustomed to Tilly’s changing moods.

They were peaceably drinking hot chocolate when Tilly gazed at Liz. She took a long drink, played with a strand of hair then said, ‘She’s cool, your mum. She said to call her Joan as Great Grandma made her sound old. What was it like… when you were pregnant? How did your parents react?’

‘They were good. Very supportive.’

‘How about school?’

‘We moved away till I had the baby – your mum – then afterwards we moved here. No one at my old school knew. ’

‘So, you left school?’

‘For a few months, then I started at Pelican Crossing High. I had to work hard to catch up.’

Tilly picked at a thread on the edge of her shirt. ‘I hate my school. I don’t want to go back.’

Liz was silent, remembering what Julie had told her.

‘They’re so mean to me after… I wish I could change schools too, go somewhere no one knows me. Somewhere like Pelican Crossing. Hey,’ her face brightened, ‘maybe Mum and I could move here?’

Liz’s heart began to beat faster. If only they could. How she’d love to have all three of her girls living right here in Pelican Crossing. She didn’t reply immediately. It wasn’t up to her to comment. She took a sip of her drink. ‘Maybe you should talk with your mum about that,’ she said. ‘I doubt she’d want to move her life all the way up here. And what about all your friends?’

‘You don’t want us.’ Tilly’s eyes filled with tears.

‘Of course I want you, sweetheart,’ Liz said using the affectionate term for the first time. It rolled off her tongue automatically. ‘It’s not my decision. As I said, it’s a big step.’

The front door opened, Julie arrived with her bags of shopping, and no more was said about moving to Pelican Crossing.

But as she lay in bed that night, Liz couldn’t stop thinking about Tilly’s words, how wonderful it would be. Then she remembered. Neither Tara nor Mandy knew about Julie and Tilly’s existence. How would they react when they found out?