AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She acted coy. ‘As I said last night, I’m genuinely sorry that we got off on the wrong foot. It must have been such a shock to learn that the house you’d been dreaming of was no longer yours. I’m sorry about that. Can’t promise I still wouldn’t have bought it if I’d known, but…’ She shrugged.
‘Thank you, that means a lot. And it makes for an easy start. I’ll spend this afternoon getting together the materials we need and I’ll start tomorrow.’
‘Okay, so you’ll need some money?’
‘Oh, um.’ His mobile phone rang. Lisa. Shit. ‘I’m not sure what the timber and stuff will cost up front, so I’ll come back to you with the info.’ The phone continued to trill, echoing in his ears. Why was he refusing the money? Because he liked her? Hang on. Things were heading off track. And now Lisa was ringing and she’d just served him with court papers…
‘I’ve got to go. See you bright and early in the morning.’
‘Mumma, Mumma, I can’t find Daisy!’
Ish had dumped his school bag and gone looking for Daisy, first thing, only to find her bed empty. Had she been in her bed before she’d left to collect Ish from school? Ava couldn’t remember. In fact, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen her. The dog could have wandered anywhere, her mind had been a bit of a mess during the day.
‘Let’s search the house first.’ They split up. He checked the bathrooms, and Ava the bedrooms. In the kitchen he opened the cupboards and peered inside.
‘Nothing,’ he announced.
‘Let’s check outside.’ Together they searched the perimeter of the house and the back of the sheds. They trudged over to the fence and contemplated checking the horse stables, but Daisy usually didn’t wander that far.
Racing back to the house, they saw a paling on the grass at the spot they’d originally found Daisy.
‘I fixed that. Quick!’ Ava grasped his hand and they rushed over. In the cool and dark interior, Daisy whimpered. ‘Hey, Daisy, are you okay?’ Ava murmured to the dog and stroked the fur she could reach under the house. ‘Can you see any puppies yet, Ish?’
Ish craned his neck each which way. ‘No.’
‘Okay, you stay here and talk to Daisy, keep her calm, and I’ll ring the vet to see if we should move her.’
Only moments later, Ava was back with a blanket. ‘Ish, the vet said we can move her somewhere calm and quiet and warm. So first, we’ll lift her onto this blanket, okay? Can you help me?’
It wasn’t easy. Daisy had chosen to bury herself under the house. It looked comfortable but no one wanted to deliver their little babies onto the dirt. In the end, their efforts were in vain, and, with the encouragement of a liver treat, Daisy stood and walked slowly towards the back staircase. She paused, one paw on the first rise and glanced back.
‘You can do it, girl.’ Ish gently held her bottom to prevent a fall. The next paw went up and the next until she’d climbed the short steps. Ava fluffed up the pillow and blankets in her basket and patted the ground. Daisy approached and plopped herself down.
‘Can you see if she’ll take a little water?’
Ish raced away to refill the water bowl and came back, holding it to the dog’s nose. She lapped a few sips. ‘Now offer her some small treats.’ One by one Daisy ate the pebble-sized treats from his hand. ‘We have to make sure she is comfortable and keep an eye on her, okay. She needs you tonight. You up for it?’
Ish nodded and sat on the deck, one hand on Daisy’s back, the other holding his knees to his chest. ‘You can tell Daisy about your orientation at big school while I start dinner.’
Before Ava had stepped inside, she heard Ish reciting the school rules: you must sit cross-legged on the mat, put your hand up to speak, and not talk when the teacher is speaking. He mentioned a boy he’d met, a new boy too who hadn’t lived in town long, his name was Samuel. Ish said it made him feel better because the other kids knew each other already and they hadn’t even attended school yet. Ava clutched a hand to her heart. This was more information than she’d gotten out of him on the short drive home. He told Daisy it was a good day; yes, he’d had fun; yes, his teacher was nice. He would be happy to start there when school commenced. She paused to listen to more, but he went on to tell Daisy that one child had a vegemite sandwich—how disgusting! —and another had jam. Once he’d detailed about four sandwich fillings, Ava headed to the kitchen.
Later, after dinner, they sat together on the back deck, on the timber flooring right beside Daisy, and played snap. The stars shone brightly in the sky and the evening temperature was mild. By bedtime, there still weren’t any puppies. Ish had fallen asleep, his head resting on Daisy’s lower body and Ava carried him to bed, tucked him in and watched him sleep.
With his bedroom not yet ready, he slept in her room. Tonight, lids fluttering in his sleep, his lips slightly parted, he spread across her double bed like a starfish. Sometimes, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d gaze at him and was amazed that this was her son, that she had created him. It never failed to cause a bolt of something straight through her chest. Pride? Love? Hope? It was more a fierce protective love that she would do anything for him. The feeling scared her at times. Particularly now. What length exactly would she go to if she had to protect him? A strange tingling rippled beneath her skin. Looking at him it was impossible not to think of his father. Ish had inherited his father’s dark features, thick hair and that gorgeous sun-kissed skin. Occasionally, moments overcame her and fear for the future gripped her around the middle like a vice. Ava breathed deeply in and out, watched Ish. For the moment, he was safe, he was here. Her heartbeat slowed. Shutting the bedroom door, she grabbed an extra blanket, a yoga mat and a book and sat leaning on the wall next to Daisy who was now mercifully asleep.
Chapter Nine
Noah rang Ava’s mobile three times while he stood at her locked front gate. No answer. They’d agreed yesterday that she’d keep it open. He wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, but should he be worried?
Being stranded at the gate was frustrating this morning because he was ready to start work and his gear was in the truck. Attempting to get hold of her one last time, he whistled for Otis and made the trek up the long drive. First sight of those morning kangaroos and Otis was off at full pelt. His chances of catching any were poor, but it was amusing to watch.
Noah stomped up the back stairs to avoid surprising Ava. Needn’t have worried; she lay on the ground next to the dog’s bed curled into a ball, purring quietly like a cat and fast asleep. One hand was stretched towards the dog, but not quite touching. She wore long dark exercise pants and a loose pale tee, bare feet with her hair loose and fanning her face. She looked peaceful despite her position on the floor.
Daisy whimpered and looked at him, her tail wagging wildly. Next to her were puppies! One, two, three, four, five, he counted.
‘Ava,’ he shook her shoulder. ‘Ava.’
She startled. ‘It’s okay, it’s morning and you’ve been asleep, and look,’ he said, pointing. Her eyes were shrouded with sleep, but he kept watching and was rewarded with the surprise and delight of what she saw.
