Page 4 of Buried In Between

‘Noah? Oh, no, I’m sure he can talk to you. I’ll go fetch him. And how about a chocolate croissant while you wait, young fella?’

Ismail nodded up at his mother enthusiastically but Ava stuck out her hand to keep him by her side.

‘Are you new to town? I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself. I’m Caleb Stirling and this is my restaurant. That was my wife at the strawberries.’ His tone was soft.

Ah, no. Had she hurt his feelings? He was scary looking dressed in an all-black ensemble with tattoos covering his right arm. Even so, he seemed nice, but who did she trust? Ava was so confused.

As if Caleb could read the emotions flickering across her face, he smiled. Honestly, she hardly deserved his kind treatment.

‘I’ll grab Noah and the croissant and bring it out. It’s no trouble.’ He held up his palm to silence the protests she offered.

Ismail jumped on the spot. ‘Yum!’

Ava kneeled low to speak to him. ‘Remember here in Bellethorpe, we’re using your middle name, Duke. People won’t get confused because Ismail is an unusual name in Australia. Okay?’

Secretly, she was happy to be calling him Duke when they had company. Ismail, an Islamic name in line with her husband’s faith, had never been her choice. She’d always shortened it to Ish, something her in-laws had never liked.

He nodded and her heart melted. ‘Yeah, Mumma, I remember, sorry I forgot before.’

A man came through the door, ‘Hi, I’m…’

She straightened up and her stomach swooped. It was him.

‘…Noah Hawthorn,’ he finished.

Caleb bounced up behind and delivered the treat to Ish. ‘Noah, this is … oh, sorry, I didn’t catch your name.’ He addressed Ava.

Her smile was tight now. Bloody hell, of all the people. ‘Ava, Ava Montgomery.’ She held out her hand in introduction. Noah Hawthorn, the region’s best builder placed his large workman hand in hers and shook it. His grip was strong and his eyes didn’t deviate from her face as if setting up an unspoken challenge. Despite that, his hand was warm and felt nice.

Caleb made formal introductions. ‘This is Noah Hawthorn, best builder around,’ echoing her exact thought. ‘I’ll leave you to discuss details. Nice to meet you both.’

‘I’m told you’re a builder and can assist me.’

Another man appeared behind Noah. ‘Oh, sorry to interrupt. I’m Alex Burgess, work with Noah. Mate, where’s the shifter?’

Noah answered him and remained quiet until the fellow left.

‘Sure, Bellethorpe Builders can help with your renovation needs. Unfortunately, we are booked up for months in advance. We currently have loads of jobs on the books, you know with the rush on building after the pandemic, so we’ll have to get back to you regarding availability.’

‘Oh, bugger. I want to get started as soon as possible. How long do you think until you’re free?’

He shrugged and looked away into the distance. ‘Three months at least.’ He slipped her his business card and sauntered away. The cheek of him!

Ava plonked down next to Ish on a timber seat on the footpath outside the restaurant. Ish ate his croissant, the flaky pastry edging his mouth, other fragments drifting to the ground. She watched the crumbs in a trance and twisted her engagement ring—back on her right hand—around and around.

‘Hey, don’t worry about it.’ Caleb, the restaurant-owner appeared by her side and she darted her hand out to reach for Ish and just as quickly dropped it. She needed to stop doing that.

Had he over-heard the conversation? Or did she look as discombobulated as she felt?

‘This town takes a while to get used to. When I first arrived, it felt like I’d landed onto the set of a crime show.’

Ava blanched.

Caleb laughed self-consciously. ‘Sorry bad choice of words even though that is honestly what I thought. But my point is, it can feel foreign out here and strange and the people overwhelming but then there’s this moment, it arrives when you least expect it, and catches you by surprise, and without realising it, this place is under your skin and then, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. Just give yourself time to adjust.’

He offered a wave and strode off. She hoped he was right.

Chapter Three

Source: www.allfreenovel.com