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Surprise
Deception
The words jumped out at her in a jumble. He’d signed off with Hamid. Not long after their relocation to Egypt, he’d reverted to his formal family name instead of the Henry she’d once known and loved.
I could have offered you a wonderful life. You just needed to adapt and be happy in the luxurious circumstances I provided for you. We could have been a family. Where are you? When can I see my son? Are you returning?
Did that mean he wasn’t aware of her location? She wanted desperately to believe it. When a man tells many lies, how can you possibly decipher the truth? Ava slammed the lid shut. What the hell was she going to do now?
Chapter Seventeen
Ava rolled over, desperate to clutch even one minute’s more sleep. After last night’s shock, she hadn’t slept a wink. Ridiculous, she knew, but in the darkness of those early hours, her mind played tricks and everything became distorted; every sound became an intruder.
Now it must be a new day—not because the sun came through her curtains, she’d shut them so tight that wasn’t possible—but Noah had arrived and she could hear male voices talking and joking, with the clink of tools being emptied out of trays. He wasn’t alone. He had the team with him to install the kitchen. Just as they’d discussed. Before they’d kissed of course. Before her husband had made contact. Ish’s soft feet thumped down the hall and she heard the back sliding door open, the dogs bark and the outside world enter. Pulling up the doona, she covered her head.
Could she stay in bed all day? Not enter the real world, even for just a short time?
Noah’s voice bellowed. ‘Howdy Duke and Daisy and who is this? Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail?’ Her lips curled into a smile, that was funny and they would have been great dog names. But within moments, her mouth dropped, reality crashing back down. Ish laughed in reply and the voices receded as they moved through the house.
Throwing off the cover with a dramatic sigh, Ava reluctantly rose and dressed. With her heart beating like a drum, she entered the kitchen. A group of men worked on various tasks and already, one cabinet was in.
Noah spotted her and handed over a take-away coffee. ‘Morning.’ His greeting was a husky whisper and despite her frazzled nerves, the sound resonated deep within causing little shock waves to radiate outwards and ripple along her skin. He stood in front of her and kept eye contact despite the noise around them. His presence, his voice, his close proximity had her heart galloping.
‘Thank you.’ She accepted the drink with their eyes focused only on each other. A layer of mist formed and she blinked. These coffees…Noah…him…here…
The weight of this simple and kind gesture after her restless and stressful night was too much.
Alex Burgess approached, the man she’d met on her first day. ‘Hey, Ava. Nice to see you again. We’ll have this kitchen in as fast as we can and be outta your hair.’
Thankfully he didn’t wait for a reply as it appeared she’d lost any ability to form words. Instead, she offered a tight smile to his departing back. Her focus remained on Noah. His stubble was longer today, and she was so close she could see where each hair grew. If they kissed right now, she’d feel that roughness against her cheek. He took a sip of coffee. And she’d taste his latte.
Noah recovered first and introduced the rest of the crew. The small kitchen space was crowded, a radio was playing loudly and the some of the men were singing along.
The room closed in around Ava and she struggled to catch her breath. Her chest tightened. She got out of the crowded room and the relief was instant.
‘Ish!’ He dragged himself in from the deck with the puppies in tow. His hair was sleep-tousled and his face still creased with sleep. Her eyes filled with tears that she batted away. He’d been quieter since last night. He knew something was up, but he didn’t ask. ‘Have you fed the chooks?’ She ruffled his hair as he got close but the suffocating feeling continued; it clawed at her neck. She needed to get out, away.
‘I might head back to the creek this morning. Will you come?’
Ish looked around and back to her. ‘Mumma, can I stay here and watch the builders? I can look after Daisy and the pups.’
‘You might be in the way. They’ve got a fair bit of work to do today.’ His face crumpled. Was he missing male company? Was he missing his father? Is that why he wanted to stay? Henry had spent little quality time with him, so that would surprise her. Should he stay? With her nerves well and truly frazzled, it might be for the best. But would he be okay? There was a team of strong capable men in her kitchen but would they keep him safe?
Ava was torn. ‘Noah?’ He was in the middle of lifting a cabinet and balancing it while another fellow connected it to the far wall. She waited until he’d finished and he wandered over. ‘If I go for a ride and Duke stays here at the house, will you keep an eye on him?’
‘Of course, sure.’
He must have gauged her uncertainty. ‘Honestly, Ava, go. You get such little time to yourself. Go and we’ll keep him busy. I’ll find a little project for him. Who knows, he might like building with his hands.’
‘He isn’t allowed to leave the house and must stay near your crew, right?’
He looked at her strangely. Yes, it sounded stupid and honestly, she was losing her mind with worry and uncertainty and craziness. She wanted what was best for them and to keep them safe but if she didn’t get out, she might just self-implode.
‘Yeah, of course. Otis is here too, and he can be in charge.’
A dog. That wasn’t exactly the reassurance she needed. ‘I’m going down to the most far paddock. You have my number, ring me and I can be back in a jiffy.’ Noah stayed still as if there was further conversation to be had; Ava sensed he wanted to say more, or perhaps with his twitching fingers, maybe he wanted to do something else. A shiver raced up her spine.
Not here. Not now.
