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‘Did you see him growing up?’
‘No.’
‘He didn’t visit you? Why not?’
‘He never wanted to.’
He busied himself with the barbeque. Noah had successfully compartmentalised that pain a long time ago. His mother had always been his only parent. No family law biffs when he was a kid. His dad left and they never heard from him again. Did his father know he had rights? Things were very different back then, maybe he thought there weren’t any options or he didn’t have the right to see him? It was something he pondered often. The alternative was too hurtful.
‘Not everyone you love leaves you for the city. Your mother stayed.’ Her statement came out of nowhere. He felt the weight of the words and focused on turning the sausages.
‘Facts say otherwise. My mother was born and bred in the country. My father wasn’t. My wife wasn’t. I should have known better. Instead, I simply repeated the mistake of my mother.’
‘You can’t help who you fall in love with.’
But you could; you had too.
The door slammed shut after Duke came out on the deck. She ruffled his wet hair. ‘Now the shower is free, I’ll jump in quickly before you serve up.’
Ava’s scent lingered in the night-time air and it was all Noah could smell.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ish landed on Ava’s bed with a thump, his knee slamming into her stomach. ‘Mumma, it’s carnival day! Wake up!’
For days he had been begging her to attend; his friend, Sam, was going to the Bellethorpe annual summer fair with his family and Ish wanted to go too. He might even make more friends he’d hinted several times. That was the clincher, of course, she’d do anything for that kid, and he was fast becoming aware of that fact. Making the decision easier, and as an added bonus, her friend, Bec, had a son of a similar age and they’d be there too. From what she’d heard, Ava was sure most of the town would be.
‘I can’t wait for the rides,’ he said loudly into her ear. He jiggled about and encouraged Daisy onto the bed.
‘Daisy, off!’ She rolled over and moved Ish to the side.
Of course, she’d agreed. Ava wanted him to have fun and love their new home, their country life, but now that the day had arrived, she churned inside because the timing was ironic. The turtle fossil was the most exciting moment of her career to date and the more she learned of its history from Matthew and James, the more excited she became. The potential of more finds on her land was possible and that was extraordinary.
But that also made fear claw at Ava’s belly. She’d fought off one journalist, how long could she keep her secret? Of the many secrets it felt like she had closed away inside of her? Inadvertently she may have brought danger of detection upon her and Ish and for that, she would never forgive herself.
‘C’mon, Mumma, get dressed. We don’t want to miss out!’ Ish bounced on the bed.
‘Okay! Can you please feed Marmalade and Honey, throw the scraps to the chickens and feed the puppies!’
Her son’s groan was loud and clear, but the weight lifted off the bed and her bedroom door slammed. She jumped up, raced to the back glass door and watched Ish as he ran towards the horses, them nudging his hand with their long noses and him responding with pats and food.
Next, her eyes scanned the horizon. To the unsuspecting, there was nothing to see at the far edge of her land. But only a few hundred metres inside was an entire other world. In the quiet moments, she dreamed of the academic papers she’d write, the reports, maybe a book, and of the future this historic find might deliver them. A future of paid work. They were okay for the moment, thanks to her selling her ring, and she still had the opal jewellery up her metaphorical sleeve. They’d be okay. But perhaps this find was the answer to her job problem. Her mind stretched in further directions.
Jamila. There was no word and Ava hoped that didn’t mean bad news. Shivers danced up her spine thinking about it. There’d also been no further emails from Henry, either. Had she managed to scrape through this time?
Ava needed a new plan and she didn’t have one. Her only solution was to bunker down and get on with the job of keeping their location a secret. But the town of Bellethorpe with its summer festival and general busybodies were preventing her from keeping a low profile. It seemed each day their precarious position became more fragile.
Today, they were okay; she’d focus on that.
Ava tilted her head towards the bright, orange sun sitting high in the royal blue sky, closed her eyes and enjoyed the sparkles shimmering behind her eyelids. The warmth radiated through her skin and down, deep, inside her soul. Unlike the locals who bemoaned the heat and humidity of the summers, she hadn’t tired of the high temperatures, yet.
Ish’s hand slipped from hers and her eyes opened.
His face wore an expression of wonder: eyes open and bright, mouth in a perfect ‘O’, feet ready to move. The weather was glorious; a perfect day for the Bellethorpe Summer Festival. Held in the local showgrounds, central to the main street, it was the last hurrah before children returned to school and families said farewell to the last of the long, lazy days of the holidays, of swimming, sleep-ins, and too much food; before the New Year really began.
Groups of young people raced past. It seemed the entire townsfolk were out wearing their broadest smiles. Ava plastered on her grin, hoping she fitted in perfectly. Inside, her nerves were frayed, like the end of a tassel being stretched in too many directions. The distraction would serve her well. It was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation. A day the whole community turned out to support one another, celebrate achievements, be merry.
Ava had heard talk of the annual Bastille Day Festival that was held on the national French day at the same location, except deep in the depths of winter. Something to look forward to in what she imaged was a cold and bleak time of year.
