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As we pulled up out the front of the house, I was shocked by the size of the place. I had a little one-bedroom apartment in Melbourne, and that had cost me an arm and a leg. I was in the wrong business. Then again, I wasn’t a six-foot hunk like my cousin. The tall genes must have missed me in the family. I just got the short, curvy ones. I was good with that.
“You need to close your mouth, Avery. You are catching flies,” Patrick said.
“So were you,” I replied and made a face.
We got out and headed to the front door which opened, and Callie came running out.
“It’s so good to see you.” She gave me a hug and held on. I could not keep the smile off my face as we came apart.
“This is Patrick, who I told you about. He’s my partner in the business.” I had only met Callie once at the wedding, but she made me feel like I mattered. Declan had landed on his feet with this lovely lady. Not that they had not been to hell and back before they found their happy ending.
“Come on in. You must both be exhausted. That flight is a killer even if you are in business class. I will show you to your rooms.”
I followed Callie into the large open-plan area. The kitchen was off to one side, and there were windows all along the back that opened onto a beautiful, landscaped garden and a pool. I looked forward to a dip in that later. I’d try not to fall in. Then I tried to remember if I had packed my swimming costume. I hoped I had the bikini I bought in Port Douglas. Our rooms were off to the side of the house and were massive and both had their own bathrooms.
“Our rooms are on the other side of the house. The kid’s rooms are over there too. I have a wonderful lady who lives with us and helps. Tommy is at school so it makes it a bit easier with the twins. I’ll give you ten minutes to freshen up while I make some coffee.”
The bed looked so enticing, but I wanted to stay up as long as I could so that I would sleep later. I wanted to be alert tomorrow as we needed to set up for the convention and meet the Luxe and Love people. I headed back to the kitchen to find Patrick already there. He was showing Callie pictures of Paul. Of course, he was.
“We plan to get married next year. I want to do a Fiji wedding. My friend had one and Fijian warriors escorted him in, and she came in on a floral pontoon.”
“That would be amazing. I might even push for an invite.”
“It’s done. You and Declan and the kids are added to the list. We have the hotel booked.”
A middle-aged lady with short gray hair came in with the two toddlers in a pram. She popped them in the playpen.
Callie introduced us.
“This is Paula who keeps me sane with these two tearaways.”
“You’re doing fine.” Paula smiled at Callie.
“I’m not, but she keeps telling me that so I will believe her one day.”
“Callie has been a lifesaver for me. We met at the women’s refuge. I was older and unemployed, and my husband had run off with a younger woman. It’s hard when you find yourself homeless. I love kids though I never had any of my own. I have a home here and will be forever grateful.”
Callie hugged her. “People come into your life for a reason. Like angels you meet along the way.”
“That’s what my friend Scarlet says. She went on a road trip across Australia and found lots of angels along the way.”
“They are there if you look for them. Sometimes we are too busy to notice. I hear you are busy businesspeople like Callie,” Paula said.
“Yes, we sell cosmetics for the general market and have branched out into theatrical makeup as well,” I said.
“So, tell us about the convention? I love the Luxe and Love stores,” Callie said.
“Patrick was coming to do a small display and we were going to showcase some of our products. Then we got a request to bring more. They want to stock us and do demonstrations at some stores.”
“That is wonderful for you,” Callie said.
“It is, but I have you to thank. There was an article about your wedding, and they stated it was our makeup and that I did it.”
“Look, if you have friends who can influence stuff then go for it. Sasha and I did when we were starting out.”
“How is your business going?” I asked.
“It’s so busy and Sasha is doing most of it as I’m tied up with the twins a lot. Who knew gourmet cupcake baskets would take off so well?”
