and back again.
‘Hi Scott!’ She sounded pleased to see him.
‘Hi Katie. Are you starting to feel a little more settled?’
She nodded, her blonde fringe bouncing in a most beguiling way. ‘I wanted to say thanks for last night. For the dinner; and for staying. It really did help.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Scott said, wondering what the rest of the people in the room would make of that exchange. They were so obviously all listening. This was the Coorah Creek he remembered, where everybody knew everybody else’s business, especially if it involved who was sleeping with whom.
Katie hesitated for a moment. She looked from Scott to Ed and back again. Scott could see the question in her eyes. He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t ready for that just yet.
A few moments passed in tense silence before Katie spoke again.
‘Anyway, I’d like to return the favour sometime soon. Cook you dinner. If you’d like to?’
Of course he would. Those lovely blue eyes peeping out from under that fringe would entice any man. ‘That sounds great,’ he said.
Katie looked extremely pleased. A touch of colour lit her cheeks. ‘Well, I guess I had better get back. I’m having dinner with the boss.’
‘You’ll be fine,’ Scott said reassuringly. ‘I only met him today for a few minutes, but he seems like a good bloke.’ An even better bloke if he was safely married.
Katie nodded. As she turned to go, she spoke to Ed for the first time.
‘I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.’
‘No.’
She hesitated. ‘I hope my car’s—’
‘It’ll be ready Wednesday afternoon,’ Ed said with a brusqueness that was all too familiar to Scott.
‘All right.’ Katie sounded very uncertain. She looked quickly from Scott to Ed and then back again, before smiling at both and turning away to re-join Doctor Adam.
‘Ashamed of me, are you?’ Ed said as she walked away. ‘Didn’t want to acknowledge me in front of the girl?’
Scott wanted to say yes, he was ashamed. He didn’t want Katie to know he was the son of a man who cheated on his wife and hit his son. He didn’t want her to know the blood that ran in his veins. But he’d come back to Coorah Creek to make some sort of rapprochement, so he remained silent.
‘I see. Well, you’ve got no grounds for moral superiority. Not if you spent the night with that girl when you barely knew her name.’
‘It wasn’t like that.’ Scott got to his feet. He wasn’t defending himself. After all these years, he didn’t expect his father to have a very high opinion of him. And he didn’t care either way. But he didn’t want Katie’s reputation damaged before she’d had a chance to establish herself in her new home. ‘I was just helping someone who needed a friend. It’s called kindness, but I don’t expect you would know much about that.’
He walked away.
Leaving the pub by the back residents’ entrance allowed Scott to avoid everyone – his father, Katie, Trish. All of them. Because right now he was in no fit state to talk to anyone. It was partly anger at his father. And partly anger at himself.
He cut through the back yard of the pub and leaped the low fence. Years ago, the land around the pub had all been empty. Now there were houses facing the road, but he was still able to skirt the back fences. That left him facing another low fence. He leaned on it and looked over into the school grounds. The school was a lot bigger now than in his day. There were new blocks of classrooms, a small swimming pool and what looked like a big hall. So much had changed. But not him.
That’s why he was angry with himself. He’d come all this way seeking to heal the rift with his father. If not heal it, at least build some sort of bridge over it. While he still could. Because in a few weeks, he’d be travelling to the other side of the world. And he might never come back.
He wasn’t an angry teenager any more. He was a grown man who should be able to put old
‘Hi Scott!’ She sounded pleased to see him.
‘Hi Katie. Are you starting to feel a little more settled?’
She nodded, her blonde fringe bouncing in a most beguiling way. ‘I wanted to say thanks for last night. For the dinner; and for staying. It really did help.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Scott said, wondering what the rest of the people in the room would make of that exchange. They were so obviously all listening. This was the Coorah Creek he remembered, where everybody knew everybody else’s business, especially if it involved who was sleeping with whom.
Katie hesitated for a moment. She looked from Scott to Ed and back again. Scott could see the question in her eyes. He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t ready for that just yet.
A few moments passed in tense silence before Katie spoke again.
‘Anyway, I’d like to return the favour sometime soon. Cook you dinner. If you’d like to?’
Of course he would. Those lovely blue eyes peeping out from under that fringe would entice any man. ‘That sounds great,’ he said.
Katie looked extremely pleased. A touch of colour lit her cheeks. ‘Well, I guess I had better get back. I’m having dinner with the boss.’
‘You’ll be fine,’ Scott said reassuringly. ‘I only met him today for a few minutes, but he seems like a good bloke.’ An even better bloke if he was safely married.
Katie nodded. As she turned to go, she spoke to Ed for the first time.
‘I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.’
‘No.’
She hesitated. ‘I hope my car’s—’
‘It’ll be ready Wednesday afternoon,’ Ed said with a brusqueness that was all too familiar to Scott.
‘All right.’ Katie sounded very uncertain. She looked quickly from Scott to Ed and then back again, before smiling at both and turning away to re-join Doctor Adam.
‘Ashamed of me, are you?’ Ed said as she walked away. ‘Didn’t want to acknowledge me in front of the girl?’
Scott wanted to say yes, he was ashamed. He didn’t want Katie to know he was the son of a man who cheated on his wife and hit his son. He didn’t want her to know the blood that ran in his veins. But he’d come back to Coorah Creek to make some sort of rapprochement, so he remained silent.
‘I see. Well, you’ve got no grounds for moral superiority. Not if you spent the night with that girl when you barely knew her name.’
‘It wasn’t like that.’ Scott got to his feet. He wasn’t defending himself. After all these years, he didn’t expect his father to have a very high opinion of him. And he didn’t care either way. But he didn’t want Katie’s reputation damaged before she’d had a chance to establish herself in her new home. ‘I was just helping someone who needed a friend. It’s called kindness, but I don’t expect you would know much about that.’
He walked away.
Leaving the pub by the back residents’ entrance allowed Scott to avoid everyone – his father, Katie, Trish. All of them. Because right now he was in no fit state to talk to anyone. It was partly anger at his father. And partly anger at himself.
He cut through the back yard of the pub and leaped the low fence. Years ago, the land around the pub had all been empty. Now there were houses facing the road, but he was still able to skirt the back fences. That left him facing another low fence. He leaned on it and looked over into the school grounds. The school was a lot bigger now than in his day. There were new blocks of classrooms, a small swimming pool and what looked like a big hall. So much had changed. But not him.
That’s why he was angry with himself. He’d come all this way seeking to heal the rift with his father. If not heal it, at least build some sort of bridge over it. While he still could. Because in a few weeks, he’d be travelling to the other side of the world. And he might never come back.
He wasn’t an angry teenager any more. He was a grown man who should be able to put old
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