5 Peppermint Grove (29 page)

“Julia and Michael are still with me so I think we’re going to Fremantle for supper and then he has a flight to catch in the morning.”

Steve shut the door behind him so that the others couldn’t hear and sat down at Ruth’s desk.

“I’ll be glad when your friend’s are gone – maybe we can spend more time together?” His wide grin unnerved Ruth. She had found him attractive and in a way she still did but if she were to have a relationship with him it would mean that she was playing out an old pattern. She really needed to start off with a clean slate. Now that she realised she could like someone who was available, she felt a sense of hope for her future. But she had to be careful how she played it with Steve. He was, after all, her boss and she did want to give
Perth a chance. It was the best job opportunity open to her and she wouldn’t be able to stay if she didn’t have the work permit that Steve had organised. Besides she really liked her job. She decided to call his bluff.

She stood up, walked around her desk and propped herself on the edge of it.

“I’m so glad that you feel the same way as I do,” she said. “When do you think we should tell Michelle?”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “Tell her what?”

“Tell her about us – I am so looking forward to sleeping with you and we only have to wait until the divorce comes through – you see, I’ve kept my virginity for my husband and when we are engaged we can sleep together.”

Steve was speechless. “You’r-r-re a virgin?”

“Yes, and I’m so pleased that I waited for you. It won’t be long now – when do you think the proceedings can be started?”

Steve shook his head. “Eh, I didn’t realise you felt this way, Ruth – I don’t want to hurt Michelle and I have to think of the kids – I mean, they need a father. I wasn’t going to divorce my wife – I thought you were looking for the same thing as me.”

He rolled the seat backwards with his feet and started to get up. Sheer terror in his face now. Was this girl for real?

“But, Steve, you know that you’re irresistible – I couldn’t just settle for a little piece of you – not when I’ve waited all these years.”

“Ruth, I like you but I think it might be better to keep our relationship professional. You see, Michelle might go crazy and I wouldn’t want to hurt her – you know what I mean.”

Ruth feigned a hurt expression. “Oh, Steve, don’t reject me – I’m not sure if I can take it.”

Steve was now at the door.

“Eh, Ruth, you’re doing a terrific job and I have to go out now for the afternoon so I’ll see you tomorrow – keep up the good work.”

Ruth felt a sense of smug satisfaction as he disappeared. A new strength had taken over her since moving to Australia. She had said goodbye to one of her demons and would only consider single men in future.

Ruth drove to Fremantle. It was a short journey and they wanted to catch the sun going down over the ocean. Michael and Julia giggled as they listened to her relay the tale of Steve in her office earlier.

“I can’t believe that he believed you were a virgin!” Michael said.

“I don’t know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment,” Ruth said into the rear-view mirror at Michael’s reflection.

“A compliment most definitely,” Julia said with a big grin. “So does this mean that you’re on the hunt for Mr Right?”

“Yep! I am only taking single men on.”

“We’ve made a deal, Julia, that if we don’t find someone in a couple of years we’ll get married!” Michael chirped from the back.

Julia was fascinated by the prospect. “Seriously? I’d like that – my best friend would be my sister – cool!”

Ruth was more reserved about the arrangement. “Hold on and see what happens with
Lydia.”

“Ah, I hate to admit defeat but she’s the one that got away, Michael,” Julia quipped.

The sun was low in the sky as they approached the harbour at Fremantle but a lovely orange-and-red-hued light cast shadows on the boats moored at the marina. The large wooden chip shop was painted a nautical blue and a lovely white-and-blue canopy covered the entrance. A large sign in orange-and-blue neon flashed brightly, announcing that they were at their destination.

“
Cicerello’s – established 1908 – WA’s No 1 Fish ‘n’ Chips
– Cash Only!” Michael read the sign out aloud on their way in the door. “Hope you have cash, Julia.”

“Absolutely, it’s my spin tonight.”

“No way! Let me,” said Ruth. “It’s been lovely having the company – after my first few days I was counting down to your visit. You have no idea how lovely it is to see people from home when you are away.”

“Look at that!” Michael said, pointing up at a canoe that a shark had taken a big bite out of. It hung from the rafters and on the wall was a newspaper article about the shark involved.

Ruth and Michael waited for the orders for cod and scampi with chips while Julia went to search out a table outside from where they could watch the sunset.

“Wow!” Julia said as she emerged onto a decked area dotted with white parasols and sturdy wooden benches and tables. They were in the perfect position to take in the complete view of the boats bobbing in the harbour. She found a nice table at the water’s edge.

Ruth and Michael came out carrying trays laden with delicious seafood and drinks.

“This place is packed,” Ruth said.

“Yes, and look at all the families,” Julia commented.

They were halfway through their dinner when Julia decided that she needed more tartar sauce. She got up and went into the counter. The queue had shortened and she was beside a man and his wife who were staring at the menu. He looked vaguely familiar but Julia couldn’t place him.

“I think I’ll get the chilli mussels,” he said with a distinctly Dublin accent.

Julia tried not to stare but it was difficult not to. His hair was peppered with grey strands but he was still quite dark. His eyes were the blue of Paul Newman or David Essex . . . that was it . . . but it couldn’t be!

“Nah, Richie, they were too spicy for you last time – remember!” the woman said. She was most definitely Australian but she looked Italian.

“I’ll play it safe then and get the scampi,” he said.

Julia wanted to burst – it was Richie Clery. She hadn’t seen him in almost twenty years. What were the odds on meeting him here? She had often wondered where he had ended up. She had to say something.

“Excuse me but you wouldn’t be Richie Clery from Sutton, would you?”

He looked at Julia for a few seconds and squinted. He tilted his head and suddenly the penny dropped. “Julia?”

Julia nodded. “Yes – it’s me. I can’t believe it. How are you?”

“Good – good, thanks! My, it’s been a long time! I haven’t been back to Ireland for almost twenty years.”

“I was thinking it had to be that long. Are you living here?”

“Yeah, I live in Peppermint Grove.”

Julia’s mouth dropped. “Wow! Fabulous houses there.”

“It’s a nice place to live – Julia, this is my wife Donna.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Julia smiled and the woman shook her hand warmly. “When did you come out here, Richie?”

“Shortly after I left Dublin. The boat that I took brought me from Southampton to Fremantle and I liked it here and they needed someone to work at the port for a while. I didn’t go back to sea after that – started my own shipping company after a couple of years and never looked back. Perth’s far from everywhere so we’ll always need to ship stuff.”

“That’s amazing. I’m with my brother Michael – do you remember him?”

“Sure I do!” Richie said. “Hey, do you mind if we join you after we get our food?”

He looked at Donna and she nodded enthusiastically.

“I was just getting some tartar sauce,” Julia said.

Richie handed her over a tub that was on the counter. “There! I’ll put it on my tab.”

Julia went back to the others who were almost finished their chips.

“You’ll never guess who I met up there – Richie Clery!”

“The Richie Clery with the motorbike?” Ruth asked.

“Yep – unbelievable, isn’t it! You go halfway around the world and then meet someone who lived down the road from where you grew up!”

“What’s he look like?” Ruth asked. “God, you were mad about him!”

“I know – yeah, he looks good and he’s also happily married by the looks of it. And you’ll never guess where he lives!”

“Where?” Ruth urged. She hated the way Julia drew a story out.

“Peppermint Grove!”

“
What?
”
Ruth gasped.

Michael shook his head. “That’s an amazing coincidence.”

“There’s something about that place,” Ruth giggled.

“Well, he must have plenty of cash to afford a house there!” Julia said.

They didn’t have to wait long until he arrived.

“Hi, everyone! This is Donna my wife.” Richie’s manner as he introduced his wife  showed the love and high regard he had for her.

“Pleased to meet you – I’m Ruth.” Ruth shook hands with Donna.

“And my brother, Michael – you remember Richie…” Julia added.

“Of course I do,” Michael said and shook hands with them both.

“So what has you all in
Perth?” Richie asked once they had set up their food on the table and settled down.

“We’re visiting Ruth – she works here now,” Julia explained.

“I’m on a contract for two years,” Ruth said.

“Ah, you might stay – most people do.” Richie chuckled.

Richie had a story for every year that he had been there and each was more colourful than the last. He offered to help Ruth in any way that he could and told her that she should call him if she felt homesick. Donna was a lovely woman – she described herself as a homemaker but Richie was quick to boast about all of her philanthropic work.

“Maybe you would like to come to some of our fundraisers – they’re good fun,” Donna said to Ruth. “We’re a friendly bunch.”

Ruth had to agree and said how easy she found settling into life in Australia.

Julia was in her own world while the others spoke. Life went on around the world for everyone and she had a profound thought that in a funny sort of way no matter where we all were – we would all end up in the same place eventually.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Julia took Ruth’s car after she dropped her at the office, to drive Michael to the airport. Ruth had hugged Michael warmly as she wished him a safe flight home and Julia dreaded her own departure in a few days’ time.

“You know, I’ll be glad when you do come home for good,” Julia said as she drove.

“I’m going to actively seek a position in
Dublin when I go back,” Michael promised.

She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tightly before he got out of the car.

“I hate goodbyes, Ju. Drive off quickly, please.”

Julia nodded and did as her brother asked. Tears filled her eyes. It had been a bonus seeing him so soon after Christmas but it could realistically be a year or more before she saw him again. It was so hard to be parted from people that you loved. She wondered how so many people watched their loved ones every day take a flight to a new part of the world and sometimes
never saw them again.

Richie Clery didn’t seem to miss anybody or anything since he had left. He was etched very firmly on her mind after meeting him the night before. Back in the nineties he had been such a rebel but now seemed so settled and happy. Of all the people that she had ever known, she would never have imagined him to be the picture of domestic bliss that he had turned out to be. He didn’t go on about his three children that much but on the couple of occasions when he had mentioned them he spoke with such pride and care that it made Julia question what she had been doing with her time. Okay, she had a successful business of which she was proud but that was really only ever going to fulfil one part of her – what about all the rest of the stuff that Richie and Donna had spoken about? Richie was an only child who lived with his estranged father when he lived in
Dublin. It was no wonder that he had settled down and family had become so important to him once he had found the right woman. And did she,
Julia, think that she could have been that woman? Definitely not. She wasn’t sure that there was a perfect partner for her but she would like to have someone that made her smile the way that Richie had smiled all the night before.

Back at Ruth’s house in Subiaco, she went out to the back garden. She would be home in six days and wanted to have a golden tan of sorts before she arrived back to the cold of
Dublin. She decided to pour herself a glass of the Sandalford Verdehlo and read a book in the back garden. She was looking forward to a lovely evening with her friend, chilling and discussing life the way that they always did.

The loud whirr of helicopter blades startled Horatio as he stood in the kitchen making an early-morning cuppa. Curiosity sent him out into the garden to take a closer look. The coast guard often carried out reconnaissance trips along the Burrow Beach and over Howth Harbour – even at night he had often watched a pillar of white light shining down onto the water or speeding along the strand.