In His Good Hands (16 page)

How could Brett have placed that order, not knowing if he’d be able to pay for it? So risky. And what a price to pay. His
Brownlow Medal.
He would never get that back once it was gone.

And what if a new buyer wasn’t willing to pay the amount Brett needed? Surely he’d thought of that? If he had to return the equipment, that would be the end of the gym, the end of his dream.

She turned into Steve’s driveway and parked. The drapes were open. Smedley barked at her, his front paws up against the window.

Her father opened the door before she could knock. He was in his undershirt and a pair of not very clean trousers, but at least his hair appeared to be washed.

“Hey, Dad.” She was relieved to catch him at home so she wouldn’t have to be alone. “Want to go for a run?” With a start she realized she also craved the feel-good high that came with a hard workout.

“Oh, I guess so,” he grumbled. “Brett said he’d be on my case if I didn’t do something while the gym was closed.”

Her mouth firmed at the mention of his name. She wasn’t in the mood to hear about the good things he’d done. “I understand he’s been coming around.”

“He brought a load of fresh veggies yesterday. He got me making some fool stir-fry dish like your mother cooks. Hang on a tick, I’ll go change.” Steve headed to his bedroom.

Renita stooped to pat Smedley, then, pushing Brett from her thoughts, wandered through the living room. She was not spying for her mother; she was just concerned about how her father was getting along.

The house still had a bachelor pad look—a beer bottle left on the side table, sports magazines strewn over the couch. But overall, the place was reasonably clean and tidy.

She ducked her head into the hall—her father hadn’t come out of his room—then went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Fresh fruit, potatoes, green vegetables, lamb chops. Pretty impressive for someone not used to cooking for himself.

“Brett brought all that.” In sports socks, Steve made no sound on the tile floor as he came in. He wore a navy T-shirt and shorts. “You hungry?”

“No.” She shut the fridge. “I was just…looking for a bottle of water. I forgot to bring one.”

“I fill mine from the tap,” Steve said. “It’s cheaper.” He opened a cupboard to retrieve a couple of reusable water bottles.

Renita drove them to the small gravel parking area on Cliff Road. She wanted to see if she could handle this route without Brett urging her on. After perform-ing a few stretches she and her dad set off.

“You should have joined us at the Toastmasters meeting the other night,” Steve said as they began to jog slowly up the first hill.

“I didn’t come prepared for anything like that.” Renita could have gone faster, but kept pace with her father.

“What were you doing there then?” he asked.

“Honestly? Mum wanted to know how you were, what you were doing,” she replied. “I stopped by the house and your neighbor mentioned you’d gone to the library.” She glanced at him. “What made you join Toastmasters?”

“Ray, one of the guys at the Men’s Shed, dragged me along to a meeting after I told him I was nervous about giving a speech at my son’s wedding reception. It’s kind of fun,” Steve admitted grudgingly.

“I could see that. That was some crazy story. Who knew you had such an imagination?”

“I’m giving my icebreaker speech next week. That’s where I tell the group about myself. You could come as a guest.”

“Maybe I will.” She sensed he would appreciate the moral support. And she was curious about this unexpected new side to her father. “I might learn something.”

As they jogged past Brett’s house, Renita glanced through the wrought-iron gate, even though she knew he wasn’t there. Her frustration must have shown because Steve asked, “What’s wrong? Did Brett do something to upset you?”

“You wouldn’t believe what he did, Daddy.” She proceeded to tell the whole story, omitting the fact that she’d slept with the man. Her sex life was none of her father’s business, and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t want to know. “Now he’s scared and covering his fear with bravado. He won’t let me help. He won’t even talk to me.”

He couldn’t even look her in the eye. He’d shut her out. That’s what hurt. She was still upset but her anger had dissolved. She was back to just wanting to help him.

“It would be a shame if he lost the gym over this,” Steve said. He paused. “By help him, do you mean financially?”

“I’ve offered him a personal loan. He wouldn’t—” She broke off, a thought striking her. “
I
could buy his Brownlow Medal.”

“You!” Steve cocked one eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”

“Why not? It’s an investment,” she said defensively.

They’d come to the cul-de-sac. Traversing the trail down the cliff put an end to their conversation. Renita waited on the beach for Steve, whose joints didn’t take as kindly to the uneven steep slope. Together they jogged slowly across the sand to where it was firmer, near the water.

“Be practical, Renita. Would you even have enough money to buy his Brownlow?” Steve asked, picking up their conversation where they’d left off.

“For years I’ve been putting every penny I’ve earned into paying off my mortgage.” She thought furiously. “If I refinanced, I’d have enough, just.”

“A Brownlow Medal isn’t something you’d normally buy,” Steve said. “Brett will see it as a loan in disguise. What makes you think he’ll accept your money?”

“He can’t know I’m buying the medal. I’ll somehow find out who the dealer is and do it anonymously.”

Steve stopped jogging. “Renita. Are you in love with him?”

“No, I just…” She sucked in a breath. “I’ve gotten to know him, Dad. He’s got faults but so does everyone. He cares about people. Look what he’s done for you. He didn’t have to go to so much trouble. I think, maybe, he did it partly for me.”

“I don’t know what his motives are,” Steve said gruffly. “It bothers me that he’s going to hurt you all over again.”

“He won’t,” Renita said. But even as she spoke tears welled in her eyes.

“Here you are, all upset. He’s doing it already.” Steve found a handkerchief in his pocket and gave it to her. “Brett’s a decent guy in many respects. But I don’t trust him with my daughter. He’s a footy player. Those guys go through women like tissues.”

“He needs my help,” she said, blotting her eyes. “He’s too proud to accept it.”

“Brett ordered the equipment before he had the cash. It doesn’t mean
you
should throw away your hard-earned savings. You’ve been careful with your money, and now he’s going to come along and reap the reward? He’s the grasshopper and you’re the ant. Don’t you see how big a difference there is between you two?”

Renita nodded. The tinge of bitterness in her father’s voice made her wonder if he was thinking of more than her and Brett. Was he also thinking of himself and Hetty?

As if she’d read his mind, he changed the subject. “How’s your mother?”

“She’s training to be a yoga instructor.”

Steve’s expression was guarded. “Did she say when she’d be back?”

Renita shook her head. “Maybe you should go up there. Go get her.” When Steve said nothing, she added, “At least call and talk to her.”

“Not yet. She needs her space. Besides…” His mouth twisted. “I’m starting to believe I can survive on my own.”

“There’s surviving and then there’s thriving. Could you be happy without Mum?”

“I might not have a choice, so why does that matter?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re getting out and doing things.”

She
was
glad. But her parents’ growing independence from each other was frightening, too. Where did that leave their marriage? For the first time, Renita wondered what Hetty and Steve had been like before they got married. Were their personalities as different back then as hers and Brett’s were? Or had they grown apart as they’d gotten older? Without children at home was there anything left to bind them together as a couple?

She wanted a love that would last. All her life she’d believed her parents’ marriage was set in stone. Now nothing seemed solid, everything was shifting. As a teenager she’d thought that if only Brett wanted her she couldn’t ask for anything more.

Now… Well, now she didn’t know what she thought.

“Good evening, brother dear,” she sang.

“What do you want?” he asked suspiciously.

No point beating around the bush. Jack always knew when she needed something. “A loan of ten thousand dollars.”

“Oh, sure, because I have that much money lying around as pocket change.”

Renita explained the situation. “I’ll pay you the current rate of interest.”

“What are you going to do with the Brownlow Medal once you’ve got it?” he asked. “Sell it on?”

“No, the whole point is to keep it from leaving Brett’s hands. I’ll buy it and he can pay off his debts. Then when the gym is a success—” she crossed her fingers “—he can buy the medal back.”

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

“He will,” Renita stated confidently. “You should have seen his face when he told me he’d had to sell it. But if he won’t or can’t buy it, I can always sell it again.”

“You hope. Renita, this is huge. I trust you know what you’re doing.”

“Save it. I’ve already had the lecture from Dad. So can you loan me the money?”

“When do you need it?”

“Right away. I don’t want to take a chance on someone else buying the medal.”

“I can only muster five thousand on short notice.”

Renita bit her lip. “Okay, well, that’s fantastic, Jack. Every bit helps. Thank you so much.”

She still needed five thousand. Lexie never had any money, so there was no point asking her. Renita didn’t want to ask her father. He’d made it clear he thought she was wasting her hard-earned cash.

Who then? You didn’t go to friends and ask for that kind of money. Not her friends, anyway. They were generous, but most had young families.

Brett’s family? She shied away from the idea. She’d met his parents a couple of times over the years. They were lovely people, but not well off. If Brett had thought he could borrow from them he already would have.

On the other hand, while he might not be able to borrow hundreds of thousands from them, they might be able to part with five thousand.

“No, he’s at the gym.” Mary pulled the gray cat winding around her ankles into her lap, and stroked it absently.

“Couldn’t the bank lend him even five thousand?” Hal asked. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, a shock of graying blond hair falling over his broad forehead.

“If I were to process a loan on his behalf he would have to sign it, and then he’d want to know what it was for,” Renita explained. “Someone else could come forward and buy the medal. He’d be out of debt, but I think it would be better if he had the possibility of getting it back.”

“Definitely.” Mary nudged her taciturn husband. “The night he won the Brownlow was the proudest moment of our lives, wasn’t it, darl’?”

“He’s going to know you bought it when you sell it back to him,” Hal warned.

“I’ve thought of that,” Renita said. “As his loans officer I’m privy to his financial records. When I figure he can afford it, I’ll put it back on the market and tell the dealer to approach Brett first.”

“Brett won’t like that,” Hal said. “It’s deceitful.”

“I’m not crazy about the plan, either,” Renita confessed. “It’s risky. But what’s the alternative? Seriously. The clock is ticking on this.”

Mary glanced anxiously at her husband.

“All right.” Hal clapped his meaty hands on his thighs. “We’ll do it.”

“I’ll write this up as a personal loan from you to me, and give you a copy of the repayment schedule, plus interest,” Renita said, rising. “Thank you so much.”

“No, thank
you,
” Mary said, squeezing her hand warmly. “Come with Brett the next time he’s here for dinner. We’d love to see you. This is a wonderful thing you’re doing for our son.”

Renita made a vague promise to return sometime with Brett, and took her leave. There was just one small problem left. Who was the dealer Brett was selling his medal through?

She’d have preferred not to enlist Tegan’s help— Brett was unlikely to have confided his money problems to his daughter and he wouldn’t appreciate Renita dragging her into it—but Renita couldn’t think of anyone else who might have access to the information she needed.