The Maxwell Sisters (33 page)

There was not long now. Only three days away from the happiest moment in Phoebe's life. She knew there were still unresolved issues all around her. Tash's separation from Heath had been a huge shock, but she was optimistic that they could get back together. She had seen the looks of longing pass between them in the barrel room and hoped her ‘fix up' hadn't been too obvious. She wanted a happily ever after for Tash and Heath, like she had with Spider.

After the strange confrontation with Eve about the lingerie, she had absolutely no reservations about their impending marriage. She and Spider had had a long debrief in the Tawny Brooks gardens afterwards.

‘So …
Adam and Eve
.' Spider had slipped his hand through hers. ‘It has a very fated ring to it, doesn't it?'

‘And you don't mind?' She'd thrown him a sideways glance as the gravel path took them beneath the shade of a tall gum tree.

‘Mind?' Spider laughed. ‘I'm happy for her. And glad that she's not still holding on to feelings for me. Honestly, I had no idea, Phee. None. What can I say? Except that I'm as blind as a bat.'

She had teasingly poked him in the ribs. ‘I kind of like that about you.'

‘Well, will you find something your father might like about me too?' he'd pleaded with her, ‘because that would really help me out.'

She'd told him everything then. Everything she had been through in the last few months, including her father's most terrible secret. She just couldn't keep it to herself any longer. The secrecy had caused too much damage.

Spider had been all that she hoped he would be. Supportive and understanding, a solid wall for her to lean on.

‘I didn't want our wedding to be anything but a happy event,' she confided in him. ‘That's why I put off telling you about Dad.'

‘Phoebe,' he'd captured her face in his palm, ‘I would never want you to shoulder burdens alone. If you're going through something then I want to go through it with you.'

How lovely that had been to hear. She had decided in that moment that she would leave it like that. She would not tell her father that Spider knew. He still distrusted him and would not understand. After all, there was still the issue of the fire that had been deliberately lit. Phoebe believed one hundred per cent that Spider had not done it. It was an accident that had been caused by Eve's candles, or it had been lit by someone else. Whatever the case, the last thing she needed right then was to get into a debate about it.

Her wedding was in three days and she wanted that to be her focus. Not a fire that had happened over a year ago. If there was an arsonist out there, he was long gone.

The final weeks before the wedding had passed in a blur of preparations. The restaurant looked fantastic and everything else was more or less finalised. From the flowers, to the music, to the cake.

That wasn't to say that there hadn't been a few hiccups along the way. Patricia and her mother were still fighting World War Three from covert positions and her father did nothing to improve the issue by insisting on keeping score.

Patricia won the Battle of the Table Centres, getting her pick, which was the cupid statues instead of Anita's rustic flower arrangements from blooms picked in the Tawny Brooks gardens. To try to keep things fair, Phoebe had taken her mother's side over the question of the bouquets. Her argument had been for fresh flowers whereas Patricia had lobbied for fake (so that they could be a keepsake to pass on to her grandchildren).

But it wasn't just these disagreements that put Anita in a flurry. She knew her daughters were keeping things from her. Not that Phoebe could fault Eve and Tash for not wanting their mother to know about Tash's broken marriage, Eve's almost affair with Spider and new romance with Adam. All their mother would do was worry or, worse, try to wade in with advice.

How many times had she told Phoebe that Tash was thin and pale? How many times had she begged her to ask her sister what was going on? Phoebe saw the hurt expression in her eyes when Eve and Tash clammed up the second she walked into the room or began to talk rather loudly on some random subject that had been hashed out the day before.

Then, of course, there was Dad.

Phoebe's heart broke whenever her parents were together. She had never seen her mother bring a man more food than she did with her father. Whenever he was around, she was always fussing about him, trying to get past the wall he had erected around himself. Pushing tea and fruit and biscuits and the lord knew what else into his hands. ‘Don't be silly, Annie,' she heard him tell her one morning, when they thought they were the only ones in the room. ‘I just ate breakfast half an hour ago.'

‘But you look pale.'

‘I look pale because I'm tired. I wish you would leave me alone to rest.'

‘Why do you shut me out?'

His voice was weary. ‘I'm not shutting you out, Annie. Let's go and do something together this week. You and me. How about dancing?'

‘So you can avoid my questions with loud music? I don't think so.'

His voice was edgy. ‘If you don't want to spend time with me, that's fine, but enough with the incessant nagging.'

As he walked out, Phoebe walked in. Her mother was standing there in the centre, tears running silently down her face. Her face crumpled when she saw her daughter. ‘He's mad at me again.'

Phoebe bit her lip as she folded her mother in her arms. ‘Just leave him alone for a while, Mum. He'll come around.'

She half wished now that she hadn't agreed with her sisters' plan to make the hen's night for friends only. Her mother needed a night out, away from the house, away from her problems with Dad.

Hang on, I'm the bride. I can have whatever I want.
‘Do you want to come with us to Saracen's tonight?'

Anita pulled back a little. ‘I thought that was for the young people.'

‘Tonight I think I need my mum there.'

Anita looked pleased and then her mouth pulled a little. ‘Of course, this means we'll have to invite
that woman
.'

Phoebe supposed it would be impolite if they didn't, given Spider's mother was living in the same house. ‘True.'

‘Don't worry,' Anita patted her arm conspiratorially, ‘I'll make sure she doesn't cause any trouble.'

Her sisters were strangely nervous that evening. And if she didn't know any better she would have sworn they were put out by the fact that she'd invited their mother. She knew Anita could be a pain sometimes but she thought they'd find it in their heart to remain patient with her. She tried not to get short with them and focused instead on getting ready. She didn't want anything to spoil her mother's night. Anita fussed over them as they prepared for the evening, running into their bedrooms with her perfume and her nail polish collection like she used to do when they were teenagers.

‘Thanks, Mum,' she called again for the tenth time as she completed the finishing touches to her make-up.

The car ride to Saracen's was not completely unpleasant. Patricia and Anita sparred a little about the bridal corsages but otherwise they all arrived in one piece.

Eve had arranged for an alfresco table overlooking the Saracen's dam. Not much was visible at this time of night, but they could still hear the gentle lap of the water as they sat on the wooden deck, perusing their menus.

They ordered wine but made sure not to discuss it as there were so many winemakers' daughters at the table it wasn't funny. Everyone had the same opinion. Their own father's wine was the best. Phoebe knew the Maxwell sisters were no exception to this rule.

Her friend Bronwyn turned up late and she could see immediately that the pretty blonde was a little uncertain about being around so many people she didn't know. Phoebe got up to greet her right away. ‘Hi,' she said, giving her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. ‘Great to see you again.'

‘Thanks for inviting me,' Bronwyn smiled. ‘I've heard so much about the Maxwell sisters from the Franklins. It's great to finally put names to faces. When I used to visit town regularly you guys were always off pursuing your various careers.'

‘Have you heard word from Claudia?'

Bronwyn blushed as she led her to their table. ‘Oh, she's having a great time in Perth. I'm afraid you won't be seeing her in town for a while yet.'

Phoebe shrugged. ‘That's more time to get to know you.'

She thought she'd introduce Bronwyn to her sisters first and led her over to their table. ‘Hey, guys, this is Bronwyn.' She gestured at her sisters who were seated next to two other local girls. For some reason they didn't stand up. ‘This is Eve and Tash.'

Her sisters looked up briefly.

‘Nice to meet you,' said Tash rather coldly and then promptly turned back to her conversation with the girl beside her.

What the?!

Eve was also singularly unmoved, passing Bronwyn a rather stern nod before sticking her fork back into her food. Bronwyn seemed to take it rather well, happy simply to smile and move on.

‘Here, come and sit next to me,' Phoebe said quickly in an effort to cover their snub. She was pretty unimpressed with her sisters' behaviour and, frankly, had been all evening.

After dessert, everyone moved inside to have drinks at the bar and she took the opportunity to pull Eve and Tash aside. Frogs croaked in the warm night air and the lights from the restaurant twinkled on the water.

‘What's the matter with you two tonight?' she demanded harshly.

Eve's eyes widened and Tash blinked rapidly. ‘Nothing,' they both said at the same time.

‘Don't give me that.' Phoebe put her hands on her hips. ‘You two have been acting strange all evening. Rude too. First with Mum, now with Bronwyn. I want to know what's going on.'

Eve looked stricken. ‘We weren't rude to Mum, were we?' she asked Tash. ‘I didn't think so. I've been trying extra hard with her lately.'

‘Not rude precisely,' Phoebe amended, ‘but impatient.'

Tash also looked upset. ‘Do you think she noticed?'

‘Well, I noticed and I'm not impressed. She's going through enough without you guys picking on her as well.'

‘We're not picking on her,' Tash protested. ‘We just didn't want her to come tonight.'

‘Why not?'

Tash's lips clamped shut and Eve's eyes darted away.

Phoebe folded her arms. ‘So this is how it's going to be again, is it? More secrets. I thought we were done with that.'

‘Phee,' Tash grabbed her arm, ‘trust me. You don't need this in your life. Especially now, right before your wedding.'

‘I want to know everything. Tell me.'

‘Phee,' Eve began wringing her hands, clearly looking for ways and means to stall.

‘Are we best friends or are we just sisters?' Phoebe demanded. ‘Whatever happened to club members only? Or am I no longer part of that club? Is it just you two?'

‘No,' Eve gasped. ‘We just don't want to ruin your week.'

‘I think it's safe to say you're halfway there already.' Strange, how she had thought she was the only one with a secret. Yet, in all honesty, if she hadn't been able to trust them, could she really blame them for not trusting her?

Eve and Tash exchanged a glance at each other and then at the door, as though making sure no one else was going to come outside.

‘Okay fine.' Tash grabbed her arm just above her elbow. ‘We'll tell you.'

‘Dad's having an affair,' Eve whispered. ‘With Bronwyn.'

‘
What!
'

‘I know, it's insane. But we saw them on a date together,' Tash said urgently, holding on to her tightly as her body swayed.

‘That day,' Eve finished for Tash, grabbing Phoebe's other arm, ‘at the Wildwood Bakery. He turned up while you were on the phone.'

‘They were holding hands,' said Tash.

‘He gave her jewellery,' said Eve. ‘It was undeniable.'

‘
Why
was it undeniable?' She shook them both off her, furious. ‘Because he's been a little distant lately, a little quiet? You idiots,' she hissed. ‘He's not having an affair.'

Tash was trying to keep her voice calm and rational.

‘Phee, you know Dad's been acting strange lately. Disappearing for long hours, blowing hot and cold with Mum. He's having a midlife crisis, honey. I mean, look at that car he bought, the bungee jumping and the tattoos.'

But a blinding rage fired by months of pent-up anguish was taking over. ‘I can't believe you would think this of our own
father!
That he would sell us out like that for a woman half his age? And Mum … after the life they've had together, after everything he's trying to spare her from, that he would just dump her like a hot brick? It's madness.'

Eve and Tash paused as tears began to cascade down Phoebe's face. She tried to dash them away but the more she wiped, the more they fell. Her sisters no longer tried to convince her as they watched her tremble and shake. Their mouths dropped open as they realised they had been wrong.

Worse than wrong.

Uninformed.

‘Phee, what is it?' Eve's voice was quivering now. ‘You know something, don't you?'

‘I've always known,' Phoebe choked. ‘I've known from the beginning, for months. Right after the doctor told him the news.'

Eve clapped a hand over her mouth.

‘What news?' Tash's voice seemed to crackle.

‘About the cancer,' Phoebe breathed, both relieved and guilty to finally have the news out there. ‘He's got bowel cancer.'

There was silence. Stone cold silence.

Eve was the first to speak again. ‘But it's treatable, right?'

Phoebe knew that exact feeling, that immediate grasp for hope in the face of this awful news. It was exactly what she had done when she had been told. Her words came out stilted in her efforts to make them gentle. But there was not an easy way to say it. ‘Unfortunately, the diagnosis was late. After the colonoscopy in Bunbury, he had a CT scan and PET scan. It was all through his liver and lungs.'