Echoes Of The Past (Fermosa Bay #1) (2 page)

Then there’d been the accident, and she’d never seen Connor again until today.

The simple touch of her hand on his shoulder brought back all the memories and the fun they’d had.

Yet, it seemed they were only memories for her. The fun and mischief were nowhere to be seen in his eyes. Standing in front of her, he seemed distant and withdrawn. The constant grin on his face was gone.

She tried hard to put on a smile. “I’m sure the guys would love to catch up with you. How about a drink at the pub tomorrow night?”

Connor nodded. “Give me a couple of days to settle in.”

Disappointed, she nodded. And understood. After all, he’d just stepped off a plane after twenty-four hours, to see his father for the first time in such a long time. “No worries. I let the boys know. Skye moved away a few years ago.”

His look told her that the name didn’t ring a bell, either.

“You’ve really been hit hard with jetlag.”

“Sorry.”

“Is there a Mrs. Delaney?” Emily tried to sound as casual as possible, but wasn’t sure whether it’d come across that way. The expression on his face revealed a touch of disbelief.

“You should know better than me. After all, you’ve known Jack longer than me.”

Emily didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I meant you,” she finally replied in a whisper, hoping not to put more salt in what seemed an open wound.

“My surname is Walsh. And no, there’s no Mrs. Walsh.”

The way he spoke made Emily think there was a slight
pain
in his voice. Another dead end in the conversation.

The first raindrops fell, and she checked her watch.

“I’d better be going. I’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“Thanks.”

Emily turned and was startled by Jack’s expression. The sadness stored from over twenty years was obvious that moment. He must’ve heard their conversation, and she thought back on what had been said.

It was the surname. She was sure it would’ve pained Jack to know that his only son wasn’t carrying his surname. Emily blinked back a couple of tears.

“Jack,” she said, walking towards him. “I think you’d better head back inside. I’ll be back on Wednesday.”

The old man nodded and tried to stand up. Connor rushed to his side to help and seeing the two next to each other, she was surprised how alike they looked.

Inside the house, she said goodbye to the men. Connor showed her to the door, but before he opened it, he asked quietly, “How long does he have?”

She met his gaze. He still had those beautiful chocolate brown eyes he’d had as a boy. He wore his hair shorter these days, with the very first few grey hairs. Life couldn’t have been all that easy on him. Although he’d had his father’s rugged looks, everything in his appearance screamed money. The clothes, his watch, the way he moved, and the English accent was clean as well. The stubbles on his face were the only thing that showed neglect, but she assumed that was still a left over from the travel.

A small sigh escaped her when she noticed that her girl crush was still in full swing.

“The doctors have given him six months, but he’s very stubborn and doesn’t take his medication.” She shrugged. “I suppose any time.”

“I appreciate you looking after him,” he said.

“We’re all looking after him. He’s been good to us all those years. We’re simply returning what was given.”

And without even thinking twice about it, she stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Give me a call when you need to talk.”

Too scared he might have seen her blush, she opened the door and walked to her car. What had made her kiss him? What would he think of her?

Emily started the engine and drove off to her next patient. Busy with looking after the other patients in the afternoon, her mind was on the job while sorting medication, checking vital signs, or even giving some of them a wash.

When she finally made it home later that day, she grabbed one of her mum’s lasagne out of the freezer and heated it up in the microwave.

“The love of my childhood is back in town. Could be his twin, too, for all I know,” she mumbled to Boomer, the orange and white cat rubbing against her leg. She gave the cat a quick rub on the belly and was rewarded with a content purr.

A few minutes later, she sat in front of the television with her meal when the phone rang.

“Hello, pumpkin,” Ethan said.

“You have a tendency to always call when I’m eating.”

He laughed. “That’s because you’re always eating.”

“Bugger off.”

“How’s Jack?”

Pain rushed through her, and she sighed. “Not good. He’s refusing his medication.”

“Pigheaded to the last minute.”

The old man was, and always had been. There’d been so many occasions when he could’ve gone the easy road, but pride and tradition came first.

“By the way, Connor’s arrived.”

“Excellent,” Ethan nearly shouted. “Going for a beer at Stanley’s tomorrow night?”

Emily moved her lasagne away. Her appetite was gone.

“He’s changed, Ethan,” she whispered.

“We all have, pumpkin. We’re twenty years older. Some more than others.”

She choked back a chuckle. Yes, Ethan had to do the quick growing up when Skye fell pregnant at nineteen, then left him only a few months after Nicholas had been born.

“No, I mean
different
.”

“Don’t tell me he’s turned into an arrogant pommy.”

She laughed. “You’re such an ass.” Hesitating, she said, “He doesn’t call Jack dad, and when I talked about Niall and Skye, he had a complete blank.”

“Denying his heritage, is he?”

Laughing again, she replied, “Are you considering yourself
heritage
?”

Ethan grew serious. “I’d better head over there tomorrow morning and check things out. I have a few things to discuss with Jack as well.”

“Please bring back the old Connor,” she said barely above a whisper.

“Still got that crush on him?”

“It’s less that, but more…it’s hard to explain. He seems so empty of any emotions, not just the lack of memory.” She sighed. “He looked sad.”

“You’ve been watching too many love movies. I’m sure he’s all right. Probably jetlagged.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Hey, you’re coming on Friday night to the school concert, right?”

“Of course, I will. Six p.m. All booked in.”

“Excellent. Nick is looking forward to it.”

Emily hung up with a smile on her lips. She loved little Nicholas and wouldn’t miss the concert for anything in the world. Especially considering she’d spent days getting his costume right. They all helped raise Ethan’s boy. She and Niall did a lot of babysitting or took him on a little weekend trips. Jack, though, had contributed the most by pushing Ethan through university and giving him a job in his company.

Jack Delaney had looked after all of them and was like a grandfather to Nick.

Emily stood, grabbed her plate, and went into the kitchen to dispose of her dinner.

Twenty years. She’d had to wait over twenty years to see Connor again, but the meeting hadn’t been anything close to what she’d expected.

Chapter Two

Connor drove along the coastline towards the next little town. Breathing in deeply, he enjoyed the smell of the salty air and the sight of the foamy waves crashing against the pristine beaches as he passed the unique limestone cliffs. He looked upwards, impressed by the stark blue sky, which one rarely saw in London.

The storm had cleared overnight and left a beautiful sunny day. It was humid, but London had terrible muggy days during summer as well, so it didn’t bother him. The music blared out of the car stereo, yet the tension inside him didn’t fade. He hadn’t spoken to his father today or during the afternoon the previous day. Jack had gone to bed after Emily’s visit, and Connor had prepared himself a sandwich and called it a day as well. Jetlag was still a problem, although not in regards to his memory. Yet, despite having been desperately tired, sleep hadn’t come easy. He’d tossed and turned thinking of Emily. Her small gesture to kiss him had him reeling with emotions he’d tried so hard to suppress. As if his life wasn’t in enough chaos already, having moved in with his dying father for the next God-knew-how-many-months, separating with his girlfriend, and calling Australia his home for at least the next six months if not more. He needed a clear head to face every situation and make the best appropriate decisions.

No women. Especially not the one he’d kissed as a child.

When he felt his phone vibrating, he stopped on the side of the road.

“Connor Walsh.”

“Duncan here. How are you, Son?”

What was it with people asking him how he felt? His life had turned upside down the moment his real father, who was dying of cancer with only a few months to live, had contacted him.

“All good here.”

“Good to hear. Give me a call if there any legal problems. I’m sure we can get it sorted. After all, Australian and British law are based on similar principles.”

“I’m not expecting any legal problems, Father.”

“Son, when a man invests that amount of time and money to find his heir, there are always legal problems.”

Connor wasn’t sure why, but it bugged him that Duncan wasn’t able to tolerate that he had accepted his real father’s invitation. A meeting would have probably happened sooner or later. Admittedly, he called him Jack, but he had no problems accepting he was his biological father.

“How’s Mum?”

“Jane’s fine. Busy organising some function happening this weekend.”

There was a moment of silence before Duncan said, “Harriet asked for you yesterday.”

A
no comment
lay on the tip of Connor’s tongue, but he replied, “That chapter is closed.”

“She mentioned she misses you.”

“Leave it be, Father.”

“She’s got a great career ahead of her.”

“Good for her.”

“Son, whatever you did—”

But Connor hung up. He didn’t want to listen to any lies or excuses Harriet had come up with while talking to Duncan Walsh, main partner of Walsh & McGregor Law Firm. The conversation had probably been a lousy attempt to make sure her job at the firm was still secure, despite their split.

Connor was about to start the engine when his phone buzzed again.

“Mate, Ethan here.”

A smile tugged at Connor’s lips. The infamous best friend.

“How are you, Ethan?”

“I’m at your dad’s. We’ve got fish and chips for lunch. Would you like to join us?”

“Sounds good. I’ll be there in a short while.”

Something stirred inside him—eagerness to finally meet
his friend
Ethan, but also wariness, because this guy knew more than Connor knew about his own childhood.

It took Connor about a half hour before he returned to Jack’s house. Although he was afraid of the water, he couldn’t get enough of the scenery. It was like he’d always imagined it to be. They’d learnt about the colonial settlement in Australia at school, and one of his friends from boarding school had moved to Sydney during Year 10.

Boarding school.

How he’d hated the place.

As he turned the last corner and into Vista Road, he imagined growing up in a place like this with friends like Emily, who still remembered his kiss twenty something years earlier, or Ethan, who apparently looked forward to seeing him again after all this time.

He saw a battered old pick-up truck and assumed it to be his old friend’s. How would life have turned out if his mum had stayed here?

An old car instead of a Mercedes in his garage?

Education at a local government school instead of boarding school?

Job as a plumber instead of a lawyer at one of London’s top law firms?

Connor turned off the engine, checked the date on his watch, and made a mental note to return the rental car the next day. He was sure he would be able to use Jack’s car.

Opening the front door, Connor heard voices emerging from the kitchen. He took a deep breath and headed there as well.

Ethan stood as soon as he saw Connor and held out his hand. He looked the exact older version of the photos Connor had seen of him, although the dark brown hair was cut very short, and he wore a day’s worth of stubble. His blue eyes studied him just the same as Connor did. They were about the same height, and it was obvious Ethan worked out as well.

“Mate, good to see you. How are you?”

Twenty-something years had gone by and this guy was happy to see him. Connor had spent short of ten years at a boarding school and didn’t even remember the boys in his house.

Connor took Ethan’s hand. “I’m good. Still adjusting and getting my head around things, but I’m good.” Turning towards his dad, Connor asked, “How are you today?”

“I’m good, Son. We need to get Niall here as well to have the gang complete.”

Connor nodded and noticed how Ethan was watching him.

“I’ve heard you’ve already seen Emily.”

The corners of Connor’s lips twitched. Yes, he had. “Little miss sunshine,” he heard himself saying.

Jack and Ethan stared at him.

“Have I said something wrong?”

His father shook his head. “No. No, not at all.
Little miss sunshine
was what you called her when you were little.”

“She obviously hasn’t changed much.” Connor tried to lighten the mood.

Jack coughed and slowly stood. “I’m going to have a rest. You boys catch up on the old times.” He gave Connor a gentle slap on the shoulder and said, “Ethan might be able to refresh your memory a bit.”

Connor nodded slowly. “Good idea.”

The two men grabbed a can of Coke each and headed to the deck outside.

“How’s your mum?”

Connor choked back a laugh. “Enjoying London’s society. A bit difficult to think she lived here for so many years.”

“Emily said you’re a bit vague on the memories here.”

Connor sat down, took a long sip of his drink, and asked, “How good of friends were we?”

“The best,” Ethan replied without hesitation.

He shook his head. “I can’t remember a friggin’ thing. People throw names at me and I have a complete blank. Even the lady at the newsagency was happy to see me.”

“Grey hair, done up in a bun?”

Connor nodded.

“Niall’s grandmother.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, before Connor said, “Tell me about us.”

Ethan leaned back as he crossed his legs. “The famous five of Fermosa Bay.” He shook his head before he took another sip. “You, me, Niall, Emily, and Skye. We lived in the same neighbourhood, same playgroup, kinder, and school. Until you had the accident and disappeared.”

Connor stopped his drink halfway to his mouth and stared at his new
old
friend.

“What accident?”

“Mate, you’re really low on fuel. You slipped on a rock, had a nice cut which needed a few stitches, and the next thing I remember was you had left.”

Connor instinctively touched the scar on his forehead. The one he got when he fell off the bike. Not when he slipped on a rock.

“Still there,” Ethan remarked with a grin.

“Still there,” Connor agreed. “But my story is different.”

Ethan’s expression changed as he shook his head. “Mate, what happened?”

With a slight shrug of his shoulder, Connor replied, “That’s why I’m here. To find out.”

“I suppose Jack hasn’t told you, yet, why he went through all the effort to find you.”

Connor looked at Ethan and choked back a chuckle. “Honestly? I thought it was to look after him, but if nothing else, I’ve found out he’s got some great people around. So, no, I haven’t got a clue.” Then he gazed across the ocean. “To apologise? Make up for lost time?” He shrugged. “You’d probably know more than me.”

Ethan was quiet for a long moment before he met Connor’s gaze. “Jack’s missed you. Damn, he missed you. He’s an old man. A bit rough on the edges and grumpy, but he means well. Hell, I don’t think I would’ve coped, if it hadn’t been for him.”

A pang of jealousy rushed through Connor and it blindsided him a bit, because he had no right to feel that way. When Jack asked Connor’s mother to leave, he’d made it clear how important Connor was in his life—not at all.

“Your father wants you to have fifty percent of his hotel business.”

Connor wasn’t able to hold back his surprise. “Which hotel?”

“Hotels. Jack’s the owner of half a dozen hotels in the area.”

Leaning back into his chair, Connor let the news sink in. When he’d arrived in Australia, he’d known it wasn’t a trip of a lifetime to the other side of the world, to explore this wonderful continent, but to put together a jigsaw—piece by piece, bit by bit. There was the reason to find out why Jack had wanted Connor and his mother to leave. He needed to piece together four friends he’d had no idea about. And now the puzzle had just turned bigger; Jack was the owner of six hotels. Now it made sense that Jack was able to enjoy living in a spacious house like this. Had it been his arrogance to assume that Jack lacked money?

Fifty percent of the hotel business. He might need Duncan’s legal expertise after all. He had no idea about the implications.

“Six hotels?” he asked to clarify.

Ethan nodded. “He’s a great business man. I’ve learnt a lot from him.

Six hotels…
Connor tossed that thought around his head for a long while.

Ethan stood. “It seems you didn’t know. How about I leave you with that thought.” As he gave Connor a gentle slap on the shoulder, he added, “Don’t disappear on me again, mate.”

***

Emily grabbed one of the last parking spots on the main road on Wednesday morning, got out, and went into the small newsagency and grabbed a copy of the local paper. It was the middle of the week and the streets were still empty of tourists; only the occasional motorhome or caravan travelled through.

“How are you, honey?”

She turned and looked at Sabrina, Niall’s grandmother.

With a smile, she replied, “Good morning.”

“A dollar-fifty,” Sabrina said.

Handing over the coins, Emily asked, “Sabrina, how old were you when you met Sean?”

Yet, as soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them.

“Aww, honey. I’ve heard that Connor’s back in town.”

Emily shouldn’t have said anything and felt the heat rising in her cheeks, but wasn’t sure whether it was the comment or the assumption behind the comment. Sabrina had known her all her life and knew how much she’d liked Connor, not to mention how upset she’d been when he’d left.

She stayed quiet.

“We were nine, but honey, in those days you were bound to end up with someone local. Fermosa Bay was our entire world, the rest of the world inaccessible.”

Curiosity taking over her common sense, she asked, “Can you remember anything from those years?”

A dreamy look spread across Sabrina’s face. “Of course I do. Just as you do. Want to tell me about it, honey?”

Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’m going through a grieving process, considering that I’m finally able to realise what I actually lost twenty years ago.”

“Aww, honey. Why grieving? I thought you’d be happy to see him again.”

This time, Emily let out a long breath. “You know how Ethan always calls me a dreamer, right? Well, I think I’m exactly that, but—” She shrugged. “It’s time to grow up, I suppose.”

Sabrina placed a hand on Emily’s arm. “That sounds extremely gloomy. What happened?”

A customer came in, and Sabrina greeted him with a little
good morning
chit chat. Although Emily knew it wasn’t right, she took the opportunity anyway and walked towards the door.