Jilted (16 page)

‘Mate,’ called Rats as he approached. The players had already started warming up, so Flynn launched into a hamstring stretch alongside his friend.

‘G’day guys.’ His greeting was met with an array of raised eyebrows.

Rats leaned in close. ‘What’s Ellie doing here?’

‘Watching the game, like everyone else.’

‘Don’t give me that crap, you know what I mean.’ Rats finished a stretch and started jogging on the spot.

Flynn straightened up. ‘Whitney tell you what happened at the pub?’

‘Yeah.’ Rats nodded.

‘Well, that’s why. I don’t appreciate people treating her like dirt with some perverse notion that they’re protecting me. I want to move on, not dwell in the past.’

Rats’s eyes widened. ‘You’re getting back together?’

‘No.’ Flynn scoffed. ‘I don’t want
any
relationship, much less one with her. We’re trying friends, that’s it.’

Rats shrugged and linked his hands behind his back in an arm and chest stretch. ‘Admirable. Don’t know if it’s something I could do.’

‘Just as well you don’t have to worry about it, then, hey mate?’ Flynn’s comment sounded harsh, but when he winked and nodded to the sidelines – where Whitney was sitting with her girlfriends – Rats caught his meaning. ‘She’s besotted.’

‘Do you blame her?’ The groom-to-be puffed up his chest theatrically and flexed his arms.

‘You’re a dag,’ said Flynn, but he was glad the conversation had shifted away from himself.

They did a few more warm-up exercises before the siren signalled the start of the match. Flynn launched himself into the game he loved, with no time to worry about Ellie or what people were thinking. It was rowdy, it was rough, it was sweaty, it was invigorating. The Hurricanes hadn’t been playing well this season, but today they were pumped. The home crowd shrieked as Flynn scored another goal.

When the game was over and the Hurricanes were miles ahead on the scoreboard, he could have roared with satisfaction. Despite
the sweat pouring down his back and off his forehead, he felt more alive than he had in a long time. His team had almost forgotten the sweet taste of victory, and he hoped this was the start of a change of luck. But whatever the future, one thing was certain: the festivities would be long and loud in the clubrooms that night.

‘Great game, boys.’ Whitney met them as they came off the field and wrapped her arms around Rats. ‘Are we celebrating?’

‘Of course,’ Rats replied, one arm around Whitney’s waist. ‘I’ll just get changed and be there in a sec.’

Lauren, at Whitney’s side, tossed Flynn a smile. ‘You coming, Flynn?’ He couldn’t help but notice the optimism in her voice.

‘Sure. I’ll just go tell Ellie.’ He turned tail before anyone had a chance to say anything or ask any questions. He hoped they’d take their cue from him and be nicer to Ellie, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

After a quick shower, Flynn changed into jeans and a clean shirt and found Ellie already inside the club, with Sarah and Jolie. He watched her from the door, wondering whether she was as relaxed as she looked sipping Bundy-and-Coke from a can. Acting was her bread and butter, but she really did look comfortable in the room full of noisy Hope locals. His plan seemed to be working.

A friendly slap between the shoulder blades jolted Flynn from his thoughts. ‘Mate, you played bonza out there.’ The voice belonged to Jimmy, a retired player who still celebrated every Hurricane goal like he’d kicked it himself. ‘What’s your secret? You wearing lucky jocks or something?’

‘Something,’ chuckled Flynn, his eyes drifting back to Ellie.

‘Can I get you a drink?’ asked Jimmy, skolling his can then crushing it in his hands.

‘Yes. I mean no.’ Jimmy was, without a doubt, offering him an alcoholic beverage. And Flynn wasn’t going there again, not with Ellie
and
Lauren in the room. He chatted a few more moments
with Jimmy, listening as the older man reminisced about winning goals and past glory. When he went to the bar, Flynn ventured further into the room. Ellie had moved on from Sarah and Jolie and was now surrounded by a bunch of the younger players. He decided to go over and see what she was saying that had them so mesmerised.

‘Hi Flynn.’ Ellie threw him a smile when he nudged into the group. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ She held up her can.

‘I’m right for now,’ he said.

‘Els was just telling us about her job on the telly,’ informed Grant, a fullback who thought himself a lot better than he was. Flynn bristled at the way he shortened Ellie’s name.

‘I reckon I’d like to be one of those blokes that surf all day,’ said Tim, a hardworking farmer Flynn generally got along with. ‘Does anyone have a real job on
Lake Street
?’ Everyone laughed, then someone asked a more serious question about life in front of the camera. Ellie spoke openly and honestly, generous with information about the life she’d made in Sydney – both on and off screen. Flynn couldn’t help but notice the happiness and pride in her voice as she spoke about her friends there and her apartment in Bondi Beach. In many ways she was the girl he’d loved all those years ago, but in others she was a total stranger. This last thought helped ground him.

Ellie seemed perfectly capable of holding her own, so Flynn excused himself from the conversation – barely anyone noticed – and went to buy himself a can of Coke.

Ellie looked wistfully after Flynn as he went towards the bar, not because she was harbouring any ridiculous fantasies (a la Matilda),
but because she was finding all the attention a little overwhelming. Everyone was being very friendly, which was great, and Flynn’s pledge to befriend her seemed to be contagious.

After fielding another round of questions, Ellie slipped off to the ladies’ room. She washed her hands and put on some pink lip gloss – that was about as far as she went in the make-up department when she wasn’t on screen – and was about to go back into the main bar when Lauren and Whitney walked through the door. They stopped and blinked, as if shocked to see her there. Ellie felt like saying,
Yes, I pee like everyone else
, but simply smiled politely.

‘Elenora.’ Whitney smiled back, looking awkward. ‘Nice to see you tonight.’ Which Ellie knew really meant,
What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?

Ellie tucked her lip gloss back into her bag, held her chin high and replied, ‘Yeah, great to see you too.’ Which translated as,
I was hoping to never to see your stuck-up face again
.’

Lauren entered the conversation. ‘I see you came with Flynn.’ She didn’t bother with a fake smile.

‘Uh-huh.’

There was an awkward pause before Whitney spoke again. ‘Look, I’m sorry about the other night.’ Her voice softened surprisingly. ‘I love Flynn like a brother and I just don’t want him to get hurt.’

Startled at her blunt and open confession, Ellie replied with equal honesty. ‘I don’t want that either.’

‘So, you’ll be heading back to Sydney soon, then?’ Lauren grinned eagerly as she said this, telling Ellie she still maintained her high school crush on Flynn.

Whitney elbowed her friend and spoke again. ‘If you’ll be around for a while, maybe we could catch up, for old times’ sake?’

Ellie wasn’t sure what old times she was talking about. In high school these two had only bothered speaking to her if it was to tell her to get out of their way. She couldn’t believe that Rats, the
loveable rogue, had ended up with a princess like Whitney. But then, who was she to question true love?

‘Yeah, that’d be great,’ she lied, thinking she’d rather spend two weeks camping in the outback, without a toilet
or
showering facilities, but that if it made things good for Flynn she would. She needed to show that she was making an effort with the locals. ‘Well, I’ll see ya round.’

After exchanging polite goodbye’s, Whitney and Lauren each slipped into a cubicle and Ellie went off to find Flynn. She saw him chatting with a girl by the jukebox and her heart constricted. She didn’t have the right to be jealous, but dammit she was. Painfully so. The woman flicked her long, copper hair over her shoulder and laughed daintily at something Flynn said. Ellie turned in the opposite direction and headed to the bar.

After what seemed an age, Flynn arrived by her side. She’d talked to a number of people in between but wouldn’t have been able to recall who, nor what they’d chatted about.

‘Enjoying yourself?’ he asked, leaning against the bar, his gorgeous arm propping up his jaw.

‘Yes.’ She bit her tongue on her narky response. This was harder than she’d imagined – being with Flynn but not being with him. ‘But I think I’m gonna call it a night. I really should get back to check on Mat.’

There was silence for a moment as he mulled this over. She wondered –
hoped –
if he would offer to drive her home.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘As Matilda would say, the night’s still young.’

She nodded, pushing aside the thought of what might happen, of who he might end up going home with, if she didn’t stick around. ‘Yeah.’

‘Okay then, guess I’ll see you around.’

‘Bye.’ Ellie turned and made her way through the crowd. She
offered a quick goodbye to Sarah and Jolie but was careful not to make eye contact with anyone else. This felt too odd, too surreal – being in her old stomping ground but being a total stranger to it all. It would take time, she realised, to become part of Hope’s close-knit community again.

Unfortunately, time was something she didn’t have. As if on cue her phone buzzed in her bag, alerting her to a text message. She dug it out and smiled. It was from Saskia, her make-up artist best bud, and read:
Miss you gorgeous, we’re hitting Zona tonight and it’s not the same without you xox

Zona was a hip, upmarket nightclub in inner-city Sydney. Ellie always felt a fraud there, even after Saskia instructed her on what to wear and did her hair and make-up. But tonight Zona would be easy. Being there wouldn’t be full of memories that were once sweet but now held only sadness. Being there wouldn’t make her feel things for Flynn she’d spent ten years trying to repress.

Chapter Fourteen

On Tuesday, Ellie dropped Matilda off at her CWA meeting and then headed to the Co-op. Her reception there was drastically different from her first visit just over two weeks ago. Simone, on checkout again, flashed her a smile when she walked in the door and asked if she was after anything in particular.

‘Just a few groceries,’ replied Ellie, trying not to let her surprise show.

‘Oh well.’ Simone shrugged good-naturedly. ‘If you need any help, just let me know.’

Ellie enjoyed pottering round the shop, picking things off the shelves and reading their labels before deciding whether to buy them. Play practice was tonight and it was Ellie’s turn to provide supper. She wanted to make something that would show her appreciation to the group that had accepted her so openly. Thankfully, Joyce had promised to help her. She threw two tins of condensed milk into the trolley and wandered to the next aisle,
almost crashing into Flynn, who was carrying a red shopping basket under his arm.

‘Well, good morning,’ Flynn said. He sounded genuinely pleased to see her and Ellie couldn’t help the lift of her heart. ‘What are you up to?’

‘Oh, this and that,’ she replied, gripping the handle of the trolley. ‘Mat’s at CWA and I’m really just putting in time. What about you?’

‘I had to drop Rodger at the vet. He’s got a growth on his side – they need to cut it out and see if it’s benign. I’m killing time till it’s over too.’

‘Puppy Rodger?’

He chuckled. ‘It’s more Old Man Rodger now. But yeah, he’s the pup I got the year we left school.’

‘Wow. I hope he’s okay.’ And then, before she had the chance to check herself, Ellie said, ‘Would you like to get a coffee?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ he replied. Peering into her trolley, he added, ‘And you can tell me what you’re making with all those yummy ingredients.’

‘‘Tis a secret.’ Flynn would be working on the set tonight, and she didn’t want him expecting something special when she wasn’t sure if she could deliver.

‘Fair enough.’ He shrugged and gave a broad, warm smile. Her traitorous heart flipped. ‘I’ll just pay for these and meet you at the café, shall I?’

‘Sure.’ But then, as she watched him stride down the pasta, sauces and tinned veggie aisle, like he didn’t have a care in the world, Ellie remembered that she hadn’t been to About Coffee Time yet. Who owned it? Who would be working there? How would they treat her? It was ridiculous to get caught up in these concerns, especially when she would be there with Flynn, but she just couldn’t rid the feeling of being on edge in this town. Everywhere she went, she was waiting for someone to get nasty.

Flynn was sitting on the funky, plastic outdoor setting when Ellie arrived at the new café. New to her meant it had sprouted up some time in the last ten years, which meant it might not be that new at all. He sat with one foot up on his opposite knee and was reading the newspaper. As she approached, he stood and took off his cap. She smiled and tried to ignore the glow inside as he held the door for her. She couldn’t start thinking about his being a gentleman, and the fact that such people were few and far between – it wasn’t kind to her mental health. So instead she focused on her surroundings. The modern décor, the music, the divine smells wafting from the kitchen. She was more than impressed.

‘This place is fabulous,’ she announced, still looking around and grinning like a loony.

‘Glad you approve.’ The female voice behind her was neither warm nor icy.

Ellie swung round and set eyes on possibly the tallest woman she’d ever encountered. She wore a white apron, and had a kind face. She was terribly thin too, and Ellie couldn’t help but think of one of Mat’s favourite sayings – something about never trusting a skinny cook. Still, if the smell was anything to go by, she had to be doing something right.

Flynn spoke first. ‘Sherry, this is Ellie. Ellie, this is Sherry – her family moved away from Hope when she was a toddler. She was very popular when she came back and opened About Coffee Time.’