Meant To Be (45 page)

‘Thanks, I'll bear that in mind. Well, I'd better go and get my committee together. I feel a bout of bossiness coming on.'

‘Don't let me hold you up.' Emily laughed and hung up. It was so good to hear her friend so upbeat again.

‘This is all coming together so well, little one,' she told her belly. She still wasn't all gooey and doe-eyed about her pregnancy, but she was intensely grateful to the little guy or girl growing inside of her for providing the impetus to sort things out with Enid. And she regularly rubbed her belly and said thank you.

She was looking forward to seeing the little bean on an ultrasound one day soon. They had decided to wait until after the opening so they weren't distracted. Meanwhile, they were still trying to decide if they wanted to know the sex of their baby or be surprised – they seemed to change their minds daily. Emily could imagine plenty of women in the district not bothering with some of the tests and scans, given all the travelling one had to do to either Port Lincoln or Whyalla. From the little she'd learnt so far, it was already clear that pregnancy treatment and birth services in the country were very different to those in the city.

Jake had initially been horrified that there were no obstetric or ultrasound services in Wattle Creek or the neighbouring towns.
It had been Emily's turn to reassure him that everything would be fine. There was the St John Ambulance and the Royal Flying Doctor Service if anything did go wrong.

She had been feeling much calmer since she and Enid had sorted things out, and was determined to let nature take its course and be guided by the doctor in Hope Springs.

She'd quizzed Enid and discovered she'd had a smooth labour that hadn't been overly long. Though, to Emily, eight hours sounded an awfully long time to be in enormous pain. But Enid had assured her it was a different, fulfilling sort of pain.

Well, she'd have to take her word for it for now – they had the impending birth of their business to deal with first.

Time seemed to speed up, and the next few weeks passed in a blur of preparations, invitations, RSVPs, and last-minute arrangements. Suddenly it was the eve of the opening and Emily was cleaning the house in preparation for Simone's arrival.

She, Barbara and Thora had spent a day the week before choosing a suitable selection of hot and cold and sweet and savoury finger food, and everything was underway. All the women were getting along well. Even Enid was playing nicely.

When Emily had visited her parents to deliver personal copies of the invitation, Enid had asked whether it was okay if she put the word around Hope Springs and encouraged people to come along. Emily had laughed. ‘Of course, Mum, the more the merrier – there's an advert in the paper, remember?' But she'd been really touched by how respectful Enid was being towards her these days. It certainly made for a much more harmonious relationship.

She had been surprised to receive an RSVP from her cousin Liz to say she was coming and bringing along her parents. She was even more surprised to receive an engagement gift in the mail – a gorgeous pewter photo frame. She was now really looking forward
to seeing her again. They'd had a lovely chat when Emily had rung to thank her, and both had admitted to overstepping the mark during their last phone call. Afterwards, Emily had wondered if her relationship with her mother had also negatively influenced her feelings towards her cousin. For a while she had been quite angry towards all of her family – other than her dad. But Liz had been really supportive that day at Gran's funeral, and very generous to offer her somewhere to stay if she ever left John.

Aunt Peggy, Uncle Jim, and Liz were staying with Enid and Des. They were arriving today as well, and would no doubt be put to work on the food. Enid had assured Emily she wasn't expected to come down and help entertain them when she was so busy. That was a turn-up for the books, and a great relief.

While vacuuming her bedroom, Emily paused beside the button jar on the tallboy and looked out the window towards the cottage.

‘So much has changed, Gran. You just wouldn't believe it.' She turned and smiled at the two signs that David and Jake had put up just inside the paddock – one for the gallery and one to advertise Jake's business. They really had made a wonderful partnership.

‘And a wonderful family, Grade,' she said aloud, bending down to rub the ears of the dog whose tail had just slapped her leg. ‘Soon an even bigger family, too,' she added, rubbing her belly. Thanks to Jake's constant reassuring, she was feeling much better about the baby, the cottage, everything. She was so lucky to have found him.

‘Too late to back out now,' he had said yesterday after unveiling the signs. He'd been grinning broadly, and had wrapped his arms around her.

‘It's hard to believe it's really happening.' She was still astounded at how much they'd got done in such a short space of time. And how much had happened in less than a year.

If only Gran was here to see all this. When she thought about how much she missed the old lady, she physically ached. At least now the tears had stopped.

‘Gran wouldn't want us moping,' she told herself, Grace, and baby bean as she stamped on the vacuum cleaner and it roared to life. After she finished the house, she would do the cottage. It probably should have been left until the morning, but she was keeping a lid on her emotions by keeping herself busy. She'd probably do it again then too.

She was also nervous and excited about finally seeing all of Simone's paintings in the flesh. Jake's sister had been hard at work since Easter, and had been sending regular updates with photos attached. Each was stunning, and Emily loved that she was tackling different subjects. She was confident there would be something to appeal to everyone who attended the exhibition.

She checked her watch. Jake had gone to town to check the mail and stock up on groceries. He seemed to have happily taken over this particular job, and she had no objections. Thanks to the build and the time he'd spent helping David, he had become friendly with loads of people and enjoyed stopping in the street to chat when he had the time. But hopefully he wouldn't be long today. Simone was due in less than an hour.

She packed up the vacuum cleaner and stowed it in the cupboard in Jake's office. At Jake's suggestion they'd got a second machine for the cottage. Better to have the place self-contained right from the start rather than be dragging things back and forth, he'd said.

They had decided Emily would just open on the weekends and see how that went for a start. They hadn't put opening hours on the sign, but a smaller panel swung beneath the main sign to state whether the gallery was open or closed. Jake's graphic designer had organised the website and Jake had done a Facebook page, so people could check without driving past.

They had also included details about being open by appointment and her phone number. Neither of them thought it would be a problem – it wasn't like they were ever too far away – and it seemed the usual thing to do. Emily had to take Jake's word for that; she knew diddly-squat about running a gallery, as she seemed to be reminded on a daily basis. But she was learning.

When they had gone over the final figures, Emily was delighted to see the project had come in twenty thousand dollars under budget. She couldn't understand why Jake wasn't more exuberant until he pointed out that the spare twenty grand was for landscaping – which they hadn't done yet. So, it had actually come in right on budget. Emily thought that was pretty good considering all the stories she'd heard of people's budgets blowing out.

She wiped the bathroom vanity one last time and re-straightened the already straight towels. She was starting to get a little jittery. Back in the kitchen, she'd just boiled the kettle in a last-ditch effort to keep herself occupied when she heard the
toot toot
of an unfamiliar car horn.

Here she is. Perfect timing,
she thought as she heard another vehicle turning in behind it.

Outside, she found Simone stepping out of a white two-door ute with a fibreglass canopy. JKR & Associates was emblazoned on the side. They hugged like best friends.

‘I can't believe how fresh you look after driving all the way from Adelaide,' Emily said.

‘I'm so glad I did a stopover. It is a long way from Melbourne by road. But worth it to know the paintings would arrive safe and sound.'

Jake appeared beside them and hugged his sister. ‘Good trip?' he asked.

‘Not bad. I actually don't mind the ute,' Simone said.

‘Wow, how many have you brought?' Emily asked, peering through the tinted windows of the canopy, where all she could see was bubble wrap. The whole back area looked chocker-block full of paintings. They'd offered to have them freighted over, but Simone had been adamant about bringing them herself.

‘Heaps! I've been a busy beaver.'

‘You must be exhausted,' Emily said.

‘I'm not feeling too bad, actually, though I can't say I won't crash later,' Simone said with a smile. ‘But not until I've seen this gorgeous building of yours.'

‘I'll need your help to decide where to hang what.'

‘I hope you came prepared to work, sis,' Jake said.

‘Phew! And I thought I'd already done the hard work. Can I have a cup of tea first?'

‘You sure can,' Emily said, leading her up the path.

‘I'll get your bags,' Jake said, and retrieved a large duffle-style overnight bag and long, black garment bag from the passenger side. Emily thought she noticed him share a conspiratorial look with Simone.

‘God, this weighs a tonne,' he joked, pretending to struggle under the weight of the luggage. ‘We really don't need any more rocks or bricks,' he added with a laugh.

‘Oh ha ha,' Simone said, slapping at her brother's arm.

Back inside, Emily boiled the kettle again and got out some homemade melting moment biscuits while Jake showed Simone to her room. She smiled at hearing Simone cry out in delight. They had finally put bookcases in and finished her reading nook. When she and Barbara had gone down to pick up the mantelpieces – they'd had them restored after all – Maureen had asked if Emily had found bookshelves, because a lovely pair had just come in. And they were; just perfect.

Just when she was starting to wonder what was taking them so long, they reappeared. Again, she had the feeling they were sharing a secret. They were chattering in the hall, but suddenly seemed to change the subject when they entered the kitchen.

‘The shelves look great. They really complete the room.'

‘Thanks. If only I had more time to spend in there! Now, you've had lunch, haven't you?' Emily asked, pouring the tea. ‘I'm happy to make you a sandwich if you haven't.'

‘I'm fine, thanks,' Simone said. ‘I stopped at Hungry Jack's in Port Augusta. Naughty, I know, but just what I crave on a road trip.'

Emily nodded. She didn't think she'd ever driven to or from Adelaide without stopping for a burger in Port Augusta.

They chattered about the arrangements for the opening; what had been done, what was yet to be done. An hour or so later they took Simone's vehicle over, stopping at the signs by the road so she could take photos.

Emily struggled to stand still with the excitement fluttering inside her so furiously. When they finally got to the cottage, she had to take great care not to give in to the emotions threatening to swamp her. After they gave Simone a tour of the new building and all the oohs and aahs had died down they unloaded the paintings into the front room to the right and began unwrapping them, ready to hang.

‘It's so exciting!' Emily exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

As well as her signature floral pieces, there were landscapes, cityscapes and examples of still life. With all the paintings now unwrapped, Emily could see Simone had a distinctive style: bold colour, use of thick paint, not quite precise brushstrokes, clear depiction of the subject without being exact like a photo. It was all there. Emily found it hard to believe that before all this, Simone had only dabbled, and only to decorate her own house and Jake's
apartment. She was definitely talented. Her work wouldn't look out of place in a major gallery or museum.

Finally they had all the pieces lined up on the floor against the walls. The three of them stood back and took in the view. They had ended up with enough works to adorn the walls of the four main rooms and even out the back in the large open kitchen, dining, and lounge space. They were deliberately keeping the wide hall clear so guests could move about freely without risk of bumping into the art.

‘They're even more gorgeous than the ones in your house,' Emily said, wiping away a tear of joy. ‘I didn't think that was possible.'

Simone beamed back.

‘Yes, well done sis, they're great,' Jake said, putting his arm around his sister's shoulders. ‘Although by the looks of this, I'm about to lose my business partner,' he added a little morosely.

‘Flattery, flattery,' Simone said, rolling her eyes at him. ‘But seriously, thanks guys, it means a lot that you like them.'

‘Like them? I love them!' Emily said.

Simone and Emily spent the next few hours directing Jake as to where to hang what. Left to her own devices, Emily would have deliberated for far too long over each one, but the decisions were made quickly with the three of them sharing the task. Jake had brought a spirit level, which meant they didn't have to stand there for ages making minute adjustments. And the picture rail running right around the rooms made the hanging process easy. Simone had fitted hanging wire to all the backs, and had even made laminated labels. As each painting was hung, Emily added the neat label to the wall beside its bottom right corner.

Finally they were finished. Emily walked from room to room, satisfied with how everything looked. But the dominant feeling was relief at having the paintings in situ and all up safe and sound.