Meant To Be (46 page)

The other night she'd dreamt that she'd been standing in the gallery on opening night surrounded by blank walls because the paintings hadn't arrived in time. In another dream she'd dropped one artwork after the other whilst trying to hang them, only to end up with a heap of torn and ruined pieces. She'd woken in a sweat and spent the whole of the next day with concern shadowing her.

She'd kept it from Jake; had blamed her mood on baby hormones and then later, in private, had apologised to her stomach. Luckily from then on her dreams had been dominated by happier thoughts.

They got back to the house on dusk. They each had a quick shower and then Emily put a shepherd's pie in the oven for dinner. Simone returned from her room clutching a bottle of champagne.

‘I think we deserve to celebrate after all our efforts!' she declared. ‘But I'm afraid we'll have to stick it in the freezer for a bit. I forgot to get it out earlier – too excited about getting over to the cottage.'

Emily looked at Jake and asked the question with raised eyebrows. He nodded back.

‘What's up with you two shooting each other funny looks?' Simone said, coming back from the pantry fridge.

‘Um,' Jake started.

‘What?' Simone said.

‘About the champagne…'

‘What, don't tell me you guys have suddenly become teetotallers?'

‘Er…' Jake said. ‘Well, just for the next six months,' he said, grasping Emily's hand on the table and looking adoringly at her.

‘Oh. My. God,' Simone said. ‘You're pregnant!'

Both Emily and Jake nodded and burst into wide grins.

‘Oh, wow, that's fantastic news!' Simone said, going up to each of them and wrapping her arms around their shoulders and kissing them on the cheek in turn.

‘So, when are you due?'

‘Christmas Day,' Emily said.

‘Double celebrations then. Goody. But, ooh, you dark horses. I can't believe you haven't told me.'

‘Sorry, it's just that we've been so busy and…' Emily said a little helplessly.

‘I'm only joking. It's your business who you tell and when.'

‘Thanks for understanding, Sim,' Jake said. ‘We wanted to tell you in person.'

‘And I jumped the gun, didn't I? Oh, I'm so excited for you both. So, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?'

‘No, it's too early and we're not sure we want to. We haven't decided, yet, have we?' Jake said, looking at Emily.

‘Sometimes I want to know. Sometimes I want to be surprised.' Emily laughed. ‘Baby brain, I guess.'

‘Oh, well, you'll figure it out. And I think it's very good that you're abstaining from alcohol as well, Jake,' Simone added sagely.

‘I haven't been, until now. Well, not consciously. But we don't really drink much, anyway, do we? I don't think I've even had a drink since we found out,' he said.

‘No, probably not,' Emily said. ‘But you two don't have to miss out because of me.'

‘No, I reckon one in, all in,' Simone said, smiling warmly at Emily. ‘Like we did for Barbara that day. We can save the bottle for the birth. But I'd better get it out of the freezer so we don't end up with an explosion in the middle of the night,' she said, moving to get back up.

Jake put a hand on his sister's. ‘I'll do it. I've stocked up on the non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider Barbara had. I'm sure it'll do the trick.'

Moments later he put a large green bottle and three champagne flutes on the table. When they each had a glass of liquid that
looked just like sparkling wine only darker in colour, they raised them.

‘To good friends, family, and life being pretty damned wonderful,' Jake said, smiling at Emily and Simone.

‘Hear, hear,' Emily agreed.

‘And to the baby,' Simone said.

They clinked glasses and savoured the first sip.

‘Ah, yes, nectar of the gods,' Simone said with a sigh.

‘Hmm, lovely. I could get used to this,' Emily said.

‘Don't worry, I've got plenty for you,' Jake said. ‘I picked up a case at the supermarket today.'

Emily smiled warmly from Simone to Jake. She sat back in her chair, thinking how lucky she was to have them in her life.

But just as she had that very thought, she noticed them sharing another look. This time she knew it wasn't her imagination.

‘Yeah, go on. It's as good a time as any,' Jake said. Simone nodded and got up and left the room.

Emily frowned. ‘What's going on?'

‘You'll see,' Jake said with a cheeky grin.

A few moments later, Simone appeared with the black garment bag Emily had seen earlier.

‘Ooh goody,' Emily said. ‘I've been looking forward to seeing what you're wearing tomorrow night.'

Simone silently unzipped the bag and brought out part of its contents on a coathanger that she held up proudly.

Emily felt the blood drain from her face. Her mouth dropped open. ‘Oh,' she said.

There in Simone's hand was the silk wraparound top from her dream. Her heart sank with so much disappointment it actually hurt. It was the perfect blue-grey colour; the colour of hers and her gran's eyes. The only difference was that this one had longer sleeves.
She felt a stab of jealousy. Tomorrow night she would be wearing a black dress – a nice black dress, but plain black, nonetheless – and Simone would be upstaging her looking absolutely stunning.

Emily was glad she was sitting down. Time seemed to have stopped, along with her heart. She had to say something, at least appear gracious. But before she could form the words in her head, let alone utter them, Simone spoke.

‘Come on, I'm dying to see it on you,' she said, shaking the coathanger slightly.

‘What? Sorry?' Emily frowned, perplexed. ‘Why would I be trying on your outfit?'

‘It's for you, silly,' Jake said.

‘What? Oh. Really?
Really!?'

‘Yes,' Simone and Jake said at once.

‘Oh my God. Wow! I can't believe it,' Emily said. Had she ever told Jake the colour of the outfit in her dream?

‘It's the perfect colour,' he said.

‘Yep, perfect match,' Simone said, now holding the garment up to Emily's face. ‘And the black pants will be just right.'

‘Well, come on – go and try it on,' Jake said.

Emily accepted the hook and left the room.

As soon as she had the top on, Emily knew she'd never felt so glamorous before. It was just like what she'd seen in her first dream but with three-quarter-length sleeves instead of short; a slightly stiff wraparound shirt with a wide silk bow at the side, all in a brilliant deep blue with a hint of charcoal to it. With the long sleeves and ability to hide a camisole underneath, she'd be warm enough on the night. And the black pants with their slight sheen suited the top, and Emily, perfectly.

‘You look absolutely stunning,' Simone said from the doorway. ‘Here, let me tidy up the bow.'

Emily felt like a princess when she stepped back into the kitchen.

‘Oh, wow,' Jake said. ‘You look amazing.'

‘Doesn't she just?' Simone said from behind her.

‘Thank you so much. Both of you,' she said, looking from Jake to Simone.

‘Don't thank me,' Jake said. ‘Sim was the one combing the whole of Melbourne.'

‘You poor thing, you also had the engagement ring to sort out.' Emily's guilt must have showed.

‘It wasn't that bad, but it is hard when you're looking for something so specific.'

‘Tell me about it,' Emily said with a groan. ‘Why do you think I settled for plain black?'

‘For the record, it was all Jake's idea to try and find something to match your eyes. They're so beautiful and unusual,' Simone said.

‘I'm just totally blown away,' she said, looking from one to the other. She would have hugged them, but didn't want to crease the silk. ‘So, what are you wearing, Simone? Can we see?'

‘Well, all right, but it's nothing too exciting.' She reached into the garment bag again and brought out a green fine-knit top with a light long-sleeved black cardigan over it. Black pants, very similar to those Emily now wore, hung underneath.

‘That looks totally gorgeous too,' Emily said, meaning every word.

Yes, very nice sis,' Jake said with approval.

‘I like it. But it took a bit of finding too.'

‘Thank goodness for being a bloke and not having any choices – charcoal suit for me.'

‘And a matching tie to Emily's,' Simone said, dragging a tie from the hanger and passing it to Jake.

‘Oh, that's fantastic,' he said.

‘How did you do that?' Emily asked.

‘I had your top and the tie made at a great little tailor in Chinatown. Thought you two should match.'

‘Trust you to think of everything, sis,' Jake said, beaming at his sister.

That night, Emily didn't think she'd sleep at all for the nerves and excitement rushing about inside of her. But she must have, because the next thing she knew, she was being gently prodded. She reluctantly opened her eyes.

‘Time to get up, sleepyhead,' Jake said, kissing her before getting out of bed and gathering and pulling on clothes.

Emily rolled onto her back, wanting to savour one last moment before getting up to face what would be an extremely long and exhausting day.

‘Come on, no time for lolling about,' Jake persisted, leaning across the bed and giving her a nudge.

She was still unable to make herself move.

‘Are you okay?' Jake asked, sounding concerned. He came around to her side and crouched down.

‘Just having trouble getting going. I'll be right,' she said, and dragged her legs out from under the covers and onto the floor.

‘What you need is bacon and eggs,' he said cheerfully.

Emily cringed. The thought of it made her suddenly queasy.
Please don't make me sick today, little one
, she silently pleaded as she
got out of bed. Jake headed out to the kitchen. She heard him greet Simone and begin clattering around, getting out pots, pans, and utensils.

Emily was slow to get dressed. By the time she entered the kitchen it was filled with the scents and sounds of cooking. She felt a strange sense of both longing and repulsion at the thought of greasy bacon and eggs. She looked on for a few moments, trying to work out which of the feelings was more dominant. Still undecided, she went over to where Jake stood at the pan and took a deep whiff of the rising steam.

‘Yum,' she said hopefully.

‘I wasn't sure if it might make you feel ill,' Jake said. ‘I only realised when I was past the point of no return,' he added sheepishly.

‘It's okay. I'm not sure myself. I guess we'll see,' Emily said with a sigh.

‘Well, you need a good breakfast. We'll be on our feet for most of the day and then tonight. You and the little one are going to need all the strength you can get,' Simone said firmly. ‘Try a couple of these.' She handed Emily a box of tablets.

Emily frowned and started reading.

‘Ginger tablets for travel sickness,' Simone explained. ‘I always have some on hand. I take them for flying and for travelling as a passenger in a car for long distances. They work a treat and it says they're also recommended for morning sickness.'

‘Thanks, I'll give them a try,' Emily said, opening the box. She took two tablets per the instructions. She suspected that, like most homeopathic or herbal preparations, they might just act as a placebo. But she didn't care; she just wanted to feel well.

Twenty minutes later she sat down and devoured a huge plate of bacon, eggs, toast, mushrooms, and grilled tomatoes – all without a hint of nausea. ‘I
am
eating for two,' she said when
she caught Jake and Simone's stunned looks. ‘Are you sure those ginger tablets don't increase the appetite as well?'

After breakfast they headed over to the cottage, armed with individual lists of tasks.

Jake was responsible for outside; sweeping the large verandah and patio, positioning some candles and making sure everything was presentable. He was also in charge of making sandwiches for lunch and bringing them over mid-afternoon.

Meanwhile, Emily and Simone were tasked with the final touches inside. First they wandered through the rooms, making sure they were still happy with the arrangement of the paintings. Then they wiped and cleaned every surface again. Next they set up and tested the EFTPOS machine, and stacked small pyramids of jars of marmalade on a corner of the large desk, the kitchen windowsill, and each of the mantelpieces.

They finished in the main gallery space by getting out the box of red dots that would be used to indicate when a painting had been sold.

Emily hoped there would be a sea of little red dots by the end of the night, as much for Simone as herself. She so badly wanted her future sister-in-law's foray into life as an artist to be a successful experience.

They had agreed on Emily taking twenty-five percent of proceeds as commission. The prices Simone had put on the pieces were based on the size of the painting, and Emily thought them very reasonable – not so cheap as to sell Simone's talent short, but not too expensive for a country gallery either. Now they just had to cross their fingers and hope that lots of people would fall in love with the paintings enough to take them home.

The last thing they had to do before heading back to the house to get ready was to put all the glassware through the dishwasher for a quick rinse.

Just as they had unpacked the last load and lined all the glasses up on one side of the large bench, Barbara, Thora, Enid, Liz and Emily's aunt Peggy arrived. After hugs, greetings, and introductions to Simone, they left them to their work. Within moments they had aprons on and the kitchen was abuzz. Emily paused for a few seconds in the doorway. She was wondering where all the hours had gone.