Three Words: A Novella Collection (4 page)

After a minute
or two, Daisy could feel the tension leaving her body and she
relaxed a little, tentatively pressing her cheek to Henry’s chest.
His heart was pounding awfully fast but it was the closeness of his
body and the warmth in his arms she really noticed. She stood there
for a minute considering how this felt. In all her life as an
adult, the closest she’d come to being held by any man other than
her husband was when she’d been groped by that sleazy Santa they’d
hired for the Christmas Party at the Day Care Centre. And then
she’d screamed so loud the centre’s pet budgie, Bluey, had flown
into the roof of his cage with fright.

But now, here
in Henry’s arms she felt safer than she had in a very long time.
Years, if she was being honest.

“
You okay now?” Henry asked, his deep voice suddenly very
soft.

“
Much better. Thanks.”

“
Glad to be of assistance,” he replied, pulling
away.

If only she’d
thought to say she was still upset, maybe he’d have held her for
longer.

Walking back
to the lounge, Daisy picked up her glass and sat cross-legged on
the sofa, curling her stripy-socked feet under her thin body.
Henry, having retrieved his glass, came to sit down beside her.
Even wearing Jack’s farm shirt and without the gelled up hair he
looked devastatingly gorgeous ~ but not rock star-ish at all.

“
Tell me about your life. How did you come up with the name
Hawk?”

“
It was my Mum. She said if I wanted to be a rock star I
needed a cool name and she used to call me Hawk when I was a kid,
after that U2 song
Hawkmoon 269
. It stuck I
guess.”

“
And you like being a musician?”

Henry twiddled
his glass between his thumb and index finger. “It’s my life. I live
for it. Though I could do without the paparazzi and the shit that
goes with it. But you can’t have one without the other so I’ve
learnt to deal.”

“
I imagine you deal quite well.”

“
I get by.” His mouth spread into the most amazing
smile.

Daisy
swallowed. Talk about make you hyperventilate. “So apart from the
screaming hoards of fans, what’s the best part?”

“
Ah, the screaming fans?”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Nothing beats being on stage and hearing forty thousand
people singing the lyrics of a song you wrote back at you. It’s the
ultimate validation that you chose the right career. And the
feeling you get when you meet someone who says your song changed
their life is awesome. It’s the reason why I keep
going.”

“
It’d be easy to let that go to your head.”

“
Yeah. In the early days, I went in for the whole rock star
thing - the sex, the drugs. But then I realised it was really about
the music for me. The singing is my job. I try to make every
performance count because I want to give back to the people who put
me there. It’s a huge amount of pressure but if my music makes even
one person happy, I feel fulfilled. The concerts are the icing on
the cake.”

Daisy was
impressed. She’d never been to a Hawk Moon concert but she’d heard
how amazing they were. Clearly, he wanted to make his fans happy.
It wasn’t all about the money.

“
Do you have a family, Henry? You know, like a girlfriend or a
wife?”

Henry’s face
closed over. He stared at the sleeping lamb by the fire and then
looked at his watch, refusing to answer. From the look on his face,
you’d think she’d asked him to eat rotten meat or something. Looked
like she’d done it this time. She’d pissed off the rock star.

“
I had a wife,” he said, at last. “But the rock ‘n’ roll life
isn’t for everyone. We separated. I still call her sometimes. She’s
a good friend. She married again last year.”

“
Were you upset? You know, when it didn’t work
out?”

“
A bit. Okay, well a lot really. But I’d never tell anyone.
People like to see me as invincible.”

His eyes
welled up. It made Daisy want to cuddle him.

“
You just told me.”

“
Must be the night for sharing.”

“
Must be.”

Henry put an
index finger to his mouth, biting on the nail for a second. “You
know, this is the most normal conversation I’ve had in ages. I like
you, Daisy. You’re real. I don’t know a lot of people like that
anymore.”

Daisy could
feel herself blushing.

“
And that makes you feel lonely?”

“
Yeah. Sometimes. But I fill my time with work and I drive to
see new places.” He paused for a minute. “Like today.”

On the hearth,
Marsha stirred, giving a very tiny lamb-ish yawn. She stood;
wobbling on her long gangly limbs and took a few steps across the
room. Then she looked expectantly at Daisy. A soft brown ear
flicked back and forward and she trotted happily to the front
door.

“
I’m just going to pop her into the paddock out the back. You
can come if you like,” Daisy said, hopping up and grabbing the
torch.

“
Is that sheep toilet trained?” Henry shook his head in
amazement.

“
I don’t think she’s smart enough to be toilet trained but she
does let me know when she’s had enough inside time. She’s becoming
quite independent.” She raced to the door, hoisting the lamb into
her arms. “Back in a minute.”

*****

When Daisy
returned, she found that Henry had well and truly made himself at
home. The kettle was on and he’d found the toaster and a loaf of
bread. He was whistling with his back to her. It was one of his
songs. She recognised it instantly.

On hearing the
door close, he turned around. “I don’t know about you but I’m
starting to feel a bit drunk,” he said. “I can’t afford to have a
hangover. They mess with my voice.”

Daisy slid
onto the kitchen stool putting her elbows on the bench so she could
rest her chin. This night was getting weirder by the second. Nobody
would ever believe her if she told them Hawk Moon had been ratting
about in her pantry with the stale pasta.

“
And so you decided to help yourself to my cupboards, did
you?” she smiled. “Boy, you rock stars really think you own the
world.”

“
Some of us do. Hope you don’t mind but I started making tea
and toast.”

The smell of
cooked toast wafted across the bench and Daisy realised that Henry
was right. She was hungry and a little bit drunk too. In fact, her
head had become quite fuzzy, especially after the trip out into the
cold.

“
I’d love some toast. There’s homemade jam in the fridge, if
you want that. I’ll have the raspberry.”

“
Geez, you country girls sure are bossy.”

“
Comes with the territory. I have to order a whole flock of
sheep around and they rarely do as they’re told.”

Henry walked
over to the fridge door and opened it. He stood before it,
undecided. “I’m spoilt for choice.”

“
Try the cold lamb. It’s yummy on hot buttered
toast.”

“
Is it one of yours?” Henry asked.

“
Well, yes, but that’s the point of raising sheep. If it makes
you feel any better I didn’t slaughter it personally. And our sheep
have the best life ever. I wouldn’t mind being one of them, at
times. ”

Henry looked
as if he was being asked to eat his grandmother. “Oh, what the
hell. It’s no different from lamb from the butcher, I s’pose.”

He took out
the plastic container and flipped the lid, taking out a few slices
and putting it on his toast.

“
On second thoughts, I’ll have the lamb too,” Daisy
said.

They sat
munching in silence for a couple of minutes. The mill clock ticked
on the wall and outside the wind had died down so that the farm was
back to its usual quiet. It was very peaceful and neither of them
seemed inclined to spoil it.

“
So… Henry….” Daisy said, at last. “Can I ask you something
really forward? It’s a bit of a favour and I know it’s going to
come over as all ‘groupie’ like, but I was talking to Avery on the
phone while you were in the shower.”

“
And you want an autograph for your daughter?” He said it as
if he’d heard it a thousand times before.

“
Do you mind?”

“
Not at all.”

“
Can I get a picture of us to send to her, too? She’s only
thirteen. It’d make her day. And probably a few days after
that.”

“
Sure.”

Daisy reached
along the kitchen bench and got her mobile. She plopped back down
on her stool and scrolled through the apps looking for the
camera.

“
We’ll probably need to get on the same side of the bench,”
Henry commented, coming around the counter towards her, “Or we
won’t both fit in the screen.”

“
Good point.”

Henry stopped
next to her and pulled out a stool. His knee and the bottom of his
thigh pressed against hers. It was warm and firm. And so, well,
nice. It had been a long time since she’d been in the general
vicinity of a man’s thigh. Then Henry slung an arm around Daisy’s
shoulder. She shifted at the feel of his hand. She knew he was only
doing it for the picture but, ohhh, it felt soooo good. If
only….

Pushing that
ridiculous thought into the recesses of her mind reserved for late
night fantasies, Daisy stretched her arm out in front of them,
facing the lens of the camera in their direction.

“
Say ‘cheese’.”

“
Cheese.”

She pressed
the red button, waiting for the click. Then, she turned the phone
around to open the photo so they could see it. Fabulous. Seriously,
she was so inept. Even Avery wouldn’t be able to salvage that
horrendous photographic attempt.

“
I’ve cut off our heads.”

Henry’s mouth
tilted into a smile. “Somehow I think that sort of defeats the
purpose of the photo. You’d better take it again. Move your face
closer this time. That might help.”

Daisy tried
not to hyperventilate. If she moved an inch closer they’d be
kissing. Henry put his arm around her again.

“
Ready? Smile!”

As she said
it, Henry planted a big kiss on her cheek. The phone fell into
Daisy’s lap. Her toes began to tremble inside her stripy socks.

“
Oh. Oh. You kissed me.”

“
It’ll look better for the jealousy factor with your
daughter’s friends. Yeah?”

Daisy nodded.
Of course, he was used to this fame thing. He knew how to work a
crowd and what would make a group of teenage girls drool with envy
more than Hawk Moon kissing someone they knew? It wasn’t as if he’d
really meant it.

“
Yeah.”

“
So how do we look?”

Daisy picked
up the phone. She tapped the photo album and went into the stream.
There, filling the screen was Henry’s side profile, his lips
puckered to kiss her smiling face. She looked happier than she had
in months. And he had a certain twinkle in his eye.

“
That’s pretty good, huh?” he commented.

“
Avery will love it. Thank you.”

And at that
very moment, there was another knock at the door.

Chapter 4

The girl
called Georgia looked seriously pissed off when Daisy opened the
door. Her oval shaped face was set into an annoyed sort of scowl
that had her eyebrows so far down her brow they were almost a
moustache. She may have loved Henry but she clearly wasn’t happy
about having to traipse over the countryside in the middle of the
night to pick him up. She looked Daisy over, stopping at her stripy
socks.

“
Is Henry here?”

No hello, no
nothing. Boy, she really was cross.

“
Um, yeah. You must Georgia.”

“
Well, who else would I be? I’m sure you don’t get that many
visitors out here in the sticks. I’ve been driving for freakin’
hours. Don’t you people believe in street names or
numbers?”

Right. Now
would probably not be the time to tell her that the sign for the
property had blown loose in the last storm and Daisy hadn’t had
time to put it back up.

“
Come in,” Daisy said, opening the door wider. “Straight down
the hall to the end.”

Stiletto boots
clicking madly, Georgia stepped in the doorway and strode past
Daisy, practically knocking her flying and leaving a muddy trail on
the timber floor as she went. Daisy followed along behind. Georgia
was rather intimidating for someone who couldn’t have been more
than five feet tall and her choice of black skinny jeans and a
fitted leather button up jacket only made her more frightening.
Daisy wouldn’t have been surprised if she had a whip stuffed inside
it. Surely, this couldn’t be Henry’s girlfriend?

Hands on her
slim hips, Georgia stopped the kitchen doorway. A cloud of
expensive perfume wafted around her and filled the small kitchen.
As a rule, Daisy wasn’t one for perfume - possibly because she
couldn’t afford it - and the scent of Georgia’s only confirmed her
thought that she wouldn’t be buying any in the near future. It was
hideous.

“
Henry,” Georgia said.

Henry looked
up. He’d been playing with something on Daisy’s phone. Embarrassed,
he placed it back on the bench and stood. “Hey George. Thanks for
coming to get me.”

“
Like I had a choice in the matter.” She looked him up and
down with the same degree of annoyance she’d shown to Daisy. “What
the hell are you wearing?”