Time Will Tell (11 page)

‘Might be touch and go by the looks of the satellite map.'

‘Oh well, we'll just have to play it by ear.'

Emily reminded herself she had to ring Nathan. She wasn't looking forward to it. But she decided it was too early – they might still be having dinner.

Ten minutes later, when Jake was engrossed in the Christmas movie and Emily was pretending to be, her mobile began to ring in the kitchen.

‘Sorry,' she said in a loud whisper, and raced to answer it. The number was unfamiliar.

‘Hello, Emily speaking.'

‘Hi Em, it's Nathan.'

‘Oh hi, I was going to call you later – thought you might still be having dinner.'

‘Oh, cool. So you've made a decision then?' he chirped.

Stay firm
, Emily instructed herself.

‘I have, and I'm really sorry, but I'm not interested in having a flatmate at present. Sorry.'

‘Oh!'

‘You did say there was no pressure.'

‘I know, and there isn't, but I can't say I'm not disappointed. But it's your choice. No chance of changing your mind?'

Stick to your guns, Em.

‘No. I'm sorry, Nathan, I really am, it's just that right now…'

‘Don't be. Doesn't matter. I'll find somewhere else. Okay, better go. See you round.'

‘Okay then, see you,' she said, but he'd already hung up.

Emily stared at the phone for a few moments feeling increasingly annoyed. He'd said he'd wait for her to call him. Yet here he was, less than twelve hours later, calling her for an answer. And not even bothering with any small talk.

Part of her was glad he'd got straight to the point, but that wasn't really the issue. It was rude. She clearly meant no more to him than somewhere to put his suitcase.

Well, at least it was done and she could sit and watch TV in peace.

But first I am going to quickly ring the Bakers about the house.

She brought up their number and with a shaking finger pressed Call. It was answered on the second ring.

‘Hello, Donald speaking.'

‘Hi, Donald, it's Emily Oliphant, over at the old house. Er, merry Christmas,' she added.

‘And to you. Have you thought about our offer?'

‘I have, and I'd love to accept it.'

‘That's great news.' Emily heard a muffled sound, which was most likely him telling his brother.

She took a deep breath.
Now for the hard part.

‘The only thing is, I'd rather not make the first payment until the subdivision has gone through, just in case we strike any problems.'

‘I understand. It would probably be a bit risky for you to go ahead without that certainty.'

‘But I've been told it could take up to six months.'

‘I don't see that being a problem for us. Our trip is almost a whole year away yet.'

‘Oh that's a relief. Thank you for being so understanding,' Emily said.

‘And thank you for wanting to take care of the house.'

‘It's my pleasure. I love it. I'll let you go now. See you.'

‘Cheerio then,' Donald said.

Emily hung up and tried to figure out whether she felt relieved or terrified as a result of officially putting the ball in motion regarding the house. She was shaking a little.
It's a good thing. It'll all work out for the best.
She went back into the lounge.

‘Well, for better or worse I've just officially taken up the offer of the house,' she announced as she entered the room. Jake looked up.

‘That's great news, well done,' he said, smiling warmly.

‘Well, time will tell,' she said, and sat down in the other armchair beside him.

Chapter Eleven

Emily thought she'd never get to sleep; every time she closed her eyes a disjointed montage of the day's events flickered in her mind: her call to Donald Baker about the house; what her father had said about Enid; Nathan's proposition; the diamonds; Jake's reaction to the way John had treated her; John's payout.

And then there were the usual questions that plagued her when she was too tired to keep them at bay: How was she going to make do on her own without a job, without a man? What was she going to do with her life in the long term? Had she done the wrong thing taking on the house? Should she leave Wattle Creek and start afresh somewhere else? Why hadn't she had the guts to demand her fair share from John? Why did everything come back to money? And why did everyone keep saying money wasn't everything and that it couldn't buy happiness?

Emily woke feeling bleary-eyed and tired. The last time she'd checked it had been one o'clock. It was now six-thirty. No matter how badly she slept or how late she went to bed, she usually woke at around the same time. And no matter how long she lay in bed or how much she tried to talk herself into it, she could never go back to sleep.

She pushed back the sheet and light cotton blanket, got out of bed, dragged her robe from the hook on the back of the door, slipped her feet into her worn sheepskin slippers, and padded down the hall to the kitchen. She took extra care to be quiet and let Jake sleep on. She let Grace out the kitchen door and stood on the verandah while the dog did her morning ablutions.

‘All better?' Emily asked, as Grace trotted past her before coming back inside.

She gave Grace her breakfast and as she watched the small dog eat, wondered,
what now
? She didn't want to risk waking Jake by banging about and packing stuff for their barbeque with Barbara and David. Half his luck if he was still sleeping.

But it didn't feel right to go ahead and have her morning coffee or breakfast without him. No, she should wait. But she had no idea how long he might sleep. What if he was one of those city types who lounged around in bed until eleven?
Don't be stupid
, Emily heard her inner voice say,
he didn't sleep in last time he stayed
. It had been Elizabeth who had struggled to be up before ten and complained loudly about it.

It was weird how she kept forgetting that Jake had been here before. She decided it must be because of the change in dynamic – Elizabeth not being with him.

As much as she liked her cousin, she preferred Jake without her; Elizabeth tended to be way too pretentious and loud when there was someone around to impress.

No one in the family had ever really figured out what her job as a business analyst was all about. But everyone knew she earned stacks of money, drove a flash BMW, and lived in a swanky apartment in Melbourne.

Emily had never been to Melbourne, despite many invitations. She'd never known whether the invitations were genuine – they were almost always issued in front of someone else – and she had never felt comfortable spending the money; hers or John's.

Now she realised that even if she did have the money, she would probably never visit Elizabeth. There would be nothing worse than being paraded around as the country hick cousin. Not to mention being swamped by strangers in a noisy, bustling city, tall buildings looming all around and blocking out the light. The idea of spending time in a place the size of Melbourne was really quite daunting.

She shook these thoughts aside, picked up the pad and pencil from the bench where Jake had put them back the night before, and began setting out a budget – funds in hand, expenses now, and those in the foreseeable future.

It was a list she'd made many times, and she sometimes wondered if she did so in the hope that at some point the numbers would suddenly become doable.

This time she added twenty thousand under anticipated expenses to cover the re-roofing. She looked at the totals. She could pay for the subdivision, make the first year's instalment on the house and replace the roof, but would then have less than a thousand dollars left. She had to eat. And what if her car died or something?

At least with nothing in reserve, she'd be eligible for Centrelink assistance. That would certainly help. Though the thought of being labelled a dole bludger by her mother made her feel decidedly uneasy.

Would it be worth it if it meant not worrying so much about basic week-to-week expenses? She
was
looking for a job, so it wasn't like she'd be doing anything wrong. The only thing standing in her way would be her pride, which was bloody stupid – cutting off her nose to spite her face, Gran would have said.

It wasn't her fault she'd been diddled by John. Well it was; she'd let him get away with it. But if anyone should look bad, it was him. She was doing the best she could to pick up the pieces and start again. And if that meant having to claim Centrelink benefits for a while, so be it.

But, hang on, anything over five grand in the bank and she'd still be subject to their waiting period: she wouldn't be able to make a claim until she had purchased the property, and she couldn't do that until the subdivision had been done, and Jake had said that could take up to six months.

Bloody hell, it was so damned complicated – all these steps that had to be taken in the right order.

Emily had her pen poised and was frowning when Jake walked in. She looked up and took in his slightly dishevelled appearance. He was wearing blue and white striped long pyjama pants and a navy blue t-shirt. His hair was standing up and sticking out, and there was a thick shadow of stubble on his chin. She smiled as he rubbed at his eyes like a child and squinted at the light filling the room. God, his eyes were gorgeous.

‘Why are you frowning on such a lovely morning?' His raspy, deep voice sounded like he thought the day was anything but lovely.

‘Oh, just making a few notes and lists of figures.'

‘You know, just because you write them down doesn't mean they'll get any better,' he said, smiling warmly at her. ‘No matter how many times you write them down, they don't change. Believe me, I've tried,' he said, slumping onto the nearest chair.

‘Guess I'm still living in hope.' Emily shrugged and got up. ‘Coffee?'

‘Oh, yes please!'

‘Did you sleep okay?'

‘Brilliantly, just needed a few more hours. No matter how late I get to sleep, I always wake up early; it's really quite annoying.'

‘I'm the same.'

‘Well, it's my own fault; I sat up until midnight making notes in my journal and reading. Just wasn't tired. So now I'll pay for it today.'

‘I couldn't get to sleep either – tossed and turned for ages. At least we've got nothing strenuous to do – unless you're driving back to Whyalla tonight.'

‘No. Since I know you're an early bird, I'll leave in the morning.'

‘I always feel better after my first coffee,' Emily said, filling the kettle.

‘Ah yes, caffeine, the wonder drug. I can't seem to live without it these days.'

‘Hmm.'

When they were both seated at the table with their coffees, Jake said, ‘So, anything other than the obvious troubling you this morning about the figures?'

‘Well…'

She hadn't intended to tell him about wanting to qualify for Centrelink, but suddenly found it all spilling out.

‘Don't be embarrassed, Em. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with asking for some help when you need it – that's what Centrelink is there for. I doubt you're the sort to stay on it for long. And anyway, I'm sure you've paid plenty of tax over the years. So you shouldn't feel ashamed. Personally, I'd be claiming as soon as you possibly can so you don't completely use up all your reserves. You won't have all this cash in six months when you buy this place. If only you could offload it now; you'd have six months with some money coming in. Hmm,' he added, and began tapping the pen he'd picked up against his hand.

‘I wouldn't want to do anything dodgy,' Emily warned.

‘God no. I would never suggest anything like that. You could always park some money in one of my company trust accounts.'

‘Wouldn't I have to have a legitimate reason – like a deposit or something?'

‘Technically, but we could…'

‘Thanks Jake, and no offence, but even that's already sounding a little iffy for me. And I really don't want to involve anyone else.'

‘Fair enough. But at least let me send you the details of a decent conveyancer. He's not cheap, but he won't rip you off, and he's good.'

‘I'd appreciate that, thanks.'

Emily got up from the table.

‘Now, I'm more than happy to do eggs for you, but I'm having cereal – muesli.'

‘Muesli sounds good. Knowing you and Barbara, there'll be a mountain of food for lunch.'

Emily brought the Tupperware container of cereal, milk, bowls and spoons to the table.

‘Yum,' Jake said, ‘you'll have to tell me which brand of muesli this is – it's very good.'

Emily blushed slightly. ‘Um, actually, it's my own blend. I couldn't find one without those processed little pellets – I find them too sweet.'

‘Well at least give me the list of ingredients – or do I have to guess myself?' He picked up the container and stared through the clear window for a few moments before putting it down and continuing to eat.

‘Shall I have first shower or would you like to? I don't mind either way,' Emily said when they'd finished eating and pushed their bowls aside.

‘You go – I'm determined to discover every ingredient,' Jake said, picking up the muesli container again. ‘You can test me when you're done,' he said with a laugh.

‘Okay.'

Emily left the room grinning – he really was good fun and so easy to be with.

‘I'll give you a hint,' she said a few minutes later as she passed back through the kitchen on her way to the bathroom. ‘There are eleven ingredients all up.'

‘Right,' Jake said, turning over to a new page on the pad.

A few hours later, they were sitting in Emily's car at the place where the five roads intersected at Barbara and David's mailbox.