Chapter Seven
‘Come in.’ Carrie still felt a bit groggy when she opened the door to Noah the next morning, and already she was glad she wasn’t on Maria duty today.
After the party last night Carrie and Lachlan had walked over to the cottages by the lake and let themselves into the most exquisite holiday accommodation. The walls were painted a pale lilac and a white jug filled with lavender perched on the windowsill in the tiny lounge, spreading its scent throughout the cottage. As Gemma had promised, there was a small bowl filled with treats from the chocolaterie and Carrie had laughed as Lachlan fed her one after the other, before they made love and fell asleep until the sunlight woke them this morning and it was time to get back to the house. They’d gone via the pub for a cooked breakfast, desperately needed after last night’s revelry, and Lachlan had returned to the city much calmer than he’d been during the party. Putting herself in his shoes, she knew it had to be hard seeing your girlfriend with all these new, super-friendly people who welcomed her as though they’d known her for years.
Noah came through the front door now and sidestepped the sink from the bathroom that Owen had ripped out yesterday. ‘How’s the head?’
‘It’s fine.’ When he looked at her she said, ‘OK, so I may have had a few glasses too many, but it was a great party. It was lovely to meet more people.’
‘They’re a friendly bunch in Magnolia Creek.’ He looked sheepish. ‘I wanted to say again that I’m sorry if I caused waves with the boyfriend.’
‘It’s all good.’ Carrie dismissed his concern and nodded to the drawings in his arms. ‘Are they for me?’
‘I’ve put together proper plans and the formal quote. These will help you visualise what the garden will look like when I’ve finished.’
Carrie looked around. ‘We could do with a table.’
‘No worries, the floor will have to do.’ He got down on his knees and unrolled the plans while Carrie reviewed the written quote. It wasn’t too dissimilar from his verbal estimate and so she was happy to proceed.
Carrie had no choice but to join him and on her knees she listened to him patiently explain all the plants, shrubs and flowers he was planning to include and she asked as many questions as she needed to without looking completely daft. Her fingers were about as green as the soil beneath the grass so as long as what he had in mind added a bit of colour, she’d leave him to it.
‘I think you’ll be very happy with it.’ He patiently rolled up the plans as they both stood up. ‘I’ll get out there and get on with it.’
‘On a Saturday?’ she quizzed.
He smiled. ‘It’s supposed to rain Monday and Tuesday so if you don’t mind, I’ll put in a day today and maybe again tomorrow after my training session down at the fire station.’
He seemed about to say something else but, instead, disappeared outside and when he noticed her watching from the window she busied herself washing the cups by the sink, dried them and stowed them in the cardboard box she had for such items. She swept the floor in the kitchen even though Owen would be here soon and it’d probably get ten times worse, because despite what she’d claimed about being happy to live in a mess for a while, it turned out it was quite stressful, especially after the night in the cottage, with its brand-new bath, a basic but fitted kitchen, floors that shone and that you could walk on without needing shoes.
By the time Owen came to get stuck into ripping out some more of the bathroom suite, yanking old tiles off the walls and dismantling the grotty cupboard that had once been beneath the sink, the kitchen was looking as clean as she could manage. He had a mate coming to help him sort out the spare bedroom’s new en suite, which would go in the far corner and required new stud walls with timber frames and plasterboard, and another contractor to come and do the wiring and the plumbing. Owen said his talents were expanding but he always did anything complicated under the guidance of a professional, and Carrie was happy he took such pride in his work. He also assured her he’d be concentrating on the upstairs today so the kitchen would look exactly the same when she returned.
Feeling happy, she decided to get outside and make the most of the sunshine before the rain came next week. She walked down the hill towards Main Street and past the chocolaterie.
‘Carrie.’ Gemma poked her head around the doorway. ‘It’s my break time.’ She beckoned Carrie inside and when she followed said, ‘I’ve already texted Bella and Rosie and they’re on their way over. I didn’t have your number or I’d have sent you a message too. Do you want to come upstairs to join us?’
‘That sounds lovely.’
The others arrived as they were chatting and Gemma soon had everyone organised in the café that sat on the floor above the chocolaterie. The first thing she did was to get Carrie to give them all her number, and Carrie felt delighted to be included in the friendship group.
‘I’m tired after the party,’ Rosie claimed the second she sat down. ‘And I didn’t even drink!’
‘You’re carrying a human being inside of you,’ said Carrie. ‘You’re allowed to be a little tired. How’s the head, Bella?’
Bella had stumbled in shortly after Rosie. ‘Fine, fine. Plenty of water before I went to bed and it worked a treat.’
‘I had a great time last night,’ said Gemma. ‘I took over a basket of chocolate for Jane and Michael this morning to say thanks.’
Outside on the balcony, with a perfect view of the bush that stretched for miles, they chatted over coffees, hot chocolates and fresh fruit juice.
‘Isn’t this your competition?’ Carrie asked Bella.
Bella shook her head and told her about how Andrew had approached her when he and Gemma first moved to Magnolia Creek. ‘He didn’t want to tread on any toes when the café reopened.’
‘Andrew wanted us to fit in with the community,’ Gemma added. ‘He’s always been one to do the right thing. And Bella here gave us the go-ahead and they agreed what items he’d sell.’
‘You’ll never lose customers if you keep baking those scones,’ said Rosie. ‘They’re so yummy. I intend to introduce my little one to them as soon as he or she is on solids.’
Laughing, Carrie said, ‘I don’t blame you. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting them on a couple of occasions and I’ll definitely be going back for more.’ She loved the way this community worked. People were welcoming but not overly nosy and she suspected that if you wanted to keep yourself to yourself you could but, equally, if you needed support or a friend to lean on, help would be there in spades. She thought back to her time with Owen when he’d talked about volunteering for the CFA as a firefighter and it all made sense now. His unwavering commitment to the community was something you absorbed the moment you drove past the sign with curly writing welcoming you to the town.
‘So, Carrie, what’s the plan for the Magnolia Girls?’ Gemma said the title of their group with enormous pride. ‘I can’t wait to get started. I work part time up at the school and with Abby in playgroup a couple of mornings a week I have time. How flexible will the schedule be?’
Carrie put down her apple juice and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her arms and face. ‘It’s really flexible. Basically, baby cuddlers are there to make it easier for the nursing staff who can’t cuddle the babies all the time. So we’ll fit around you, perhaps draw up a roster depending on your availability.’
Bella produced a sparkly notepad and pen and they went through times and days. Gemma would be needed in the chocolaterie a couple of times during the week, more in the school holidays, Rosie had to factor in the work she did at Magnolia House but she tended to finish early, and then there was the imminent arrival of the baby of course, and Bella pinpointed the café’s quieter times, not that there were many, but there were some slots where Rodney could manage on his own.
‘Thanks for that, girls.’ Carrie tore off the couple of sheets of paper, folded them and put them in her handbag. ‘When I’m at the hospital next week I’ll get everything organised and we’ll know what we’re doing. Then it’ll be screening for you all and paperwork before we can really start.’
‘We’re not going to be strip-searched are we?’ Bella guffawed. ‘Only if we are, make sure it’s a handsome doctor like your man, Lachlan.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Carrie laughed, and added, ‘but strip-searching will not be required.’
‘Tell us more about this man of yours,’ Gemma insisted.
‘You met him last night.’
‘I know we did, but we need to know more. Is it serious? Are there wedding bells on the horizon? Babies?’ Bella certainly liked to keep on top of things.
‘Leave the poor girl alone,’ Rosie admonished. ‘Or you’ll have her packing up her things and moving on.’
They launched into a more comfortable conversation about the renovations at the house, and the garden that was nothing but dirt and mess right now but would eventually be a little haven. Carrie could already imagine what it would be like to sit out there at her own place, sipping a glass of wine in the evening and watching the sun go down.
She shook herself out of her reverie when Rosie said, ‘You’re working heaps of hours, Carrie. Aren’t you exhausted doing it all and trying to renovate a house?’
‘I like to be busy.’ She’d never been one to sit around; weekends back in the city had mostly been filled with shifts at the hospital, going out on the town with Lachlan or attending work functions to meet new people. ‘Maria is full on during the day, but she’s sweet too. And I’m looking forward to being at the hospital in my new role. And as for the renovations, Owen and Noah seem to have those organised between them so I try to stay out of the way.’
‘Noah seems lovely,’ Bella said with a twinkle in her eye.
‘You’re such a stirrer,’ giggled Gemma. ‘But she’s right, he’s a hottie.’
‘Yep.’ Rosie grinned. ‘I bet Lachlan would rather you had an old man as a gardener. Freddie, he’d do.’
It was Bella’s turn to laugh, before she explained the comment to Carrie. ‘Freddie is Mal’s father.’
‘Mal who owns the gift shop?’ Carrie asked.
‘That’s him. Anyway, Freddie is a gardener by trade but older than some of those trees out there.’ She pointed to the bush. ‘Mal is forever telling him to retire properly but the man doesn’t know how to sit still. I saw him only yesterday buying plants to spruce up the garden at Mal’s home. Anyway, at almost eighty years old, if it were him rather than Noah hanging out at your place, Lachlan would be a lot less threatened.’
Carrie changed the topic of conversation back to baby cuddling and before too long they declared their first Magnolia Girls meeting over, but not without Andrew coming upstairs with samples of his latest creation – dark chocolate with crushed, dried raspberries and some other ingredient Carrie didn’t quite catch the name of. All she knew was that it tasted delicious and if she wasn’t careful she’d be stacking on the weight before the renovations were even finished.
Carrie walked up the hill towards the house, marvelling at the king parrot foraging in the trees outside. It looked her way but then turned its distinctive red head away to carry on looking for food. She shut the door behind her and was pleased to see Owen must have swept the hallway. It tickled her inside because she doubted he’d have bothered if he didn’t know her so well. But when she reached the kitchen her heart sank. It was a total mess. Nothing like the organised room she’d left – which, fair enough, looked dreadful and was only a shell, but at least the floor had been clear with no visible dirt.
She looked on in horror, barely able to keep moving into the room itself, because now her clean floor had mud and clumps of dirt traipsed through, and it was only as she braved taking a step closer that she realised Noah was in the kitchen.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ She couldn’t keep the agitation out of her voice. ‘I left this place neat at least so I could walk in without getting covered in mud.’
He grimaced but didn’t stop washing his hands in the sink. ‘I’m sorry about that. I’ll clear it up.’
‘Too damn right you will!’
‘Keep your hair on! There’s no need to lose your temper.’
‘I’ve got every right to lose my temper! You’re hired to do the garden, out there’ – she jabbed a finger towards the window – ‘not employed to bring the outside in!’
‘Haven’t you heard of indoor/outdoor living? It’s all the rage.’ His attempt at a joke fell flat.
The water was still running. How long did it take to wash your hands? ‘I have to pay water bills you know – try not to use all of it.’ She turned on her heel but stopped at his voice.
‘OK, princess.’
‘Hey, you don’t get to talk to me like that.’
‘Of course not,’ he quipped. ‘Because I work for you.’
‘What?’ What was his problem?
‘Your house is being renovated. It’s ridiculous trying to keep it neat and tidy. I mean, talk about anal,’ he muttered, but her hearing was good enough to pick it up.
‘I am not anal!’
His look said otherwise.
‘Just clear everything up, will you? And turn that bloody tap off!’ She moved closer and it was only then she realised there wasn’t just mud on the floor but something red too and when she saw the blood washing down the sink as the water flowed, she realised Noah had cut himself badly. ‘What did you do?’ She was close enough to pick up his manly smell, strangely familiar and mixed with the scent of the earth from outside, the sunshine from the sky.
‘What do you care, Princess Carrie?’ Rather than saying it in a mean way, he actually smiled and his voice wasn’t as hard as it had been.
Ignoring his jibe, she turned the tap off. ‘I’m not worried about the water supply,’ she told him before he could jump to conclusions, ‘but I want to take a look at your wrist.’
‘I’m not a child. Don’t your patients’ credentials usually include being under the age of eighteen?’
‘I studied medicine for long enough to know what’s what, whether this wrist belongs to a man or a boy.’ Her eyes flickered away from his when he looked at her, seemingly forgetting to be in pain any more. She inspected the cut and gently examined the area around it. ‘We need to use disinfectant to clean this up properly and then I’ll assess whether we’re good to cover it with a plaster or bandage.’
‘I don’t exactly carry disinfectant in my toolbox.’
‘Well good job I have some in my first-aid kit then.’
‘OK, but first you might want to look at this too, Doctor Carrie.’ He turned slightly and looked down but kept his wrist over the sink.
Carrie looked in the same direction and saw blood trickling down his shin. ‘What on earth did you do?’
‘I was lifting those paving slabs from the foot of the garden. I caught my wrist on one and it scraped the skin away. Then I stupidly tried to keep lifting it before I came inside to sort myself out. It slipped from my grip and scraped all down my shin.’
‘Idiot.’ She said it with a smile before she turned to go find her first-aid kit, which was still in the car. ‘By the way,’ she called behind her, ‘I much prefer the name Doctor Carrie to Princess Carrie, it’s what all my friends call me.’
Back with the first-aid kit, she tended to his leg first, cleaning it up to assess the damage. She covered it with a special dressing and then saw to his wrist. He spent the time talking about the garden and how much he’d progressed and prattled on so much it was only when he eventually turned and stopped looking out of the window and beyond that she realised he was squeamish at the sight of blood.
‘You think I’m a big sissy, don’t you?’ he asked, all cleaned up. There was no need for stitches and the blood had made the wounds look far worse than they actually were. ‘It’s just that I’m not keen on the sight of blood.’
She packed away the first-aid kit. ‘A lot of people aren’t.’
‘I bet some of your younger patients are tougher than I am.’
‘They are,’ she confirmed, but at least it made them both smile. ‘My mum’s the same. If she sees blood, on her or anyone else, she almost faints. She’s always been that way. When I was little she’d try to put on a brave face if I grazed my knee, cleaning out the dirt, putting a plaster on, but I’d do it myself a lot of the time.’
‘Aren’t you scared of anything?’ His question hung between them.
Carrie looked away but then grinned back at him. ‘I’m terrible with vomit.’
‘Really?’ He seemed to appreciate the admission. ‘But you’re a paediatrician – don’t you have kids puking all the time?’
‘Not always, and when it happens we catch it most of the time, thankfully, but if they vomit down themselves I have to step up and put my own reservations aside. Seriously, I gag clearing it up but I can’t let the children know that. They’re scared enough; they don’t need me making it worse.’
‘I’ll bet you’re a great doctor.’
She pulled on her marigolds ready to clean the floor. ‘I do my best.’
‘I’ll clean up. It’s my mess.’ He reached for the cloth before she did.
She snatched the cloth back. ‘No you won’t. I’ve only just patched you up and I don’t want you aggravating the cuts, especially the one on your wrist – it’s quite nasty.’
‘But you said it looked worse than it really was.’
‘And that was true.’ She filled a washing-up bowl with water and threw the cloth in. Then she found some kitchen roll from her box of cleaning supplies and proceeded to pick up the clumps of mud and put them in the bin, which was a black rubbish bag in the corner of the room, before she did anything else. ‘Using your wrist a lot might make it bleed more and I’d hate it to get worse. Make sure you check it tonight and tomorrow and change the dressing using what I’ve given you, and you should be back to normal soon.’
‘I’ve got work to do.’ He nodded out to the garden.
Carrie got down on her hands and knees and began cleaning up the floor, conscious it was his blood she was wiping up. Somehow it felt intimate, a part of him. ‘No gardening for you, not for a couple of days. Let yourself heal. And if you’re interested, I’ll make us both some tea.’
‘Wow, I’m really getting the gold-star treatment.’
‘Hey, don’t push it.’ Her look sent him scarpering to the lounge room and when the floor was acceptably clean she took two mugs of tea through, seeing Noah immediately move to get up from the beanbag.
‘Don’t you get up. Rest your leg. I’m fine sitting on the floor.’ She put her cup of tea down. ‘I’ll just get an old towel; I have a few upstairs.’
When she returned they drank their tea and talked more about Magnolia Creek and the training he was doing with the CFA.
‘Owen has been trying to get me into it for a long time,’ he admitted. ‘I wasn’t sure I’d be up to it but they’re a good group of guys and I’m glad I gave it a go.’
‘Must be frightening though, fighting fire.’
‘Owen has told me some stories, but he’s still in one piece. If he can do it, so can I.’ He looked down at his leg. ‘Although maybe I’ll have to start being more careful.’
They talked about the house Noah had bought a few years ago, another renovation project that had been brought back to life and was now a home.
‘Owen did the inside for me and I focused on the garden.’
‘You’re a good team.’
‘Working with mates always helps. What were your work colleagues like?’
‘I’m not sure I’d class any of them as mates but they were all friendly enough. To be honest, I didn’t have much time to do anything apart from work or talk about work.’
‘I’ll bet that’s changed out here.’
‘It certainly has.’ She smiled.
‘How does your boyfriend feel about you buying a place in Magnolia Creek?’
‘He knows it’s something I wanted to do, so he’s on board.’ Was she trying to convince Noah, or herself?
‘You know, it’s funny…’ He slurped his tea. ‘…I never took you as someone who’d remotely enjoy the countryside when I first saw you. Well, not when I first saw you of course, because —’
‘No need to elaborate,’ she said quickly. ‘I think we both know what you mean.’
His eyes danced. ‘Anyway, you’ve begun to surprise me by how settled you seem already. Despite the mess and flying off the handle when you find a bleeding man in your kitchen, you kind of fit in.’
She looked at him over the top of her mug. ‘It’s not a bad town.’
Magnolia Creek was growing on her by the day, but worse than that, so was Noah’s company. And that could only spell trouble.