Page 14 of The Me I Left Behind (Tuckaway Bay #4)

Freya chuckled. “I just told you. Soup, chicken curry, and a milkshake.”

“All for lunch?” Lilly tossed her a silly grin and arched a brow. “You farm girls sure eat a lot.”

“Wouldn’t hurt you to put on a few pounds, Lilly. You’re thin as a rail.”

And there it is. “I told Poppy you’d make me eat.”

“So, what looks good to you?”

“Salmon salad, I think.”

“Bull crap.” Freya said. “I’ll order for you.”

Their server appeared, almost as if on demand. Lilly let Freya order for her, knowing she could take anything she didn’t eat for lunch, home with her for dinner. All good. Freya ordered double of everything she ordered for herself.

“Alright,” Freya said, “Now, let’s catch up. I’m dying to learn more about this man of yours and little Leo! I can’t believe you have a baby, Lilly. Who would have thought?”

She smiled, thinking about the little bub she’d left sleeping this morning. “He’s the apple of my eye, as they say. I love that boy so damn much, Frey. I can hardly believe it.”

“Pictures?”

She nodded. “I have a few new ones I haven’t sent you.” She pulled out her phone, scrolled to her picture app, found baby Leo’s folder, and opened it up. “Here. Scroll away.”

Freya did. “Oh, that little stinkpot! And there’s Poppy. She looks well?”

“She is.” Lilly nodded. “She has a flat over in Stafford Heights and takes the bus and ferry over to Macleay when I’m working.

I’ve cut back to part-time for a while, so it’s not every day.

She doesn’t drive anymore because her eyesight is failing some, but she gets around well enough.

At least that’s what she says. I actually think she sold her car because she couldn’t afford the gas, insurance, and maintenance on it.

The busses and ferries can take her anywhere she wants to go, she says. ”

Freya sighed and handed Lilly back her phone.

“I can understand downsizing. We’ve thought about it, but it’s way too soon for us.

We’re still building and growing, to be honest. Scaling—isn’t that what they say in the business world?

Our station is quite large and difficult to manage sometimes, but Nate and me, we handle it. ”

“You have people though, right?”

“Of course. Some seasonal. A couple full-time. Reminds me of when our folks lived at Min Min. Those were good years, eh?”

Lilly nodded. “Good years.”

The server came with their soups, setting them carefully in front of them. Lilly smiled up at the young woman, who had waited on her there in the past. “Thanks, Meg.”

“My pleasure.”

Freya chattered on. “So, tell me more about Max. I mean, this was so crazy quick for the two of you. Right?”

Lilly took a breath and let it out slowly, meeting Freya’s gaze all the while. “It might have seemed quick, but we were seeing each other off and on for about a year before I got pregnant.”

“Seriously?” Freya leaned forward. “How did you meet?”

“He was looking for an apartment to rent—something long-term, in a good area of town—someplace where he could entertain or meet with clients, but not too pricey.”

“So, you were his agent?”

Lilly nodded. “Yes. He contacted me. We met, then had dinner that night and I showed him some properties online. We made a deal on a furnished condo downtown the next day, and he went back to the states after a few days.”

“But when he returned?”

She gave Freya a sassy smile. “When he returned the next time, he called. And for months when he would be here, we’d get together and have dinner, explore Brisbane, and such.

When I got pregnant, he was actually thrilled.

I was horrified, of course. But he was so sweet, Freya.

So loving and tender, caring for me and all that.

I think he was extra attentive while he was here because he still had to be in the states most of the time. ”

“What does he do? For work, I mean.”

“He has his own business. He does event planning for corporations—like golf outings, outdoor excursions, and the like. That’s what he does in the U.S.

He’s expanding here in Australia because of some contacts he made in the states a couple of years ago—some guys from the rodeo business up in northern Queensland.

You know, around Mount Isa where the big rodeo action is?

He’s been working on a contract with them…

and also contacting stations for working guest stays.

” She caught Freya’s eye then, and wondered…

“Freya, if you’re interested in making some extra income, Max might want to talk to you about setting up some guest stays at your farm. Scaling, right?”

Freya sat back and exhaled. “Ah, now. I’m not sure Nate would go for that, but I’ll ask him.

We’ve known stations that have gone that route and it’s a bit dodgy, at times.

Extra work to get people up to snuff, feeling comfortable enough to work with the animals, ride the horses, the insurance, and all that. I just don’t know.”

She shrugged. “It was a thought. No worries.”

“So Max is out of town right now?”

“Yes.” Lilly set her soup bowl aside. “He was supposed to be here for the month but had to pop back to the states. He actually wasn’t here, in Brisbane, when he got the call—something about his daughter.

He’d gone to Melbourne to check in with a potential client in the horse racing business and left from there. ”

Freya stared. “Daughter?”

Meg came with the chicken curry dishes and quickly left again.

Lilly picked up her fork. “This looks yummy. Good choice.”

“Lilly?”

She looked up. “What?”

“Max has children? You never mentioned that before.”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. A daughter.”

“How lovely. A built-in family.”

Lilly took a bite. “She’s almost eighteen, so pretty much on her own.”

Freya stayed quiet for a moment.

Lilly kept eating. The curry was quite good.

“Eighteen. That’s just….”

She met Freya’s gaze. “Yes, she’s just seven years younger than me. Max is forty-six, Freya. He’s divorced, so this will be his second marriage.”

Freya looked a little stunned, Lilly thought, lips thinned out and eyes probing….

“Marriage?” she said. “Are you getting married?”

Lilly thrust out her left hand and showed her the diamond ring. “He proposed last weekend, right before he went to Melbourne.”

Getting home later than she’d planned, Lilly walked with Poppy to the ferry slip, pushing baby Leo in his pram. While the sun wouldn’t set for a few hours, she didn’t want Poppy to feel uncomfortable on the walk.

“Are you sure you can get home alright? I know you are not fond of crowds.”

Poppy waved her off. “Shew. I’m fine. The ferry isn’t crowded heading into the city this time of day, and the bus ride isn’t long. It’s a short walk from there to my flat.”

“I could come with you.”

Poppy gave her a look—one that said she was stepping over the line. She’d seen that look often when Poppy cared for her when she was younger. “I am fine. Now, little Leo will be ready to feed again soon, so you get on with it.”

Lilly leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Be safe. See you on Thursday.”

“Yes.” Poppy nodded, then headed for the boat.

She took the long route back home, enjoying the sun and their leisurely stroll. By the time she made it back to her street, Leo started fussing. She hustled them both into the house and upstairs, where she quickly changed him, then took him out back to the deck with a bottle.

She’d wanted to breastfeed, but Max had talked her out of it. She was young, he said, and of course she wanted to keep her breasts firm and perky. Right? Not saggy and limp, like he’d said his ex-wife’s had gotten after breastfeeding.

She thought back to that conversation. He’d played to her vulnerability—her body image—and she’d fallen smack into the center of that dysfunctional notion and agreed with him.

Of course she wanted to remain attractive to him. And she wanted to look nice while working. It was expected in her field. But did the drop of her breasts sully her value as a woman, or a wife, or even a top-selling real estate agent?

No, it didn’t. And right now, what Max didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Staring down into little Leo’s face, she traced the edge of his cheek with her forefinger.

Such a little miracle child. He fussed against her chest, obviously hungry and ready to eat.

She glanced at the bottle, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, lowered one shoulder and her bra cup, and positioned baby Leo closer to her breast. Guiding her nipple with two fingers, he eagerly latched on and began suckling.

A contented sigh sneaked up on her then, and she let go of the long-held breath.

Smiling, her heartbeat kicked up, as she watched him gently suckle, his eyes closed, his expression intent on his feeding. How could she have passed up this beautiful experience?

Her cell phone vibrated on the small table next to her. She picked it up.

A text from Max: Good time for a call?

With one hand, she quickly texted back: Yes.

The phone rang. Not wasting any time . “Hello?”

“My little vixen. Damn good to hear your voice. How are you?”

“Good. How are things there?”

She heard a deep sigh come from the other end. “Challenging. But I’ll muddle through.”

Dare I ask? Had he opened the door? When he’d left, he’d been so vague. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Anything I can do?” What happened?

“No, no. Nothing to do.”

“Is your daughter okay?” Maybe that’s a way in . Sometimes he could be so secretive.

Another long exhale. “She was in a car accident, love. She’s okay but banged up somewhat. Bruises and cuts mostly. Jacked up the car, though. I need to deal with the insurance people tomorrow. Seems the other jackass didn’t have insurance.”

“Oh no, Max.”

“Yeah.”

“But she’s okay. Your daughter. What is her name again?” Honestly, why don’t you know her name by now, Lilly?

Another pause. “Oh, it’s Caroline.”

“Pretty.”

“We call her Carol.”

This time, she paused. We call her Carol. We . “I see.”

“I’ll be home soon, love. Just need to deal with this car shit. The ex- isn’t great at handling these kinds of things. Too flighty. She’d just make a mess of it, so I need to do it.”

“I understand, Maxie.”

He chuckled. “God, Lilly, you make me hard as a rock when you call me that.”

“Then get home fast as you can, Maxie darling. I’m getting a bit bouncy here.”

He growled from the other end, his voice lowering. “I may just skip the fucking insurance and catch a jet. How about if I call later, after you’re in bed? Wear that sexy red piece I got for you before Leo came. You know the one. Be ready for video.”

“Oh, Maxie, you are wicked.”

His growl deepened. “You have no idea.”