5 Peppermint Grove (18 page)

“If you like I can give him your number?”

“Could you? He’s gorgeous,” Gillian giggled.

“Alright!” Julia shrugged. “I’ll text it to him!”

She would be in Perth soon and the days couldn’t go quickly enough.

Ruth was settling well into her new work and she certainly could not complain about Steve’s efforts to make her feel welcome. Her Shout Out on Facebook had been successful and on the rare occasion that Steve was not taking her off to show her some new beauty spot, she would take a trip to Rosie O’Grady’s in the city centre and fulfil her need to chat to someone with an Irish
blas
.

She was creating a new page for the website when Steve came over to her desk.

“Eh, Ruth, would you be available after work today?”

Ruth looked up. He did look well – his shirt collar was open and his cheeky grin reminded her of Ian at times.

“Of course.”

“Great. I’m meeting some Japanese visitors and Ikuko can’t make it. We’ll leave in about an hour – okay?”

Ruth went back to her work and the time flew by as she put the finishing touches to her page. She had managed to fit in an email to Julia before Steve reappeared from his office wearing a fresh shirt and smelling of expensive aftershave.

He was chivalrous as always but the short walk to meet the visitors felt different – he was walking slowly and very closely to Ruth. She didn’t mind.

“Where are we going to eat?” Ruth asked.

“The C.”

“The Sea?”

“The letter C! It’s got a great view – you’ll see!” he said and they both laughed.

They took the lift to the top of one of the tall buildings on George’s Terrace and Ruth was impressed. As the maitre d’ showed them over to a table for two, Ruth realised that there was something different about this meeting.

“Are we not expecting visitors?” Ruth asked.

Steve seemed a little anxious and didn’t respond as they sat down. He waited until the maitre d’ had left before he reached out and put his hand on hers.

“I was hoping that we might have some time on our own together, Ruth – I know that I’d like that – am I being presumptuous or not?”

Ruth was shaking inside. She was flattered but anxious about this new development in her relationship with her boss. Instead of answering she gave him a smile and he in turn leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Chapter Twenty-five

Ruth looked at her watch. Julia should be through Arrivals in a few moments. Her heart pounded at the prospect of seeing her friend. She had so much to tell her about her new life – so much needed to be said that couldn’t be explained on Skype. She took a second look at the screen and suddenly Julia’s fine silhouetted legs appeared from behind the arrival doors.

Ruth waved frantically and rushed over to her friend. The two hugged tightly for a few moments before making their way to the car park.

“It’s so good to see you – how was your flight?”

“Good – I can’t tell you how glad I am to be here.” Julia turned to her friend and, fixing her doe-like eyes on her, said, “
Dublin is awful without you.”

Ruth comforted her friend with a half-hug.

“It’s beautiful here – we’re going to have a great time – I’ve so many things lined up and Steve is just fantastic. Wait until you meet him. We do so many interesting projects – work is fantastic. This town is great.”

Julia was pleased to see how well Ruth had settled in.

Ruth proudly showed off her new home to her friend and helped her put her luggage into her bedroom for the next two weeks.

“I can’t believe they gave you this accommodation!” Julia remarked.

“I know,” Ruth nodded. “It’s been a dream settling in here. Steve is just the best person to work for. We think the same – sometimes we don’t have to finish each other’s sentences.”

Julia noted her friend’s glowing complexion. Her skin was sun-kissed and her strawberry-tinted hair was shining. The healthy lifestyle suited her well and she was relieved that she hadn’t heard Ian mentioned once all the way from the airport.

“So where do you hang out when you aren’t at work?”

“Most people barbie over here and everyone is so welcoming and friendly. Steve always includes me in his plans too.”

Julia noticed a pattern in the way Ruth talked and she had a terrible feeling that her friend was obsessed with her new boss.

Ruth went over to the fridge and took out a box of white wine. “Would you like a glass – or maybe a beer?”

“Ruth Travers drinking beer – I can’t believe it!”

“I don’t actually drink it but I like to have it in the fridge – most guys drink it over here. There’s a great gang of Irish people – I’ve met tons in Rosie O’Grady’s – most of them are country lads in football shirts and work on building sites but they are great fun!” She giggled and added, “But I am kept busy with Steve.”

Julia was already disliking Steve intensely – his name had already been mentioned an unnatural number of times.

“So any word from Ian?”

Ruth threw her head back and laughed. “I haven’t had a chance to think about him. He won’t Skype me – I mean, he doesn’t even have an iPhone. Steve says that anyone who isn’t up to date with technology really should be back in the 20
th
Century and I have to agree with him. Ian thinks he’s some sort of superman but he really is limited in many ways.”

“Wow – well, I’m glad that you’ve seen the light – does this mean Ian has been blown out?”

“I haven’t told him yet but when he comes out I intend to – of course I should say
if
he comes out.”

Julia found it difficult to believe that her friend was actually finished with the dreaded Ian, but she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Suddenly she heard a noise at the front door and heavy footsteps on the wooden floorboards in the hall.

“Hello?” a deep voice came bellowing into the kitchen.

“Steve – we’re in here!” Ruth called. “Steve is taking us out tonight – I told him that you were coming over.”

Steve walked over to Julia and held out his hand. “Lovely to meet you at last, Julia – Ruth’s told me loads of good things about you.”

His handshake was firm and his smile warm but Julia felt a heaviness in her heart like a stone. She didn’t need to see much more – in five short weeks her ditsy friend had managed to go straight from the frying pan into the fire!

Chapter Twenty-six

The next morning Julia didn’t feel any more comfortable about her friend’s relationship with Steve.

“Take my car if you like, after you drop me to work,” Ruth suggested. “The zoo is cool – you should go there – and then I can meet you for lunch. Unless you feel too jet-lagged and just want to relax?”

“That’s probably the best idea.”

Julia was extra quiet and Ruth was acting as if nothing was wrong. Should she ask her friend straight out or should she just go along with the charade? Julia usually knew what to do in awkward situations but she felt so cross with herself.

She had watched Ruth and Steve carry on a double act of the mutual-appreciation society the night before. The smart Chinese restaurant was idyllically set at the heart of the CBD. They had looked out over the river and the lights of the skyscrapers lit up the city behind them but didn’t shine as brightly as the chemistry between her two dinner companions.

Julia went over to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice. She lifted a glass down from the shelf and started to pour. Her mouth was dry but the words that were choking her throat had to be said.

“Ruth, are you sleeping with Steve?”

Ruth looked blankly at Julia – her mouth agape. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he was fawning over you all through dinner last night. And I’ve never known you to be cross with Ian and he has done some dreadful things that you’ve happily let him away with.”

Ruth sat down at the table and put her head into her hands. She sighed heavily. “I’m not but it’s getting dangerously close. Steve makes me feel so good – he treats me so well. He has helped me to see what a fool I have been with Ian for all these years.”

Julia sat down beside her friend and took her hand in hers.

“But Ruth – Steve is a married man as well!”

Ruth pursed her lips and shook her head. “Why do married men like me?”

“I don’t know, Ruth, but you need to distance yourself from him – you’ve got too much to lose – I mean, you are working with him. Why don’t you use me as an excuse – we could take time out this weekend away from here – you mentioned we could go to Margaret River?”

Ruth nodded. Julia was too kind to reprimand her but Ruth knew that she had to do something. “I think we should go somewhere. I’d like to see Rotto – we can catch a ferry – I’ll look up accommodation and book the ferry today.”

“What’s Rotto?”

“Rottnest
Island – it’s not far from Perth – twenty minutes on the ferry. Steve says . . .” She paused and grinned. “It’s meant to be really beautiful out there. I’m so glad that you came out to see me – what am I like?”

Julia hugged her friend tightly. “You’re my pal, Ruth, and that’s the most important person in the world. Now, when are we going to check out your mother’s secret person?”

Ruth grinned. “You know, I’d almost forgotten about Charles Walters! I haven’t even been to Peppermint Grove yet!”

“Well, I must admit I’m dying to see if we can find anything out about this mystery man!”

“I tell you what, you just take it easy for the morning and I’ll come back here at lunchtime – I can take a long lunch and we can go somewhere to eat and then check out Peppermint Grove. Okay?”

“Perfect!”

“Right. See you then.”

“Take care of you!” Julia called as her friend went out the door. She wished that she could stay longer – two weeks wasn’t going to be enough and she could never have imagined this new scenario that Ruth had got herself into.

Ruth was back at
one thirty and Julia was having one of her floppy jet-lag moments lying in a half-sleep on the living-room couch.

“I’m not going back to work today,” said Ruth. “I can make up for the time after you have gone home. And I’ve booked us accommodation for Friday night on Rotto – what time is Michael coming in on Saturday?”

Julia was trying to decipher what Ruth was saying – she felt like a little child under the haze of jet lag. “Oh, I think it’s about eight o’clock in the evening or something like that.”

“Great. I’ve booked the ferry for
two fifteen so we can go to the Fremantle Markets on the way back.

“All sounds cool!”

“Are you too tired to go out to lunch? And check out Peppy Grove?”

“Why do you call it that?”

Ruth laughed. “Everyone shortens words for places or things in Australia.”

Julia shook her head and stood up before falling down again.

“Hey, I’ve got a better idea,” said Ruth. “Let’s just have a sandwich or something here and we can drive to Peppy Grove when you feel better.”

Julia nodded and let Ruth make a salad for lunch. They drank apple juice and ate in the garden with crisp chunks of white cob bread on the side. Julia was refreshed in less than an hour and with her map and Ruth’s iPhone in hand as a GPS they went out to Ruth’s lovely car – which at three years old was new by Australian standards.

“How much was it?” Julia asked.

“I’d hate to tell you – I’m sure I could have bought one in
Dublin and imported it for half the price but it’s my treat to myself and I was feeling so lonely during the first week I went mad and bought it on a weekly payment scheme.”

“It suits you,” Julia said, sitting in.

“I love it and you know what – Ian hates these which makes it sweeter!”

“Why have you turned so much against him? You’re beginning to sound like me!”

“I suppose because he’s made so little effort to stay in touch and I’m sure all those plans that he said he was making were complete lies. He’ll probably replace me with the next available stewardess who feeds his ego the way that I used to.”

Julia felt gutted for Ruth but she was pleased that there was a real severance at last in what had been a very unhealthy and unfulfilling relationship.

“Okay, directions please!” Ruth commanded.

“I’m looking at
Railway Road – you need to get onto Stirling Highway and that leads you straight there. Just take a left at the end of the road and drive straight until I shout out at Claremont – wherever that is!”

“The roads are great here – even I can find my way around without getting lost. It’s so funny at rush hour – they have these helicopters hovering over the Freeways and they shout out on the radio stations warning drivers of hot spots – well, I swear, Ju, none of them would last ten minutes in a Dublin traffic jam. They say things like – there’s heavy traffic on the Mitchell Freeway for six kilometres and it’s more like the middle of the night on the M50 in comparison. There might be a few cars on it but the traffic is always moving – I was in stitches the first time I was warned about avoiding rush-hour traffic – even George’s Terrace at
five o’clock on a weekday wouldn’t have the same amount of cars as Pearse Street at two in the morning!”