Falling in Love Read online

  Anna smiled remembering the cute little bundle Thea brought to their flat three years ago. Nobody had complained. They’d all fought about whose turn it was to change her diapers or feed her.

  “I remember that time. But you had Graham to provide for you. You didn’t have to worry where the money for next month’s rent was coming from. Am I convinced I can pull it off? No, I’m not. I have lots of fears and a future I can’t see right now. All I have is the faith that a solution will present itself. Whatever happens, the baby will be my priority.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Graham seemed to appear out of nowhere and placed himself right in front of the four friends. He waved a white envelope. “Good to have you all in one place, that saves me time. I’m giving you notice. You have to leave the villa by the end of January.”

  “What? You are throwing us out? You can’t do that.” Christine almost shouted.

  “Oh, but I can, and I just have.”

  Thea jumped up and stepped over to her husband. “Why didn’t you talk that through with me? We don’t need the space.”

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong, darling. You just don’t have a head for business. You didn’t think this could go on forever? Paying below market rent for a house in an up-and-coming neighborhood? I need the villa for my law practice.”

  “You are a jerk,” Christine hissed after him.

  He smirked and walked over to Howard and Stefan who stood by the barbecue.

  Chapter Ten

  Christine’s heart raced and a sudden chill hit her. They’d believed they’d be safe for all eternity in their villa. Well, all eternity might have been a bit of a stretch. But still. She’d never expected to depend on Graham the sleaze bag.

  A short time later she took the two steps from the deck to the barbecue where Graham towered over Thea with his arms crossed and snarled at her with an ugly smirk on his face. “My mother is right, you are useless. We haven’t been here for ten minutes and your daughter looks like she’d dived into a garbage bin. You should be ashamed.”

  “Hey, douche bag.”

  Graham looked up as if he was unsure whom Christine addressed.

  “Yes, you, Graham Cameron. Do you always have to be a jerk? Our house is a friend-zone. If you can’t keep your tongue under control and be nice, you can leave and play with one of your sleaze bag friends.” Christine’s blood welled up, and she pointed at Thea who rushed Barbara into the kitchen for a cleanup.

  Graham took a deep breath. “What I do or say to my wife is none of your business. But I’m happy to leave if I’m not wanted.” He turned away from Christine.

  “Don’t kid yourself. You’re never wanted. We tolerate you because Thea is our friend. And just so you know, what you do or say to your wife is my business. We all make it our business. Isn’t that so, Claudia? Anna?

  Both friends confirmed their support without hesitation and came to stand next to Christine.

  Graham looked at her over his shoulder, as if she was an annoying Chihuahua barking at him, and smirked. “Don’t be such a poor loser, Christine. You’re only pissed-off because I gave you notice.” He paused and shrugged. “It’s nothing personal. I need the space. That’s all there is to it. You’ve got four weeks. Plenty of time to find a new flat.”

  Christine trembled. For years she tolerated this arrogant, self-serving leech for Thea’s sake. If only she didn’t feel so powerless. He held all the aces, and she hated feeling helpless. She needed a clear head. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Giving us notice is inconvenient, but not the end of the world. Don’t kid yourself. But let me tell you, the times you can bully your wife into submission are over. It’ll be no hassle to ring the police and make a complaint about spouse abuse.” The words shot out of Christine’s mouth like bullets, and like bullets, they found their target.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not abusing Thea. Anyway, this is none of your business. It’s between Thea and me.” He looked for support from Howard and Stefan, who stood behind the barbecue, armed with big forks turning the meat.

  Christine had her fists balled on her hips. She walked right up to Graham and stood opposite him, nose to nose, trying to intimidate him with her five foot seven inches and her face burning with hot anger. “No? You think so? You could’ve fooled me. You’re a lawyer, look it up.”

  He took a step back. “Hey guys, say something here. I didn’t abuse Thea. Christine with her psycho-babble exaggerates as always.” Graham’s voice was filled with urgency as he looked for support from the men. Stefan choked on a gulp of beer and coughed. He made a hand gesture leaving no doubt that Graham couldn’t count on him.

  Howard squinted at Graham. “I don’t know about abuse, but I don’t like how you talk to Thea sometimes. She’s my friend, too. I’d rather you worked your frustration off at the gym or on the footy field instead of using her as your verbal punching bag.”

  Graham stared at Howard, frowning. “If that’s how you see it, if I’m not wanted here, I’ll go. So much about best friends. You guys don’t dare to speak up against the girls. They’ve got you all on a short leash. I don’t need this feminist bullshit. I’m out of here. Don’t expect me to come back.” He turned around and, dodging the clothesline with loads of Anna’s washing, he walked out through the back gate.

  Christine sat down and shouted after him, “Don’t forget to close the gate after you!”

  Stefan lowered himself onto the armrest of Christine’s wooden garden chair and put his arm around her. “You are frightening when you go to war.” He tried to kiss her, but she turned away.

  “Please, don’t think all is good. I’m still annoyed with you.”

  Claudia clapped. “If you had said nothing I would have today. You’re right—it’s way overdue. He’s always ignored our more subtle hints.”

  “That’s because women don’t count in his eyes.” Christine shrugged. “I wanted to confront him for a long time. Am I imagining it or is the atmosphere now lighter and fresher?”

  “Lighter and fresher, yes, but soon we’ll be homeless.” It was difficult to decide whether what happened was a good or a terrible thing. Anna gave up trying to figure it out. “At least we don’t have to pretend any longer we like him.”

  The mild evening breeze, saturated with the scent of mowed grass and jasmine mingled with the strong, woody scent of charcoal, meat, and aromatic herbs, called everyone for dinner.

  “Come on, people, grab your plates and help yourself to the meat.” Howard wielded the large barbecue tongue over the grill. “What do you want? We have steak, lamb shoulder, chicken drumsticks, or sausages.”

  Barbara, now cleaned up, came bouncing on her short legs down the stairs from the deck. Her teddy bear dangled in her hand as she climbed on the chair next to Anna.

  Thea followed her, laughing, carrying bread, and a large bowl of salad. “Do you want a sausage, poppet?” Barbara nodded and her thick brown locks whirled around her smiling face. Thea looked around the garden. “Where is Graham?”

  “He went away in a huff. We told him he was rude to you. I gave him a piece of my mind, which, as usual, he flicked off like one does a pesky mosquito. But when Howie supported me, Graham couldn’t stomach it. He’d had enough and stomped off. Good riddance, I’d say.” Christine passed her plate to Howard. “A piece of lamb shoulder and two sausages, please.”

  Claudia shot Howard a glance. “Well done Howie. It’s good you guys backed Christine. Graham was getting more and more obnoxious.”

  Thea put the salad bowl on the table. “Thank you for standing up to him. You shouldn’t have. I must do that, but I’ve given up. Did he say anything?”

  Christine pulled a chair out for Thea. It must be difficult for her friend to grin and bear Graham day in and day out. She’d often wished Thea would be more assertive. But since Barbara had been born, she wouldn’t even consider a divorce.

  Nothing could change Thea’s viewpoint. Her daughter wouldn’t grow up in a broken family. Even when Christin
e told her research showed growing up in a conflicted household is worse than growing up with separated parents who get along, Thea wouldn’t hear of it.

  Christine bit into a sausage and huffed. “Only that he didn’t want to be where he’s not wanted and promised not to come back. I hope he keeps his promise because I’m at my limits with him. Giving us notice two days before Christmas tops it off.”

  Thea shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know about it. I only heard today that he’s quitting dad’s law practice. He never said a word about setting himself up in grandma’s villa.”

  Claudia pulled the meat from a chicken leg and wiped her mouth with a paper serviette. “It makes sense. The villa is ideal for a small practice, even though I hate to say so. Eventually, we would have to go separate ways.” She paused and looked up to Thea. “Will he make you pay and be mean to you at home?”

  “He never has in the past. Forget Graham and let’s enjoy the evening.” Thea fed Barbara a spoonful of potato salad.

  Christine had a powerful sense of losing the ground under her feet, a disturbing feeling. “Are we disbanding? Is this the end of us?”

  “Noooo!” Anna, Claudia, and Thea called out at the same time.

  Anna rushed to Christine. “We’ll always be friends. A friendship like ours will last forever. We’ll get used to not living together anymore. Compared to all the things we got used to since high-school, this will be child’s play.”

  Thea stood up and raised her glass. “To the Famous Four Forever. We’ve survived me moving out when I married Graham, we will survive living in separate places. I’ve had enough talking about problems. Let’s eat and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Claudia passed her empty glass to Howard. “Top-up, please.” She let her gaze wander over her friends. “So, we heard now about amazing London, romantic Paris, stunning Munich, must-see Verona and Venice, and never-to-be-forgotten Lerici. I want to know how we can support Anna. She’s four months pregnant. I know there’s still time, but…”

  “But you have to have things organized and nicely stitched up or you aren’t happy.” Anna laughed at the blush rising in Claudia’s face.

  “Don’t you want to finish your studies?” Claudia asked. “It would be a pity to give it all away. You have only one year left. The semester starts end of February, you’ve got a month free in July, and lectures end in October. It’s do-able, you know. When the baby arrives in May, you have only a few months of university left. It would be a pity not to finish.”

  Claudia kicked Christine’s shin under the table. “What do you say?”

  Anna stared at her. Of all four friends, Claudia was nothing like the stunning, vibrant redhead, Christine, or the blonde, ethereal Thea. Even though Claudia was not outstanding, without her the group would have long disbanded.

  She was the composed leader working in the background, the moral compass who reminded the rest of them in her quiet way what’s right. Claudia was the Camp-Leader, the organizer, and planner. Thea, with her compulsion to feed and nurture everyone, was Camp-Mother.

  Christine rubbed her leg and sent Claudia a mean glare. “Don’t kick me. We don’t even know if Anna wants to finish her degree. Let her speak first.”

  Anna raised her hands. “Don’t fight. Of course, I’d like to finish my studies next year. That was never in question. I should manage if I study hard throughout the summer break and get a head start for the end-of-year exams. I’ll have to hunt for a place to stay. That’s the only unexpected factor.”

  “Why shouldn’t we stay in the flat until the baby arrives?” Christine shrugged her shoulders. “Let Graham try to throw us out.”

  “That’s a lovely thought, Chrissie, but I’d rather find something before the kid arrives than wait until it’s born. I’d prefer everything set-up and ready. But didn’t you say this morning an abortion would be the best solution?” Anna nudged Christine.

  “… It would be easiest to end the pregnancy. Yes. It would be. I didn’t say you should do it. I’d never kill a living being growing inside me.”

  “Christine, sometimes you are infuriating. Why even suggest termination?” Thea frowned at her. “I’m happy to help as much as I can and look after the baby when Anna sits her exams. We’ll help as much as we can. I think I speak for everyone.” Thea looked around and looked pleased when Christine and Claudia nodded in agreement.

  “Thank you,” Anna said. “That’s amazing. If I can cram during summer as much as I did last year to have the time for traveling, I should be all right. It buys me time once the baby arrives.”

  Thea was in her element. Camp-Mother, who is taking care of everyone. “I have a lot of baby stuff from Barbara that doesn’t fit her anymore. You can have that and the bassinet. We have five months to plan everything. That’s plenty of time.”

  Claudia nodded and tapped her spoon against her glass. “Let me make an official announcement. We will not let Anna down because having a baby is no child’s play.”

  “Darling, I have no idea how we’ll manage the logistics, but we have time until May next year to get our ducks in a row.” Christine got up and walked toward the house. “I believe this calls for something more elegant than beer or soda. I have a bottle of bubbly stashed in my room.”

  She came back with a bottle of sparkling wine and four water glasses and called out to the men. “Guys, you may have a wee sip, but you might prefer to stay with beer.”

  “Yeah. It looks like we’ve got a deal.” Claudia grinned and put the glasses Christine brought in the middle of the table.

  “Me only a sip. I won’t drink alcohol during pregnancy.” Anna looked determined. Claudia crossed her arms on the tabletop. “Now we have sorted that, you can tell us all about what’s-his-name.”

  Anna smiled, basking in the memory of that amazing night at the beach in Italy. “We didn’t do names. He said I could call him amore mio. That was enough for us.” She sighed. “Would I do it differently if I could do it over? No. It was perfect. He was perfect. When I think of him a warm glow surrounds my heart.” Anna lifted her glass. “To raising the baby.” She took a sip and passed the glass to Christine. “You have the rest. I have a scan tomorrow. Who wants to come along?”

  “Stupid question. We all come.” Claudia shook her head.

  “Oh, no, we won’t. It’s Christmas Eve the day after tomorrow and we have a lot to prepare for the evening. I’m not doing it all alone.” Christine had spoken and nobody dared to object.

  Chapter Twelve

  Claudia sat on the porch steps and let the stillness of the night calm her heart. She could do with that stillness after an evening filled with tension and unspoken fears. What had happened to them? For all those years they’d been the inseparable Famous Four, the envy of all their friends. But tonight? Graham had ruined the BBQ and left her with a scary sense of foreboding.

  She listened to the garden hose tap dripping into an almost full bucket, the dull, regular plop playing the background to the chirping of the crickets from the neighboring gardens. Above her, the endless canopy of bright, shining stars took her gaze past the transient haze of clouds all the way to the full moon, hanging like a lantern among the stars.

  The night had chased away the heat of the day and left them with a slight chill in the air. This garden had been their oasis. Not for much longer. Against the fence line grew a mixture of five-finger-bushes, daphne, and tree ferns, framing it in winter and summer with lush greenery. Two citrus trees stood alongside a large, raised herb garden and filled the air with fragrant lemon scents.

  No sounds came from inside the house even though she’d swear everyone was still awake. So much had happened. She pictured Christine and Stefan moving about in their room, digesting Anna’s news and re-running through options Christine suggested for their commune.

  The tension created by Graham had lingered for a while like a poisonous fog that became more and more powerful, feeding on hidden agendas, fears, and uncer
tainties. Everything changes and that was scary and uncomfortable.

  Claudia knew she should have told them she missed her last period and was too afraid to get a test done. But compared to Anna’s news, hers appeared so insignificant and maybe a bit gloating? At least she and Howard were as good as married. All it took was a signature on a piece of paper. So, she’d said nothing, as she so often did. Being there for others, never putting herself first was turning into a major nuisance. She was sick and tired of always being camp mother.

  She hummed the tune of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger when Howard appeared on the porch. He beamed at her and raised his hand, carrying a six-pack of beer under his arm. She smiled back and let her gaze trail him as he strolled over to her. He looked mighty handsome in his old jeans and the checkered shirt he wore like a jacket over his Give-Peace-a-Chance t-shirt. As always, her fingers twitched to rake through his rust-colored hair that stood in wild curls around his head.

  Of all the guys of their group, he was the most down to earth one. At twenty-six, he was already a sought-after landscape architect only three years after he’d finished university. It was an impressive achievement and testimony not only to his skill and creativity but also to his work ethic.

  The physical work left visible traces on his body. His muscles bulged under his t-shirt and jeans. She didn’t mind his calloused hands. She loved the roughness of his strokes when they made love. But more than anything she loved the scent of fresh earth and woody forests that hung in his clothes and lingered on his body.

  She often compared him to one of these thousand-year-old Kauri trees growing in Northland. Solid, reliable, and always there.

  “How are you, Hun?” He kissed her neck and his warm, deep voice trickled like honey over her skin. “Are we the last ones? Has everyone else already left?”

  “Yes. Everything seems out of sync today with Anna arriving and dropping the news of her pregnancy. Gaging by people’s reaction you’d think it’s the end of the world.”