Page 26 of Ace My Heart

“I will,” I promised.

I made my awkward way up the front steps, juggling the flowers and my crutches.

The Herbert house still gobsmacked me. It was one of those places that always looked like it was straight out of an interior design magazine. The furniture was ultra-modern, the floors were always spotless, and the pool glistened in the sunlight – there was never a leaf or a spider in that pool.

The huge front door swung open as I lifted my hand to ring the doorbell. I looked down at Sandra Herbert, immaculate as usual, blonde hair perfectly styled, lipstick flawless.

I held the flowers out to her. “Hi Sandra,” I murmured.Suddenly the words of consolation I had planned got stuck on the rock in my throat.

She took the flowers from me, eyes glistening. “Thank you, Mel. It’s good to see you.” She reached out and wrapped her arms around my waist. I hugged her back around the crutches, desperately blinking back my own tears.

She broke away and beckoned me inside. I followed, the rubber feet of the crutches squeaking on the gleaming polished Blackbutt floorboards of the entryway.

The house was built clinging to a cliff. We entered a large foyer, with two sets of stairs. One set led up to four bedrooms up top. Sandra took the other set, heading down to the rest of the house. I hopped along gracelessly after her.

Down a level was the living and kitchen, a monster open plan space with gleaming white leather and glass furniture, splashes of blues and greens reflecting the colours of the harbour. A glass wall which slid away opened out onto a sunny deck.

Yet more stairs took us to the ground level, with a huge theatre room, gym, and a bar and rumpus space bigger than my entire apartment opening onto a manicured garden, which in turn gave way to a tennis court and a glistening pool with a waterfall edge that tricked the eye into thinking it spilt into Sydney Harbour itself.

Sandra glided through the garden towards the pool cabana. I heard children splashing in the pool, giggling and squealing. The sound seemed completely at odds with the fact that this was a house in mourning.

“Dianne’s kids are here,” Sandra explained. Dianne was Sandra’s younger sister and she had four kids ranging in age from seven to twelve. Probably too young to really understand that Uncle Steve wasn’t coming back. “Joel’s entertaining them in the pool. He’s been so strong. Make yourself at home, Mel. I’ll go pop these beautiful flowers in some water.”

I was surprised Sandra had another vase handy; the living room already looked like a florist.

Dianne glanced up at me from a table laden with food andsmiled wistfully. “Hello, Mel. Good to see you again. It’s been a long time.”

I smiled at Dianne and took a seat beside her, looking out to the pool and the harbour beyond. Three of the kids were sitting on the edge of the pool, staring intently into the water. Suddenly Joel burst to the surface, the fourth kid standing on his shoulders. The kids all giggled hysterically as the child did a somersault off Joel’s shoulders.

Joel turned then and spotted me. He waved, his smile not quite reaching his blue eyes.

He turned to the kids and said something that I couldn’t make out. They all protested, but he climbed out of the pool and grabbed his towel, walking towards the table. He stood and dried himself directly in front of me. I couldn’t help but stare at the beads of water rolling off his skin. He’d stood there on purpose. He might be grieving, but some Joel Herbert traits just worked on autopilot.

Dry at last, he came through the gate and pulled a chair up opposite me. I thought he was going to sit down, but he lifted my right leg onto it.

“Remember the RICE principal, Mel: Rest, Ice, Compression,Elevation. We need to keep this up for another twenty-four hours, then you can start doing some light exercise. Swimming to begin with.” He gestured towards the pool.

I couldn’t believe that he was focusing on my rehab at a time like this. But to be honest, it was much easier for me to think about my ankle than to try and come to terms with Steve.

He piled a plate of fruit in front of me. “You need to make sure you eat right while you’re recovering.”

I glared at him. “I eat great, thanks,” I snapped. It felt better to stay in this familiar territory with Joel. The territory of insults and sarcasm.

“Okay, Stink, just listen to me. I’m your trainer, remember? I know what’s best for you. I spent a lot of hours the other night talking to Julie about how best to get you back on track as fast as possible.”

I really wanted to retort with,“Oh, when on earth did you have a chance to talk about me, in between the bouts of scorching sexy-time?”But Icouldn’t say that with his mother and aunt and four small cousins in hearing distance.

Instead, I bit forcefully into a strawberry. The juice dribbled down my chin. Joel chuckled at me as I wiped it away with the back of my hand.

“You can put Stinky in a dress, but that won’t make her act like a lady,” he commented lightly. I scowled.

“Now, now, Joel. Just be nice to her. She’s your only client so far. You know how to be charming, so be that,” Sandra reprimanded him as she elegantly smeared some Brie onto a cracker.

I choked on a giggle.

“Mel prefers me to talk to her like this, Mum. If I turned the charm on her, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else,” Joel argued teasingly.

Sandra turned to her son with a perfect smile that matched his. “Okay, Joel. I’ll let you learn these lessons your own way.”

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