Page 41 of The Me I Left Behind

“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.

---