Page 12 of Bay of Plenty

“What?” I threw up my hands.

“I meant it’s elegant,” she said.

My chest pinched with guilt. Would we ever escape this dynamic? Funny comments perceived as barbs. Apologies seen as insincere or not enough. Taking turns at being wounded.

Chapter Seven

“I like youroutfit, Rosemary,” I said.

Tiny fib.

Mum’s best friend was the first to arrive. I hadn’t realized Mum invited her. She struck some poses in her harem pants, a riot of parrots, her purple hair razored with patterns, her lashes like captive caterpillars.

“Got my trou from CeeCee’s boutique. Sweet as.” She watched me, repeating her expression. “Yeah, nah, yeah, everyone says that now. Ask me about any of the new lingo, eh? Also, I could make myself available for an interview about my real estate agency, livin’ the dream.”

“Oh, neat,” Mum murmured as she joined us, carrying a bucket of ice. “That’d be a good read.”

Rosemary swayed to every whim and trend that caught her eye. During one phase, she’d become a healer, praising the health benefits of drinking your own urine. My heart skipped a beat. But wait. She was also a real estate agent who’d previously trained as a lawyer.

That gave me an idea.

Mum returned to the kitchen, and once she was safely out of earshot, I grabbed my chance.

“Rosemary, I’m remembering now how multitalented youare,” I said. “You’re a lawyer too? You must have drawn up the paperwork for Mum and Dad’s loan to Snow.”

“Nope.” She pulled at her eyelashes. “I was a little miffed they didn’t come to me. They used that chap down the road.”

The hair on the back of my neck sprang up. That didn’t make sense. Mum and Dad were fiercely loyal about using close friends, even if their skills left much to be desired.

“Sorry about that. I suppose the transaction was complicated because Snow bought the winery through his Cayman Islands company?” I touched her hand reassuringly. “Not that you couldn’t handle it.”

“Actually, it wassimplerthan you’d expect.” She thrust back her shoulders, seeming confident of her knowledge. “When Snow bought the winery, there was little scrutiny on purchases by overseas companies. But the rules have since been tightened. Now, all overseas buyers have to be validated by professionals like me.” She flicked her hair proudly.

I was about to ask more when Kui stepped into the courtyard. My heart glowed at the reassuring sight of her tall, straight-backed form in denim, her thick glossy braids still black, a prestigious Maori tattoo, moko kauae, on her chin and lips. She’d run the local library where her son Kingi, Janey, and I had hung out as kids, a magical part of my life.

After setting down her platter of “drunken mussels” in white wine and garlic broth, she opened her arms wide to me.

“Haere mai.” She smiled her welcome. “Shall we do this properly?”

She meant the hongi, a traditional Maori greeting. My limbs lightened as I remembered doing this with Kingi and Kui when I was younger. I gently held her upper arms and leaned in to press my nose to hers, pausing so that we exchanged breaths before slowly pulling back to look herwarmly in the eyes. I loved that she smelled of sandalwood and the vanilla scent of old books.

“Oh, my clever girl.” Her voice was airy and bright, as though it had been sifted through the sun and the clouds. “We’re so proud of you. We’ve read all your articles through the years. I knew you’d be famous one day.”

“Famous? Heck, no,” I said. “But thank you for reading all my stuff.”

Before I could ask about Kingi, Kui asked, “How’s your dad? We’re worried sick about him.”

“He’s better,” I said. “They’re doing surgery in three days, but he’s in good spirits.”

“And how areyoucoping?” Kui rubbed Mum’s shoulders. “Truthfully?Not the answer you give to everyone else. I know you two. Together all day long, chatting about everything. You must miss him.”

“So much.” Mum slumped on a seat. “I’m hopeless here without him. This morning, I laid out his clothes on the bed—as I do every morning—and I collapsed on them and cried.” She pulled an electricity bill out of her pocket. “This arrived. He deals with all the bills, as you guys know. I opened it and cried again. Not because I cared about the bill, but because… this sounds pathetic, but I don’t know who I am without him.”

She convulsed into sobs, which I’d never seen before. Fred whimpered at her heels. I was shocked. My heart hurt for her. God. Instead of asking her about her feelings, I’d complained about my room. I had to do better.

I dropped down and wrapped my arm around her. Rosemary and Kui were tearful as they crouched in front of her.

“I’ll help with everything, Mum.” I rubbed her back. “I’ll do whatever is needed.”

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