Page 25 of Hidden Gem
Shasa’s voice made her turn around and she lost her balance as little Lilla flung her arms around her legs. She clutched the suitcase she was wheeling, stumbled backwards and eventually hit her back on the door.
“Oh, I missed you, too!” She gave them both a tight hug. It was good to be missed.
“Are you ready to go in and... see the backyard?”
The backyard! Marnie had completely forgotten about the fountain. She shook her head. “I’ve seen the photo. How much worse can it be? You’re welcome to stay for a drink if there’s anything left in the house. Tanya’s still at school.”
She opened the door, and Shasa and Lilla followed her inside.
Lilla ran to pull the curtains covering the sliding doors leading to her backyard. “Ta-daa!”
Oh, dear God.
Her back garden basked in the bright afternoon sun, making the dolphin feature glisten like a massive jewel. It was so much bigger than she’d thought, taking over most of her little yard. Marnie looked away, colourful floaters crowding her vision.
Shasa pulled a sympathetic face. “Lando called in yesterday to ask if you’re back. He was dropping these hints about... courting you. You should talk to him.”
Marnie nodded, cold sweat prickling her neck. As tacky as the water feature was, it must have been expensive. “Do you think he’s done that to impress me?”
Shasa cocked her head, her eyebrows knitted. “You let him design your garden. I think he saw that as an opening and decided to... go big or go home. He actually said that.”
Marnie rubbed her temples. The swoosh of her sliding door drew her attention. Lilla had flipped the lock and managed to pull it open. With a delighted squeal, she ran to the fountain.
Thank goodness it wasn’t running with water, yet.
“Dolphins!” the girl enthused, trying to climb up the side, but failing.
Satisfied that the child wouldn’t be able to get up on it and fall, Marnie joined Shasa in the kitchen.
“How was the trip? Did you get a lot of writing done?” Shasa asked, filling the jug to boil some water.
Marnie leaned her elbows on the kitchen counter, eyeing the shrivelled apples and kiwifruit she’d left for Tanya. “I did. The story’s changing though.”
“How?”
Marnie smiled to herself. “This hero’s a bit different. More of a tortured soul. How are you and Mac? How are the wedding plans?”
Shasa’s eyes lit up, and she launched into details about their wedding preparations. Good. Marnie needed a moment to regroup. Was she ready to tell Shasa about what had happened in Wellington?
“Mac’s parents want to invite all the cousins, everyone from the street and half the town. Sue hates excluding anyone, so the list keeps growing. But we can’t afford it, and I can’t let them pay for it. Honestly, neither of us want such a big party. It’s just too grand. I don’t know what to do.”
Shasa made herself a cup of tea, then another one for Marnie. “You don’t drink coffee this late, do you?”
“No, this is perfect. Have you thought about having two weddings? One for just the two of you and the other for John and Sue with everyone else? With the second one, you could skip the ceremony and just have a low-key party. Might be cheaper.”
Shasa sipped her tea, looking out the deck door where her daughter was throwing small rocks at the dolphins. “You mean like eloping? I admit I’m fantasising about that right now. Maybe we can just travel to South Island and ... all you need is two people to testify or sign something, right? We could just ask two random people in the street and get it over with.”
“I didn’t mean that! I don’t want to miss your wedding and have some random strangers standing there! Promise me you won’t do that.”
Shasa smiled. “Fine.” She studied Marnie’s face for a beat. “You look different.”
She cocked her head, her dark bob falling over a pair of concerned eyes. Marnie’s chest swelled with emotion. Why hadn’t she shared everything with her from the start? Dealing with her issues by driving away had been the stupidest idea, a panic solution that had only brought her more pain.
“I have early onset arthritis,” she blurted, wincing at the pain that shot through her fingers as if her body had just remembered it was supposed to be hurting. “It’s not far along yet, but it might get worse. It’s more aggressive than osteoarthritis that older people get. And I guess I wasn’t ready for it, any of it, so that’s kind of why I went away for a bit, to digest the news. I’m sorry, I should have told you.”
Shasa pulled her friend into a tight hug. “Oh, Marnie. That’s rough. And so unfair. You’re so young.” She released Marnie’s to look her in the eye. “Oh, my God! You’ve been doing all that packing and boxing at work! You can’t do that anymore! I won’t let you.”
Words stuck in Marnie’s throat. This is what she’d been afraid of, unwilling to even consider. If you took away everything that hurt, she couldn’t do her job at all. She’d have to retire and write books. Except, typing hurt too. She’d have to dictate. Great. She’d be home alone all day, every day, talking to herself, with no way to pay her mortgage.
