Page 87 of Trusting the Fall
I place a kiss on Claire’s cheek then step back into the crowd, letting her take this moment for herself.
It’s her hard work that got her here. Her dream. I’m just a loyal follower.
“Thank you everyone for being here tonight to celebrate the opening of my salon, Parlour Tricks Beauty.” The room erupts in steady applause. “I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank my mother for teaching me the strength and power that comes with owning your femininity.”
I search around the room and find my mum standing with Margot, their linked arms making me chuckle.
“My best friend, Lex, for being my faith and logic every step of the way. You have been all the best parts of my life for ten years now and I am so grateful to you.
“To the team at Connors Construction, my site supervisor, Westley Andrews, and my architect, Tristan Ames, for making my vision turn into a real tangible thing. This beautiful space that we’re standing in now is thanks to their patience in taking my direction.
“And finally, to Leif Connors.” My heart pounds as her eyes find mine. “You kinda pissed me off at the start,” she says, making the room laugh until the world fades away and all I see, all I hear, is her.
“You challenged me at every point, questioning my decisions, and at first, I thought, does he think I don’t know what I’m doing?” More light laughter fills the room. “Then I realised, or was told, I can’t remember how exactly it happened,” she smiles, throwing a wink at Westley, “that you weren’t doubting me. You were guiding me. Making me step up and be confident in my decisions, which will serve me well as a business owner. I can see that’s how you earned the respect of your team. Even if you’re wrong, there’s nothing that can’t be fixed, that can’t be redeemed. Maybe the course is different from what you expected, but the outcome is still the same. Or sometimes, it works out better than you planned. You never told me I couldn’t. In fact, I felt more determined and unstoppable with you yapping in my ear. I’m glad it’s something I don’t have to give up. Even though Connors Construction has officially finished working here, you and I are just beginning.”
Eight Months Later
Ihitthepassengerdoor with my hip, hoisting the box in my arms. Today, Leif and I moved into our new house.
A few months ago, he was working on a restaurant renovation and would pass this cute little cottage every day.
The white siding and double bay windows look familiar to the beach shack I shared with Lex, but the front garden is filled with roses in every colour.
Leif had smiled at the house each time he passed it until one day, he drove past and saw a For Sale sign perched in front of the white picket fence.
He stopped straight away and knocked on the door, asking the owners every question he could think of, including how much he would need to pay over the asking price to take the sign down that very day.
When he brought me here later that week, I fell in love.
It’s a little closer to the salon, which is a plus, and it has a workshop in the back garden. It felt like a grownup house for a grownup couple who were slowly working at bringing their two lives together as one.
He and Mason have been renovating it over the last few months to add on an extension.
A new kitchen and living area, two more bedrooms and another bathroom. I can’t imagine why we need so much room. The existing house already had three bedrooms. When I asked Leif why we would need more, he just bobbed his eyebrows at me and winked.
I’m sad at the thought of not living with my bestie, but we’re both moving into the next phase of our lives.
We still make time for each other, and Sunday morning breakfasts at Sweet Escape have become a staple. Our little girl gang has expanded over the last few months to include Liv, and her daughter, Daisy. Westley’s sister, Callie moved to Heart City right before her daughter was born. Every now and then, when we need a girls’ night, we manage to convince Westley and Leif to be on baby duty.
I won’t tell Leif yet, but being surrounded by the babies definitely makes me think of making our own babies together.
I’m happy with just the two of us for now, though.
Working on our businesses, constantly learning about each other, and melding our families together.
Our mothers have become good friends, and now that Leif has a girlfriend and the twins have been travelling around Europe, Freya’s set her sights upon finding a man for Mum.
Mum finds the thought repulsive, but at least twice a month, they go out together and regularly, Lex, Liv, Callie, and I crash their girls’ nights. I think Mum’s starting to warm up to the idea of not being so alone.
I step onto the timber porch, brushing my shoes against the welcome mat before stepping into the house.
As you walk in, there’s a formal dining room on the left and a lounge room on the right, both overlooking the lush garden. The scent of roses follows you everywhere you go.
I move further into the house, passing the staircase that leads up to the master bedroom.
There are two spare bedrooms and a bathroom beyond that, and a new kitchen, dining and lounge room in the new extension. I place the box down on the floor, wondering why it’s so quiet.
When I left for the last box, the house was still full, with Leif, Tristan and William unloading furniture from the moving truck. Freya and Mum were emptying boxes in the kitchen and Lex and I were cleaning the bathroom before loading up all my stuff. I realised I was missing a box and wanted to go back to get it so we could set the room up properly. Lex said she’d go get us all some pizzas for an early dinner, but now the house is eerily empty.
