‘I’ve seen one for over-sixties, silver dating I think it’s called,’ Indigo said, tapping a few keys on her computer. ‘Here it is, we could do this now.’
‘Oh look, here come Star and Bear,’ Amelia said, hurriedly. ‘I’ll go and meet them. And maybe I’ll have a little word with Bear about all this nonsense. If you won’t ask him out, maybe I can get him to see sense.’
‘By all means,’ Meadow said. ‘And by the time you come back your dating profile will be fully set up with photos and if anyone messages you, I’ll be more than happy to hand out your number.’
Amelia hesitated.
‘Unless you want to call a truce on interfering in each other’s love life?’ Meadow said.
Meadow could see Amelia was torn. Amelia was clearly tempted to let Meadow set up a dating profile purely so she could still interfere with Bear and Meadow’s love life. In the end she let out a heavy sigh.
‘OK, OK. A truce. At least for now. I’ll go and take your daughter down to the beach.’
‘And that truce includes her too, I don’t want any of your meddling to reach her ears,’ Meadow said.
Amelia nodded reluctantly and moved out the reception area to meet her great-granddaughter.
‘You know that won’t be the end of it,’ Indigo said.
‘I know, but at least it might give me a few days’ respite.’
They looked out the office to see Amelia talking to Bear.
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Indigo said.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Bear was sitting on the floor of the chapel a while later, wiring an electric socket. As rustic and simple as the wedding venue was supposed to be, River had recognised there would probably be a need for music or somewhere to plug in a laptop or a projector if the couples wanted to share some photos, so today’s job was to add several sockets around the room. Bear sighed as he dropped one of the small screws to secure the front panel and it rolled across the floor and disappeared beneath the floorboards. Fortunately, he had some more.
‘You OK over there?’ Heath said as he secured a plank of wood in the opposite corner. ‘There are lots of sighs of frustration coming from your direction.’
Bear’s mind really wasn’t on the task. His thoughts kept drifting to the spectacular date he’d shared with Meadow the night before and how excited she’d been that morning when she’d been talking about it. He’d been thinking about the promise he’d made Star about telling Meadow how he felt and the words he wanted to use. He couldn’t really concentrate on the sockets.
‘Just things not going to plan,’ Bear said.
‘Life never goes to plan. But sometimes it’s the unplanned things which turn out to be the best.’
Bear looked over at him. ‘Christ, that’s a bit philosophical for half past twelve on a Wednesday afternoon. I just dropped my screw down the gap in the floorboards, I wasn’t lamenting the twists and turns of my life.’
‘Ah, just me then,’ Heath said.
Bear frowned. ‘You all right?’
‘It was just something Meadow said a few days ago, it got me thinking about where my life would be now if it hadn’t been for Star. One moment in time and my life changed forever. Star is the best thing that ever happened to me.’
Bear grabbed another screw from his toolbox. Presumably, that one moment in time was when Heath and Meadow had slept together. Bear could only assume there’d been alcohol involved as neither of them had ever showed any interest in each other before. It had been a huge shock to find out that Meadow was pregnant with Heath’s baby.
‘I don’t think any of this would have been here if it hadn’t been for her,’ Heath said.
‘You and River had plans to build this place before Star was on her way.’
‘They were pipe dreams. Me and River lacked any kind of motivation to get off our arses and do it. I was a mess and alcohol was my friend. I don’t think my life would have turned out too great if Star hadn’t come along.’ Heath paused. ‘What about you? I love my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world but I always think this life can’t be enough for you. Wiring an electric socket, putting up a few light fittings, setting up some Facebook ads, it’s all a bit mundane for a man of your brains, isn’t it?’
‘I like working here, I love being part of all this, even if my contribution is the small mundane things.’
‘I didn’t mean—’ Heath started.
‘I know you didn’t.’
