“Not all of us are eternally optimistic, Berry Parfait,” he said once he’d regained his composure, and I let my own laugh free.
“I really want to prolong this argument, but I’m a few minutes away from sunstroke with the amount of fluid I am unintentionallylosing,” I said, snapping my colouring book closed and standing to head back towards the mechanic.
“We definitely are the complete opposite, aren’t we,” he joked with a slight shove to my shoulder.
I sighed internally. Both at the shame of him having heard the entire conversation with my meathead brother, but also that we really were very different.
“Oh my God, you are such a little peeper,” I deflected.
“Just acting like the criminal you said I was,” he added and I sucked in a sharp exaggerated breath.
“I said criminally attractive actually,” I flicked him a side-eye noticing the way his cheeks pinkened ever so slightly. Not as confident as he was trying to be, I realised with delight.
“Okay, okay,” he held his hands up. “Let’s get something for dinner and go finish packing,” he relented in defeat.
“That’s what I thought,” I said on a chuckle, linking my arm through his and feeling positively excited for the journey we were about to embark upon.
Shelby
Chapter Three
Serenity Ridge, Australia
Ashy begged me to spend the weekend in Serenity Ridge, and despite my initial reservations, as if I would ever say no to her. A weekend of wine, cheese and no responsibilities. It was a no brainer, so we set off.
Bessie was a sturdy old beast and the miles we were tracking across the country only added to my admiration of her thirty-year-old wheels and sturdy silver soul.
I shouldn’t have been apprehensive about the location though; it was everything she said and more. We took turns to choose our locations, and Ashleigh knew how much the landscape mattered to me and was always far more selfless than I ever was, again proving any worry was ridiculous.
I could not have loved it anymore, even if I tried. The place was alive. There was no other way to describe it with the vineyards thriving in perfect harmony with the land. And consequently, I felt alive among the gentle breeze which carried the sweet earthy aroma of ripening grapes and freshly turned soil.
We’d tasted our way through enough wine to last a lifetime, but I’ll never forget those late nights and tranquil brisk mornings. Those were my favourite.
Serenity Ridge – you were a dream.
We wandered the vineyards, the terroir perfect for our first stop. The majestic tranquillity of the synchronised rows – of what would soon become alcohol – surrounded us as we walked towards the rolling hills. As Mum documented, the deep scent of ripening fruit and freshly volcanic earth underfoot was breathtaking. Rich in minerals to produce the complex wines Serenity was renowned for among the country, I felt incredibly lucky to be here. Of course, this information came from the pamphlet strategically placed in our rooms, our own personal advertisement of the setting. And now, as the sun was retreating on our first day, it also felt ethereal.
“Mum wrote that Aunt Ash chose this place for its beauty, and I can understand why,” I said, gesturing to the symmetrical rows which blanketed us from the world as Corbin hummed his agreement.
Serenity Ridge wasn’t the first stop for Mum and Aunty Ashleigh, but it was one which elicited feelings of nostalgia within me. She wrote about the landscape so beautifully that it drew me here on a molecular level. Only now, it was somehow more magical because I was here with Corbin. Somehow it felt as though retracing their footsteps many years later was always meant to happen. As if there were unwritten pages Mum knew but never shared.
Carrying my sandals in one hand and loving the feel of the ground beneath my feet, my right hand trailed along the vines as I admired the late afternoon light.
It was a quiet day here, or so we’d been told before we set out for our walk, but it wouldn’t have mattered. My parents loved noise. They loved the commotion and chatter of people. The sharing of stories and love while hosting over a glass of wine – a Sunday afternoon ritual in our house. Thus, it was no surprise Aunty Ash brought Mum to visit a place like this and was precisely why I wanted here to be our foremost destination.
“Mum still has wine on a Sunday for Aunt Talia. Only now, she sits out the back with her thoughts.” He spoke softly,mindful of my melancholic temperament as we reached the end of the vines and the opening of the mountainous range.
‘A wine now means no whining later…’ Mum’s singsong voice washed through me. She loved a glass of red but never alone, it was either with my dad or later over the phone with Aunty Ash.
I halted, leaning in to smell the herbaceous leaves. “I often think about how lucky Mum was to have two great loves in life,” I smiled morosely before looking back towards the orangey leaves of the tree. I knew he would understand exactly what I meant because his mum was the same. Their friendship was insurmountable. Surviving children, husbands, international relocations and bodies of water. Nothing could ever break them apart – well that was until mum’s hideous diagnosis. Incurable illnesses could do that no matter the love or strength of the bond.
“I remember my parents arguing one night toward the end,” he began, “and I can’t even remember what it was about but Mum was so mad because she’d missed a call from your mum, and it only infuriated her further. She screamed at Dad that she would divorce him if he ever made her miss another of Aunt Talia’s calls.” We both laughed, him at the memory and me because I could see her saying this and meaning it.
“They really were unbelievably dramatic,” I said, a barely there smile ghosting my face as he nodded.
The heat was losing its bite, which made it the perfect time – the perfect moment. The mountainous backdrop of the distance masked by the afternoon sun was more than I ever could have dreamed.
Dropping my shoes, I reached inside my purse and fastened my grip around the scatter tube holding a little of both my parents and a whole lot of my heart. The timber was smooth, filed to perfection and I knew when I pulled it out, the earthy tones of the exterior would perfectly match the environment.
