O, Fortuna

Chapter 24

Feet dangling in the swimming pool, they ate their respective ready meals then shared a tub of a indulgently creamy locally-made lemon yogurt which Grace had taken a shining to, having visited the Monteny markets three times since her return. Liam had to wonder if her attraction to the markets was purely driven by their quaintness and quality of local foodstuffs or had more to do with Grace's love of spending money. She seemed to have been very busy doing just that.

She had been wise enough to buy somewhere to live, even if it had been something of an extravagance, Liam could easily picture her being happy with her ocean view but it was one she had to share with so many others, in her apartment block and the surrounding buildings. He knew he had grown up spoiled by the view from Faridah's backyard but it was still difficult to understand why anyone would pay so much for something that was not unique. He did, however, like hearing about her cousin's ideas and Grace's enthusiasm for making them a reality, even if it was another example of her impetuosity.

He was not going to lecture her about it, it was her money after all, but Liam thought he might find himself reminding her in the not too distant future that it was just that brand of lifestyle that had gotten her into financial trouble not so long ago. That it had entangled her in June's life and, as a consequence, his too was something Liam would discreetly label a mixed blessing.

After dinner, they took a walk around the property so that Liam could conduct the checks he had ensured his father he would make. While the sun was still blazing in its lazy summer evening descent, the trees offered cool respite and taking Grace's hand in his, Liam led her down a narrow, haphazard natural path amidst the oldest of the gums. There were several brief inclines in the terrain to negotiate before a third, far steeper slope saw Liam pause to offer Grace, in her totally inappropriate little black dress, assistance up onto a rocky outcropping.

A few moments of careful steps more and they reached the zenith of the property's terrain, which offered a 360 degree view of the surrounding area, all eleven misshapen peaks of the mountains, the vastness of the national park, the surrounding properties, a glimpse of Monteny, the roof of the main house, all bathing in the golden twilight. Grace had not spoken a word as she initially took in the entirety of this truly exceptional perspective and Liam was poised to direct her attention east when she turned her head and realised what else could be seen and immediately smiled. The coastline and the distant calm of the Coral Sea, stretching out to meet the Pacific Ocean.

"This is why you brought me up here, isn't it?" she asked, still staring out to sea and Liam admitted to it. He had been thinking about this spot, which he had discovered when he was seven but told no one of, not even Deanna. It had been a great place to come during the winter months, lounge on the rocks like a lizard while he read, a peaceful place to retreat to when the sanctity of the garage was threatened by talkative female kin.

They sat down, backs to the sun, looking out to sea, listening to the birdlife in the treetops just a few centimetres away from where Grace and Liam were perched themselves. There was a great deal Liam knew he should say and certainly things he wanted to tell Grace, as much as he felt sure there were things on her mind but he was enjoying the peace and quiet, something he was unused to experiencing in someone else's company. There was that, he acknowledged to himself and the fact he was incredibly tired.

He had worked late into the previous evening at the site with Trevor and Mick, to finish routine maintenance that had been scheduled for the new year, while the company worked out how and when they would be getting the crew home. At three this morning, the crew were awoken to be driven to an airstrip, two hours away, where they boarded a light plane for a flight of three hours to Perth, a wait of another three hours at the terminal there before he and Trevor finally were on the plane for their five hour flight to Brisbane. Liam rubbed his eyes, officially exhausted now he had stopped to think about it and something Grace noted, before asking