Testing the limits (Sample)

CHAPTER FIVE - A TOUCH OF PARADISE

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LUCY

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The meeting with the new author was a success. We met him in a cute little cafe in the centre of Perth. He was smart and level headed for an 18 year old. He negotiated on the first offer we made him. I was impressed. He knew his worth and wasn't going to settle for the minimum.

After the meeting Ryan and I went to check out the new office space. It wasn't ready for us yet. It still needed to be fitted out and furniture bought, but the space had potential. It was full of natural light.

With Ryan and me now in Australia we will oversee the fit out. Once we are settled in and have built up some clientele we will need to hire more staff. I'm excited for the prospect. I never imagined I'd be in this position and I'm loving the possibilities.

Ryan hasn't been himself the last few days. I can tell he misses Dave. His heart is broken and mine is breaking for him. I've been doing everything I can to cheer him up but it's fleeting happiness at best.

I decide to give mum and dad a call to see if we can come visit sooner than planned. We were going down on the weekend but I think Ryan needs this now.

Mum and dad moved to Margaret River, 3 hours south of Perth after I moved to London. With both Brad and I out of the house they wanted a change of scenery. We'd spent a lot of holidays in Margaret River, mum and dad loved it there, so neither Brad nor I were surprised when they moved there. It's literally paradise, with beautiful beaches and a coastal vibe.

Mum and dad were excited that we were coming early and we made the trek down on the Tuesday. If anything can soothe Ryan's soul, it would be this place. The drive down was filled with singing some Aussie classics at the top of our lungs.

Our rendition of Khe SAN by cold chisel left a lot to be desired but by the time we arrived Ryan had a smile on his face. As soon as we pulled up the car into their driveway mum was running out the front door to us. Her dark brown bob, bouncing with the movement of her hurried steps. I was barely out of the car before being pulled into her arms and engulfed in a hug.

"Oh! My baby's home!" she squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe.

"Not for long if you don't let me breathe." Mum laughs and lets me go, taking a step back while grabbing my hands to look at me.

"You're too skinny. Are you eating? Ryan! Is she eating?" Ryan chuckles from the other side of the car where he is standing with my dad.

"Yes mum, I'm eating." I fight the urge to roll my eyes and walk around the car, wrapping my dad in a hug, kissing his cheek

"Hi Dad." He smiles down at me, releasing me from the hug.

"Welcome home." I smile and turn back to the car where Ryan is escaping my mum's clutches and grabbing our bags out.

Dad silently helps him. My dad's not much of a talker. He's more the strong silent type. He grunts most of his one word answers, and he's never been one for small talk, but get a couple of beers in him and he tells the most hilarious stories. Most of them from his time on the road.

Dad was an interstate truck driver. He spent most of his career driving road trains across the Nullarbor. He retired just after I left for London due to health issues. The lifestyle he lived on the road, eating from truck stops, the long hours of sitting and the physical exertion from loading trucks took its toll.

I never saw him much growing up. He'd be gone weeks at a time, sometimes just stopping in at night when Brad and I were asleep before having to leave again.