“Lay off,” Sam said. “I merely mentioned there were ways of making sure the baggage handlers did their job.” He cracked his knuckles and the sound made Amy cringe.
She laughed. “So you terrified the woman into silence?”
“Hey, it wasn’t just her who’d been affected, but the rest of us weren’t complaining.”
She liked his style, but it wasn’t one she could pull off. When someone was annoying, she tried to focus their attention elsewhere. Like themselves. That usually worked. People loved to talk about themselves.
“You never told me Retribution Bay was such a pretty town,” Sam said to Brandon.
“You never asked.”
“This your first time up north, Sam?”
“We’ve done training around the place, but my folks live over east, so I visit them when I’ve got leave.”
They chatted about what he was going to do when he left the army as they drove back to the Ridge. Brandon pulled up outside the kitchen door and they all unpacked the car. “I’ve given you the room next to Brandon,” she told Sam.
“I’ll show him to it,” Brandon said. “Do you need a hand with the food?”
“Maybe. Ed was going to help. I’ll see if I can find him.”
“We’ll be back shortly.” His smile and the promise raised her spirits.
Amy nodded and went to find the others.
Chapter 10
Brandon tugged on the collar of his military dress uniform and stared at the man in the mirror. This was who he’d been for the past dozen years. He’d never felt comfortable in the dress uniform, but today it felt completely at odds with who he was. He glanced at the Akubra hat sitting on the bedside table. Was that his true identity?
He exhaled. He hoped Darcy wouldn’t see his dress uniform as an affront, a reminder of Brandon abandoning them. It was the best way he knew of showing the proper respect to his parents, and Dobby had given him approval to wear it. He needed to believe the past twelve years weren’t for nothing.
There was a knock on the door and Sam called, “You ready?”
No. He wanted the day to be over already.
He gave his collar a last tug before he opened the door. Sam was similarly dressed in khaki, his expression sympathetic. “Let’s go.”
They’d cleared out the machinery shed the day before and the chairs were set up in neat rows inside. They’d set up the television at the front so they could play a slideshow of photographs during the ceremony. Already cars lined the driveway and he joined his siblings greeting people as they arrived.
Amy was nowhere to be seen. “Can you see if Amy needs a hand in the kitchen?” he asked Sam. Everything was ready, but perhaps she was checking the urn was on or something.
He’d barely seen her yesterday after they’d arrived back from town as she’d spent all afternoon baking with Ed. He was glad they’d cleared the air during their drive into town. She was so easy to talk to, made him say things he hadn’t been planning on saying. But it felt good to confide in someone.
The celebrant walked over to them. “It’s time.”
He swallowed hard. Was he ready to say goodbye to his parents?
“Give us five,” Georgie said and gestured them inside the house. Sam was wiping over the bench, but Amy wasn’t there. Sam smiled. “Ready?”
Brandon nodded. Lara clung to Darcy’s hand, but she smiled back while Georgie sculled a glass of water, her skin a little pale.
“You OK?” Brandon asked.
She nodded. “Do you have pockets in that thing?”
“Yeah.”
She shoved a whole packet of tissues at him. “You can be the dispenser then.” She took two and then a third and stuffed them under her bra strap. The modest black shirt she wore hid them. “Is everyone here?”
