“I know.” Her words weren’t harsh and she was right. “I’m trying.”
She smiled at him. “I know what you’re going through is hard, but Amy went through similar hardship when she was only fifteen. You need to fix this.”
Her words sank deep. He was still so self-absorbed. He had to do better. “I will.”
***
Spending her day off chaperoning a group of mostly ten-year-olds was not what Gretchen really wanted to do, but she’d promised weeks ago. Back when Jordan was delightful and wouldn’t mind his mum being there. She locked the small shop front the tour business had in town and headed to her car, glad she’d packed their things the night before. It was still warm, and she double-checked she’d packed sun cream before she drove to Cody’s place to pick up both Jordan and his friend. Holly met her at the door.
“They’re so excited, it’s been hard containing them for the day. I had to send them to the oval to kick a football for an hour, so they wiped off some energy.”
“Alone?” Kurt could have got to them.
“No, Ernest went with them.”
Cody’s father. Good. Before Gretchen could reply, the two boys stormed down the corridor, Cody with his backpack slung over his shoulder and Jordan carrying his sleeping bag.
“Hi, Mum. Are we going?”
Jordan’s enthusiastic welcome cheered her. He’d been moody on and off for the past week about not being allowed by himself at home and what she’d said about his father. “Yeah. Are you ready?”
“Yes!” Both boys chimed and pushed past her to race to the car with Jordan yelling, “Shotgun.”
“Better you than me,” Holly sighed. “Good luck.”
Gretchen laughed. “It will be fun.” She hoped. She wasn’t the best horse-rider. Was she supposed to go with the kids or just supervise the sleepover part? “I’ll bring Cody back tomorrow afternoon.”
“We should be home all day, so don’t worry about the time.”
Gretchen wanted to give back to Holly, so if the boys weren’t too tired after the sleepover, maybe she’d take them snorkelling. She returned to the car where Jordan was sitting in the front seat. Though she let him sit there around town, she wasn’t as keen about having him there for a long drive. “Hop in the back, mate,” she said. “You’ll be able to talk to Cody more easily.”
He pouted but did as she asked.
Her phone beeped, and she took a second to check it.I expect you to know everything about Stonefish when you get back to town or I visit Jordan.
Kurt.
She rubbed her arms and cleared the message, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. Lindsay was watering plants in her front garden and Miss Simpson walked past with a beach bag over her shoulder. Gretchen’s gut clenched. Kurt wasn’t going away. Ignoring the matter wouldn’t help. He knew all her plans. She had no desire to spy on her friends, but Kurt was serious. The urge to call Dot and Nhiari was strong. They were her friends, but Kurt had contacts in the police.
She drove on autopilot to the Ridge, the boys playing eye-spy in the back while she spent the hour imagining Kurt taking Jordan and her never seeing him again, never knowing what had happened to him. She gritted her teeth and forced the morbid loop out of her head as she drove through the station gate. Obsessing wasn’t healthy. She would figure out some way to stop him.
Gretchen exhaled as she scanned her surroundings. Several kids were over by the horse yard with Lara as the centre of attention. Not all of them were from the pony club, so some must be from the families camping at the Ridge.
Almost before she’d come to a full stop, Jordan and Cody were out of the car and racing to join the kids. Right. No nerves there.
She retrieved their things and wandered up the steps of the homestead and rapped on the door frame. Amy and Faith were inside the kitchen, Faith cutting up fruit for a platter and Amy filling bottles with water.
“Come in!” Amy called.
“Do you need a hand?” Gretchen asked as she walked in. The kitchen smelled like freshly baked bread, and she inhaled, savouring the smell.
“We’re just about done,” Faith said. “We’re waiting for a couple more kids and then we can go for the first ride.”
“You can leave your stuff over there.” Amy pointed to the line of bags against the wall. “We’ll take them out to the shed later.”
“Who else is coming?” She thought she’d be the last one here.
Faith finished arranging the fruit on a plate. “Mischa and Natasha aren’t here yet.” She glanced at Amy. “Neither is Arthur.”
