No.She didn’t need the extra stress of gears while he was watching.Sliding out of the car, she said, “Don’t worry about it.I’ll do it later.Glad it’s still here.”
“If you leave me the keys, I’ll fix it.Are you heading out?”
She tossed him the bunch.“To the op shop.”
“Have fun.”His smile sent warmth through her and she ignored it as she hurried back to the house.She would not be distracted by him.
By the time she arrived at the op shop, Chelsea had tucked all her emotions away where they belonged.She recognised the older woman volunteering behind the counter with her dyed brown hair and floral blouse.
She searched through her memory for a name.“Mrs Britza,” she greeted.“It’s lovely to see you again.”
The woman frowned as if trying to place her.
“I’m Chelsea McGinnis.Maggie McGinnis’s great-niece.”
The woman pressed a hand against her heart.“Have you come to clear out Maggie’s things?”She gestured to the bags Chelsea held.
The pang of grief was never far away.Chelsea nodded.“Yes.I arrived yesterday.”
“We were all disappointed when you didn’t keep up Maggie’s garden.”She peered over her glasses, judgement in the stare.
Chelsea refused to feel guilty.“Actually Mum hired Darren Whaley as groundskeeper, but he took the money and did nothing.”Word would spread about Darren’s actions, and he deserved all the censure.
Mrs Britza raised her eyebrows.“Is that so?”
Chelsea debated for a moment before saying, “Yes.A property developer paid him fifty thousand dollars to let it die.”Hopefully Johann would have opposition to anything he tried to do in the town.She smiled.“I’d better get back to it.There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
“Of course, my dear.Tell me if you need a hand.I’m sure there are many people around town who would be happy to help.Maggie was always there for us.”
Chelsea remembered the times when she’d help her aunt bake food for fundraisers or to feed volunteers who were fighting fires or searching for missing people.“Thank you.”
She took a deep breath as she walked outside into the fresh morning air, shaking off the judgement.She retrieved her phone from her pocket and looked up the location of the council building.Next stop was to get some answers.
The sliding doors slid open with a ding as Chelsea walked towards them.A woman who looked to be in her forties manned the reception desk.She smiled as Chelsea approached.“Can I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to somebody in the planning department.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.I was hoping they could answer some questions about the process of developing land in this area.”
The woman clicked keys on the keyboard.“Leyton’s in a meeting.I can take your details and get him to call you?”
Chelsea hesitated.She wanted to watch the man when she questioned him, analyse his reaction.“Perhaps I can make an appointment.”A blonde woman about Chelsea’s age came out of an office as the receptionist said, “Name?”
“Chelsea McGinnis.”
“I thought it was you!”the woman from the office declared.
Chelsea turned.The woman’s blonde hair was styled short, and she wore a charcoal grey skirt suit with a white shirt bearing the council logo.But it was her wide grin which sparked a memory in Chelsea.“Lauren?”She grinned in surprise.
“Yeah.It’s been ages.”Lauren stepped forward to hug Chelsea as if they’d seen each other yesterday.
Chelsea hugged her friend back.Lauren had lived down the road from Lilydale Cottage when they were kids and they used to play together.Chelsea had confessed her crush on Ethan to Lauren, and Lauren had created opportunities for her to see him, such as inviting him to go swimming with them at the Honeybrook lake.
Chelsea had seen her briefly at Maggie’s funeral, but they hadn’t caught up.She hadn’t realised Lauren still lived in town.
“What are you doing here?”Lauren asked.
