Clem smiled as she read the upbeat message, picturing Louisa’s kind face as she typed it out at South Giddi Giddi.
‘You won’t believe the afternoon we’ve had,’ a voice called out from across the park. Clem turned to see Hazel pulling a stroller from her car boot.
‘That sounds like a worry,’ Clem said. ‘The good news is I’ve brought fresh cinnamon scrolls and chocolate cupcakes, that should help.’
When she got closer, Clem saw her friend was beaming from ear to ear. ‘Alma went down for a nap without any complaints, Cormac fell asleep after breastfeeding, and then I nodded off on the couch. Can you believe it? Sorry I’m late,but it’s the first time I’ve strung together two hours’ sleep in about three months.’
‘Don’t even think about it.’ Clem looped an arm around Hazel’s shoulder and pulled her into a half hug. ‘That’s worth celebrating, Mama. Mia’s on her way, shall I grab us coffee?’
‘You’re amazing,’ Hazel said. ‘I’ll watch the kids.’
Brew Haven was all but empty when she walked through the door, and the waitress was taking a personal call in the back room. Clem lingered by the cash register, trying to catch the girl’s eye.
‘Hi, I’ll be with you in a sec,’ the girl said when she finally noticed Clem standing there. She was still waiting when the owner, Marco, came through the front door, grumbling to himself.
‘Yonni! There’s people waiting out here,’ he called, pausing mid-apology when he recognised Clem. ‘Oh, it’s you. We’re not snooping, are we?’
His use of the collective ‘we’ made her cringe.
‘Hi Marco, good to see you.’
‘I see you’ve got a little collab going on with the honey supplier now. You’ve done pretty well out of our sewerage troubles. Don’t think you can swoop in and steal all my business.’ His laugh sounded like an old chainsaw.
So Marco keeps on eye on my social media, does he?
As the waitress ambled out with a notepad in hand, Clem set down the menu and gave Marco a bright smile. ‘I think there’re enough customers in this district for everyone. I was supporting a fellow trader. Three flat whites please, but I’d like the milk on the warm side for one, not hot, please.’
The young barista got to work, barely meeting Clem’s eye as she took the payment and handed across the cup carrier.
‘Have a great day,’ Clem called. She checked the temperature, finding the cups equally scalding. If that was their usualstandard of customer service, she was definitely one up on that marker.
The poster in the window of the second-hand shop caught Clem’s eye on the way back to the park, and she quickly ducked inside.
‘Hey Aunty Jean.’
Jean looked up from the box of bric-a-brac she was sorting, her eyes sharp as she assessed the coffee cups.
‘I hope Marco didn’t spit in it before he put the lid on? I can’t believe you support those weevils, they had no qualms undercutting your lovely coffee and cake deal. And after that stunt they pulled with Penwarra’s Valentines Day campaign, they’ve got most of the main street traders off-side.’ Jean frowned. ‘You should park your coffee van in the town square when it’s up and running and steal all their business. And how is my favourite great-niece, apart from her terrible taste in coffee merchants?’
‘Going great, and thanks for the book suggestion. Harriet read it in a flash and there were heaps of passages perfect for her audition.’
‘Glad to hear it, love. And how about our Selina? She still getting a few shifts?’
Clem summoned a smile. ‘Improving every week,’ she said. It wouldn’t help to mention how many orders the teenager had messed up, and after the first few weeks Clem had stopped counting the broken plates and cups.
Mia and Hazel were both at the playground when Clem got back to the park. She watched Hazel straighten Cormac’s sunhat, while Mia rocked baby Fred in the pram, and the older trio raced around the playground.
Two perfect sleeping babies and two beautiful, content mums. It was exactly how Clem had pictured motherhood to be, before she’d had Harriet and her world had fallen downaround her, and she felt a pang of envy that she hadn’t had it so easy. Shame washed over her.They’re your dearest friends, you’ve got no reason to begrudge them this moment of calm.
But as she walked across the grass, Clem felt the whole gamut of emotions coursing through her. Envy at how easy they made it look and the endless family support they had at their fingertips. Shame that her irrational brain seesawed between fear that they’d get sick like her, and frustration that they showed no signs of struggling. And it was only a matter of time before Mia asked why she’d dashed out of the hospital in tears. If she dropped off the coffees and made a speedy exit, perhaps they’d forget all about her flaky behaviour.
She slowed to a snail’s pace on the pretext of admiring the roses budding up by the war memorial, buying time so she could brainstorm excuses.
I could have an important work delivery, or a call from Harriet’s school saying she’s sick. Or maybe it could be a meeting I forgot about, something to do with the school catering contracts.
She’d almost settled on the latter option when a call came from across the park and Kathy and Neil West came into view, shopping bags over their arms.
‘Granny, Grandpa!’ Alma scrambled off the seesaw and raced towards them. Left unbalanced, Indi crashed to the ground and burst into tears. Reggie jumped off the swing, reaching Indi’s side at the same time as Clem.
