New Beginnings

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Alex pulled up in front of Marron and Xavier’s home and opened the door of her SUV.

“Good morning!” Marron chirped brightly. She was standing at the door of the cellars, a wide smile across her face.

“Morning, Mrs Weston, you’re looking extremely chipper this morning,” Alex replied.

“I am? I’m not entirely sure what being chipper is, but it sounds like me.”

“Well, you know, cheerful, happy, energetic, at least that’s my interpretation.”

“That sounds like me, even if Dynamite has found the ultimate hang-out spot to make me pee too often.”

Dynamite was the nickname they’d given the baby had been adopted by Xavier and Lucas.

“I hope we’re not giving him or her a complex by referring to them as Dynamite,” Alex giggled, “Although you called Lucas peanut, didn’t you?”

 “We did and he doesn’t appear to have suffered any long-lasting consequences, does he?”

“He does not.”

Together the walked toward the house and Marron pushed the door open for Alex to follow her inside. Once they were in the kitchen, Marron filled the kettle with water and set it to boil.

“What brings you by so early?” she asked.

“I had to do a grocery haul and decided to drop in and see how you were going.”

“Well, as you noted, I’m chipper!”

Laughter spilled from them both and Alex reached into a cupboard to bring down two mugs,

“Because you shouldn’t be reaching up, I’m doing it for you.”

“I think that refers to painting ceilings and similar activities, the cups are barely head high.”

“Then thank your lucky stars Mum isn’t here because you would spend your day with your feet up, drinking tea and being fed continually!”

“And I’d be the size of a house!”

“You would.”

They chatted for a few moment and Alex wondered how long it would take Marron to decide her grocery shopping excuse wasn’t the only reason for her visit. Taking their herbal tea, they moved into the family room, its walls covered in photos of the Westons as a family, Lucas as a baby, sports photos of Lucas and Jack. All in all, largely like Alex’s home, as was the outstanding view of the Hauraki Gulf.

“Now,” Marron said, curling her feet under her on the sofa, “Yes, you might well have been doing a grocery haul, but not for one minute do I believe that is the sole purpose for your visit.”

“Sprung!” Alex laughed.

“Yes, you are. Come on, out with it.”

Curling her own feet under her, Alex took a sip of her tea and made a face,

“I know you’re doing the caffeine withdrawal thing and I know I said I would be your herbal tea buddy, but honestly, Maz, this stuff is awful.”

“Well, when you’re desperate, you’ll do anything. And I know deflection when I see it. I’m waiting.”

“Blake learned a whole lot about his biological family that he now regrets knowing and I feel sort of guilty because I was the one who asked Annie Baines to get involved.”

“Annie Baines the genealogist?”

“Yeah. She did a great job but now I’m wondering if it was such a good idea.”

“Oh Alex! I’m sure Blake doesn’t hold you responsible for what was uncovered or for wanting to help him.”

“You know, he and Gabriella thought they had the same mother but different fathers because that was what he was told when he made enquiries years ago. However, that wasn’t true because he and Gabriella are full siblings, not half.”

“Wow. Okay, so I’m assuming that came as a shock?”

“Yeah, but an even bigger shock was lurking.”

Alex recounted how Blake and Gabriella learned their mother had in fact left their father when she was pregnant because she discovered he’d had an affair. Her own father had turned her away and the most damning revelation was learning their father remarried, his new wife being Martha Winchester, the youngest sister of Royce Winchester.

“It has all the hallmarks of a great story, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s real, those people are real.” Marron stared into the bottom of her cup before looking up at Alex, “Blake is pissed, isn’t he?”

“He’s upset, angry, frustrated. He told me the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because he’d done much the same thing when he turned his back on us.”

“There is a small difference though, isn’t there? I mean he can acknowledge he abandoned you and he has shown a lot of guts and determination in trying to put things right. His biological father has never done that, has he?”

“I told him that, but I think he needs to work through this for himself. I can spin up all the positives, but ultimately only Blake can file it as done. Of course, I’ve also realised his father couldn’t make contact because of who he was married to. I’m sure Blake has worked that out as well and sees it as an even greater betrayal.”

“Does that mean Evil one and Evil two know he’s on to them regarding his adoption?”

Alex shook her head, leaned over, and placed her cup on the coffee table in front of her,

“The enquiry to his birth father was made by a third party who didn’t identify who they represented. It was Martha Winchester, the stepmother who spoke for him and said he wasn’t interested in having contact. I think she was the one who said Laura had been kicked out because of an affair.”

“What a cow! Obviously, she and her brother are cut from the same cloth. Are you guys still being followed?” Marron asked.

“Blake had an impromptu visit from Genevieve at the marina a week or so ago. He and Jack had sailed down while I took the ferry. I picked up Dad’s car because Mum wanted a few things from the supermarket and when I walked down, she was there.”

“What! Is she nuts? Didn’t Blake get an intervention order that includes her?”

“He did, it was arranged after he was discharged from hospital. He warned her off and she asked me if I knew about her daughter, Eloise.”

Marron rolled her eyes, “Poor kid! Imagine having that for a mother. I bet she has a nanny.”

“Jack told me that Blake hasn’t seen Eloise since she was three years old, and he thinks her father lives in Sydney, that he has custody of her.”

“So how does she manage to carry on the story with Royce and Arlene?”

Alex shrugged, “Lies, lies and more lies, I suppose.”

“Getting back to the adoption thing, did Blake and Gabriella find out whether their mother had any siblings?”

“Yes! Turns out she had three siblings, but only one lives in Auckland. At this stage they don’t want to contact her, but Annie was able to give them some photos, so that’s nice.”

“Nice but sad,” murmured Marron, “A photo can’t replace having that person in your life but, on the upside, they now have a photo and that’s more than they had before Annie’s visit, isn’t it?”

Alex smiled, Marron always managed to have a positive for every negative and while the lengths her own parents went to in terms of being there for her and Jack, Marron and Xavier had also played an integral role, something Marron was always quick to remind her it was what sisters did for on another.

“I’m going to make you a cup of coffee,” Marron announced, “Just instant and I’ll have another tea.” She unfolded herself from the sofa and Alex got to her feet,

“You could always try decaf, you know.”

“Ugh! Have you tried that stuff? If I had never known the pleasure of caffeine on my taste buds, I might, and I’m stressing the word might, here, be happy to drink decaf. Unfortunately, I have enjoyed caffeine for too long to go down the decaf path.”

Alex followed Marron into the kitchen,

“Did we drink herbal tea when we were pregnant with the boys?” she asked, pulling out a chair at the breakfast bar.

“I can’t remember. I think we did for a while but not for the whole nine months. Once it was deemed okay to have coffee, we latched onto that like a drowning man to a life preserver!”

Rather than return to the family room, they sat at the dining table,

“Have you seen much of Liv?” she asked Marron.

“I saw her the weekend you went to Auckland. We had lunch, Leo and Lucas wanted to go swimming, of course, so I was pleased they were here because Liv’s worried the kids will try using the rope swing again.”

“Did Hunter find out if it had been cut on purpose?”

“Haven’t heard. She did tell me they had a major blow up at the hospital, he was being a total jerk, but he calmed down.”

“Jack mentioned some girl at school was giving Izzy a hard time.”

“Yeah, that’s ongoing unfortunately. Liv’s organising for a social worker she knows to come to the school and hopes they can get to the bottom of it with a resolution that benefits all parties.”

“Poor Izzy, she’s latched onto all of us, it can’t be easy living in a male dominated household, especially when your father is swimming against the current when it comes to owning his feelings.”

Marron nodded, “I know, but I do think she’s turned a corner. She’s not as nervous as before and Liv has been spending time with her in the kitchen and mentioned to Hunter that he ought to use Izzy’s kitchen ability as a means of praising her with positive messages.”

“What about that stupid rumour, is that still doing the rounds?”

Marron laughed, “I think it was snuffed out when Mason, Leo and Izzy made it clear they knew they were siblings, which is a good thing.”

“When these things happen in city schools, we tend to kid ourselves that we have perfection here, that there are no bullies, no dreadful parents, that sort of thing. But this has brought a dose of reality, hasn’t it? All of that crap has to be outed, even in a generally kind and thoughtful community like ours.”

Marron lifted her cup in mock salute, “I hear you. Liv is a remarkable educator, but I think we, as a community, need to understand that whole takes a village mantra, is not too far from the truth. Liv and by extension the school staff cannot maintain their excellent standards if parents don’t out those negative behaviours.”

“How do you feel about taking control of the barbecue tonight?”

Blake looked up and smiled at Alex entering her office and sitting on one of the two armchairs.

“I can do that. Is there anything special happening?”

“No, just us.”

“Right. Well, I’ll look forward to it, use it as a means of brushing up on my barbecuing skills.”

“Pfft,” she waved her hand “You do simply fine with the barbecue.”

“Mm, not so sure. Xavier and Hunter seem a lot more accomplished than me.”

Alex laughed, “Blake, it’s just a barbecue, not cordon bleu. Besides, they’ve had a lot more practice.”

“If you say so.”

“What have you been doing tucked away in here for most of the day?”

“Motutawa stuff and then I had a look at those adoption documents.”

A look of concern crossed her face, “Blake,” she said softly, “I thought you were going to leave all that and look at it in ten years or so.”

“Ten years?” He couldn’t help but admire her efforts to steer him away from matters that she perceived caused him pain or made him angry. The reality was, he had moved beyond the issues surrounding his own adoption, but he wanted to make a difference, if he could, to those who might still be waiting for a resolution. He moved from behind the desk and took the armchair next to her,

“I know how hard you try to steer me away from adoption related issues and, Alex, I appreciate that. It means the world to me.”

“But?”

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this because as far as I know Hunter hasn’t told anyone but Xavier and myself.”

“Hunter? He wasn’t adopted. Was he? I mean, his mum, Carol, and mine are joined at the hip together with Sara, Liv’s mother, so I think we’d know if Hunter was adopted.”

Blake laughed, “No. But then again, you never knew I was adopted, did you?”

“Fair point,” she conceded.

“As you know, he’s had to deal with some real crap; the narcissistic wife from hell, trying to be a good parent, that sort of thing. Following the argument with Olivia, he made the decision to seek professional help, so he’s been seeing a guy called Tom Gordon, a counsellor.”

“Hippie Tom!”

“That’s him. Hunter recommended I get an appointment because he credits the guy to making him see a lot of things in a different light.”

“Okay. Liv did say she’s noticed he’s better with the kids, so that’s something, even with the bullying stuff with Izzy, he’s managing it better.”

“Exactly. So, I made an appointment and I’ve seen Tom a couple of times.”

Her eyes widened in surprise and he reached over and took her hand,

“It’s been good, and I didn’t proceed with it because I didn’t think you weren’t helping or doing a good job. You’ve been wonderful, supportive but I needed to seek an unbiased opinion because you’re too close to me and the s**t of my life.”

“Am I? I just wanted to help.”

She was disappointed, he could tell by the expression she wore,

“Now I’ve upset you and that wasn’t my intention. You forget, I’ve been in this situation before, needing help from an outsider. Granted, in New York, I didn’t have you and other than dealing with a biological father who wasn’t interested, my meltdown was self-inflicted. From working too many hours.”

“I hadn’t forgotten, and it must have taken a lot of courage to reach out for help on that occasion and yes, I can see where you’re coming from now.”

“My newfound buddies, Xavier and Hunter, tell me it’s the hardest thing to reach out and ask for help because we’re men. We don’t do the touchy-feely stuff; we don’t actively seek to understand why women can bare their souls while we keep ours buried under layers and layers of rubbish.”

She gave a laugh, her eyes sparkling, “Wow, you guys must have extremely intense conversations about things we gals can’t even imagine.”

Blake squeezed her hand, “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, we don’t do it all the time. Most times we’re talking about boats, grapes, Motutawa, kids and goats.”

She huffed out an exaggerated sigh, “And what about women, surely women are on your list of topics?”

At that he laughed, he knew where this was headed, “Now and then, but not always.”

“Do you talk about s*x?”

“See, that’s where we differ. Out of deference to you ladies, no, we don’t discuss the bedroom or what happens there. But I’d bet a million bucks, you ladies like to talk about it?”

“Do not!”

“No? Not even a little bit?”

“Oh, alright, but we keep it light, and we don’t get into the down and dirty.”

“Thank God for that! We don’t like being compared, even if we are buddies.”

Together they laughed and Blake loved the sound of it, enjoyed the togetherness and knew that one of these days he was going to have to make choices regarding his feelings, exposing his feeling and coping with any rejection they might generate. He would need Tom’s sage advice on that because he was reasonably certain he was falling love and hell, that was dangerous territory for everyone, wasn’t it?

“I’m going to change the subject now, if that’s okay?” she said, her c****d to one side.

“You have the floor.”

“Any news about the attack or the cigarettes?”

Blake got to his feet, pushing his hands deep into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the cerulean blue water outside.

“You know, I was thinking about that a short time ago. There has been nothing, either from the police about the attack or Customs, although regarding the latter, I don’t expect to hear from them.”

“I agree and thinking about it, surely we would have heard something on the news about a huge tobacco haul, so I have to presume they haven’t laid charges or don’t even know who might have left them there.”

“Exactly. I’m picking up the launch tomorrow morning and Jack is going to give us the three names he’s chosen, this evening. I thought we could take it for a run across to Motutawa and check everything is good.”

“I can do that. When the rangers were there last time, we talk about placement and they were happy with the sketches I gave them, so I can give that a final check over because I think they’re hoping to spend a couple of days there next week, weather permitting.”

He leaned down and cradled her face with his hand, kissing the top of her head,

“You’re an inspiration, Alex Porter, hope you know that.”

“Thank you. Where are you picking up the boat?”

Blake straightened up, “Ostend, so literally just down the road. I’ve checked it out and it’s genuinely nice, I’m so happy John put me onto that guy otherwise we could be wasting valuable time looking for something suitable.”

“Has it ever been used?”

“No, it’s virtually brand new.”

Alex got to her feet and looped her hand through is arm,

“About the barbecue, I have everything ready to go and if you start cooking, I can get down to school and collect Jack from rugby practice.”

“Good idea. Big game on Saturday?”

“Yes, up against the team who challenged them in the final last year.”

“You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“We were going to have a baby shopping day, all of the girls, having lunch at Mum’s because, you know, Diana Porter has to be there!”

Blake laughed, “Jack might be disappointed, don’t suppose you ladies could postpone the shopping excursion for a week?”

Alex looked up at him, smiling, “I’ll put that to the committee. You’re right, all of the boys might be disappointed if we don’t turn up.”

He leaned down and brushed her lips with his,

“Beautiful and smart,” he murmured, then kissed her again.