The Secrets We Keep

CHAPTER SEVEN

Olivia was already dreading a meeting she had organised with Lou, the year level coordinator because she was reasonably sure the bully issue with Tabitha Collins was becoming more brutal. Izzy had been brought into Lou’s office on two occasions over the last two weeks, in tears and almost hysterical, because of the ongoing b***h warfare being waged by Tabitha. There had been no contact from Hunter, and she was becoming concerned that he either had no idea what was happening with Izzy or he was too afraid to come to her and ask for help. She picked up her phone, wondering whether she was always to be the one who made the first move now? The phone vibrated in her hand alerting her to a missed call from Hunter. Like a love struck teen, her heart skipped half a dozen beats so she pressed his number and he answered on the first ring,

“Sorry,” he said, his voice raspy, “I meant to call you last night, but Izzy was so upset, and I didn’t think I ought to contact you, so I called Mum and she came over.”

“Oh Hunter, you can still call. It’s not as though I can’t help a friend and, as Leo would say, Izzy is his sister.”

“I feel so helpless, I’ve never been a girl, so I don’t know how this stuff works. Jesus, Liv, what makes girls do this?”

“It’s usually a call for help, wanting to be noticed is generally a sign that something is amiss in their lives. I mean in the broadest sense there are, of course, many girls who do the whole “look at me” thing but that’s usually different to overtly terrorising another person.”

“Any solutions?”

“I’m meeting with her year level coordinator tomorrow morning if you’re free you’re more than welcome to come along. I’ve also contacted a social worker I worked with in South Auckland. She has incredible insight into how troubled kids operate and I think it would be so valuable to get her input. After that, letters will be sent to the perpetrators because even with Lou speaking to them, they’re not prepared to give up Tabitha.”

“s**t,” he cursed, “Who the hell calls a kid Tabitha?”

“Yeah, that probably isn’t helping at this stage because kids are cruel, they’ll find anything to focus on what makes another kid uncomfortable. Even something as stupid as laughing at their name.”

“You know so much about all of this,” he said.

“The three years I spent working in South Auckland were invaluable, tough but invaluable and oddly enough Leo had a wonderful time in that school. Granted Maori and Polynesian kids outnumbered Pakeha kids four to one, but even though, the generosity and spirit shown by ninety nine percent of those families toward Leo was absolutely remarkable.”

“Izzy isn’t at school today,” he stated, “I just couldn’t send her Liv. I couldn’t, it was breaking my heart.”

“You always had a big soft heart, Hunter Lewis. It is one of your finest attributes.”

“Yeah? Not sure my behaviour over the last few years could be described as coming from a big, soft heart but I’m trying to get my s**t together as Mason would say.”

Olivia laughed, “Don’t know how we’d manage without those kids offering their priceless advice.”

“Me neither. Say, um,”

His hesitation had Olivia smiling but instead of jumping in to help him out, she waited because she sensed he was emerging from the dark place he’d been hiding in.

“If it’s okay for me to talk to you about Izzy, would it be okay if you and Leo have dinner with us. Tonight. Mum cooked up a storm over the weekend when she was here, and she made her famous meatballs and tomato sauce.”

“Is that the sauce that has the bacon, brown sugar, garlic?”

“That’s the one. Interested?”

Without hesitation she said, “What time?”

“What time do you usually get home?”

“On a good day, about four thirty or five. If I have meetings, it could be six.”

“Is this a good day?”

“You’re in luck. Is five thirty alright, I might make desert to bring with us.”

“Don’t go to any bother, you’ve been at work all day. All I have to do is reheat which is actually the sum of my cooking skills.”

“Izzy is extremely competent in the kitchen you know. I’m sure if you suggested it, she’d be more than happy to whip up a storm.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

She ended the call with Hunter and placed her phone back on her desk, her hormones threatening to melt her into a puddle of heat filled lust and singing loudly. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself not to get too carried away. It wasn’t a date; it was a simple dinner and perhaps the chance to talk to Izzy and let her know there was plenty of support for her, that she wasn’t alone. What she had seen over the years was that the victim of bullying frequently believed nobody had their back, that they were alone in all the crap being dished out. And it didn’t help that programs often focused on skills the victim could adopt rather than making any attempt at dealing with the root cause which was the bully. Olivia had met plenty of dreadful parents, people who never should have had ownership of a budgie let alone be responsible for a child. In many cases these parents were so caught up in their own troubles they didn’t want to recognise that they’re own child was in trouble and needed help.

Shouting in the corridor had her on her feet and striding to the door. A man, dishevelled and holding a bottle of whiskey or bourbon was calling her name, demanding she come and talk to him. The sports teacher and the groundsman were restraining the man, but Olivia approached him because this guy wasn’t leaving until he’d said whatever it was, he come to say. Other teachers waited nervously behind Olivia, with Lou at her shoulder.

“Are you sure you want to talk to him?” she asked.

“Best get it over with, Lou.”

“Okay, but I’m staying with you. No arguments. I’ve already contacted Dan and he’s on his way.”

Bless Lou, her husband Dan Martin was the local police sergeant and Olivia was sure this guy and Dan were well known to one another. Olivia’s melting hormones had deserted her leaving her with a tinge of fear and uncertainty as she moved toward him.

“This her?” he demanded to know.

“I’m Olivia Wainwright. I’m afraid I haven’t met you previously, so I don’t know your name.”

“Collins. My Tabitha is in this s**t hole of a school and apparently the daughter of your lover is making her life here a living hell!”

“I’m sorry Tabitha feels that way Mr Collins. However, I have the year level coordinator here and she can confirm that what you have told me is in fact inaccurate.”

“Bullshit!” he roared, “Are you saying my girl is a liar? Are you? Because if you, are I’m going to slit that pretty throat of yours and then your pretty boy won’t have a mama and your lover boy will have to go find himself another woman!”

“That’s enough!” Bellowed Dan who had deftly moved in behind Mr Collins, “Threatening a high school principal is a matter taken very seriously both by the police and the Education Department. There are many witnesses who heard you so I’m going to arrest you, charge you and they’ll take you across to Auckland.”

“Oh, f**k off arsehole!” He roared at Dan without turning around, then smashed the bottle on a concrete pillar, he lunged at Olivia with the broken neck of the bottle and Olivia felt herself being yanked back out of reach. Two younger police officers pepper sprayed Tabitha’s father then wrestled him to the ground where he was restrained with handcuffs and eventually led away.

“You okay, Liv?” Dan asked, his voice soft, concerned.

“I will be after a strong cup of coffee,” she murmured.

Lou led her back to her office,

“Sit. I’ll get that coffee then you’re going home for the rest of the day. No protests.”

Alone in her office, with adrenaline no longer coursing through her, Olivia let out a shaky sigh and began to cry. Not even in South Auckland had she encountered a parent who used threats and intimidation. No wonder Tabitha was making trouble, if that was what she lived with, that girl needed an intervention sooner rather than later. Lou returned with a cup of coffee, if she noticed Olivia had been crying, she didn’t mention it. She stayed with Olivia until the coffee was finished then helped her pack up her desk. As she reached the door she turned to Lou,

“You know, I’ve never locked my door in all the time I've been here. But I’m going to today.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be telling all the staff to do the same.”

For whatever reason, Olivia didn’t call her mother which is what she might have done in the past, she didn’t go home. No, instead she drove to winery to seek out Hunter, hoping he was up to providing a shoulder to cry on. That was when she remembered Izzy was at home today and was in the process of talking herself out of the whole stupid idea when, as if on auto pilot, she drove past her own driveway and made her way to the winery and vineyard.

All of Hunter’s blood moved south the moment he saw Olivia pull up in her car. He glanced at his watched, not even lunchtime, something was wrong. He felt it and that hit him like a sucker punch, the connection they’d always had was back. Jesus, it was back! He was glad his mother had offered to take Izzy across to Auckland for a day of shopping as a means of cheering her up. But for Olivia to leave school early could only mean she either didn’t feel well or something had happened, and he chose the latter.  From the forlorn look on her face, he doubted she would be interested in anything more than a cup of coffee.

“Hey,” he said as she emerged from the car and that was when he saw she’d been crying, “Aw, Liv, don’t. What’s happened?”

“Can we go inside,” she sniffed.

“Of course, how stupid am I? Come on, give me your things and I’ll make you lunch.”

She gave a soft laugh, “Only a couple of hours ago you told me the sum total of your cooking skills amounted to reheating food.”

“Actually, I do make a mean sandwich. I just forgot to mention that.”

“I’d love a sandwich and I remember you did always make a mean sandwich. I think your mum showed you what a good sandwich should have.”

“She did. Come on.”

He led her inside and then through to the kitchen, grateful his mother had given it a good clean because there was no way he wanted Liv to take pity on him and start cleaning his house.

“Right. Sit down and tell me what the hell has been going on?” He pulled out a chair for her and watched as she slumped onto it.

“I had a visit from the father of the girl who has been tormenting Izzy.”

“Tabitha?”

“Yeah. Her father turned up, absolutely shickered and brandishing a bottle of bourbon or something like that.”

“Hell.”

“He claimed Izzy was making Tabitha’s life miserable and he was going to put a stop to it if I didn’t do something.”

“Wanker,” Hunter muttered.

“He broke the bottle and lunged at me with the neck, fortunately Lou pulled me back and at the same time Lou’s husband, Dan the police sergeant, arrived.”

Hunter knew Dan, had spoken to him about Leo’s rope swing. Olivia’s face crumpled and he pulled her to her feet, wrapping her in his arms and stroking her back.

“Has that ever happened to you before?” he asked.

“Never. All the time I taught in South Auckland, nobody behaved like that and I never, ever imagined it would happen here.”

He smoothed her hair and held her, acutely embarrassed because he was hard as a hammer and she had to feel it.

“Sorry,” he rasped.

“Don’t be. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“It’s not as though the two of you are strangers,” he said.

“Well, I can assure you there are subtle differences between the younger and older versions.”

Hunter groaned, “We should change the subject because talking about Hunter junior is not helping him relax.”

She giggled, it was music to Hunter’s ears, and he kissed her forehead

“Thank you for making me laugh after such a shitty morning.”

“You’re welcome. Come on I’ll get you that sandwich.”

She followed him into the kitchen, and he noticed her taking in the renovations that had been made.

“ Nice kitchen, you did this?”

“Yes and no. Mum said the other one was tired and even though I don’t spend a lot of time in here, I do like the changes we’ve made.”

Hunter busied himself making a sandwich for each of them. He didn’t know what she might want so he pulled a variety of fillings from the fridge.

“Anything you don’t want on your sandwich,”  he called over his shoulder.

“What have you got?

“Well, as this is the house with a teenage boy, I have all sorts of things. Ham, pepperoni, salami, cheese, something green which I think is baby spinach, tomatoes.”

“Ham, cheese and tomato sounds good.”

“Coming right up.”

He would have liked to turn around to look at her but if he did the sandwiches would be a non-event. He closed the slices of bread together, cut them and put them on plates. Then he turned around to find she was watching him. Intently. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she had been checking out his rear. Now that was something.

“Alright?” he asked.

“Perfect. Don’t you think we’re the luckiest people on the planet to live on this wonderful little island, surrounded with such natural beauty?”

“I do. I spent all those years in Europe and while I enjoyed the time we spent there, the minute I set foot back on Waiheke I knew I was home.”

He picked up two plates and brought them to a long, scrubbed pine table in the centre of the kitchen.

“Is this your grandmother’s table?”

“Wow, you have a good memory. Yeah, I asked Mum if I could have it and Dad said as far as he was concerned, it should have been chopped up for firewood years ago!”

They laughed together and for a brief moment a pang of regret stabbed at him because he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt light enough to laugh. If only he hadn’t been such a f****d-up moron. He motioned for her to take a seat and proceeded to place a jug of iced water and a coffee pot on the table.

“The table looks good in here.”

“I sanded it back and put new stain and varnish on it. It’s solid so it should last for another hundred years.”

Olivia took a bite of her sandwich and gave him the thumbs up, bringing a burst of warm into  his chest. The chatted as they ate and had coffee.

“Fancy a tour of the cellars?” he asked, “They’ve been modernised although we’re still using French oak barriques for the Syrah. I’ve toyed with the idea of introducing a Tempranillo variety, but I need more space for that. They’ve been growing it in Marlborough for a few years so now. In Spain it ripens early but here it suits itself, sometimes early, other times later that other varieties. It has huge leaves with big bunches of fruit averaging around two hundred to four hundred grams a bunch. Skins are thick and pests are happy to leave them alone for that reason. From the research Xav and I have done, it’s easier than a Pinot, less shoot thinning is needed.”

“Flavor?”

“Full bodied and if we go ahead with it, we’re going to use American oak, and Xav and I are looking at going halves in a small winery that is closing down out near Dean’s Point. It’s been on the market for a while, apparently the owners just lost interest.”

“How many wineries are there on Waiheke now?”

“Around thirty. It’s amazing but with the climate we have, and the varieties being grown, we’re producing better and better wines each year.”

He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, reaching over and lifting her plate up.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Hunter loved the smell of the cellars,  of the old oak as well as the welcome cool temperature inside. He was proud of the changes he and his father had made and they weren’t done yet. Sure, the new venture with Xavier would require a sizeable time commitment but he thought he could make it work.

“Oh my,”  Olivia sighed, “This has changed so much. It’s amazing.”

“Yeah. Here,” he led her through to the cellar shop and picked up two bottles of wine, “Take these. They’re Dad’s harvest but they’re wonderful, he’s an incredible winemaker and vintner.”

She smiled up at him making his heart stutter, “I think you’re being modest, Hunter. I remember your father saying you were going to be more successful than he ever was.”

“I don’t remember that. I’m not sure Mason is all that interested but Leo? I think Leo could very well be a winemaker.”

Hunter watched Olivia’s face, trying to work out what she was thinking. Had he embarrassed her with her comment about Leo? He hoped not. Surely it wasn’t wrong for a father to be proud of something his son did well?

“Liv?”

“Still getting my head around Leo having you in his life,” she said quietly.

“Second thoughts?”

“Oh no! Absolutely not! This is wonderful for Leo and I ought to have told him about you sooner.”

He pulled her against him, “I don’t want to go down that road today. Come on, back to the house.”

Once inside he kept hold of her hand,

“Would it be a really bad idea if I said I wanted to take you to bed?”

“At one o’clock in the afternoon?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you have work to do, what about the grapes?”

“Harvested. Remember?”

“Vaguely.”

“It’s a crazy idea, isn’t it?”

“No,” she replied, placing a finger on his lips, “It’s not crazy at all. Are you sure because there’s a lot at stake here?”

“I know. But ever since the barbecue at Marron and Xavier’s I’ve been having a hell of a time keeping my hands off you.”

“Seriously?”

“As a heart attack. I know I was a jerk at the hospital and, full disclosure here, I am taking steps to sort out my anger and general personality defect.”

“You don’t have a personality defect, Hunter. You did come across as a grumble-bum which I admit to having trouble reconciling with the happy, huge hearted guy I once knew.”

“Grumble-bum? Is there even such a word?”

“There is, trust me, I’m a teacher.”

His mouth came down on hers, fusing their lips together and sweet Jesus! Olivia Wainwright still tasted as sweet as she did fifteen years ago. He wanted more and when his tongue flicked along the seam of her lips, she opened to him, causing his c**k to strain painfully against the fly of his jeans. Hunter lifted his head, taking in the heated gaze of those beautiful eyes.

“We better get you to a bedroom before Hunter junior injures himself,” she purred, and Hunter nearly came right then and there. Taking her hand, he pulled her into the master bedroom,

“That is a new bed and mattress,” he volunteered while he began removing her clothing, “Full disclosure and all that.”

“Thank you.”  She looked him up and down, her eyes settling on the bulge in his jeans, “As I’m almost completely naked, I’m going to have to even things up a little.”

Hunter laughed softly then groaned when her hand cupped his bulging c**k then gave him a quick squeeze,

“I’ll help,” he rasped, barely able to contain himself. He pulled off his polo shirt while Olivia’s hands worked the top button of his jeans open, slid down the zipper then pushed the jeans down over his hips. He stepped out of the jeans and picked Olivia making her squeal loudly when he dropped her on the bed.

“You’re still incredibly perfect, Liv,” he murmured while admiring everything she was. Her breasts were larger than he remembered, the areolas dark, her n*****s already tightly budded. He lowered his mouth to first one, then the other, flicking his tongue over her n*****s, drawing them into his mouth. The pressure in his groin was increasing, especially when her hand slipped inside the soft fabric of his underwear, drawing a loud groan from him.

“Liv! I wanted to go slow, but hell, I’m not sure I can.”

“That’s good then, because I’m melting here, Hunter. If you get me any hotter you will have a giant puddle in your bed!”

He hooked his fingers inside the leg of her underwear and eased them over her hips, gently moving her thighs apart once they were gone. He admired the small landing strip of hair and leaned down and kissed her stomach, where his son had grown. He moved further down, kissing the inside of her thighs before gently parting her labia and probing her with his tongue, reaching into her wet heat to her c******s. Olivia cried out, bucking against him, her hands in his hair. He sensed she was close and while he might not last long once he was inside her, he wanted her to have this.

“Hunter! Please, oh s**t! I’m coming!” Olivia panted and twisted and he just wanted to treat her as though she was fine china.

He kept up his attention on her c******s, tasting her juice on his tongue when her orgasm claimed her. He worked his way up her body and almost cried when he realised he had no condoms. Groaning he sat back on his heels.

“Hunter?”

“I don’t have any condoms.”

A broad grin spread across her face.

“What?”

“I have an implant. I haven’t had a s****l partner in forever, so if you trust me, I’m clean.”

“I haven’t been with anyone in forever either. I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“I know. So, how about you lose your underwear, because I don’t think this guy is enjoying the delay.”

Her words were music to his ears, and he wasted no time in shucking out of his shorts and pushing the tip of his c**k at her entrance. He rubbed the tip over the moisture at her opening then gently pushed inside, her tightness sent his need into overdrive, but he took his time making sure she was ready for more.

“Okay?”

“Perfect. You feel good.”

He sank into her, pushing as far as he could go and gently pulled back before thrusting into her again. She locked her legs around his waist and met each of his thrusts, her face and chest were flushed, her breasts crushed against him. He kissed her hard, her arms snaked around his neck, holding him there. He was going to explode, or die, or maybe both.

“Hunter,” she whispered, “I’m coming!”

“I’m with you, tell me when.”

He pumped into a few more times, heard her call “now”, his scrotum tightened, and he knew he was a goner, groaning out her name he tensed and then thrust hard into her, filling her with his life force and wondering if he would ever be the same again.