“What is it?” asked Adam, noticing my grimace.
I pointed at the little blue Ford Festiva parked crookedly across two bays. “That car belongs to Jasmine and Lily.” He looked blank. “The Beautifuls.”
He shuddered. “The Daintree’s souvenir coffee is sounding good right about now.”
“You’ll be fine,” I falsely assured. “Just don’t make eye contact.”
Just as we got to the glass door, the bell at the top jingled. It opened quickly, and before we knew it we were face to face with Lily Tate.
“Charli and Adam. Adam and Charli,” she said, almost singing her words as she bobbed her head from side to side.
“Hi Lily,” I mumbled. At least I spoke. Adam managed a half-hearted smile and a weak wave.
“I thought we had plans today.” She stared accusingly at Adam. “Charli, can you translate please?”
“Ah, there was a little misunderstanding, Lily, but he’ll make it up to you,” I promised.
“I hope so. We went all the way out to Miss Décarie’s house this morning. She wasn’t expecting us at all! She said Adam had left early.”
“Don’t read too far into it,” I told her, doubting she could read at all. “He went for a walk along the beach and lost track of time.” The lie rolled off my tongue too easily.
Adam remained silent but his frown spoke volumes. It was amazing how much he understood considering he didn’t speak English.
“Where do you fit in this story?” Lily asked, looking me up and down. Her snippy tone got my back up. Instead of trying to placate her, I found myself stooping to a level lower than pond scum.
“I ran into him down there. But I’m done with him now. You can have him back.”
“You stole him?” she asked, widening her eyes in horror. “Jasmine’s going to flip out when she hears that.”
Adam looked at me, not so discreetly this time. I kept my focus on Lily, to escape his fierce glare.
“Like I said, you can have him back now.” I offered him to her as if he was a toy we were sharing.
Lily stared at Adam but spoke as if he was invisible. “Maybe I could tell her he misunderstood, got the time wrong or something.”
“Yeah. That’ll work,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” said Lily. The loud slow voice she was using was obviously for the deaf, gorgeous, American, French boy’s benefit. “He’s here now.” She hooked her arm through his.
Her territorial display didn’t bother me one bit. What bothered me was the baleful look Adam gave me. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t really that wretched – that I was truly sorry for throwing him to the Beautiful wolves. But I didn’t. I continued tormenting him.
“His English has improved too,” I said, driving the final nail in the Adam-and-Charli coffin. “He spent the whole morning telling me how lovely he thinks you are.”
Lily stood in stunned silence, for the first time ever.
Realising her mind freeze could go on for a while Adam took control. “Lily, I apologise for the mix-up.” His smooth accent and low voice did nothing to unfreeze her brain. “I’m here for another week so I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”
It was an offer Lily was never going to refuse. And why would she? As far as she was concerned, Prince Charming was there for the taking.
“Walk me to my car and I’ll give you my number,” she instructed.
Adam was too polite for his own good. He followed her down the steps and I made my getaway, charging through the door of the café. Nicole was sitting behind the counter. Her grin was wide, as if she was expecting big news.
“Adam’s going to come in here in a minute for coffee,” I blurted, slamming both hands on the counter and making her jump. “Make him one and get him out of here.”
“Why?” She leapt off the wicker stool. “What did you do, Charli?” She didn’t sound anywhere near as surprised as she should have.
“Just get him out of here,” I choked, trying to whisper and yell at the same time. “I’ll be out the back.”
Grabbing my sleeve, Nicole dragged me back to her side. “No way! You’re not hiding out the back, you little coward!” she hissed.
“I royally screwed up,” I whimpered.
I didn’t need to explain to my best friend why the day had gone so far awry, which was a good thing because the telltale bell jingled. She was back behind the counter before Adam even walked in. I stood cemented to the spot as he bypassed me completely. He ordered coffee and kept her engaged in conversation while she made it. The few minutes dragged like hours. It was getting harder to breathe.
Finally, coffee in hand, Adam thanked Nicole. He almost made it to the door when I choked out his name.
Adam looked around, vaguely as if a stranger had called out to him.
“You told Lily you were leaving in a week.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you were staying for a couple of months.”
“I said I could stay a couple of months,” he corrected, coldly. “I’m going to spend some time with Gabrielle and then head home.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I agreed.
Nicole let out a groan. The slap I heard was her hand connecting with her forehead. Subtly had never been her forte. Adam’s focus remained on me. Thinking about what he might be seeing made me want to bolt from the room.
“I had it in my head that this place held something for me. For a minute I thought it was you….” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe he’d gotten it so wrong. “Thanks for showing me around. It was nice meeting you, Charli,” he said, cold and polite. He walked out the door, leaving me standing there like the idiot I was.
“Are you just going to let him go?” Rushing over, Nicole grabbed a fistful of my coat. “You like him,” she said, shaking me with each syllable. “Why are you making such a mess of this?”
Breaking free, I smoothed down my coat, buying time. She didn’t wait. “Get out there and talk to him,” she ordered, pointing towards the door.
“And tell him what?”
“Tell him that he wasn’t wrong,” she yelled, as if that was necessary to make me understand. She shoved me towards the door. “What are you waiting for?”
“He’ll be gone now. It’s too late.”
“He won’t be gone. He’s standing by his car.”
“How can you possibly know that?” Whoever built the store a zillion years ago had the good sense not to obstruct the view of the ocean. The small car park couldn’t be seen from inside the café.
Nicole dangled a set of keys in front of me. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Snatching the keys from her, I marched to the door. I didn’t even take time to string a reasonable apology together in my head. Adam was already walking up the steps, coffee still in hand. It took all my might not to throw the keys at him, run inside, bolt the door and hide until he was gone.
He could probably tell by the look on my face that he was going to have to speak first.
“I left my keys.”
I shook my head. “Nicole took them to stop you leaving.”
I dropped them into his palm.
“Why would she do that?” he asked.
“Because she knows I will have sabotaged this day. And she knows I need time to make it right,” I explained.
“Charli – ”
“You said that you thought it was me that drew you here.” Interrupting him was all I could do. If I let him finish telling me how vile he thought I was, I would’ve lost my nerve completely.
His face contorted as if he wished he’d never said it. “You blew me off and handed me to the Beautifuls,” he reminded me, outraged.
“I know,” I replied contritely. “I’m sorry.”
Adam backed down the steps. “You’re so confusing,” he muttered.
Before I knew it, I was following him to his car, taking two quick steps to keep up with each of his long strides. “Adam, you asked me if I believed
in fate.”
He balanced the cup of coffee on the roof of the car. His hand was on the door handle but he didn’t open it. “And you said you didn’t.”
“I lied.” He shook his head, incensed by me all over again. The car door opened and I wedged myself in the way to stop him leaving. “Please, I know I don’t deserve it but let me explain.”
He took a step back from me, folding his arms defensively. “No games,” he warned.
“None,” I promised, sealing the deal by crossing my heart, just to prove I had one. “If I’d told you the truth, you’d think I was crazy.”
“As opposed to mercurial and jaded?” he asked.
“I’m only a little bit jaded and I don’t know what mercurial means.”
A hint of a smile ghosted across his face. “So what is the truth?”
I stepped out from behind the car door and pushed it closed. “I chance everything to fate. I always have. I’m constantly looking for shifts in the universe. My brother tells me that I’d find a deeper meaning in a hole in the ground.” I paused and looked down, trying to slow my rant. “When you told me that the first chance you’d ever taken in life was to come here, searching for a place on a postcard, I just knew....”
I sucked in a breath. I’d reached my limit.
“Knew what, Charlotte?” he prompted. It was the first flicker of curiosity he’d shown since I’d begun speaking.
“Fate brought you here.”
He replied quickly. “If what you’re saying is true, fate isn’t kind. Today was a disaster, so I’m struggling to understand why you’re intent on salvaging this.”
“It was only a disaster because I got ugly,” I pointed out. “My head is very protective of my heart and it’s a defect I’m well aware of. Keeping the Beautifuls out of my business has practically become my life’s work. I’m so sorry you got caught up in it.”
He shook his head, looking utterly confused. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”
“Things would be making a whole lot more sense right about now if I’d given you the chance to know me better.” I bit my bottom lip, holding my breath, waiting for him to speak.
“Tell me who you are then, Charli,” he suggested.
Bravely reaching into his coat pocket, I took out the ragged postcard. He stood completely still as I pressed it against his chest, smoothing out the crease.
“Well, for a start, I’m Charlotte Elisabeth Blake,” I told him. “And if you look at the bottom right hand corner of your picture, you’ll see my initials.” I handed the postcard to him and he studied it closely.
Photography had been my passion for a long time. It wasn’t a secret and I could think of no plausible reason why I hadn’t told him about it the minute he’d shown me the picture.
It had been Alex’s idea to publish them as postcards. It was never going to make me rich but the proceeds bumped my bank account up enough to make my dreams of travelling at the end of the year a possibility rather than a pipedream. Not surprisingly, I’d managed to corner the market. Every postcard in town was one of mine.
“I knew exactly where that photo was taken because I took it. A picture I took made it all the way around the world to you. And you came looking for it. It’s fate. You had no choice but to come here. You said so yourself.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Don’t question the universe. Just go with it. We’re practically guaranteed a happy ending.”
He grinned at me. “Is that so?”
“Definitely so.”
“So what happens now?”
I shook my head. “I’m not entirely sure but I’m hoping you’ll stick around long enough to find out. Everything will be okay in the end.”
Breathing suddenly became easier. I wasn’t convinced he understood me but he hadn’t jumped in the car and locked all the doors either. I was content to walk away.
For now, everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. I was never going to be able to turn the clock back but I felt confident that I had at least explained myself.
It wasn’t a moment I wanted ruined by Nicole’s relentless need for details so I bypassed the café and started walking home.
“What happens if it doesn’t work out, Charli?” he called.
“Then it’s not the end, Adam,” I replied, barely slowing my walk.
4. Shifting Universes
The distance from the café to our house was ridiculously long. As soon as I was sure I was out of Adam’s sight I took my phone and punched in Alex’s number. “Can you come get me, please?”
“Hello to you too,” he replied.
“I’m sorry. Hello. Can you please come and pick me up? I’ve just left the café,” I amended, sounding sweeter.
“I’ve got a few errands to run. Do you want to come with me?”
Even after running errands, I’d still be home in less time than it would take me to walk. “Yes, please,” I grumbled, tilting my head to look at the sky. The clouds were threatening rain now. I had managed to stay dry all day but was concerned that my luck was running out.
I heard Alex before I saw him. The V8 engine stuttered as he downshifted to take the bend. His beloved Holden Ute was one of his few guilty pleasures. He was the most sensible, level-headed man on earth except when it came to his car. It got washed every weekend – at least once. I swear he talked to it when he thought no one was listening. Every year he traded up for the newest, loudest model available and like a fickle schoolboy, his affections would quickly shift to the new car.
The engine dulled to a throaty rumble as he pulled up beside me. Alex leaned over and pushed the passenger door open. “What happened to Prince Charming? He couldn’t give you a ride home?”
“I chose to walk,” I said with dignity.
“But you didn’t,” he grinned. “You called me.”
“Only to see if you’d answer your phone,” I replied. “Do you want to hear about my day?”
“Well, you didn’t call asking for bail money so I can only assume it didn’t end too badly.” The dark look I levelled at him had little effect but he amended his answer. “Of course I want to hear about your day.”
“He dropped me off at the café and Lily was there. I basically fed him to her on a platter.”
“Poor bloke.” He laughed, knowing full well what the Beautifuls were capable of. “I’m sorry it didn’t end well, Charli.”
“I never said it didn’t end well.”
Alex glanced at me. “Okay, then.”
If I had ended the conversation right there, he would have been perfectly content. Alex did not cope well with drama.
I waited a few minutes before speaking again. “Do you believe in fate, Alex?”
His face contorted into a frown as discomfort set in. “What’s this all about, Charli?”
“What if fate brought Adam to me?”
His eyes remained on the road, but I had his undivided attention.
“The kid is here visiting his cousin, Charli,” he stressed. “Fate has nothing to do with it.”
I told Alex the postcard story in its entirety. “It can’t be coincidental,” I declared.
He groaned. “Look, you take beautiful pictures of the Cove. It’s not much of a stretch to think someone who saw them would come here and check it out for themself.”
I remembered the desperation in Adam’s voice when he’d told me how he needed to see it with his own eyes. He’d spoken as if he’d had no choice.
“The universe hasn’t shifted, Charli.” He grinned. “I would have noticed something like that.”
“So you don’t believe in love at first sight?” I quizzed.
Alex shifted uncomfortably. “No.”
“What about the fabulous Mademoiselle Gabrielle Décarie?” My pathetic accent sounded more like a fortune telling witch than a French socialite.
“Hardly,” he mumbled. His protest was weak and I wasn’t buying it. “What is she going to think when she find
s out you’re shifting universes with her precious cousin?” he asked, changing his tone.
The question had already crossed my mind. I was Gabrielle’s least favourite person. We avoided each other like the plague, and that worked well for both of us. The most I saw of her was three hours a week during French class, if I bothered to make it.
Our road trip was quick. Alex ran a few errands and hardly anything was said on the way home, and that was okay. Alex was my safe place.
***
Monday mornings were always a problem for me. The feeling of dread was particularly bad that morning, knowing I had a double period of French after lunch. I considered ditching. I may not have been Gabrielle’s favourite person, but fortunately the principal didn’t share her opinion of me. The most severe punishments Mr Monroe dished out were half hour detentions, which I spent playing games on my phone or reading a magazine.
Lying in bed pondering my choices, I came to the realisation that I had none. Skipping French today was not an option. Adam would have filled Gabrielle in on the details of our day together. The relative safety of the classroom, where she couldn’t scratch my eyes out in public, seemed like the best place to face her.
My alarm blared. Hitting the snooze button for the third time was tempting but nonsensical. Not much effort went in to choosing my outfit. I grabbed the first shirt I found in my drawers, a long sleeved green stretch cotton tee. My choice of pants was even easier; I owned more pairs of jeans than any girl should admit to. The hot blast from the hairdryer felt good as I waved it over my wet hair. One of the few benefits of having razor straight hair meant that it always dried that way, no matter how much it was tortured. There was just enough time for breakfast before Alex rushed me out the door.
My brother drove me to school most mornings, which was a godsend in winter. My little car took forever to start on cold mornings, and when it did, the heater would still be blowing cold air by the time I reached my destination.
“Do you need a ride home?” he asked, pulling alongside the ancient front gates of Pipers Cove High School.
The school wasn’t as small as it should have been. Most of the neighbouring towns had no secondary schools of their own so students were bussed in, but even with the extra kids bumping numbers, it wasn’t a big enough place to be anonymous, a fact made painfully obvious by the group of girls waiting for me at the gate. News travelled fast, and Adam Décarie was bound to be front page.