As they shook hands, Hudson heard the door behind him open. As he turned, he saw the moment Karly caught sight of him and her reaction. She blanched, her chocolate brown eyes bulging a little, her lips compressing into a thin line.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she muttered, slamming the door shut.
‘Now, now, Karly,’ Jem said, his tone amused. ‘Is that any way to greet your new neighbour?’
CHAPTER
8
Every muscle in Heidi’s body ached. While she kept fit by jogging, her daily cardio workout had nothing on doing a massive spring clean. She’d washed walls, scrubbed the grouting in the shower with a toothbrush, cleaned out the pantry and wiped the shelves, and all that after Meredith had left last night.
Her new friend had been a good sounding board and the more Heidi contemplated selling, the more she loved the idea. She’d been stuck in a rut too long and putting this house on the market would get her a step closer to the freedom she craved.
Whether she’d move away or stay in Acacia Haven, she had no idea. She loved the town and its inhabitants, took solace in the familiarity: the salty breeze as she jogged along the foreshore, Maxie’s chicken schnitzel at the pub every Friday night, and lately, the joy of running The Knick Knack Shop. But she’d always yearned for freedom, and while managing the shop and selling the house was a step in a new direction for her, she wondered if it would be enough.
Considering she’d been the only inhabitant here for the last eighteen months, the house was spick and span, but with her plan to call the real estate agents this morning, she did a last quick vacuum and mop and a wipe-over of the kitchen and bathroom benches.
She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard but she also wanted top dollar so she could have more choice of where she lived next, so she lit a few fragranced soy candles Rayne had given her as a thank you when she’d first volunteered to manage the store. As the intoxicating blends of frangipani and lemongrass, vanilla and coconut wafted through the living room and master bedroom, she experienced a moment of doubt.
Perhaps if she prettied the place up a bit, used more finishing touches like these fancy candles, she’d be happier here. But as she glanced around the bedroom and her gaze landed on the bed she’d shared with Bert, she knew she was deluding herself if she thought a few home decor improvements could change how she was feeling deep down.
She needed a fresh start. And that meant moving. Out with the old, in with the new.
Before she could change her mind, she picked up her mobile and looked up the number for the real estate agency. Her heart pounded as someone answered after the fifth ring.
‘Acacia Haven Agency, Jem speaking.’
Heidi didn’t know whether to be appalled or relieved the owner of the agency had picked up. Appalled, because she’d always had a wee crush on the dashing Jeremiah, or relieved because his granddaughter Karlana didn’t particularly like her.
‘Hi, Jem, it’s Heidi Thomas.’
‘Heidi, how nice to hear from you. Haven’t seen you around for ages.’
That was because he never came into the shop and she’d been spending every spare moment away from work out of town dating unsuitable men.
‘I’ve been busy, like everyone these days.’
Not entirely true, as some of the folk in Acacia Haven, and Serenity in particular, took the laidback vibe to extremes. But she could never live in that kind of environment. She liked to stay busy and while she enjoyed binge-watching the latest historical drama or reading a meaty women’s fiction saga, she also needed to keep active. That was why she’d taken up jogging initially after a few years of marriage, to expend nervous energy, because she knew deep down if she had too much time on her hands she’d dwell on her sorrow over being infertile and the resultant strain it put on her marriage.
She’d never understood how blasé Bert had been about it. He’d accepted the devastating news and moved on, oblivious to how gutted she’d been. For him, she’d been enough. Sadly, she couldn’t say the same. And while they’d been loyal to each other and slipped into a familiar routine for their entire marriage, it had never been enough for her.
‘Heidi, you still there?’
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. ‘Sorry, must be a bad connection.’
‘Yeah, you dropped out for a second. What can I do for you?’
She took a deep breath. Here went nothing. ‘I’d like to sell and was wondering when you could pop around to give me an estimation?’
‘Good on you for deciding to list your property. And I’m free now. Karly’s here and she’s chatting with someone, so I can be there in ten minutes?’
Considering the T-shirt stuck to her back, her grimy skin and hair, and the faintest body odour, she said, ‘Make it twenty?’
‘Not a problem. What’s your address?’
She gave it to him, wondering if he was being polite in pretending not to know it. In a town this size, everyone knew where everyone else lived. Then again, she’d avoided the Vogels over the years because of her run-in with Karlana.
‘Great, I’ll see you in twenty,’ he said, and hung up, leaving her staring at the phone in her hand and wondering what the hell she’d just done.