PART SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It was after 3 o'clock when they arrived back at the Willowbranch . Mum was ready to play some cards as soon as they walked in the door. So after Jo and Shannon put the stuff away that they'd bought in Maryborough, they sat down and listened to Rose and mum explain the game.
The cards had just been dealt when there was a hard, sharp knock on the front door. Rose rushed over to answer it. Anyone who knew them usually came around to the back and came in by the back door.
Must be strangers, she thought, looking for a place to stay for the night. But I'll have to turn them away this time.
Shannon 's friend Carly would be here tomorrow, and Jo's friend Paige, also, and they would be sleeping in the red room. She didn't want someone to sleep in that now-empty bedroom for just one night, as she would have to change the bedding and wash the sheets all over again. That was no easy chore—hanging everything on the clothesline outside to dry and hoping it wouldn't rain.
"Yes?" she questioned, opening the door a crack.
"I'm Jeff Bannister. I understand Shannon Brooks and David Westmore are staying here?"
"Oh, yes!" Rose responded. "Come in, Mr. Bannister. They've been expecting you."
Jeff Bannister was a big man, tall, with a square face, chiseled features and sporting a graying GI-style haircut. As Rose opened the front door wide, his large frame filled the doorway. He stepped inside with a swagger and looked around with an air of authority.
"Hey, Davie ," he said in a boom voice, as he followed Rose into the kitchen and spotted the young man at the table. "How are you?"
Davie stood up and shook his hand and then introduced everybody sitting around the table. "And this is Shannon Brooks," Davie indicated to him last.
"Well, Ms. Brooks! I'm glad to finally meet the newest member of my team," Jeff Bannister said, his dark, penetrating eyes suddenly sparkling as his serious countenance softened and his mouth upturned into a broad smile. He shook her hand firmly, which she returned just as firmly—surprising him.
"Would you like some iced tea, Mr. Bannister?" Rose asked, always the hostess.
"That would be delightful, Missus Hamus, if it isn't too much trouble." He sat down in the chair that Rose had just vacated. Then he noticed the cards spread out on the table. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, looking expectantly from face to face.
"No, no, no," Fred assured him. "We were just beginning a new card game, but hadn't really gotten started yet."
"You know, Fred," mum said, "I'm not really into playing cards right now. I really should leave and get me washing in before it starts raining. Could take me home?"
Fred, surprised by his mother-in-law's words, got up from the table. "Are you sure, mum?" He knew there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but he had learned to go with mum's gut feeling over the years. Her reaction had not gone unnoticed by Rose, too, who nodded her head at Fred.
"Yes, I'm sure," mum said.
Fred helped her get up and hustled off with her, telling them all he'd be back in a little bit. "I'll stop and check on the bed Max has, Rose, and then pick up some fresh rolls on the way back home." Mum lived across the street from The Bakery .
" Davie , would you like to show me where I'm going to be sleeping tonight?" Mr. Bannister said, after downing the iced tea in a couple of large gulps.
"Sure thing, Mr. Bannister. If it's no bother, could you pull your car around to the back? And I'll show you the bungalow."
Mr. Bannister pushed his chair back from the table. "It was nice meeting all of you. And thank you, Missus Hamus, for the tea." He strode off toward the front door. After excusing himself, Davie followed.
"Who is that man?" Rose inquired, leaning on the counter.
"That's the man I'm going to be shooting pictures for," Shannon said.
"I don't like him," Rose said, looking at both girls. She had been a B&B operator long enough to sense when trouble walked through the door into her house. "And mum doesn't, either. I've never seen her excuse herself from playing cards before!"
"I don't like him, either," Jo said.
"Ditto," Shannon said.
"Fred doesn't, either," Rose said. "I could tell by the way he acted. That Mr. Bannister is up to something rotten in Denmark ."
Rose started taking dishes out of the dishwasher and putting them away for the next meal. Shannon motioned for Jo to follow her, and then went into their bedroom, closed the door and sat on Jo's bed.
"Did you see the look in that man's eyes?" Shannon whispered. "I'm not usually fearful of somebody, but when he looked at me just before he smiled, his eyes were like sharp daggers piercing straight through to my bones!" She shuddered.
"Haven't you seen him before now?" Jo asked, whispering too, though there was really no need to.
"No. A representative of his approached me back home and built up this photography assignment as the opportunity of a lifetime. He offered me such a huge sum of money that I just couldn't refuse. And except for running expenses along the way, all of the money was paid up front in advance ! That money is now safe in my bank. After meeting Jeff Bannister now, though, I'm wondering what I've stepped into."
She wasn't ready to tell Jo that she'd had the weirdest feelings—both during and before this business transaction—that she needed to come to Australia . She realized as she was planning the trip that even though the monetary end of it was more than she could have hoped for, it was those feelings that ultimately persuaded her to come to Australia . She was still trying to figure out what it all meant, and there was no sense bringing up something to Jo that she thought had nothing to do directly with Jeff Bannister. She didn't know Jo that well, anyway, to make that kind of disclosure.
"I don't think I'll have any problem convincing Rose that I should go along with you on your photo shoots," Jo said. "Two women together are better than one alone in a situation like this. Right?"
Shannon nodded her head.
"Well, let's go back to the kitchen and see if there's something we can do to help Rose," Jo continued. "She has a lot of people to cook for, and maybe we can lend a hand."
When they both offered to help, Rose shooed them away. "Oh, no, I don't need help. You two girls go on into the living room and watch the tele or something. I've cooked for a lot of guests before. Three years ago, we had a whole movie crew in Clunes. They were filming a Ned Kelly film. He's Australia 's notorious and famous bushranger— outlaw to you. I had ten of those fellows at a time to cook for, for almost a month. All ten of them stayed here, though I don't remember how we bedded them all." She stopped what she was doing to reflect. "But thanks for asking, anyway."
Shannon and Jo looked at each other and shrugged. They walked into the living room where Shannon turned on the TV, hoping to catch some kind of news from the U.S.
"I've come up with an idea about what to do with your friend, Paige," Shannon said, as they made themselves comfortable on the couch. "Why don't I call the Melbourne airport in the morning about the time the plane from Sydney has landed? Then I can page Carly before she gets on the bus and tell her to call for Paige in the airport terminal. They can ride up here together."
"That's a brilliant idea!" Jo said, glad that Shannon had come up with a solution to her dilemma. Now there was only the quandary of what to do with Paige when she got here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Man, just wait till I see Shannon ! Leaving me here in Sydney while she rushes off early to be in that little town! Well, tomorrow I'll be on the plane to Melbourne and then take the bus up to Clunes. We'll see what happens after that.
Carly decided the cheap hotel that she had switched over to from the ritzy, expensive place that Shannon had stayed in wasn't so bad after all. She could afford to pay her own way for this room. She'd really been feeling guilty about Shannon putting her up in that fancy-smancy hotel. Even though her employer was footing the bill. But it just wasn't her , or her lifestyle. If Shannon had been there, she wouldn't have minded it, because they probably wouldn't have been in the room very much. They would have been sightseeing!
The room here was clean, though not oversized. Still, there was enough room so that she could move around and pace to her heart's content to keep her hip from freezing up. And there was an excellent restaurant downstairs. It wasn't five-star, but she could special-order what she wanted from the menu, and they were very accommodating in preparing it how she liked.
She sometimes wished Shannon and she could have stayed together as lovers, but it never would have worked out in the long run. They both realized they were just too different. After she left her dud of a boyfriend in San Jose , who refused to get married, she came back to Colorado . She and Shannon reconnected—most likely due to the mentor/student relationship they'd had a few years before that. They were younger then, of course, but now they were mature adults. Carly soon discovered she really was attracted more to women than to men. So their mutual attraction blossomed, and they found themselves sharing the same apartment after dating for a couple of months.
But then Shannon got fed up with her always complaining about one thing or another and not paying her share of the bills. She finally blew up at her and sent her packing back to San Jose . She had remained in San Jose ever since, and they were still friends. They were just not lovers anymore. And they agreed to see each other from time to time. Carly had not found another romantic attachment because of her personality—no one wanted to put up with her. Who could blame them? Carly herself admitted she could be a bitch at times. Every once in a while she and Shannon would go on a trip together.
Carly knew that Shannon had been to Australia before. Ten years ago, after they had been corresponding for a few years after their breakup, their correspondence had ended abruptly. It was as if Shannon had dropped off the face of the earth. Carly had no idea where she had disappeared to and tried repeatedly to get in touch with her.
Then just as suddenly, two months later, Shannon was back to corresponding the same as ever. But she never talked about where she'd been—only that she'd spent some time in Australia , mainly around Melbourne and a little bit in Sydney . Carly was respectful enough not to ask questions, as she perceived it was a private matter. Still, she had wondered down through the years. And then when Shannon called and told her they were going on a vacation to Australia , she thought it was a little odd, but never really questioned it. Now here she was, on the other side of the planet, and Shannon had left her adrift.
Carly got ready for bed, wishing she could have seen some sights in Sydney . She'd reneged on her plans to see the Sydney Opera House yesterday, as that would have required a lot of walking, too—even though she could have taken a taxi there. She stepped outside of the hotel a couple of times and sat on a bench in front and watched people walk by. But she stayed in her room most of the time yesterday and today, watching hot lesbian sex movies the hotel provided.
Drat that Shannon ! Why did she have to leave me up the creek without a paddle? Wait till I see her!
She told the desk to call her early enough in the morning so she could catch her plane.
* * * * * *
Paige had boarded the plane at LAX with only a carry-on bag. She couldn't stay more than a week and didn't want to have much baggage to haul around. But she had enough clothes in her one bag to last her for the week, if she found a Laundromat somewhere. She had never been to Australia , but thought it was about like the U.S. where they would have all the amenities that the States had. There should be no problem finding a Laundromat somewhere.
When she arrived in Sydney , she went to a hotel that her ticket agent had arranged for her to stay in the day she got there. She was told it was especially accommodating to bereaved family members. Yeah, like I had to lie to get here! Paige thought . And borrow money from my brother. I hope Jo appreciates this.
She e-mailed Jo from the hotel as soon as she arrived in Sydney that morning. I wonder how Jo is going to react when she reads the e-mail I sent her. I don't know why I wasn't honest with her from the beginning. But she should be excited that I'd come all the way over here to see her.
The plane to Melbourne would leave in the morning at 9 o'clock. She'd be in Sydney only one day, so she took a walk around the hotel for a few blocks to see some of the city, grabbed some lunch at a crowded café, and then spent the rest of the day in her hotel room looking at magazines and watching TV.
She went to bed early after putting in a wake-up call to the hotel desk—and slept soundly through the night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Fred was sitting at the kitchen table after depositing the rolls on the counter. Davie and Jeff Bannister came up from the bungalow, and since dinner wasn't quite ready yet, they sat down with him and started talking about the B&B . Mr. Bannister listened politely for a while and then excused himself and went into the living room, leaving Davie to carry on the conversation. He sat down in an easy chair opposite the couch where Shannon and Jo were seated.
“ Davie tells me you took some good shots down in town yesterday," he said, addressing Shannon . "He said you were going to download them on your computer. Could I see them? And did you get a chance to take some pictures of the B&B this morning?"
It looks like my boss thinks I'm already working. Well, he's got another think coming, Shannon thought.
"Well, I hope they were good photos yesterday in town," Shannon said. "But I didn't get to a bank to exchange my money for Australian currency till this afternoon, so I didn't have an adapter to use with the electricity here till right now. So they're not downloaded on my computer yet. We'd just gotten back from Maryborough, where the bank was, when you came."
"Okay," Mr. Bannister said, sounding disappointed. "And what about the pictures of the B&B ? Did you take them this morning?"
"Actually, no," Shannon said. "Fred was going to Ballarat early this morning, so we went along with him so I could rent a car. We got back around noon, had lunch, and then Davie and Jo and I went to Maryborough. I didn't really have a chance to take any photos of the B&B . The light wouldn't have been good for taking photos in the afternoon, anyway. I'm sorry I have nothing to show you right now."
Mr. Bannister was silent, not used to things not going his way.
Shannon was silent, too—but only for a short space and then dove right in to what she thought might be an explosive conversation. Even though Mr. Bannister was a new client, she didn't care. She was upset on a few fronts.
"Mr. Bannister, do you realize how inconvenient it was to leave me stranded without any transportation or any money to really go anywhere? You said I wouldn't have to worry about expenses while I was here."
Jeff Bannister could see she was clearly upset. And in spite of the fact they had just met, he admired her pluck at not being hesitant about how she came across to him.
"I know," he said, appeasingly, "and I'm sorry. We didn't expect to start shooting this soon. We could have done all of this beforehand. And you will be reimbursed for the car rental and the inconvenience the trip has already caused you."
He seemed genuinely sorry, and Shannon began to think she might have misjudged him. But that thought was short-lived when she remembered how he had looked at her when she first saw him.
Shannon accepted his apology, however, nodding her head. "And another thing," she said, as they all gathered back into the kitchen for dinner at Rose's beckoning. "I had to buy some other things when I was in Maryborough, besides the adapter. Will I be reimbursed or all those things, too?" She was really pushing the button now and thought for sure that Mr. Bannister was going to blow his top.
"Absolutely," he said agreeably. "In fact, I'll have a check for you in the morning to cover everything up-to-date and for enough cash to last you for quite a while—in case you want to do some sightseeing and such when we're not working. Anything else?"
Shannon didn't know what to say when everyone started to seat themselves at the table. Mr. Bannister seemed so downright amiable. Then she remembered something else. "I went ahead and paid for rooms here at the B&B for myself and a friend who will be arriving here tomorrow probably in the early afternoon. So, according to our agreement, I expect to be reimbursed for my share of the room. Of course, you won't be paying my friend's way."
"That's fine, Ms. Brooks," Mr. Bannister said. "I'll include that in the check. And from now on, just keep a running account of your expenses, and you will be completely reimbursed for everything as we go along. Is that all?"
"After I take some photos of the B&B in the morning, I'll need to wait for my friend to get here so I can get her settled in before we take off for somewhere to do other shootings?" Shannon inflected her voice at the end, so that it sounded like a question rather than a statement. She looked at Mr. Bannister across the table closely, wondering if this piece of information would push him over the edge this time.
Jeff Bannister took a deep breath before he spoke. "That's fine," he said in a tone that did not seem the least bit upset. "I'm expecting my crew to arrive sometime in the late afternoon tomorrow, so we wouldn't be able to do much of anything till they get here, anyway—probably not till the next morning."
Rose continued to fill serving dishes with food, listening to every word. The others at the table were listening, too. No one wanted to interrupt them.
Under his calm exterior, Jeff Bannister was trying his best not to lose his temper, but he felt his face starting to turn red. He pushed the feeling back down. He prided himself in his perfect self-control and didn't want to upset the applecart at this stage of the game. He wanted Ms. Brooks on his side. Her requests for reimbursement for various things caused him a little concern. His money, as well as time, was running out, so he'd have to move quickly. And Ms. Brooks' friend might present a problem.
He looked closely at Shannon , smiling as if there were nothing going on inside him other than congeniality. His future had always relied on his being cordial in all his dealings. And even though he knew a little bit about Shannon 's ‘friend', he had to ask as if he didn't know. "Who is your friend?"
"She's a woman I've known practically all of my life. Her name is Carly. I promised her this vacation because she'd just had a hip replaced. I thought she could do with a change of scenery to take her mind off the surgery."
Before Mr. Bannister assumed anything, or asked, she added, "She lives in San Jose , and we see each other only a couple of times a year when we take trips together."
"What will your friend be doing while you're working?" Mr. Bannister asked, offhandedly.
"Oh, she'll stay here at the B&B . She can't walk very well yet with a new hip. I told her she'd have plenty to do around here, and can take my rental car out once in a while—I'll pay for the gas, of course—and one day we could go shopping in Melbourne when I have some time off. She'll be no trouble."
As Shannon spoke those words, she wondered how Carly was going to get along without her, because Carly didn't know how to drive in Australia . And even if she did manage to drive, her hip might give her problems. Maybe she'd made a mistake in convincing her to come along. Oh, well, she'd cross that bridge after Carly got here.
Mr. Bannister breathed a sigh of relief. One less obstacle for him to contend with. He probably wouldn't have a problem with Shannon 's friend .
"But my friend Jo here," Shannon continued, gesturing to Jo sitting beside her, "is coming with me on the photo shoots. She'll be a big help to me. I really don't want to be the only woman on the crew. That is, I presume it is an all-men crew?”
"Yes, it is," Mr. Bannister said, becoming agitated again, looking with distaste at Jo. "If I had known you wanted women around, I could have arranged for that. I guess as long as Ms. Campbell doesn't interfere with our production, it will be all right if she comes."
"I can assure you I won't be a problem," Jo said to him.
"Well, now that we've settled a few things, I guess we're ready to eat?" Jeff said, looking at Rose, who had just sat down.
After a plentiful and filling evening meal, Mr. Bannister and Davie wandered down to the bungalow, planning on staying down there for the night. Fred went to feed his chooks. Rose let Shannon and Jo help clear the table, but told them to find something to do while she loaded the dishwasher. She pulled out a map from the cupboard under the phone that they could look at if they wanted to see where they were in Clunes relative to the rest of the outlying countryside. She thought it might help Shannon to get her bearings when she went to some small towns. Rose was unaware that Shannon had been in Australia before, or was staying at the very same B&B she did years ago.
Shannon and Jo sat on the couch, hunched over the map, while Shannon pointed out places where she and Kim had been. She talked softly. "At this place—Ballarat, you remember?—we spent the day wandering around the little zoo there. In this town"—she pointed on the map—"we discovered we had picked a perfect little town to go shopping, as there were antique stores galore. We didn't buy anything, though. It was strictly window shopping." Shannon showed Jo many places on the map that she and Kim had visited and talked a little about each place.
"And up here," she said, pointing to a national park some distance from Clunes, "is where Kim began to change."
"Change how?" Jo asked, suddenly curious with all the talk about Kim.
"I don't want to talk about it right now, Jo. Okay?" Shannon said. She folded up the map and took it back to Rose, leaving Jo with a puzzled expression on her face and questions she had no answers to.
* * * * * *
"Davie Boy, I'm really tired right now," Mr. Bannister said. "I think we can hold off on discussing business till tomorrow. I need to go and lie down and try to get rid of this blasted headache that's been bothering me."
He knew the headache was brought on by his conversation with Shannon Brooks. Although her requests were legitimate, he did not like the way things were going. Especially bothersome was that other woman—Ms. Campbell—coming along on their photo shoots. Well, if that other woman got in the way, he'd just send her packing quicker than the bat of an eyelash!
Davie looked at him with concern. "Is there anything I can do? Do you need some headache medicine or something?"
"No. I'll be all right by tomorrow," his boss said. "I just need a good night's sleep." He started rummaging through one of his suitcases. "I brought along something for you to read while we're here. We can't let your education go lacking just because you're on location for a shoot."
He handed Davie a hefty, thick business manual.
Davie took it from him and moaned inwardly. I thought I was getting away from all of this book learning when I came up here.
"Here's a check for Ms. Brooks that I want you to give to her in the morning," Mr. Bannister said, putting the final flourish on his signature and handing the check to Davie . "There's enough cash to last her for a little while. It includes reimbursement for some things."
Davie stuck it in his pants pocket. "See you in the morning," he said, as his boss shuffled off to the bedroom. Then he made himself sit down on the couch to read. He'd much rather be up at the main house watching the TV—especially that Australia program with the three gorgeous women!
He didn't realize how worn out he was, too, and fell asleep on the couch.
* * * * * *
Shannon told Jo it would be all right for her to sleep in in the morning if she wanted to. She was getting up early while the light was right, to take photos of the B&B . Rose and Fred had gone to bed early, and she and Jo had been alone watching TV. Shannon got up and wandered off to bed, leaving Jo to finish watching a somewhat interesting program about Australian wildlife.
Jo thought about the events that had unfolded during the last two days after Shannon walked away. Shannon had not even kissed her goodnight. And after all the talking Shannon did about herself and Kim, Jo didn't feel like approaching her , either. She sensed that Shannon was distancing herself and didn't know why. After what had happened between them so far—including the intense, passionate sex—she wondered what was going on. What was this mysterious relationship with Kim that still seemed to have a grip on Shannon ? And just as important, why was she— Jo—caught up in the middle of it? Her emotions were all up in the air as she wondered what was going to happen next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Sleep eluded Jo most of the night, because it was still bothering her that Shannon had distanced herself last night. She thought she could sleep in, but found herself up before dawn with less than two hours' sleep. She had gotten out of bed and was lying on the floor of the bedroom doing some yoga exercises when Shannon woke up.
Not noticing that Jo was spread out on the floor, Shannon got out of bed and tripped over her. Losing her balance completely, she fell on top of her!
"Oh, my God," Shannon said. "I'm so sorry! I never even saw you there!" She hastily tried to scramble up and then slipped on Jo's breasts. That made it even worse, as it caused her to lose her balance again and topple down on top of Jo once more. She stayed there for just a moment too long. Jo wrapped her arms around her and didn't let go.
Jo had been just as startled as Shannon ! It was unexpected that Shannon would get up and trip over her. She never noticed her coming, as she was lying on her side doing a knee-down twist with her back to the beds.
"I can't, Jo," Shannon said pleadingly—resisting—and Jo turned her loose. Shannon pushed herself back up from the floor. "I really have to go to the bathroom— right now !" she exclaimed and quickly left. Jo's eyes wistfully following her.
Jo sat up on the floor after she finished a set of exercises and looked over at Shannon, who had returned and was sitting on her bed. In the dim pre-dawn light, Shannon looked ravishingly beautiful!
In the soft light filtering in from the windows of the veranda, Shannon noticed that Jo was skimpily clad only in panties and sleeveless T-shirt. She had failed to really notice that when she was stumbling around to get to the bathroom after falling on her. She caught her breath.
"Is everything all right?" Jo asked.
Yes," Shannon replied quietly, calming down. "Everything's all right."
But everything was not all right. She tried to keep her eyes averted from Jo. Oh, God, here I go again. What is the matter with me? Why am I thinking of Kim? I can't stop thinking about her. And Jo doing yoga like that reminds me of the stretches that Kim would do in the mornings. And when Jo told me I said Kim's name in my sleep night before last.... She let a tear roll down her cheek. What must Jo think of me? Dear sweet Jo. What am I going to do?
"I was just doing some yoga," Jo explained, trying to keep her voice steady. "I thought it might help my energy level, since I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Oh, that's right. You're a yoga teacher," Shannon said, pulling herself out of the thoughts she was having. "Maybe some time while we're here you can teach me a few things. I could use help in shedding some pounds."
"Sure, I could do that. Whenever you want," Jo responded.
She didn't tell her that yoga wasn't really a weight-losing activity—just one of the side benefits. After I had my arms around you night before last, I think you're perfect just the way you are. You don't need to lose weight. And you're just the right height, too—about three inches shorter than me. And believe me, babe, I'd like to teach you a few things, but they don't have anything to do with yoga!
Shannon hurriedly excused herself and grabbed her clothes and said she was going to take a shower. Jo watched her leave and went back to her yoga for a few more asanas .
The sun was just starting to show its brilliant orb under the low clouds at daybreak when Shannon came out of the bathroom. The clouds would burn off in no time, leaving another sparkling and hot summer day. She noticed Jo had gotten dressed and gone into the kitchen. She could hear the whistle of the teapot, water already boiling. She wondered how early Mr. Bannister was going to be up, and decided she'd better go about the job she was supposed to be doing as soon as possible before he made an appearance—even though she wasn't officially working yet until the photography crew arrived. But she questioned again—why did Mr. Bannister want photos of the B&B ?
* * * * * *
Jeff Bannister was awake shortly after dawn, staring at the ceiling as he lay in bed and thought about the phone call he'd gotten the afternoon before he'd left for Clunes. He was in a dicey situation, and he couldn't let anything happen that would cause his plans to go awry. He was up to his neck in debt, having borrowed money to the hilt. Writing a check out to Ms. Brooks wasn't helping, either.
"If you can't get some pictures and a signed contract by the end of the year, the deal's off," Devon Magnuson, CEO of A-1 Film Enterprises Unlimited had said to him. "We've waited a year for you to follow up with us on something substantial to pay for all the time and money we've invested. So far you've come up with nothing! But we still think you're the man who can seal the deal. If you can get a few 'extras' to come along, too, that would make it more authentic. None of those fake blokes. Understood?"
"Yes. Absolutely," Jeff Bannister had said. "Things are moving right along and we should be able to make contact within a few days. I have someone who is working for me right as we speak."
"I hope so, for your sake," Magnuson said. "Just remember, if you can't pull it off, there's a couple of other guys waiting in the wings waiting to take your place!"
Over my dead body! Jeff thought. NO ONE leaves Jeff Bannister out in the cold! If Magnuson won't hang in there with me, I'll find someone else who will . I can't pass up this chance to do something that's never been done before. It would be a feather in my cap, and I'll be well on my way to a small fortune. I'm not about to quietly hand this idea— my idea — over to someone else. I just have to make sure I'm successful this time. Two times in the past year I've run into dead ends, but it's not going to happen again. I have a contingency plan in place just in case.
Jeff's face took on a hardened look as he thought of the crucial days to come when every move he made had to be the right move at the right time. And with Shannon Brooks in his corner—
He got out of bed and dressed. "Come on, Davie ," he yelled at his young helper, who was stretched out on the couch. Let's get going. Lots to do today. I'll see you up at the main house for breakfast." He slammed the door as he left.
Davie sat up, disheveled, and silently got up and meandered to the bathroom. I hope they have something good to eat, he thought . I sure miss my aunt's cooking.
* * * * * *
After a quick 'cuppa,' Shannon took pictures of the B&B while Rose and Jo tagged along behind her. The sun was just coming up, giving her the sharp contrasts of light and shadow that made for excellent images. She snapped some intriguing close-ups of flowers she had never seen before, some of which were native to Australia that she was almost certain had to be wildflowers. Willowbranch B&B was surrounded everywhere with flowers and shrubs. Flowers were even down behind the bungalow. Shannon had never seen so many and different kinds of flowers at a private residence, or semi-private like Willowbranch , except where people had a lot of money to spend on landscaping. She told herself to remember to inquire later from one of Rose's daughters-in-law—Suellen—about the names of all the flora.
Rose said Suellen was an outdoorsy type person who liked to work with landscaping and flora of all kinds. She was always bringing flowers and shrubs for Rose to plant. She taught Rose how to work the soil and take care of the yard. Rose laid claim to most of the yard, because of all the bushes and flowers. And it included a vegetable garden. She loved to be out in the yard, just as much as she loved to make quilts and cook meals.
Fred took care of the rest of the place—the chickens, the firewood, fixing things up, and general maintenance. The only thing Rose would let Fred do in her vegetable garden was dig around in it a bit—weeding and such, and harvesting veggies. She also let him cut the grass and see to fertilizing the yard.
As Shannon took pictures both outside and inside of the B&B , Rose was happy to oblige, thinking that photos of their Willowbranch might wind up in a magazine in America . That would be a big boost for them to have American tourists come here after they'd seen Willowbranch B&B displayed in a magazine!
Jo followed Shannon around, taking notes on the B&B . She thought she might be able to write something to accompany Shannon's pictures, even though she knew the photos were probably part of Shannon 's job now. She didn't know what Mr. Bannister was going to do with the photos—the B&B was not a small town—but she kept on jotting down notes, anyway.
After Shannon took more pictures than she thought she would ever need, they came in for breakfast. Rose had preceded them by a few minutes. Jeff Bannister was sitting at the table, conversing with Fred over a cup of tea. Davie straggled in and sat down sleepily at the table.
They had porridge again, which Jo learned was a staple item every morning. Rose told her she rarely cooked eggs for breakfast, unless a guest really wanted eggs. They sold them and normally used them in the B&B only for cooking and baking.
Mr. Bannister was disinclined to eating porridge this morning, however, and requested three fried eggs, over-easy, with bacon and two slices of toast, lightly buttered—and jam. Rose covertly looked at him with disdain, but cooked his eggs, anyway, just like he wanted them. All the while she thought he deliberately asked for eggs just to see if she would say yes.
While spreading jam over his toast, Jeff Bannister asked Shannon if she'd had a chance to take photos of the B&B this morning. Shannon assured him she had taken probably more than he would ever use. He seemed pleased when Shannon said she would download them this morning—plus the ones she took in town yesterday—before her friend arrived on the bus from Melbourne—so he could take a look at them. He said he would see them later in the day.
Shannon would let Mr. Bannister look at the photos she'd taken both down in town and of the B&B , but if he asked her about having them, that was another story. She was contemplating on how to answer him if that happened. She wasn't just going to give them to him, because they had absolutely nothing to do with small towns. She would question him why he would want them, first of all. And depending on his answer, she would go from there.
Shannon couldn't believe how agreeable her new client had been about everything so far. But neither could she forget the look on his face when she first saw him before his broad smile had taken over his countenance. She sensed that the affable portrait he was painting of himself at this moment was not the real Mr. Bannister.
" Davie , give Ms. Brooks that check I wrote out last night," Mr. Bannister said to his assistant.
Davie dug around in his pocket and pulled out a somewhat wrinkled piece of paper and handed it to Shannon . Her eyes grew wide as she saw the amount on it—more than enough to cover expenses for quite a while!
"Thank you, Mr. Bannister," she said. "I'll try and get to the bank sometime today."
The men finished their breakfast and went outside. Jo sat at the table and visited with Rose, who had refused help again while she busied herself around the kitchen. Shannon disappeared back to the bedroom to download all her images on the laptop. When she came back out, she joined in the conversation.
It was soon time for Shannon to call the Melbourne airport. She made a connection with Carly almost at once and talked with her at length.
"Carly told me that she'd already found Paige," Shannon said to Jo, as she folded up her cell phone and stuck it back in her pocket. "They were sitting next to each other on the plane over from Sydney . So they're coming up here together on the bus."
"Really?" Jo said. I wonder what Paige has told Carly about me.
Shannon was thinking virtually the same thing. I wonder what Carly has told Paige about me .
They both would have been surprised to learn that Carly and Paige never talked about them at all!