The Silk Scarf, page 1
The Silk Scarf
Australian At Heart, Volume 3
Frances Dall'Alba
Published by Poinsettia Publishing, 2022.
THE SILK SCARF
AUSTRALIAN AT HEART BOOK 3
FRANCES DALL’ALBA
ALSO BY FRANCES DALL’ALBA
Little Blue Box - Australian at Heart Book 1
The Stone In The Road - Australian at Heart Book 2
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to a name, character or history of any actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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THE SILK SCARF
Copyright © 2022 by Frances Dall’Alba
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission from the author. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via Internet or by any other means without the permission of Poinsettia Publishing is illegal.
ISBN: 978-0-6451162-2-9
For my dad, for providing nourishment for a healthy mind.
And for Lisa — my critique partner and friend. Still in this together.
The Silk Scarf
Finalist 2021 – Mid-America Romance Writers, The Mara
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When tragedy changes everything in your life, hope and love can go a long way. This emotional short story about Abby and Mark will warm your heart and leave you touched forever.
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Coming Soon
Flynn's story is coming - Book 4 in The Australian At Heart series
https://francesdallalba.wixsite.com/francesdallalba/australianatheartseries
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Extracts
Author’s Note
Also by Frances Dall’Alba
CHAPTER 1
Melita Van Der Meeliko had to get her act together. Take a deep breath, girl.
Three years after that last kiss should have cured her of the crush she had on Luke Harvey, but his arrival only caused the swirling in her stomach to intensify. Nothing had changed.
The intersection on the Bruce Highway, which linked Brisbane to Cairns, looked no different to when she’d limped off the road with a flat tyre two months ago. To South Johnstone, read the lichen-encrusted sign on the side of the road, with cane fields stretching as far as the eye could see in one direction and banana farms in the other.
Melita got out of her car and waited for Luke to do the same. They’d driven from opposite directions, she forty kilometres from the Tully township, and Luke eighty kilometres from the Cairns airport.
When he got out and stretched his arms above his head, she held in a groan. His navy cotton shirt, pulling taut over his chest and shoulders, couldn’t hide the result of hard physical work as a tradesman. His body was a work of art. His messy sandy-blond hair hadn’t changed, but the smattering of stubble on his face had her licking her dry lips. She swallowed, hoping to calm her racing pulse.
Was he nervous about this meeting too? It had only been one kiss. One that she remembered whenever she closed her eyes at the end of a long day.
“Melita, wow, this is out in the sticks.” He gave her a quick hug.
Taking a step back, she gulped in a lungful of air. If he agreed to do the renovations, how would being together work?
Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly until she ground her jaw and clenched her hands. Get a grip. “Hi, Luke, thanks for agreeing to come.”
“Hey, you did all the organising. I just hopped on the plane.”
Did she detect resentment in his voice? Was he annoyed that she’d paid for his flight and hire car? But since this was her project and she didn’t want anyone else doing the renovations, of course his travel costs were hers to cover.
“Come and take a look inside,” she said. “The settlement came through last week.”
Luke raked a hand through his hair and glanced at the house. “Any idea how long it’s been sitting empty?”
Melita walked towards the forlorn-looking building she’d stumbled across two months ago. “It was built during the 1930s and has been vacant for most of that time. That’s all I know.”
“Mmm.”
Uncertainty assailed her, the same as it had when she’d first seen the house. It was old, really old, and Melita couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a good reason it had been abandoned. But she came from money, so she understood that whoever built this house had clearly done so with a sense of design and an unrestricted budget.
The front door opened on a squeaky hinge. There’d been no keys to hand over; the real estate agent had apologised.
“What a waste for it to sit vacant for so long.”
Melita shrugged. “It’s perfect for what I want.”
Luke’s gaze met hers and held. “You think?”
She managed to ignore her rapidly beating heart. “I know it’s in the middle of nowhere, Luke, but take a moment to listen to the traffic on the road. It never stops. This property is positioned on the only major highway running along the east coast of Australia. It’s smack-bang between Port Douglas and the Whitsunday region.” She turned away from his probing gaze and fingered a mouldy wall, leaving an obvious streak. “If you exclude the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, this stretch of highway is dotted with every other popular Queensland holiday destination. Not to mention a dozen spectacular waterfalls.”
Luke chuckled as he turned on the spot. “You’ve done your research, hey?”
“I know my market.”
“You’re not worried about how isolated it is?”
Her shoulders lost their tension. Moving to Australia had taken her a long way from the rich Boston suburb where she’d grown up, but she’d never felt so at home. “No, I’m not. Every woman, man and child needs swimwear in the tropics. I want a signature business marker and a place where I can set up my manufacturing crew. You’ve heard my one thousand and one ideas before, but I always come back to this. A tea house and exclusive swimwear boutique, all in one place.”
Before they’d shared that kiss, she and Luke had been friends. He’d taught her to drive and, as he’d been the first person to spend more than five minutes listening to her, she’d spilled all her ideas for the future.
Luke nodded and left her side to continue his inspection of the two-storey house.
If anything, Melita’s resolve to succeed in this project had strengthened; two months had not dampened her enthusiasm. She’d looked past the ghastly yellow paint ingrained with black mould, the broken windows and the emptiness that tugged at her. Instead, an image swayed in the heat’s haze, one that included a building with rendered round edges, high sides decorated with finials and a second storey with a stunning view of the ocean in the distance.
Ever since she’d secretly entered and won that swimwear design contest at fifteen, her passion had never waned. Small successes had only fuelled it further. This place would provide an outlet for her designs that were starting to find a foothold in the swimwear market.
A flurry of movement had her turning towards the staircase. Luke ambled down, looking up at the decorative cornice, a feature she wanted to keep. She fought the urge to touch him when he reached her side. Instead, she curled her fingers and waited for his appraisal of the house.
“It’s surprisingly very solid,” were his first words, and she released a huge sigh. “I want to hear all your plans, to gauge whether the renovation is feasible.”
She tilted her face and managed a lop-sided smile. “I’d like a few walls knocked out to open up the café. That sort of thing.”
Luke gave her a long, hard look, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.
She sucked in a quick breath. Was he feeling something too?
“Are you sure about this, Mel?”
What did he mean? Was he referring to the project or them? They had parted with unresolved issues. “I am.”
He nodded, his gaze never leaving hers.
Three years ago, her half-sister, Ella, had stormed into her life, turning it upside down for the better. Learning of Ella’s existence had been the first bombshell to drop her way in her short twenty-four years. Ella was also Luke’s half-sister, though he and Melita shared no blood ties. That had never been their issue.
She dragged her gaze from his so she didn’t melt into a puddle at his feet. “I know it’s a long way from home, but I’m going to set up base in Tully. You’ll have the use of a rental property there for as long as the renovation takes.”
She flicked her gaze back in his direction. His eyes were downcast as he rubbed his chin. She hoped he was considering taking on the project.
How would they cope being together all the time? She was desperate to keep emotions out of this arrangement because she’d never been able to gauge what had driven Luke away. That one kiss they’d shared on a stormy afternoon had left her wanting more, but she didn’t blame Luke for walking away, whatever his reasons. Her own parents had been incapable of loving her. Had never shown her any affection or love. She’d reached adulthood believing there was something wrong with her.
She shrugged the thought away. All the more reason to succeed in her business venture; she could only blame herself if it went wrong. “I have a good vibe about this place, Luke. Will you help make my dream a reality? I wouldn’t want anyone else doing the work.”
A frown creased his brow.
In the past two months, she’d worked herself up. It was a few years since her mother’s suicide had crippled her confidence. On all fours, she’d crawled back to some semblance of normality. Succeeding in business meant she could claim she’d recovered, rebuilt her confidence and achieved the dreams she’d tucked away long ago.
“It’ll take weeks to get the plans and approvals through council and—” His voice snagged and he cleared his throat. “And what about working together?”
He reached out and brushed her cheek. Her breath hitched.
“We’ll be around each other a lot. Consulting, discussing, planning.” He hesitated before adding, “I’m not sure how it’ll go.”
She swallowed, resolved to get on with her business. “Me neither. But I need you here, Luke. I trust you.”
He dropped his hand. “Even after what happened?”
“Nothing happened.” And it probably never will because I’m incapable of being loved, she wanted to scream. Not even my goddamned parents could love me.
His odd expression brought back the tightness in her chest. She’d never understood his reasons for ending their friendship. That one kiss cancelled out all the good moments they’d shared, never to be repeated.
Still, she was tempted to reach up and kiss him. Remind him of how good things had been between them. But if she was the only one that felt that way, how would she ever recover from the shame? Better to renovate her property and succeed in business than embarrass herself by inflicting her love on someone who didn’t want it.
His husky tone sent a shiver up her spine. “We were good friends once.”
Melita could only nod. Couldn’t swallow or speak. Luke was worth a thousand friends, and in reality, she didn’t have too many.
His odd expression returned, along with a little smile. “So, what’s the go here? My flight leaves in four hours and it’s a two-hour drive back to the airport.”
Resolving to keep it strictly business between them, she cleared her throat and tried hard to ignore his good looks. The years had only enhanced the width and breadth of his shoulders and the corded muscles in his arms. His torso oozed with strength. It was time to shake off her attraction or it’d taunt her forever. One project. Six months. Move on to the next. Business only.
“I didn’t want to take up too much of your time,” she said. “I’m in Brisbane again next week, but I wanted you to see the building for yourself, spend a couple of hours here, get a feel for it. And I wanted to show you what I have planned.”
Luke nodded. Putting his hands on his hips, he took another look around. “It was only the cost of a flight and car hire, anyway. Not a big deal for you.”
There it was again, that touch of resentment. Did Luke have an issue with her money? She clenched her jaw, the urge to grind her teeth as strong as ever. Her wealth hadn’t been a problem when they’d been friends.
Leave it be, she scolded herself. Her money wasn’t going anywhere. If he couldn’t love her as she was, it was better they’d gone their separate ways.
“Let me show you what I want done. You can tell me if it’s possible, or if I’m just dreaming.”
Her words elicited a smile from Luke, which nearly undid all her good intentions.
“You’re the biggest dreamer I know.” His hands came up, daring her to defy his claim. “Just putting it out there.”
For some absurd reason she began to laugh, and Luke, with his disarming smile, followed suit. They needed this if they were going to work together, being able to laugh at stupid jokes. It was what she missed so damn much about their friendship. Thankfully, their shared laughter speared the tension between them and scattered it around the room.
Could she pretend they were friends again?
Still chuckling, Luke meandered towards the only window in the downstairs room and stared through the grubby glass. “Ella phoned me last night and told me about Flynn.”
Melita sobered up. “Shoot, that didn’t take long. I haven’t told anyone yet.”
Luke turned and leaned against the sill. “When did you find out?”
“Two days ago. Dad travelled from Boston with Flynn.” She was still processing the second bombshell to fall her way—the second biggest secret reveal of her life.
Even though he was a few feet away, Luke’s concerned gaze touched her like hot burning tongs. “Are you okay about it?”
His concern disarmed her and she blinked rapidly.
“Aw, Mel.” He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms. “Want to talk about it?”
She inhaled deeply, accepting his closeness. She’d missed this so much, being able to talk to Luke about anything. Three years was a long time to bottle things up, and the news she’d received had rattled her.
Luke took her hand. “We’ll discuss the house soon. Come and tell me what’s upsetting you.” He led her outside and plonked himself under a tree in the backyard.
Letting her hand slip from his, she looked down at him. “Can you put me out of my misery first? Will you do the renovations?”
He patted the spot beside him. “Of course, and you can thank that cute Boston accent of yours.”
Relief whooshed past her lungs and she smiled. “I think I’ve lost most of it. I’m speaking more like an Aussie every day.”
Luke’s eyebrows rose and he pulled a face. “Er … I think you’ve still got a way to go.”
She chuckled, enjoying the fleeting carefree moment.
“Now, tell me about this brother of yours. Will I like him?”
Dragged back to earth, she squared her shoulders and took a seat beside him, careful to keep her distance. “Thank you, Luke. You have no idea how much your help means to me.” She leaned against the tree and allowed her body to relax.
Luke wasn’t so cautious; he took her hand and held onto it.
Melita wasn’t in any hurry to take it back. It was all the prompting she needed to bare her soul, to tell him what was twisting her in knots. “Five or so years ago, I would’ve welcomed the news I didn’t belong to my family.”
“Hey, you never told me things were that bad.” Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
