Irene looked for Ella, hiding in the shadow of Erik.
‘We did this as a very secret and very special thank you present for you, Ella, and for you, Erik. We knew that Marshall used to swim in your squad, and we contacted him on the very slim chance that he might have a weekend free to be our guest in Chalk Hill and come to our town pool opening.’
The crowd clapped.
‘Credit where credit is due. We have to thank Helen Nillson for this bright idea, and Harvey Begg of Begg & Robertson Real Estate for stumping up a financial contribution to assist with flight and accommodation for Marshall and his camera crew.’
The crowd clapped Helen and Harvey.
‘So on Monday morning on live TV, Chalk Hill and its new community pool will feature on the Network 8 Beautiful Day, celebrating good news stories when a community all works together.’
Cheers. Hoots. Hollers.
Ella’s pulse swished in her ears so hard, she barely registered the crowd noise or Irene’s voice. Where was Sam? Had he heard all this? Had her letter got through to Marshall? Was he seriously here to film the opening of the community pool, or was he here for Sam?
Or both?
She couldn’t ask. She had to wait while Irene handed over to the Shire President and he droned on. Then the MP talked about the government’s commitment to West Australian regions …
Cameras flashed.
Network 8 cameras focused on Marshall. Did she imagine it? Or did those cameras also have her in the frame?
‘If we can get you people to come in closer,’ Irene was saying, flapping her arms at Ella and Erik like an airport worker steering a plane into the terminal. ‘We’ll cut the ribbon.’
Ella let herself be positioned next to Erik, one end of a thick red ribbon in her sweating hands. The Shire President and MP held the other end.
‘It is our great honour to invite Mr Marshall Wentworth to cut the ribbon and declare our new pool officially open,’ Irene announced.
Marshall strolled forward, but before he raised the scissors to cut, he paused.
Ella’s world paused with him.
Marshall beckoned for the loud speaker, and graciously, Irene swapped it for the scissors.
‘Good morning, Chalk Hill!’ he called, and all around them in waves bigger than any wash from a pool, the people roared back.
When things finally quietened down, Marshall began again.
‘It is such a great privilege to be here among old friends, and new friends. I want to thank your organising committee for contacting Network 8 and giving us this wonderful opportunity to bring good news stories to Australia. Good news stories that involve swimming and swimming pools are always going to be especially close to my heart.’
Ella screamed a silent litany of: does he know, does he know, does he know?
‘It isn’t just the opening of the pool that brings me to your town today.’
Oh God, he knows, he knows, he knows.
How did this happen? She’d had no chance to prepare Sam.
In front of her, metres from the stage, Jake took a stiff step forward. Beside her, Erik stood coiled and tense, indomitable as a German tank.
‘I have another very personal reason to be in Chalk Hill with my camera crew this morning, and it’s a reason that involves—’
Ella leapt to Irene and plucked the scissors from the old lady’s fingers. She was in Marshall’s face before he could blink.
‘Turn the loud speaker off,’ she said, pitching her voice only for him. ‘Turn those cameras off. Do it now.’
‘Excuse me, folks,’ Marshall breezed. ‘Apparently, we’ve got a small glitch.’
His dark gaze speared Ella’s.
Around her, Ella sensed Erik and Jake, both closing in to take her flanks, but the cameras smelled opportunity and she was dead certain none of them stopped filming.
‘Is everything okay, Ella?’ Irene’s querulous voice reached Ella’s ears. Irene would be smiling through her teeth, praying that everything was all okay on today of all days.
Ella directed everything she had at Marshall. ‘If you make this about you, and not about Sam, I will cut off your balls and feed them to that cute little pony over there, like little ball apples.’
She twitched the scissors to prove it and Marshall’s tan paled.
‘So you give the loud speaker back to the nice lady with the red hair and take these scissors and cut that ribbon. Smile at all the people and then we talk without cameras. Just you and me.’
Erik loomed. ‘And me.’
‘Me too,’ Jake said.
‘That’s quite the posse,’ Marshall said.
‘You decide, Marshall. I can tell it exactly like it is. I can tell this whole crowd if you like, with all your Beautiful Day cameras filming. I’ll tell them you got me pregnant and abandoned me and never wanted to know your own son. I’m not afraid of the truth, not anymore. But you should be.’
Marshall’s eyes flicked above Ella’s head, and she knew he was considering what he could and couldn’t get away with. His network cronies might swim to his tune, but there was other media there that would love nothing better than to spread a juicy headline.
Ella twitched the scissors again.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll tone it down.’
Marshall cleared his throat and flicked the switch to turn the loud speaker on. ‘As I was saying, I have a very personal reason for being here today—’
Ella’s gut twisted. She took a stranglehold on those scissors.
‘And that is because I credit Erik Brecker as the swimming coach who taught me the most. I have never swum faster than I did when I was with Erik’s squad. I haven’t seen him for a
