“Just try and undermine the reputation of my restaurant and I’ll have you in court, understand?”
“Don’t threaten me. You may have won it by playing dirty but you will never make it shine like it did when I was there. I built that up from the ground including the recipes you claim you developed over the last twelve months. We both know those are my creations, not yours so don’t even try to lay claim to them.” Chef my ass. Bloody take away cook more like it.
“Didn’t take you long to find a new man did it?” He sneered at her. “No wonder you were so keen to leave and didn’t fight me, you already had someone else waiting.”
“You, you…dirty rotten sod! How dare you!” She hung up and threw her phone on the bed watching it bounce on the covers and fall to the floor. Lena clenched her fists and screamed her frustration at the ceiling. There was a tap at the door.
“Bella, is everything okay?”
She turned and opened the door, startled when she saw the worry on her mother’s face. Damn that temper. “Oh, Mama. I’m sorry.” Lena wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her, once again thanking the universe for such wonderful parents. “Everything is fine. Just Cole being a douche bag.” As only Cole can be.
I’ll show that prick up if it’s the last thing I do. She sent up a silent prayer for Adam offering her the dairy and her parents for encouraging her to start over again. There was no way she was going to hide in the country like a timid little mouse while her ex lorded it over her. Oh no, she was going to come back with a big splash and make sure he knew she was back in the best way possible. Now I have a mission to prove to him and myself I don’t need him.
“So long as you’re okay. Dinner is ready, bella. I thought Kyle would be back by now. I told him not too long when he popped next door to see Adam. Can you go and call him please while I plate up?”
“Sure.” The cool air will calm me down. She walked out of the bedroom, patted her father on the shoulder as she passed, and headed out the back door calling to Kyle as she walked down the kitchen path.
He was striding up the back paddock, his back hunched and his hands in his pockets.
Oh dear, that doesn’t look good. Something is bothering him. “Dinner’s ready, mate. Nona thought you’d forgotten.” She waited for him to make a comment and when he didn’t, she reached out to him. “Kyle, what’s wrong?”
“Adam. It’s just not fair.” He brushed past her and hurried up the path and into the kitchen.
Adam? She caught up with him at the kitchen door and grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face her. “What’s wrong with Adam?” Please don’t let it be anything serious.
“He has to shoot his new deer tomorrow.”
“What? No.” Lena glanced over at her father, unsure what to do now. “But…”
“They have some sort of disease. He’s not looking so great either.” Kyle screwed up his face as though he was going to burst into tears.
Ben stood up. “Hold my dinner, I’ll pop over and see if he’s okay. There must be something I can do for the poor guy.” He folded his newspaper and set it down on the sideboard. “Back soon, but don’t wait for me.” Ben headed out the door and down the path.
“That is terrible news. Poor Adam, he put so much faith into the new stock too.” Sofia tutted and turned back to the stove. “We will eat now. I will keep Papa’s dinner warm for when he gets back.”
Just as they were wiping the last of the dinner dishes, Ben walked in. His mouth tight and grim, he stood at the door looking at the family. “Nothing to be done, poor bugger. The vet has spoken and that is that. The whole damned herd has to be destroyed.”
“Oh no. That’s terrible. Poor Adam.” Lena reached for a cloth and took her father’s dinner from the oven, putting it on a heat proof tray. “Is there anything we can do at all?” There must be something I can do to help him. I owe him that at least.
Ben sat down at the table and wiped a hand across his brow. “No. You might hear shots tomorrow. If so don’t worry. It won’t last long hopefully.”
“That really is shocking. Isn’t there another way?” Lena turned on the coffee machine, set it to automatic, and sat down at the table with her father.
“Doesn’t look like it. He had Max over today and he’s said it was Johne’s disease. No cure I’m afraid.” Ben shook his head and sighed. “Might be a good idea to go over tomorrow night and offer him a bit of support. He’s going to have a hell of a day tomorrow, that’s for sure.”
I know. “I might make him dinner and take a bottle of wine over. What a horrible thing to go through.” Poor guy, I can’t imagine what he’s going through.
“What was all that fuss before with Cole?” Her father accepted his dinner from Sofia and watched Lena brush down the tablecloth.
“Nothing worth worrying about.”
“Don’t tell me that. I know you better than you think. If I hadn’t gone over to Adam’s when I did, you would’ve told me.” He tasted his meal before reaching for the pepper and salt. “Let’s have it, my girl.”
He was right. She rolled her eyes before answering. “Fine then. He saw a picture of me and Adam in the paper from the fund raiser and accused me of opening up a new restaurant to undermine him and ruin all his hard work. His words, not mine.” And he actually believed his own stupid idea.
“Cheeky bugger.” Ben speared a meatball with his fork and lifted it to his
