Page 39 of The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge

A little while later, Deb Fraser from the pub went to get some tea and Rose chose that moment to do the same herself. She had only met Deb briefly, but she had seemed a forthright and sensible woman.

‘I see Vicki’s little gaffe has spread,’ Rose said as she reached for the tea bags.

‘Yes. The Ridge is a wonderful place and a great community, but when it comes to gossip, it’s no different from any other small town.’

‘I hope Matt won’t be too upset.’

‘Most of the people in this room are very fond of Matt,’ Deb replied as she poured water into their cups. ‘He’s a good man and Kim, Vicki’s mother, was a lovely person too. Losing her was a terrible tragedy. Matt is doing a wonderful job being a single parent to Vicki. We all help as we can, but I guess we all hope he’ll find someone new one day.’

‘I see. Well, my granddaughter has spent most of her life so far trying to please others, too busy to be really happy. Now she’s finally trying to live the life she has always wanted, I think she might find out there’s more she needs than a farm and some alpacas.’

The two women looked at each other. Rose could see the same thought was going through both their minds. ‘Of course, I’d never interfere,’ she said.

‘Of course not,’ Deb agreed.

Rose took her tea and biscuits back to her seat, wondering if a slightly different agreement had also been reached.

Work around the table continued until it was almost time to go. As people packed up, the door to the hall opened and Matt walked in, shaking raindrops from his jacket.

‘It’s raining out there,’ he said. ‘If anyone needs a lift home, Vicki and I are happy to drop you off.’

He went around the table to talk to his daughter with, Rose noticed, little more than a quick smile and nod to Bree. For her part, Bree simply nodded back and then turned to the tea table.

So that’s how it was. Rose exchanged a look with Deb.

‘I’m fine thanks, Matt,’ Deb said. ‘It’s only a sprint across the road for me and I’ve got my coat.’

‘I could use a lift,’ said one of the new members.

‘I’m going your way,’ Lou jumped in. ‘I can take you.’

Fairly quickly, the knitters sorted themselves out and they began to depart. Matt’s offer was not accepted by anyone. Even Val allowed herself to be escorted to the door by a friend. Soon, only Matt and his daughter remained in the room with Rose and Bree.

Rose got to her feet. ‘Vicki, can you help me carry the dirty cups and plates to the kitchen? Then we can wash them up.’

‘Leave them, Nan,’ Bree said. ‘I can do them.’

‘No, no. You’ve got to pack everything else up and stack the chairs and so forth. I’m sure Matt wouldn’t mind helping with that while Vicki and I do the washing up. Let’s go, Vicki.’ Rose gathered a handful of plates and mugs and ushered Vicki into the kitchen.

***

Bree kept her hands busy packing yarn and needles back into boxes. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Matt. What on earth could she say? Sorry seemed such a weak word when she thought about his situation and her own lack of understanding.

He joined her. ‘Bree, I’m sorry for the way I reacted the other night.’

Her hands stilled for a moment, then she forced them to keep moving at their task. ‘You have nothing to be sorry about. I should be apologising to you.’ She didn’t look at him.

‘No.’ Closer now, he reached out and laid a hand over hers, forcing them to stop moving. ‘Never apologise for a kind gesture.’

She pulled her hand away and turned to face him. ‘Kind? Is that what you thought? That I was being kind?’

She stared into his face, seeing the turmoil behind his brown eyes. For what seemed forever, neither of them spoke. Then Matt shook his head slowly.

‘No.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Bree … How do I say this? You are so … But I can’t. It’s only two years since I lost Kim. I just can’t.’

Bree’s heart almost broke. Not for herself, but for Matt. The sorrow in his voice was palpable. Bree had never been in love—not really in love. From time to time, she had felt strong like mixed with a bit of lust, but never love. Not the kind of love that can cut you open and make your heart bleed. The waves of pain emanating from Matt nearly brought her to tears.

‘And there’s Vicki.’ His voice strengthened as he went on. ‘I have to protect her. Her grandparents … Well, there’s a lot going on around her that she doesn’t really understand. I can’t risk—’

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