Page 97 of The Reality of Us
And she faced her fears to help raise over $192,000 for additional accommodation and services to expand Kathleen’s Place, a community home for people who need a little help.
The image on the screen changed again to the lavender field at Kathleen’s Place. The dam where everything had changed shimmered in the background.
The final image was a big group shot. The sun cast a golden glow over the people who had welcomed her into their lives and town. Several held signs that read ‘Wattle Junction Loves Alice Aspinall’. And right in the middle, holding the heart, was Owen.
“See.” Her father pointed at the screen. “These people know who you really are, and so do we. Now it’s time to show everyone else.”
Alice pressed her head into her hands. They were right. Her family. Owen. Doing nothing was taking the easy way out.
This was her life, goddamn it. And she loved her life. She pushed up off the couch, stumbling to the side before she got her balance.
No one could fix this but her.
“I have to go and make some calls,” she said.
“To Owen?” Rico said hopefully.
“There’s someone else I have to speak to first.” She raced out of the room and turned her phone on.
It was time to finish this, once and for all.
34
Owen eased himself out of Teddy’s ute, ignoring the empty spot where Alice’s car should’ve been. His brother passed him his crutches.
“Thanks for the ride,” Owen said.
“Need anything else? I’ve got beers, but I’m guessing you don’t want to come up …”
Owen’s gaze shifted to the apartment landing. The painkillers for his knee did nothing to help with the ache in his chest. Being there without Alice would be brutal. “Another time, maybe.”
Tipping his chin towards the back door of his office, Owen said, “I won’t be long.”
Teddy didn’t offer to go in with him. “Text me when you’re ready, and I’ll drop you at Nate’s.”
He waited until Teddy was up in the apartment, the light streaming out of the window a sharp contrast to the early evening darkness. Moving slowly and carefully on his crutches, Owen unlocked the office, leaving the light in the hallway off. Everything looked the same. Papers were stacked neatly on his desk, his spare jacket hanging behind the door.
He continued down the hall, smiling at the takeaway containers in Frankie’s bin. Nothing had changed here, but everything was different for him. The light from the street shone through the new window, all traces of the vandalism removed. He turned around, returning to his office. Quickly he found the letter he was looking for and tucked it under his arm. He reached into his pocket for his phone and realised it must’ve fallen out in Teddy’s car.
He noticed the white van parked in Alice’s spot as soon as he stepped out into the car park. Cigarette smoke surrounded him.
“Brilliant,” a raspy voice said. “Get him on camera.”
An umbrella light flicked on, blinding Owen. A microphone was shoved in his face. A man Owen didn’t recognise smiled lasciviously at him.
“How long were you having an affair with Alice?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to point out they’d both been single. Neither of them had done anything wrong. But the anguished look on Alice’s face when she’d sent him away made him clamp his lips together. He eyed the stairs. He’d never make it up there on his own.
“Are you why she wouldn’t get back together with Phoenix?”
Owen bit the inside of his cheeks, ducked his head.
“Do you sleep with all your clients? Is this why you were fired from Malus, Mendax and Associates?”
Sod it. He’d manage the stairs.
“Told you to get lost, didn’t she?”
