"Happy New Year gorgeous." She called happily, "Here to see me or the old hag?" Sasha asked as he walked bemused toward the car.
He shook his head at her, but couldn't stop the smile that escaped. "Happy New Year Sasha. I'm here to see your lovely sister."
"Briar back then?" Sasha yelled loudly from the door way, deliberately misreading his comment, for which she earned a chuckle from him. She dressed like a hallucinating surfie, bantered like a bar room comedian and he liked her.
"Just ignore her." Grace advised him as she too disappeared past him, carrying two large holdalls.
Joshua watched her go. He'd come all this way, waited all this time and he didn't even get a 'hello' kiss? No Happy New Year greeting? She hadn't missed him as much as he'd missed her, that much was obvious. No kiss? Just one kiss? His silent question went unanswered as Ben summoned him over.
"Joshua." Ben called just before his head disappeared into the boot of the car. "Happy New Year son." Ben hauled another two bags out of the car boot, "No point just standing there. Take these." Joshua reached Ben. He handed Joshua two of the larger bags. Joshua took them automatically.
"Where do you want me to put them?"
"Follow the others." Ben said offhand as he reached back into the boot to retrieve another tote bag.
With a bag in each hand, Joshua headed for the house. He met Sasha on her way out.
"Ah hah." She stood at the door, barring his way, "So you do workout. Look at all those rippling muscles." She leaned toward him and squeezed his upper arm, giggling and murmuring in comical admiration, "Hmmmmm. I bet you eat heaps of spinach."
"Leave him alone Sash." Grace ordered as she brushed past her sister to get past them both. Joshua frowned.
"Are you sure you want her? She's bossy." Sasha told Joshua in a mock serious tone, "I mean, I'm younger," exaggerating the movement, she batted her eyelashes at him, "Better character," She winked saucily, "Heaps better dress sense." She ran her hands over her shorts, and then sashayed toward him "And a better kisser." She puckered up. Defensively and automatically, even though he was grinning at her antics, Joshua stepped back and straight into Grace.
"Sash." Grace hollered loudly at her sister, "Let him get by. You are holding him up." Grace had two large grocery bags in her hands, she jostled past Joshua, threw him a disgruntled look and carried on down the hall.
"I was just telling him that I'm a better kisser than you." Sasha told Grace, as she let her pass them. She winked boldly at Joshua. He smothered a laugh.
"In your dreams." Grace retorted totally unfazed by her sister, then she stopped, turned and addressed Joshua, "Are you going to stand there grinning all evening? Those go to the laundry." She told him pointing at the bags in his hands, "Down the corridor, second door on your left." Then she was gone in the opposite direction.
His grin vanished. He stood there for a second muttering under his breath, "She doesn't care that you are making a move on me."
Sasha heard him, for the first time since he'd known her, she turned to look at him with a serious, contemplative expression on her face, "Oh, she cares." Sasha told him quietly and earnestly and then stepped past him, "And if you think that was me making a move, you're naive. I just wanted to know if you cared as much for her." She was gone before he could ask her to qualify that statement.
He followed the directions Grace had given him and took the bags to the laundry. He left them propped by the washing machine. By the time he returned to the car-unloading-scene it had changed. Grace, Sasha, Ben and Angie were huddled together, laughing and crying at one and the same time. He stood waiting, unsure what to do. What had happened? Were they upset or pleased? Angie noticed him first.
She smiled tearfully, "Don't mind us." She told him, "We've just had some good news. A letter from Briar. It was waiting for us." She held up a pale blue aerogramme as if that explained everything.
Ben explained further, "She'll be here in just over five weeks." He too had tears in his eyes, "She's been gone about two years." The women were all beaming happily, lost amidst fond memories. Anticipating her arrival they were already making plans. Two years since they'd all been together. Two long years for a close knit family.
"I've got some good news too." Joshua grinned, caught up with the euphoria of the moment. The group disbanded. Joshua turned to address Grace, "They've got the jerk who sent you those obscene notes. Had him all the time."
Ben, who had just placed more bags and gear in front of them, ready for his band of helpers to carry into the house, stopped immediately and focussed with laser sharp accuracy on Joshua. Angie stopped midway to picking up a box of groceries and stared at Joshua. Sasha's eyes widened in reaction to that bit of news.
"Really?" Grace broke into a laugh of relief, forgetting the presence of her family.
"What jerk?" That was Sasha.
"Obscene notes?" Chorused Ben and Angie.
There was silence as Ben, Angie, and Sasha stared first at Grace then, seeing that she wasn't going to say anything, turned to Joshua. They knew Grace well enough to recognise that stubborn streak kick in, and her features had adopted that blank I'm-saying-nothing look. Their only option was Joshua. He looked decidedly uneasy. Yes, he was their best bet.
"Well Joshua?" Ben prompted, his voice once more that of the strict teacher. All efforts to empty the car boot temporarily came to a halt. Three inquisitive people stood around waiting for action from the other two silent members. "Joshua?" Her father repeated in his best disciplinarian voice.
Joshua did his best not to squirm.
"Stop hassling him." Grace jumped in to defend Joshua because she knew he wouldn't defend himself. She knew her family, they were equipping themselves for an interrogation and they had targeted Joshua. The poor man wouldn't know what hit him.
"Then you tell us." Angie suggested firmly.
"After we've unloaded." Grace hedged, she knew it was going to be stormy. She knew them well enough to know they would be upset. That was precisely why she hadn't told them anything. But they were also going to be upset because she hadn't told them.
"Now." Commanded her father in a voice that brooked no argument.
Not that Grace was going to give in gracefully, "Dad, it's no big deal." She tried stalling "And anyway they've got him." She tried placating. "It's over." Neither ploy worked.
"Now Grace. In my study." The orders were issued in an imperious tone. "Sasha finish unloading." He moved away from the car.
Grace grimaced. "I'm thirty, not thirteen." She reminded her father as she nevertheless followed him into the house.
Ben ignored her comment as he flicked his prospective son-in-law a disgruntled look "You too." Ben insisted autocratically.
Angie followed automatically without being asked or ordered. Sasha watched them march away and sighed volubly. She heaved a particularly heavy bag out of the car boot muttering to herself about the unfairness of it all. No doubt someone would tell her all the details eventually. But she wanted to hear them now.
They entered the study in a steady procession. Grace flopped into the large wicker chair, it creaked as she settled into it. She took up a studied pose of indifference. Her father strode to his desk where he folded his arms and waited. Angie stood beside her husband. Joshua stood silently beside Grace. This was a novelty for him. Usually he was in Ben's position, waiting for Zac or Riah to explain themselves. How had he managed to get mixed up with such a tight knit, volatile family?
"Right." Ben decreed, "Start talking."
Grace sighed expressively and for effect, "This is ridiculous dad." She, unlike Joshua, had been through numerous 'start talking' sessions with her parents. From their folded arms, their terse tones and their demanding eyes, she knew she was in trouble. From previous history, she knew that she was in for a rough ride, so she began playing for time. Hopefully she'd think up something placatory.
"Grace."
"I received a few letters, that's all." She shook her head in a dismissive gesture, signaling it as a non-event and nothing of any consequence. The strategy was ignored.
"What kind of letters?" Her father snapped.
"The usual." Grace hadn't finished trying to delay the inevitable. She strove to sound apathetic. It fell on deaf ears.
"Grace. What kind of letters? How many? When?" Her father was asking questions as if she was a naughty child in his class. Grace flashed him a look to tell him so. "I'm waiting Grace."
She rolled her eyes in disgust but decided to start co-operating, "I guess," She began in a glum voice, adopting a hard done by expression, "I personally received about half a dozen, the police intercepted the rest." She added matter of factly, "A few weeks ago. They were just threatening." Feigning nonchalance, she settled back into the seat, folded her arms and waited for the volcano to erupt. Joshua wished she hadn't added that last statement. And he certainly wished she had chosen to be a touch more sensitive about it.
"Just threatening?" Angie barely whispered, then sat heavily as the menace of the situation registered.
"And you knew about it?" Ben turned his anger and anxiety on Joshua. Ben was ready to shout the place down. He was furious.
"Don't yell at him Dad." Grace jumped in instantly, defending Joshua almost instinctively. "He had nothing....."
"Grace." Joshua interrupted her quietly. It was his tone that stopped her. He took control of the situation. Perhaps her father would not be able to ride roughshod over Joshua. Grace clamped her mouth shut.
"Nice trick." Ben said noting the fact that Grace had stopped stalling. Ben waited for Joshua to resume the account. Grace glared at both men.
"You knew our daughter was in trouble and you didn't tell us?" Ben emphasised ownership as he addressed Joshua in a chillingly formal voice. His eyes pinned Joshua to the spot. Joshua fought off the urge to squirm.
What could Joshuasay? That he had told Grace to tell her parents? That she had refused? Joshuaheld Ben's gaze as he said "Everything possible was being done. It was undercontrol."
"My daughter was vulnerable, some demented man was sending her hate mail," He roared, before checking his anger, and adding ominously "and you call not telling her parents doing everything possible and keeping it under control?"
"He told me to tell you." Just as she thought, Joshua was about to be fried, Grace shot to her feet. "Several times. I decided not to. I..."
"Grace sit down." Joshua took her by the shoulders and made sure she followed his order. He wasn't about to let her go into bat for him again, didn't she think he could cope with a minor altercation? "We," He stressed, addressing her parents but looking at Grace, "didn't want to worry you."
"I decided." Grace stressed again. "He wanted me to tell you." She restated. "Stop hassling him." She demanded, then added. "It has nothing to do with him." Joshua was getting ready to haul her to her feet so that he could gag her mouth.
"It has everything to do with me." Joshua corrected resolutely. "Everything." He said quietly but his tone was adamant. It was not lost on anyone present. His eye contact meant that Grace knew exactly who that last comment was addressed to. Then he turned and faced her parents, "We discussed it and decided not to worry you at that stage. I took Grace's safety into consideration. I decided..."
"It was...."
"Grace." Joshua issued the warning calmly, but did no more than pause. She pouted but said no more.
Ben banked down a smile then frowned heavily. Things, events, changes in plans, were beginning to make sense "So that's why you went off to the Bay." Much of the last few weeks began to have significance.
"I was going anyway.I wanted Grace with me." Joshua decided he'd better start digging themselves outof the mess Grace had created. She might have a genius IQ, but she didn't know how to handle her parents. She really didn't know when to admit defeat and concede gracefully. Stubborn, independent, lovable scrap.
"You should have told us?" Ben remonstrated with Grace.
"You'd have worried." She replied simply as she flashed both parents a mutinous look.
"That's our job." Her father retorted emotionally. It was then that it dawned on Ben that she had turned to the man who was going to take care of her. She was already, unconsciously perhaps, but already nonetheless, trusting Joshua with her life. And he was taking that in his stride. Ben knew it would be no easy task, his daughter was far too stubborn to agree to mollycoddling. Ben wasn't sure that he was ready to let go of his oldest daughter. Not yet. But he knew Joshua was the man for her. Ben looked searchingly at his daughter. She was no longer just their daughter. His daughter. Ben moved closer to her. He hugged her tightly, knowing that things in the family were changing, not for the worse, but changing all the same. He wasn't sure he was ready for the change, even though he had been trying to engineer just such a change for so long. She was his daughter.
"Next time let me worry ok?"
She nodded gently and conceded, "There won't be a next time." She kissed his cheek.
"You can't get round me that easily." He admonished, "I want to know everything about this, and I want to know now."
Angie settled downbeside her husband. She was still worried. "Sit down Joshua." Ben told him,"You aren't going anywhere." "This is OTT."
"No Grace. It is not over the top. Now start talking."
Grace sighed dramatically. "This is ridi.." She began then sighed when Joshua silenced her with one warning look.
"I'll explain. " Joshua interrupted. "Grace is likely to whinge for hours and tell you absolutely nothing." She glowered. Joshua quirked a brow then began the explanation.
It took over fifteen minutes for every single detail of the letters, and the suspect, to be retold in sufficient minutiae to inform and appease Ben and Angie.
They talked about Bill, the father of the student Grace had got into a refuge centre. He held Grace responsible for his daughter's behaviour, and the fact that he was charged. As far as he was concerned she would pay. While in gaol he used his visitors to post his letters. It was a combination of good luck and sheer persistence. Luke's investigator had eventually worked through possibilities and asked the wardens to keep an eye on Bill. A warden had intercepted a letter. The letter addressed to Grace was opened it. The letter wasn't signed. They kept it. After that the wardens covertly watched him until he handed over another letter.