YOU are the reason we do what we do here at Barbour Publishing. We promise that we will always use our God-given talents to produce content with you in mind—and that we will remain biblically faithful, no matter what. Thank you for being the heart of our business. Not So Very Sensible ©2026 by Carolyn Miller Print ISBN 979-8-89151-420-1 Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 979-8-89151-421-8 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher. Reproduced text may not be used on the World Wide Web. No Barbour Publishing content may be used as artificial intelligence training data for machine learning, or in any similar software development. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental. Cover Art by Jessica Smith Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible. Printed in the United States of America.
“To wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect.” - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
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Chapter 1 The Bennett family had long been settled in Wattle Vale, New South Wales, Australia. John Bennett’s father, William, had grown up in the little village halfway between Sydney and Canberra, as had his father and his father before him. So it was perhaps precisely because of this that Elinor Bennett had long had a hankering to live elsewhere. Anywhere. Small towns could be so very small-town, after all. And now, travelling back on the train to Wattle Vale after a glorious two weeks in England visiting her eldest sister, Olivia, and Liv’s fiancé, Liam, Ellie was realising afresh just how contained and small her world could be. Trees flashed by, white-trunked eucalypts boasting their grey-blue leaves, the oils in the leaves giving rise to the blue haze that gave the nearby Blue Mountains their name. And while some might call this phenomenon pretty, she was so used to the sight that it barely registered. It wasn’t like the soft pastel greens and blues of English countryside, nor 7
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the flashy bright lights of London, that was for sure. Next to her, her sister sighed. Ellie suppressed a smile. Katie’s sighs had come in greater frequency since their arrival at the airport after a day’s worth of flying, to discover nobody was there to meet them. The second-eldest Bennett sister, Emma-Jane, was in New York for an important meeting for her dating app, Dream Match. And their parents had an important doctor’s appointment with Dad’s cardiac specialist, which had been rescheduled, resulting in an unfortunate time clash with their delayed plane’s arrival. Thank heavens for their cousin Annabelle, who had agreed to step in once again and help keep The Silver Teapot running. Nobody was as capable as Annabelle. Katie’s sigh expanded into a yawn. “Oh, I’m so tired. I feel like we’ve been travelling for days.” “Because we have.” The hours in a car from Hartbury Hall, Liam’s family mansion, to London. Then the flight from Heathrow to Singapore via an unexpected overnight stop in Baku, Azerbaijan, when a dire medical emergency forced their plane to divert to the nearest airport that could take an Airbus A380. And while everyone had been understanding at first—a woman’s elderly husband had been distraught—the airport’s inability to cope with hundreds of unexpected passengers had soon worn that sentiment thin, as delays due to a lack of communication, visa issues, and missed connections ate at people’s peace of mind. Having experienced their own family’s cardiac event not so long ago, Ellie knew how trying this could be and tried to help where she could. Fortunately for Ellie and Katie, a delay of a day or so didn’t affect either of their work schedules, and the chance to see a city perched between Iran and Russia, the desert and the Caspian Sea, was an opportunity they’d likely never have again, so they’d made the best of it and tried to help those with families by entertaining their children with things learned over years of leading Sunday school. Ellie’s faith had certainly grown, as she’d needed to pray for more patience many times. After spending a night at the Marriott, with its view towards Baku’s iconic Flame Towers, they’d finally boarded a new plane and travelled to Singapore before the final eight-hour leg back to Sydney. Only to learn 8
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(as soon as their mobile phone reception allowed) that nobody was there to meet them, so they would have to take the train to return home. Still, they had so much to be grateful for, so Ellie wouldn’t complain. Not when Katie was doing her best to express her every emotion, as was expected. “I really hope that lady is okay,” Katie said now. “It must be so scary to have to land in the middle of nowhere and not know anyone, don’t you think?” “She does have her husband,” Ellie pointed out. “Well yes, but he didn’t look like he’d be much help. He was so upset, poor thing.” “I’m sure the British consulate will be able to help them,” Ellie soothed. “We should pray for them. Worrying accomplishes nothing.” “Yeah.” Katie yawned again, discontent written in the lines pleating her forehead. Ellie stretched her stiff fingers. Lord, be with him and his wife, and heal her and give them peace. “Tell you what—I’m so glad we got to stay at the Marriott. Imagine being like some of those passengers and having to stay at the alternative.” Katie shuddered. “It sounded like a dirty dive of a hotel.” “We have a lot to be thankful for.” Katie stretched her arms, the sudden movement drawing startled looks from some of the elderly passengers on the train. Katie quietly snickered as she completed her stretches. “Honestly, it’s like some of them haven’t seen a person move in years.” “They perhaps aren’t expecting someone to be quite so obvious about it.” “Please.” Katie rolled her eyes. “When half of them seem to think the way to answer a phone is to stick it on speaker so the whole train carriage hears their conversation.” She said this in a louder voice, which drew a few more stares. Awesome. “And they do that in a quiet carriage, no less,” Katie continued. True, that. “People don’t seem to have as much consideration for others these days.” “Right?” Katie heaved out another mighty exhale. “I can’t wait to get home. I feel like I could sleep for days!” The train slowed as it rolled into another of the little towns that 9
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dotted this stretch of railway line. Commuters, mostly, who lived on the outskirts of Sydney and preferred not to pay the sky-high costs of a mortgage closer to the city. EJ was lucky in that she was due to inherit Great-Aunt Marion’s flat that overlooked the Sydney Opera House and harbour. But most people weren’t so fortunate. The way Ellie’s savings were going, she might be able to afford a house of her own in two hundred years. She withheld her own sigh. Katie’s gaze was out the window, and she suddenly jerked to attention. Then tucked her hair behind her ear, her gaze going to the door, all claims of tiredness gone, as was the usual case whenever Katie saw a male under thirty she thought was handsome. Sure enough, a man who looked to be Ellie’s age entered, his rugby jersey and jeans not a stylish combination, but Katie apparently didn’t care, smiling at him as he passed their seats. He glanced at Katie, then nodded, which seemed invitation enough for her to beam at him. And sure enough, he paused, then backtracked. “Is this seat taken?” “Not at all,” Katie said, shoving Ellie’s bag from the seat. “Hey,” she protested mildly, earning herself a brief glance from the man before Katie insisted it was free, and he slipped into the spare seat opposite them and started talking to Katie. Honestly. The girl was a magnet for men. Ellie withheld her own sigh and settled back in her own seat. Try as she could, it didn’t seem like anything she or Liv or EJ had said about Katie’s boy-mad focus seemed to filter through Katie’s head, as per the last sister video chat. “There are ways to let a guy know you’re interested that don’t scream obvious,” EJ had cautioned. To which Katie had tossed her head. “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” Mm-hmm. That was up for debate. “You don’t want to seem desperate,” EJ had said bluntly. “I’m not going to hide who I am,” Katie had declared. “So you are desperate, huh?” Katie had scowled. “Just because you and Liv have found love doesn’t mean we all have.” “Katie, you’re twenty-five. You’ve got plenty of time to find a nice 10
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man. You don’t need to settle for just anyone,” Ellie had said. “It’s not settling to agree to go on a date. Honestly, what’s wrong with you three? It’s like you think I’m stupid.” Not stupid. Just emotionally immature at times. Everything with Katie was either wonderful or woeful, and there seemed little in between. “You’re the in between,” Katie had snarked when Ellie pointed this out. Which was true. Elinor’s emotions tracked far more steadily, with only an occasional slight rise at certain times of the month before steadying again. She might be closest to Katie in age, but they seemed the furthest apart in personality. Liv, the eldest, was the nicest one. EJ, the most blunt and direct one, although the past year had softened her a great deal. Ellie was the sensible one, most like their cousin Annabelle in that regard. Then there was the youngest, Katie, whose emotional highs and lows were the bane of the Bennett family’s existence. “You can’t get too emotional,” Ellie had said. “You should learn to be a little more careful about letting people know your every thought and feeling.” Katie simply tossed her blond braid. “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. I am who I am, and if you don’t like it, then that’s your problem.” Ellie tucked a chunk of her blue-streaked hair behind her ear, watching covertly as Katie interacted with the man. Katie’s insistence that her sisters were all the ones at fault seemed typical of a lot of people these days. People who came across as entitled, loudly owning their own truth rather than trying to see other people’s perspectives. And as an artist, Ellie’s whole life was about trying to find the right perspective, seeing things how others might, comparing and contrasting and finding a path in between. Hmm. Maybe Katie’s comment tracked true because Ellie was the in-between sister, but the one without EJ’s assertive personality, who was happy to go with the flow. Mostly happy, anyway. She didn’t have any of the privileges attached to being the eldest or youngest child. The man stood as they neared another station, and she clenched her jaw as he and Katie swapped phone details. Ellie waited until he was out of earshot before she turned to her sister. “Seriously?” Katie groaned. “Do you have to look so judgy? Mark is a nice guy.” “And you say that after knowing him for all of ten minutes, huh?” 11
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“You don’t need to sound so sarcastic.” “I’m not being sarcastic. I’m being honest. Katie, you can’t afford to go giving your phone number out to just anyone.” “He’s not just anyone.” Katie’s frown turned upside down as she smiled and waved out the window. One guess who that was at. Ellie shook her head. “Why are you giving your phone number out to someone when you don’t even know if he’s a Christian?” “How do you know he’s not?” Ellie pressed her lips together as the train moved off again. Maybe she was a little judgemental, but the words she’d heard him drop didn’t exactly give good Christian vibes. “Anyway”—Katie flipped her hair again—“at least I’ve actually met the man. The men on EJ’s app she’s always wanting me to go on could be anyone.” “They’re not. That’s why everyone on Dream Match is screened and needs a professional social media proof to verify that they are who they say they are. I think you’re a lot safer going on something like Dream Match and finding a suitable match that way.” “Suitable match.” Katie huffed. “I don’t want suitable. I want butterflies, magic, all the romantic feels.” “Katie, romance isn’t real. It’s your hormones mixing with your emotions and—” “La, la, la!” Katie stuck her fingers in her ears and shook her head. “You’re wrong.” Ellie’s eyebrows rose. “Aw, don’t look at me like that, Ellie. You know I hate it when you look at me like that,” Katie whinged. Which was exactly why Ellie did it. “Come on, Ellie. Just because you don’t like to date doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t interested in finding love.” Ellie gritted her teeth. “I’m not not wanting to date. It’s just that there aren’t any guys I’ve ever met that I’m interested in.” “Well, maybe instead of staying aloof, you could actually talk to one occasionally.” She would if she ever met someone who matched the qualities she wanted in a boyfriend. And while Ellie hadn’t gone on Dream Match 12
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either—despite EJ urging her many times to give it a go—she was actually too busy doing her best to get her career going to wonder about adding a man to the mix. What if one of the dozens of job applications she’d sent out finally led to a job in Sydney or Melbourne and she’d have to move? There wasn’t any point in trying to start something. What if she were to live overseas? Same. Long-distance relationships never seemed to work, despite what EJ might boast about Dream Match and its algorithms, which had seen thousands of couples connect over the years. But she wasn’t opposed to the idea, should God miraculously drop a man in front of her. Except where were the Christian guys who appreciated art and Studio Ghibli animation, who enjoyed travel, served in church, and shared her slightly snarky sense of humour? They certainly weren’t in Wattle Vale. And she’d never met anyone like that at uni. So it was quite possible they didn’t exist. Or they existed for others but not for her. Which was fine. She didn’t need a man to feel complete. Jesus was doing a very good job at helping her find her identity in Him. But trying to explain that to her family felt like she was talking Japanese. Everyone seemed to think there was something wrong with her for not wanting a man. But then, EJ and Liv seemed to agree with her that there was something a little disturbing about Katie’s desperate need for a man. So maybe a girl couldn’t win. Perhaps it was the patriarchal systems of society that declared a woman needed a man. Or maybe—her conscience pricked—that was more what she’d read recently in the Bible about it not being good for a person to be alone. . . Ugh. See what happened when Katie got into Ellie’s head? This was the result of spending too much time with a romance-obsessed sister. The sooner she could get back into the real world, the better. She glanced outside, the sights beyond the window stirring anticipation. They’d be home soon. Mum had said they’d meet them at the station, provided their appointment ran on time. She checked her phone, which had been recharging with the portable battery charger since they’d landed. Saw a couple of new messages from Mum: “Welcome back! Sorry we weren’t there to collect you. Appointment on time, so see you soon!!! ♥” She smiled. Mum was the queen of exclamation marks and emojis. Katie clapped her hands. “Oh, I can’t wait to be back!” 13
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“I never would’ve guessed.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Come on. You can admit you’ll be happy to see the parentals again.” “Of course. That goes without saying.” “It often does with you,” Katie muttered. Ellie shrugged, even if it was true. Talking for the sake of talking just sounded like talking with nothing to say. Why waste her breath when people weren’t really interested? Call her too pragmatic, but that was her experience, anyway. She started shifting her bags, getting organised, while Katie remained sprawled on her seat, her feet up on the opposite seat again, despite several signs saying that feet should remain off carriage seats. As ever, Katie didn’t seem to think such rules applied to her. Her earlier complaints about those talking loudly in a quiet carriage—which meant less conversation and no music or speaker phone usage—seemed conveniently forgotten. But that’s how Katie had always been. Good-hearted, except when people tried to pull her into line. Then she turned a little feral, as if wondering how anyone dare think she wasn’t perfect. Katie’s middle name might be Marianne—after yet another of Mum’s favourite Austen heroines—but offence could easily be the name she bore too. Katie could be sweet, but she was also overly sensitive and liable to take umbrage at anything that didn’t fit her personal worldview. Ellie’s lips tweaked. It was a good thing she herself never got offended. She internally rolled her eyes at herself. Talk about someone with a log hanging out of their eye. “Come on.” She shoved her sister’s feet off the seat. “We need to get ready.” “The train terminates at Wattle Vale, Ellie. There’s no rush.” “I thought you were the person who couldn’t wait to get home.” “Oh. Right.” The next few minutes passed in retrieving bags of varying shapes and sizes from various locations, then exiting the station to see Mum and Dad waiting with the family station wagon nearby. True to form, Katie left the bags and rushed at Mum, who scooped her into a huge hug, leaving Ellie to exchange wry smiles with Dad as he hurried to gently hug her and help with Katie’s bags. 14
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“Bit of a long trip, huh?” “You could say that.” Her father was a master of understatement. He and Ellie were alike in that way. Exaggeration and emotional excess were the lot of people like Mum and Katie. “Come on. Let’s get you two home.” “Can’t wait.” Family. Food. A shower. Then bed and sleep. Bring it on. Then back to the small-town life she’d always known and the grind that would begin again. Ethan Ferris glanced at the stack of files awaiting attention. The job of a lawyer was rarely done, especially for one who wanted to be made partner before he hit his mid-thirties, and there was no easy way to say a job was finished. Even completed cases could often have an appeals process, so to underline work as being completely finished felt rare. But he was almost there. Just one more file to go, then he could call it a day and knock off and head home. His phone flashed with an alert. He ignored it. There was no need to guess who that would be. Lucinda Steele was nothing if not persistent. To her, work seemed to be more of a concept than a reality. The idea that he had to work she regarded as a mere suggestion, hence the phone calls, messages, and unexpected visits that could happen at any hour of the day. Gordon Phillips, his boss, wasn’t pleased. The ulcer in his stomach tapped a reminder that he really needed to focus, so he pushed his phone out of sight of even his peripheral vision. This had to get done. His friend’s case depended on it. Aidan Quinn did a lot of pro bono work for women in western Sydney who suffered domestic violence, and Ethan liked to help where he could. But this, on top of his usual caseload, was pushing him to new levels of stress. And to have this on top of the pressures of Lucinda and her mother’s protracted yet still unexplained illness, and pressures from his own father, made life very challenging. At times it felt like he was only just holding it all in. One more layer of pressure and he’d pop. His eyes were blurring by the time he finally quit. He blinked, seeing stars. Maybe it was time to revisit the optometrist and see if he needed to 15
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upgrade his prescription. Or maybe he just needed a solid night’s sleep when he didn’t wake at three stressing over all the things that had to be done. It didn’t seem to matter how much he exercised, he still woke thinking, thinking, thinking. Night after night, he was sorely tempted to get up and do some work, but knew if he did, the computer’s blue light would affect him, and he’d start training his brain and body to wake at exactly that same time each night. So instead, he lay in the darkness with his eyes closed, praying for peace as his mind whirred. And each day in the office, he pressed on. Growing wearier every day. Wishing, hoping, praying that one day something would change. God gave rest to His beloved, right? The Bible said something like that, anyway. So did that mean Ethan had done something wrong, and God didn’t want to bless Ethan in that way? Or was that just another product of sleepless nights, when he couldn’t think clearly about anything, and his thoughts no longer made sense? He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and little lights sparked. Ugh. That really wasn’t good. He took off his glasses—the ones Lucinda said made him look like a sexier version of Clark Kent—and employed the long blink method he’d seen online. It was supposed to help improve his vision, but he doubted it helped too much. It certainly hadn’t made much difference so far. A tap came at the open office door. “Still here?” Greg Lewe, Ethan’s self-proclaimed rival, smirked from the door. “As you can see.” Even if Ethan couldn’t. Couldn’t see properly, that was. “You know you won’t earn extra points by being the last to leave.” “I’m not trying to earn extra points,” he said mildly. Mildness was an underrated weapon, he’d come to realise. In a world full of sabre-toothed tigers, blessed were the meek, for they were often overlooked and yet ended up inheriting the earth through sheer dogged determination. That, and trusting God, of course. Both were things Greg needed. Greg scoffed. “Well, I guess that’s true. When a man’s father is the state’s opposition leader, you probably don’t have to work as hard as the rest of us.” Wow. Ethan leaned back in his chair. Eyed Greg. There was a time 16
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to turn the other cheek and a time to speak the truth. “You know my work here has nothing to do with my father.” “I know your work is always the easy stuff.” He arched a brow. “Really?” Greg shrugged. “For some reason, Gordon likes you more than the rest of us.” That was because Ethan was trustworthy, or so Gordon had said more than once. “If you have a problem with the assignments, you should speak to Gordon about it,” Ethan said. “I’m only doing what I was told.” Greg huffed again. “Of course you are. Always the good boy, aren’t you?” His left eyebrow joined his right. “Was there anything else I can help you with?” Greg muttered something, then slouched away, leaving Ethan to take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Calmness. He needed calmness. Peace. Quiet. Sleep. He needed to get away! A holiday would be good right about now. Anything that got him away from the city and its stressors. Maybe a trip to the Southern Highlands, to one of the little, quaint villages he remembered visiting with his mum for Mother’s Day many years ago. Back before she’d gotten really sick. “Don’t think about that,” he muttered to himself. No good ever came from dwelling on the past too long. Which was partly why he’d thrown himself into his work and now had an unhealthy work-life balance that was not sustainable. But when one had Neville John Ferris as his father, one didn’t really know any other way to live except with workaholic tendencies. Or maybe the need to prove oneself as not being corrupt like the rest of them. Or maybe to prove to God that Ethan was different. Whatever the motivation, he knew at his core that he wanted to make a difference in this world. To not just take a pay cheque, but to spend his life being a blessing to those around him. Such as the teenagers in his church. “Come on, focus,” he gritted out. So he bent his mind and will and continued to focus, even as his vision blurred and his head pounded and he popped Quickeze like he was eating chicken-salted hot chips. He had to finish this. Someone’s life might depend on it. And he couldn’t live with himself if he let down another dying person. 17
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Chapter 2 Ellie smothered a yawn as she concentrated on her work. Maybe going back to work the day after returning from England hadn’t been the smartest idea. Nicola Wellings had been adamant that she could take another day off, but given the deadlines of the numerous projects Wellings Landscaping and Associates was dealing with, Ellie knew Nicola needed her. As Nicola’s right-hand woman, she couldn’t let her boss down. “Ellie, I want you to look over these documents, then take them to the council for submission, okay?” “Okay.” Nicola handed her the blueprints for the landscape plans for a large renovation of what used to be a local girls’ school. Back in the 1950s, a murder had taken place there and had remained unsolved, which naturally sparked Katie’s interest. The girl was obsessed with history and especially unsolved crimes. “The gorier the better!” she liked to say. Good thing Katie didn’t know about this new proposal to rescue the 18
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abandoned site and see it redeemed and used for good. The new owners wanted to build residential care homes for the elderly, to use the site to benefit the ever-increasing population of older people in the area. Ellie had used her design skills to draw up plans for the gardens and grounds surrounding Nicola’s homes. And while Elinor could never lay claim to her cousin Abbey’s architecture expertise, she thought the plans looked pretty good. She checked the measurements, running the calculations through the computer, then made one last tiny amendment. A quick check with Nicola, then the prints were signed off on, and she descended the office stairs to her car below, passing Jackson, another part-timer at Wellings Associates. Thirty minutes later, having delivered the plans to the local council officer, and done a quick post office visit to check for mail as well, she returned, and was soon neck deep in work again. Lunchtime saw a brief reprieve, when she chatted with the other staff while tweaking some of the posts for the church’s social media. Then she was back into it. Head down. Focused. Drawing the sketches Nicola requested, using computer programs to see them come to life. Working at a landscape architect’s office wasn’t quite what she’d imagined when she’d graduated from the university with a high distinction average in her graphic design course. She’d hoped her course results and projects and résumé would see one of her many, many job applications finally land a gig at an advertising firm in Sydney. Once upon a time, she’d even foolishly dared to dream of getting a job in a place like London or New York. But those days of endless possibility seemed to drift further away the longer she stayed here in Wattle Vale. And while she was endlessly grateful for this opportunity to work with Nicola, and for pleasant coworkers and flexible hours, a part of her still hungered for a consistent job in her field with nine-to-five hours and all the employee perks granted to full-time employees. Sure, she got paid a decent wage, and if she needed time off, Nicola was understanding. But it would be really nice to feel like she was actually using her skills in the way she’d once dreamed. Seeing her graphic designs used in advertising, on billboards, or on TV. Not beavering away in the corner of an office in a town nobody knew, being a general dogsbody 19
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while rich people changed their minds about pedantic details in gardens that often were tributes to their lack of taste. Oh, to be so rich you didn’t care about spending thousands on little tweaks. “Stop being so ungrateful,” she muttered to herself. “Honestly, how can you complain?” At least she had a job that was somewhat in her industry. Katie was still looking. Since her recent graduation ceremony, she’d worked at the family café, as did Ellie two days a week, but Katie was forced to take what shifts she was offered at the local supermarket as a checkout chick, something she complained about constantly. Such as the customers who were rude or impatient, or those who stole things, forcing her to make impossible decisions about whether or not to inform her supervisor, while the culprits ran away. Ellie didn’t blame her for finding that difficult. But then, finding a job where Katie could use her history degree wasn’t exactly easy either. And unlike Liv, their eldest sister, Katie wasn’t exactly the calm, nurturing teacher type, so teaching wasn’t an option. Still, that was something Katie would need to figure out. Especially seeing as she wasn’t super receptive to others’ opinions. A bustle at the door drew her attention to Nicola, who was busy checking her phone as usual. “Oh, Ellie, good, you’re still here. Could you do those posts for Insta?” “Already done.” She’d scheduled three months’ worth of Instagram and Facebook posts before she’d left to go overseas. “You’re such a hard worker. It’s amazing how you’ve slotted back into things the day after you got back. I don’t think I’d cope as well with my body readjusting to different time zones.” “It might’ve helped to have that unexpected stop in Baku.” Nicola glanced up from her screen, the permanent frown etched in her brow easing as she half smiled. “I can’t believe you got to stop there. Some of the architecture in that place is amazing. Did you get to see the art gallery?” “I wish, but no. We were herded onto buses from the airport to the hotel, then back again. We barely had time to eat and sleep before we were back at the plane.” “Such a shame. Oh well.” Ellie shrugged. “I think I’ll sleep well again tonight.” 20
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“I bet.” Nicola eyed her. “How about you go home now? I don’t want you burning out just because you’re overly committed to the cause.” Nicola had always been a good boss in that way. Still, “Are you sure?” “To be honest, there’s not a lot more for you to do. So go, get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?” “Okay. Thanks, Nicola.” She didn’t need to be told again. A good night’s sleep was followed by an early start the next day as Ellie’s body continued to struggle to readjust to the different time zones. Working yesterday had been the right idea, and another day today would help her get back into the rhythms of life in Wattle Vale. The very repetitive rhythms. The dull parameters of life that seemed to squish a little more of her creativity each day. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful. Especially when she’d just had an epic adventure in England for two weeks. But perhaps the peak enjoyment of that had only served to reiterate how dull Elinor’s life was in comparison. Liv and EJ’s lives were not Ellie’s domain. The joys of managing an English country estate or helping people find true love seemed incredibly important and worthwhile, blessing people with jobs and relationships, and even families, while she helped design gardens for rich people. Yeah, so not the same. Ten hours later, she was again released early. The Silver Teapot was already closed for the day, so she drove home, wandering into the kitchen to see Mum and Katie talking with Liv and Gran on FaceTime. “Well, hello stranger,” Gran called. “You two are up early.” It must be only a little past seven in the morning there. She switched on the kettle for her cup of tea. “You miss us already, huh?” Liv laughed. “We’ve got someone coming to take photographs at the Hall, so we needed to get going earlier than normal. Plus, we missed you, of course.” Ellie’s lips twitched. “Of course.” “Sounds like you had quite a few adventures on your way home.” She yawned. “It certainly wasn’t the smooth trip we imagined. But it was kind of cool to see Azerbaijan. I’ve never seen an airport in the middle of the desert like that before.” 21
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“Always looking on the bright side, aren’t you?” Gran said with affection. Well, she tried. She offered her grandmother a smile as the conversation continued. It had been nice to spend time with her, to know Gran really did love her, even though her words might sometimes seem a little harsh. Previous video calls had made her wonder if her English grandmother was as judgy about Ellie’s coloured hair as Ellie could be about Katie’s boy madness. Time in England had confirmed that as true. “Why do you colour it?” Gran had complained. “You’d be such a pretty girl if you didn’t.” Ouch. She’d tried—once again—to explain about creative expression, but Gran didn’t seem to understand. And to be fair, part of the reason for her hair colour and style was to showcase a side of her that her personality seemed to lack the strength or energy for. But by dyeing her hair and getting it cut in this asymmetrical style, people assessed Ellie differently. They didn’t simply take her for granted, as her quieter voice and lack of demonstrative behaviour might suggest. In fact, she’d seemed to inspire EJ to get a sassy new bob last year. It made a nice change to be the sister others were inspired by, rather than the one others felt they needed to drag along. “Now, I know you’ve only just been here, but I realised that it’s somebody’s birthday, and I wanted to do something special.” Ellie’s heart pricked. The only person with an upcoming birthday was herself. She’d be twenty-seven in a few weeks’ time. “So, I thought to celebrate that, and to celebrate the fact that Katie has finally finished her university degree, it would be a nice opportunity to do something special for you both.” “You don’t need to do that, Gran,” Ellie protested. “We had such a great time in England with you. You letting us stay with you and use your car to see places was more than enough.” “Oh, don’t be silly,” Gran said. “You both spent so much money flying out here that it was the least I could do. Especially when you did all that work on Hartbury Hall’s website, Ellie. For free.” She shrugged. She didn’t mind. Helping others gave her joy. A sense of purpose, at least. And if it involved using her creative skills, all the better. Even if EJ had said that helping others pro bono all the time was 22
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scarcely the way one should run a business. Katie grabbed the phone and beamed at Gran. “Hi Gran! I think it’s an awesome idea to keep the celebrations going. And you know me. I’m always up for nice opportunities to do something special.” Ellie rolled her eyes. “Gran, you really don’t have to—” “Gran,” Katie interrupted. “I’m really happy if you want to—” “Now, girls, that’s enough,” Mum said, smiling. “Let Mother do what she wants to do, okay?” Gran was nodding. “So, I thought, especially considering the terrible journey you had home—” “I felt like I needed a holiday from my holiday,” Katie complained. “Well, that’s exactly why I thought you might enjoy a little stay away.” Ellie’s head tilted. “I beg your pardon?” “There’s a little something on your beds that your mother printed out for you both. Well, go on. Have a look.” Ellie hurried to her bedroom and saw an envelope on the bed. Huh. Stealthy Mum. She hadn’t seen that earlier. She snatched it up, then returned downstairs. “You can open it now if you wish.” Gran wasn’t one of those people who insisted on Ellie waiting until her birthday to open special somethings. She used her fingernail to pry open the envelope and pulled out a card. She smiled. Maybe it made her just as emotionally immature as her sister, but she’d always gotten a kick out of her birthday. She read the card, even as she could hear Katie shrieking in excitement. Okay, whatever it was, it must be pretty good for Katie to carry on like that. She glanced up, tapped the card. “Thanks, Gran.” “You’re welcome, love.” Ellie blinked as unexpected emotion heated the back of her eyes. Weird. She wasn’t the emotional one. Ever. In fact, she’d often felt like the odd duck in this family, with only her father having a personality like hers. The fact that Gran, of all people, seemed to understand this and accept her, felt. . .special. She unfolded the piece of paper that had been in the envelope, then felt her eyes widen. 23
Carolyn Miller
“What is it?” Liv asked. She read from the paper. “ ‘This voucher entitles you to a weekend’s accommodation in a deluxe room at the Hydro Grand Hotel in the Blue Mountains, breakfast included. And an evening meal and entertainment at the Clue-Done-It art deco–inspired murder mystery weekend.’ Oh my goodness!” Ellie glanced at the screen. “Gran, you didn’t have to do this.” She smiled. “I know.” “But. . .it’s too much.” “Not when other family members might’ve decided to chip in.” Liv grinned. “Liam wanted you to know how much he appreciated all you did. I know you said you didn’t want to get paid for doing the Hall’s website, but this felt like a little way to say thanks.” “Little? It’s huge. It’s amazing. I don’t know what to say.” “How about ‘thanks’?” Liv teased. “Th–thank you. Thank you so much.” “Art deco is your favourite style period, right?” Gran asked. She nodded, as Katie’s glee spilled over. “I can’t wait to do the murder mystery! I’ve always loved those kinds of things, and now we get the chance to do one ourselves!” “Oh, it does sound like fun,” Mum said wistfully. “I wonder if there are any tickets left?” “Mum, no,” Liv said firmly. Mum was always inclined to want to join in. “It’s all sold out, anyway.” “Oh, that’s such a shame. I do love the Blue Mountains. Maybe your father and I could stay somewhere nearby and—” “Elizabeth,” Gran said. “This is the girls’ present. Besides, who will look after the teashop if you’re off gallivanting as well?” “Oh, I’m sure Annabelle wouldn’t mind. She’s such an obliging girl, always willing to help.” “You don’t want to use up all of her goodwill, though,” Liv warned. “Better save some for when you really need her to help out at the shop.” Like when the whole family was planning to go to Liv’s wedding in England at the end of the year. Mum sighed. “Very well. I suppose there will be other opportunities to stay at the Hydro Grand.” “I’m sure there will be,” Liv soothed. Then she smiled at Ellie. “Looks 24
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like you two will be having another adventure!” Ellie smiled. “Bring it on.” Her spirits lifted. Today might’ve had its challenges, but it had ended on the right note. Ouch! Ethan clutched his face as the basketball fell to the floor with a thud. Looked like today was ending the way it had started. Painfully. “Ethan! Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.” He shook his head, trying to clear the stars from his vision. Poor Zac didn’t need to take on more blame in his life. “Wasn’t your fault,” he assured. “I should’ve paid better attention.” He staggered to the sidelines, wishing he’d tried harder at sports in school. Wanting to earn the respect of teens and playing poorly wasn’t the way. Still, most of the kids here knew he cared about them, so he hoped that counted for something. The evening continued with a Bible study and prayers, and he made a point of showing Zac there were no hard feelings, listening as the foster kid talked about his new family. Things that were good, positive. Ethan tried to encourage that as much as possible. The world could be a pretty dark place sometimes. Zac knew that better than most. The fact the boy was allowed to come to youth group felt like a major win in his book. Parent pick-up saw Ethan fending off more gasps as parents collected their children and the youth reverted to their usual language and manners. Most of them weren’t churchgoers, at least not at this church. So Ethan was kept busy building what connections he could to help people feel comfortable. That he was (a) a lawyer and (b) a “churchie” was enough to put off most people. Except those parents who didn’t mind some free babysitting on a Friday night. “Looks like you’ll have a nice bruise tomorrow,” Charlene, his youth group coleader said. “Just how I like to start my weekend.” She smirked. “I bet Lucinda will be thrilled.” He withheld a sigh. There was no love lost between Charlene and Lucinda. Lucinda—she was never Lucy—had got a lot of people offside over the years with her demands that Ethan leave youth early 25