‘What did Bruce want?’ Elena reached for a thick, warm slice of bread and added it to her plate. ‘Was he asking you out for a date?’
‘Bruce is old enough to be my father,’ Lia said sternly. ‘And I’m old enough to know how ridiculous that would be.’
‘Oh, give it a rest,’ Elena snapped. ‘Mike’s only thirty-nine.’
‘And you’re only twenty-six. Thirteen years, Lena. Count them. It’s almost a generation.’
‘At least I’ve got a boyfriend. You’re turning into an old maid, Lia.’
‘That’s enough,’ Adriana ordered. ‘Sit down, Lia. Eat. You’re far too skinny these days. I can see your bones from here.’
Lia ignored the comments from both her mother and her sister. She slid into the seat beside Angel’s wheelchair.
‘Look at the way you’re holding your spoon, darling. Good girl... Don’t forget to blow on it. That lasagne looks hot.’ She leaned sideways to demonstrate but Angel giggled and tipped her spoon and the food fell off to land on her lap.
‘Thanks for that, Lia.’ But Angel’s mother, her sister Fiona, was smiling as she wiped up the small accident. ‘Let’s try that again, shall we, Angel?’
‘So what did Bruce want?’ Nico was picking at his food and clearly hoping for a distraction from his own thoughts.
‘He offered me a job for two weeks. On a helicopter crew on an island about two hundred miles northwest of Cairns. It’s called Wildfire.’
‘An island?’ Adriana shook her head. ‘Pff...what for? A holiday?’
‘There’s a hospital there, Mamma. It looks after a big population of people over a huge area. Bruce said it would be great experience for me. I’d have to do things I’d probably never get the chance to do here. And, if I liked it, I could go onto a regular roster to fly in for two-week stints.’
‘You can’t go,’ Elena declared. ‘Nico’s going to be going into hospital for his surgery any day now and you know what Mamma’s like around hospitals. You’re the only one who can explain things properly and stop her crying. And even if you’re here for the operation, what about the chemo? It’ll be horrendous.’
‘No, it won’t.’ Lia sent her sister a warning glance before turning to smile at her brother. ‘You’re going to fly through this, Nico. I know it’s scary but testicular cancer has a really high cure rate and you’re going to be one of those success stories. It’ll be okay.’
‘Promise?’ Nico, like the rest of the family, looked to Lia as his medical expert.
Lia’s smile was one of genuine reassurance. ‘Promise.’ Even if the treatment didn’t go as well as hoped, she would make it okay. Somehow.
‘Do you want to go?’ Fiona’s query was sceptical.
‘It would be exciting,’ Lia admitted. ‘Even the name of the island is cool. Wildfire...’
‘They have fires?’ Adriana shook her head. ‘You don’t want to go somewhere that has fires.’
‘Wildfire Island? Wasn’t that in the news not long ago?’ Guy put down his fork to fish his phone out of his pocket. ‘I’m sure I heard something about a mine exploding or something.’
‘Well, that’s that.’ The spoon clanked against the crockery dish as if Adriana’s statement was final. ‘I’m not having you going off into exploding mines.’
‘No, it didn’t explode.’ Guy sounded disappointed. ‘Just collapsed. People got hurt and there was a big rescue mission but it’s okay now. And why would Lia be going down a mine, anyway?’
‘I wouldn’t,’ Lia said reassuringly. ‘And what makes it really attractive is what they pay. I’d earn three times what I usually do in a fortnight. Imagine how far that would get us in buying those new walking aids for Angel.’
‘No...’ Adriana handed a laden plate to Lia. ‘It still sounds dangerous. Flying helicopters around islands miles from anywhere? What if you crash?’
‘It’s no different from what I do here. Apparently the head pilot is someone Bruce knows and he’s top of his game. It’s my job, Mamma—you know that. And I love it.’
‘It’s not natural,’ Adriana sighed. ‘You’re thirty-two, Lia. You should be married and having bambinos by now. Look at your sister. She was a mamma already by your age.’
‘Mmm.’ Lia and Fiona shared a rueful glance that took in how well that had worked out. Angel had been born prematurely and the lack of oxygen during a difficult birth had been responsible for her cerebral palsy. Her father had walked out of their lives as soon as he’d learned of her disability.
‘The money’s amazing.’ Guy spoke with his mouth full. ‘I’d do it if I were you. Hey...you could get the roof fixed and I wouldn’t have to trip over that bucket in my bedroom every time it rains.’
Her father had been silent throughout the discussion, his gaze on his plate, but he looked up as Guy spoke and Lia could see the shame in his eyes.
It’s not your fault, she told him silently, her heart breaking. And you’ll get another job before the redundancy money runs out.
The words she spoke aloud were very different. A daughter asking her father’s advice.
‘What do you reckon, Dad? Should I go?’
He returned her smile and the warmth in his eyes told her that her reassurance had been received and appreciated.
‘If you want to do it, cara, you should.’
Lia nodded slowly. ‘I think I do.’
‘Mamma mia.’ Adriana crossed herself as she closed her eyes. ‘When would you leave?’
‘Um...tomorrow. It seems like the person who was going to go has had an accident at the last minute, which is why Bruce was asked to find someone else. He’s happy to give me leave.’
The reality of the offer was sinking in around the table and everyone was staring at Lia with a mix of admiration and trepidation.
‘I said I’d call him back as soon as I’d discussed it with the family. Nico? You get to have the final vote. If you want me to be here for your surgery, I’ll say no.’
‘Go,’ Nico said. ‘I’ll have more than enough family fussing over me. I’m only going to be in hospital for a couple of days. You can send me some cool pictures and I can boast about my fabulous sister who’s off doing brave stuff and saving the world.’
Lia grinned. ‘You’re on. Right...’ She scooped in a hurried mouthful of her dinner. ‘I’d better go and ring Bruce back and start packing. I’ll have to be at the airport at five-thirty in the morning.’
‘I’ll drive you.’
Her father smiled as he spoke but her mother burst into tears. For a moment Lia considered changing her mind but then she glanced at Angel and remembered what that extra money could mean.
Swallowing hard, she pushed back her chair and went to make the phone call.
* * *
‘Whoa...’ Jack Richards, Wildfire Island’s head helicopter pilot, pushed his sunglasses down his nose to peer over the top of them. ‘You seeing what I’m seeing, Sam?’
Two young people had climbed out of the small plane and were heading across the tarmac to where they were waiting in the shade. The man had to be the paramedic, Sam decided, so no wonder Jack had elbowed him in the ribs. The new FIFO nurse was a stunner, all right. Tall and