Her phone rang. Tugging it from her jacket pocket, she read the name on the screen and punched the ‘talk’ button. ‘Hey, boss, I’ve arrived on Phillip Island.’ The bus trip down from Melbourne city had been interminable as she’d kept dozing off. It had taken the ferry crossing and lots of fresh air to clear her head.
‘How’s the head?’ Lucas Elliot, her senior midwife, asked.
‘It’s good now. Who have you been talking to?’ She and some of the crew from the Melbourne Midwifery Unit had gone out for drinks, which had extended to a meal and more drinks.
‘My lips are sealed,’ Lucas quipped. ‘So, Phillip Island—another place for you to tick off on the map.’
‘Yep.’ Her life was all about new destinations and experiences. Certainly not the regular nine to five in the same place, year in, year out, that most people preferred.
‘How’s the flat?’
‘About the size of a dog kennel.’ Stepping sideways, Ally peered into what looked like an overgrown cupboard. ‘It’s an exaggeration to call this a kitchen. But, hey, that’s part of the adventure.’ Like she needed a kitchen when she favoured takeout food anyway.
‘Ally, I forgot to tell you where the key to the flat would be, but it seems you’ve taken up breaking and entering on the side.’
She was Ally to everyone except the taxman and her lawyer. And the social welfare system. ‘It was under the pot plant on the top step.’ The first place she’d looked.
‘Why do people do that? It’s so obvious.’ Lucas sounded genuinely perplexed.
Still looking around, she muttered, ‘I doubt there’s much worth stealing in here.’ Kat, the midwife she was replacing temporarily, certainly didn’t spend her pay packet on home comforts.
‘Are you happy with the arrangements? I know you enjoy everywhere we send you, but this should be the best yet as far as location goes. All those beaches to play on.’
‘It’s winter, or haven’t you noticed?’ Ally shook her head. ‘But so far the island’s looking beautiful.’
His chuckle was infectious. ‘I’ll leave you to unpack and find your way around. You’re expected at the medical centre at eight thirty tomorrow. Dr Reynolds wants to run through a few details with you before you get started with the Monday morning antenatal list.’
‘Same as any locum job I do, then?’ She couldn’t help the jibe. She’d been doing this relief work for two years now. It suited her roving lifestyle perfectly and was the only reason she remained with the Melbourne Midwifery Unit. They’d offered her fixed positions time and again. She’d turned them all down. Fixed meant working continuously at the midwifery unit, which in turn meant getting too close to those people she’d work with every day.
The days when she set herself up to get dumped by anyone—friends, colleagues or lovers—were long over. Had been from the monumental day she’d turned sixteen and taken control of her life. She’d walked out of the social welfare building for the very last time. It hadn’t mattered that she’d had little money or knowledge on how to survive. She’d known a sense of wonder at being in charge of herself. Since then no one had screwed up her expectations because she’d been in charge of her own destiny. Because she hadn’t allowed herself to hope for family or love again.
‘I’m being pedantic.’ Lucas was still on the other end of the line. ‘I wanted to make sure everything’s okay.’
Why wouldn’t it be? She didn’t need him fussing about her. She didn’t like it. It spoke of care and concern. But Lucas did care about the people he worked with, which, despite trying not to let it, had always warmed her and given her a sense of belonging to the unit. Since she didn’t do belonging, it showed how good Lucas was with his staff.
She told him, ‘I’ll take a walk to get my bearings and suss out where the medical centre is as soon as I’ve unpacked.’ Tomorrow she’d collect the car provided for the job.
‘Even your map-reading skills might just about manage that.’ He laughed at his own joke. ‘I’ll leave you to get settled. Catch you in four weeks, unless there’s a problem.’
Stuffing the phone back in her pocket, she headed into the bedroom and dumped a bag on the bed. At least it was a double. Not that she had any man to share the other half with. Not yet. Who knows? There might be a hot guy at the surf beach who’d like a short fling, no strings. Her mouth watered at the thought of all those muscles surfers must have. Winter wouldn’t stop those dudes getting on their boards. There were such things as wetsuits.
After dropping her second, smaller bag full of books and DVDs out of the way in the corner of the lounge, she slapped her hands on her hips and stared around. Four o’clock in the afternoon and nothing to do. Once she started on the job she’d be fine, but these first hours when she arrived in a new place and moved into someone else’s home always made her feel antsy. It wasn’t her space, didn’t hold her favourite possessions.
Except… Unzipping the bag, she placed two small silver statues on the only shelf. ‘Hey, guys, welcome to Cowes.’ Her finger traced the outlines of her pets. If she ever got to own a pet it would be a springer spaniel like these. Make that two spaniels. One on its own would be lonely.
She hadn’t forgiven the Bartlett family who’d given her these on the day they’d broken her heart, along with their promise they’d love her for ever. She’d wrapped the statues in an empty chocolate box and tied it with a yellow ribbon, before burying them in the Bartletts’ garden. The gift had been a consolation prize for abandoning her, but one dark day when she’d felt unable to carry on, she’d remembered the dogs she’d abandoned and had sneaked back to retrieve them. They’d gone everywhere with her ever since, a talisman to her stronger self.
Having the statues in place didn’t make the flat hers, though. Again Ally stared around. She could do a lap of the cupboards and shelves, learning where everything was kept. By then it’d be five past four and she’d still not know what to do with herself.
This moment was the only time she ever allowed that her life wasn’t normal. Define normal. Doing what other people did.
Standing in the middle of a home she’d never been in before, didn’t know the owner of, always brought up the question of what would it be like to settle down for ever in her own place.
As if she’d ever do that.
What if it was with a man who loved me regardless?
The answer never changed. That person didn’t exist.
She followed her established routine for first days in new towns. First, off came her new and amazing knee-high black boots, then she pulled on her top-of-the-line walking shoes.
Sliding on her sunglasses, she snatched up the house key and stuffed it and her wallet into her pocket and headed out. There had to be a decent coffee shop somewhere. Might as well check out the options for takeout dinners, too. Then she’d head to the nearest beach to do some exploring.
The coffee turned out to be better than good. Ally drained the paper mug of every last drop and tossed it into the next rubbish bin she came across. The beach stretched ahead as she kicked up sand and watched the sea relentlessly rolling in. Kids chased balls and each other, couples strolled hand in hand, one grown-up idiot raced into the freezing water and straight back out, shouting his head off in shock.
Ally pulled out her phone and called the midwifery centre back in the city, sighing happily when Darcie answered. ‘Hey, how’s the head?’
‘Nothing