Ah, that was my girl, nosy as always. I was also interested in hearing where Luke had been and what he'd been doing over the past fifteen years.
***
LUKE
Wendy's question caused a bit of a dilemma, how much was I prepared to tell them about my life since I'd left Clearlea? One thing was certain, it wouldn't be everything.
Kyle placed a jug of iced water and three glasses on the table. I picked up a glass and filled it, wishing it was something stronger. I took a large gulp and the cooling liquid slid down my throat. After placing the glass back on the table, I began….
"As Kyle knows, I left here when I was eighteen. That was fifteen years ago and this is the first time I've been back to town. Kyle and I were in school together but moved in very different circles."
Kyle interrupted. "I was the lanky geek, Luke was the hot star football player."
Kyle was right. Back then he'd been tall, thin, and always had a book in his hand. He was smart and had topped every class we were in together. It was how I'd remembered him, how I'd pictured him in my dreams over the years. Now, he was the hottest fucking man I'd ever laid eyes on. "I went off to Brisbane Uni and got a law degree. Not because it was what I wanted but because it was what my daddy wanted. He was, is, a formidable man, and lawyer. No-one dared argue with him, including me."
"I remember your dad, he always seemed to be angry, always had a scowl on his face." I could see Kyle was remembering the past.
"Forced to follow in daddy's footsteps, huh?" Wendy asked.
"Yep. Being his only son and heir, my future was mapped out. When I finished in Brisbane and passed the bar exam, my daddy made a point of telling everyone he knew how smart his son was, and he moved in impressive circles. They'd moved to Brisbane when I left for Uni and his new practice was thriving. I felt lost. The last thing I wanted was to work in my father's firm, attend a never-ending swathe of society events and have eligible women thrown at me. I made the decision that I was not going to be under my father's thumb for the rest of my life."
I sucked down a long swig of water.
"A friend of mine, Ken, felt the same way about his father. When he got up the courage to rebel, and joined the Police force, I followed suit. We worked together on the Gold Coast."
"Why didn’t you move to another town and join some other law practice?" Wendy asked.
I looked over to where Kyle was adding spices to the sizzling meat and beans in the pan, steam rose from a saucepan alongside it.
"I thought about it, but I didn’t want to be defending or prosecuting criminals in court. I wanted to be out on the streets, tracking them down and bringing them to justice."
"Did you like it on the Coast?" Wendy was engrossed in what I was saying.
"Loved it."
Kyle paused in his cooking to ask, "why did you leave?"
This is where I wouldn’t give them the entire truth. Maybe one day, but not now. "I couldn’t settle. As much as I loved the job, I missed home. I missed Clearlea."
I locked eyes with Kyle. I missed you.
"One of my superiors was aware of my issues and said the the command job was coming available here in Clearlea and he thought I’d be perfect. I'd just been promoted to Detective Senior Sargent and I was interested. He wrote me a glowing recommendation. I sent in an application and six weeks later, I received a letter saying I had the job. I wrapped up what I'd been working on, took some leave and in three weeks, I start here."
Wendy smiled. "Well, Luke, welcome and I hope you find whatever you're looking for."
I locked eyes with Kyle. "Thanks, I think I already have."
***
KYLE
I served up the plates of chili with warm cornbread and a bottle of red before plopping down in a seat. My arse had no sooner hit the chair than Luke asked, "Kyle, how did you and Wendy meet? You said you knew her from Uni?"
I shoveled in a mouthful of chili, and while I chewed, Wendy answered. "We were in Armidale at Uni studying Farm and Station Management. Kyle, the smart arse, was also studying Ag Science. We were in the same classes and just clicked, became study partners and close friends."
"So, you're from a cattle family too? Why are you here and not at home?" Luke asked.
"Yes. I have four brothers. My family’s attitude was, I should marry and produce children like a good little wife."
There was a tone of what? Animosity? Anger? Something I'd never heard before in Wendy's voice. Come to think about it, she never discussed her family. When she’d jumped at the opportunity to join me, I thought her parents must have been dead and she had nowhere to live. I don’t know why I thought that, but I guess it was the occasional thing she said. She was my best friend and I knew nothing about those who should have been closest to her.