Taking a Chance on the Single Dad

‘What were the chances Hunter would be the man I hired to cover for Patch, hmm?’

‘Took me by surprise.’ And some. ‘But he would’ve eventually got in touch, so you were only fast-forwarding our reunion.’ Now it seemed the finale had come about equally fast. Not that she knew for certain Hunter had headed back east, but a lot of words had been spoken on Sunday that wouldn’t be easy to forget. She was working on it, but now she had to factor in that Hunter wasn’t returning to work here, and that felt like the final straw. Downing the last of her drink, she stood up. ‘I’d better get cracking. Poppy will be chewing at the wire of her cage if I don’t take her for a walk soon.’

Kevin was studying her as she moved to the doorway. ‘I don’t know what went down to break you two up but be patient, Brenna. He’s a good man, and you’re not so bad yourself.’

‘Thanks, I think.’

Her heart lifted a little. Glad someone believes in me.

Hunter’s comments about her reckless antics had stung. She did push the limits but she also did everything possible to be careful. No racing downhill over rocky terrain with the guys. No skiing off cliff edges to hopefully land on soft snow several feet below. Semi-fast and sedate was her approach to things. Even Hunter, if these past days were anything to go by. But playing safe was all very well. She did not want to reach seventy without having had some adventures, and for her those were not turning out to be the happy family variety.

So she’d replaced those dreams with ones of seeing amazing locations and getting dirty in them. Not the same as waking up to a four-year-old’s cute smile or reading a bedtime story, or snuggling up to a man she loved, but better than knitting scarves for the old people’s home. She’d get around to doing that in her twilight years. ‘See you in the morning.’

She was aiming for seventy now? At least she was being positive about something.

* * *

Brenna fastened her helmet under her chin and looked around. ‘This is going to be epic.’

‘I reckon,’ one of the cyclists with whom she’d driven across to Squamish agreed.

‘For once there’s no rain in sight,’ she said.

‘Tempting fate,’ someone warned.

‘True.’ Brenna couldn’t wait to get on the track and feel the air in her face. Her bruises had gone, and two weeks of all work and no play had made her stir-crazy. Being between summer and winter, none of the sports teams she worked with needed a photographer as they were either winding down and putting their skis and hockey sticks away or shaking off the winter blues and getting out the softballs and bats, or sailboards. She was temporarily redundant—and restless as hell. She’d even given the house a floor-to-ceiling spring clean and packed up junk from the cupboards and taken it to the recycling centre, where hopefully they’d make a few dollars for charity.

‘Let’s do this,’ one of her friends said.

‘Before I jinx it any more.’ Brenna grinned as she swung a leg over her bike. The bruising from her small crash two weeks ago was gone and her body was ready for some strenuous exercise. Hopefully it would shut her mind down for a while. Nothing else had worked.

She focused on the rough track, glad that for once she wasn’t pedalling through thick mud. It meant she could go faster with less risk of the front wheel not going in the direction she wanted.

It was smoother riding than she’d had in a while and soon her mind was wandering again. The other night, exhausted from sleepless night after sleepless night, she’d gone through her wardrobe and tossed out a huge pile of clothes that she’d hardly ever worn. Then she’d started on the shoes but had quickly stopped. Blouses and trousers were one thing, giving away her heels was quite another.

To stop pacing around the house looking for something to prevent herself phoning Hunter and begging for another chance, she’d gone online to look up what the house over the road was on the market for and got a shock. Prices must’ve skyrocketed since she’d bought the house from the family. What would she get for it? Comparing rating valuations with other houses in the street, and especially the one on the market, showed she’d done well in the last three years.

So what? She wasn’t going to sell. Not the house she’d grown up in. There were too many memories she couldn’t walk away from. Though it might be time to do that. How long should she hang onto the past? But her father had been her rock, and she still needed something to anchor to, and the best she could find was this house.

The bike bounced over rocks and roots, settled back into a comfortable rhythm. Brenna grinned. Ahead the rest of the group were racing downhill, shouting with glee. This was fun, letting rip, and putting aside the horrors and sadness of her everyday job.

Then the others were slowing. Braking, she slowly joined them. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Looks like someone’s come off.’

Brenna stretched her neck to look past her friends. A cyclist lay sprawled at an odd angle over the track and another knelt next to him, a phone in his hand. ‘We might need to put our doctor’s hats on. That doesn’t look good.’

‘Agreed.’

Bikes were set aside as Brenna and Ash removed their helmets before approaching. ‘Hi. We’re doctors. Can we help?’ said Ash.

‘Thank goodness.’ The man stood up and stepped aside. ‘There’s no phone reception out here. I don’t think Geoff’s in good shape.’

Brenna knelt down. ‘Hello, Geoff. I’m Brenna and this is Ash. We’re doctors.’ She didn’t like what she was seeing. ‘We’ll take care of you, all right?’

The man opened his eyes and nodded, then he tried to push up. ‘Thanks.’

‘Don’t move,’ Brenna said hurriedly, her hand instantly on his shoulder to hold him down.

Ash nodded to her and began removing Geoff’s shoes.

Looking around for the other two in their group, she said, ‘Can you go on until you get phone reception? We need the helicopter here,’ she said, before mouthing silently, ASAP.

‘On our way.’

‘Can you feel me touching your feet?’ Ash, the orthopaedic surgeon, asked Geoff.

‘No. Why would I when I’ve got shoes on?’

Brenna’s heart plummeted. It was looking worse by the minute. Lifting his hand, she took his pulse, asking, ‘You can feel me doing this?’

‘Yes. What’s wrong? Why won’t

you let me sit up?’ Worry was building in the man’s eyes.

‘It’s a precaution, that’s all.’ It was not her place to tell him he might’ve broken his back. Anyway, they didn’t know for sure. There’d be an array of tests to be done first. Where was that chopper? That was if the others had got far enough down the hillside to have been able to phone for help yet. Geoff’s raised pulse was brought on by shock. ‘Any pain?’

‘In my left shoulder blade.’

His friend told her, ‘He landed on a rock, then kind of flew along the track into that tree.’

‘Don’t tell Miriam that, will you? I’ll just tell her I fell off going too fast and got me some bruises, otherwise she won’t let me go biking again.’

Brenna shivered. He hadn’t worked it out yet, but it was possible he wouldn’t be walking again, let alone biking. Whoever Miriam was, her life might be about to change in a way she’d never expected.

What about the people who care about you, Brenna?

Shut up, Hunter.

‘We were going pretty fast,’ the friend said.

Another shiver ripped up her spine. This could happen to anyone, including her. Life as she knew it over in a flash. But it wasn’t. It was Geoff’s life that needed attending to. He might be numb from pressure on some nerves, not a damaged vertebra. In the meantime, she and Ash would treat him as though it was the worst-case scenario and not exacerbate the damage, whatever that was.

* * *

An hour later she and Ash watched the chopper lift away.

‘I don’t like his chances of dancing at his wedding,’ Ash said.

Geoff had got quite garrulous before shock had overtaken him and shut him down.

Rubbing her arms, Brenna stared at the retreating chopper with the cyclist and her colleagues on board and shivered. ‘Let’s hope there still is a wedding.’ Picking up her cycle, she prepared to head down the hill. Slowly.

Ash had also found a new, much slower than usual speed.

When they reached the other two waiting at Ash’s four-wheel, drive Brenna felt the tension leave her legs, arms and stomach. Pulling the phone from her bag, she called her mother. ‘Hi, letting you know another ride over and all went well.’