Page 58 of The Orchard at Rosevale
It made him think about his mum. Is that why Ferne hadn’t left his father? Had she been terrified of ending up with nothing?
He would’ve never let that happen, but his mum had her pride and perhaps didn’t want to ask him for help, financial or otherwise. And considering Ferne hadn’t worked for years beyond managing the farm, it would’ve been difficult for her to find employment as a social worker, her original job, in her sixties.
His poor mum. While he hated being stuck here for the next year, he was beyond thrilled that she could finally start living again and enjoying her independence. It’s why he hadn’t reached out to her. He wanted to give her a few days to adjust to city life. Besides, he had a feeling if she asked him how he’d settled in, he couldn’t lie, and would blurt how badly he wished he could return to Melbourne.
Because of how late Bindi had left, he hadn’t knocked on El’s door as intended and had slept fitfully as a result, memories of their night together playing like an X-rated movie in his head. With a little luck, he could have a repeat tonight.
He headed for the kitchen, intent on grabbing a coffee before telling El the good news about Bindi. As he switched on the coffee machine, a loud pounding on the back door made him frown, before he realised it could be El.
However, when he opened the door, Kyle’s smug grin indicated his farm manager knew something he didn’t.
‘Want a coffee?’
‘Yeah, but you might need something stronger,’ Kyle said, entering the kitchen and closing the door.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You haven’t seen it?’
‘Seen what?’
Kyle’s grin faded. ‘Crap. I’m the one breaking the news?’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
Kyle blew out a breath. ‘You’ve gone viral on Instagram.’
‘Huh?’
‘El’s managing the farm’s social media accounts at the moment, yeah?’
Cruz nodded, the first sliver of unease worming its way into his brain.
‘Well, El uploaded a video of you by the pool yesterday and it’s gone viral.’
Cruz snorted. ‘She mentioned she’d done it. People have too much time on their hands if they want to watch a video of me getting my gear off before diving into the pool.’
‘There’s more …’ Kyle trailed off, his expression pained.
‘What?’
‘As El filmed you, she, uh …’ Kyle blushed. ‘She added commentary.’
That niggle of unease intensified. ‘What did she say?’
‘I reckon you should hear it for yourself. I’ll leave you to it.’
With Kyle already edging towards the door like he couldn’t escape quick enough, Cruz had a bad feeling about the video. ‘Hang on.’
‘I’ve got work to do—’
‘What the hell’s going on?’ Cruz fished his phone out of his pocket and brought up the farm’s Instagram page.
‘Mate, it’s probably better if you watch it—’
‘Wait.’
As the video started playing, Cruz cringed, but also thanked the personal trainer he’d invested in last year when he’d had to get in shape after tasting one too many dishes. If the world had to see him, at least he looked ripped.
