Page 70 of The Orchard at Rosevale
Ferne took a deep breath and Cruz couldn’t help but wonder if she’d known the truth about Mac a lot longer than she said.
‘I know your relationship with your father was always strained, Cruz, and with him no longer around, I guess what I’m about to say won’t change much.’ She sighed. ‘When I was going through his things not long after he died, I found a second phone and it had photos on it. Photos of him with a man who was obviously his lover.’
Fuck. If the man had been Roger, his mother would’ve known him, so for her to say ‘a man’ meant his father had been playing the field. He shouldn’t feel bad for Roger, but he did, because while the old guy seemed to be pining for the love of his life, Mac had been sleeping around.
‘Cruz? Are you okay?’
‘Yeah, Mum.’ Though this all-round crappy day continued to worsen. ‘I presume Dad had Roger stashed away at home and another lover in Melbourne?’
‘Poor Rog.’ Trust his mum to be sympathetic towards a man who’d been undermining her marriage. ‘Yes, I discovered your father owned the apartment I’m staying at in Melbourne too. It must’ve been his love nest.’
Those last two words made Cruz’s gut churn with anger. While Ferne had been home on the farm, struggling to make a go of things, Mac had been living it up in the city on his frequent ‘business’ trips.
‘And in some strange, coincidental twist, he’s a chef at a nearby Asian fusion restaurant.’
Cruz’s stomach dropped. ‘What’s his name?’ Could he know his father’s lover?
‘Jesse Lee. The restaurant is Lee’s House of Fusion.’
Relieved, Cruz swiped a hand over his face. ‘Never heard of him or the restaurant.’
‘Thank goodness. I was worried you might know him and it would make everything worse for you.’
‘I’m okay, Mum. I’m more concerned about you. I hated the thought of breaking the news about Roger to you. Does it make me a bad person that I’m relieved you already knew about this Jesse bloke?’
‘You’re not a bad person.’ She hesitated, then said, ‘I wasn’t sure how to break the news to you either. It must’ve been an awful shock for you, finding out from Roger.’
‘You could say that. Though I guess it explains a lot.’
‘About your father being emotionally distant?’
‘Yeah. Living a double life must’ve taken a toll.’
‘At least we’ve got the farm and once it’s sold, financial security.’
Relieved his mum had known the shocking news about Mac, he changed the subject.
‘How are your travel plans coming along? I’m surprised you haven’t flown off to some tempting location by now.’
‘I booked a trip to New Zealand but had to cancel.’
‘Is everything okay? You’re not sick?’ He’d been so caught up in the news about Mac, he hadn’t thought his mum might be anything other than healthy.
‘I’m fine, apart from taking a tumble at a local café the first morning after I arrived and re-breaking the ankle I fractured on the farm years ago. It’s not a bad break, just a hairline fracture, so I’m in a walking boot and using crutches. I get around okay.’
‘Anything I can do, Mum?’
‘Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.’
‘Would you like me to come down there? Look after you for a few days?’ He couldn’t afford the time off from the farm, but he could delay the opening of the restaurant. If anyone deserved a little TLC, his mum did.
‘Don’t be silly. I’ve made a new friend, Bette, and she’s been great. Then I bumped into another old friend, and he’s been helpful too.’
He. Cruz didn’t know his mother had any male friends, but he didn’t want to delve. Learning Mac’s secrets was enough for one day.
‘Well, if you need me, don’t hesitate to call, okay?’
‘Sure. And that goes both ways.’
