The Lawson Boys: Alex Read Free

every salt, pepper and sugar shaker,
wiped down the tables and benches, cleaned out the coffee pot,
while the cook cleaned his section of the café and young Mark, the
teenage son of the owner, Maryanne, swept the floor and helped with
the dishes.
    Maryanne locked
the door and stretched her arms while yawning. “Good days work,
people. Now go home.”
    “Lovely.” Harly
jerked the apron strings loose while walking through into the small
room off the kitchen. Tossing the apron into the laundry basket,
she added, “Such a good day that we get double pay?”
    “You wish.”
Maryanne dropped her own apron into the laundry basket.
    “Bonus?”
    “You wish even
more,” Mark said. “I’m Mum’s flesh and blood, and I practically
have to beg to get my wage.”
    “Hey, I feed
and clothe you, boy.” Walking past him, Maryanne gave his ear an
affectionate pull. “Nothing says I have to pay you.”
    “If you want
presents on your birthdays and Mothers Day, I need money.”
    “You get
paid.”
    “I don’t get a
bonus.”
    “Your bonus is
the leftover cake and pies that you eat.”
    “That’s a perk,
not a bonus.”
    “Just get in
the car.” Maryanne peeked into the kitchen. “Finished in here,
Bill?”
    “All done.” The
cook came out, cracking his neck side to side as he did so.
    Harly
shuddered. “One day, Bill, you’ll crack your head right off.”
    “Nah. Just
easing out the kinks.” He squinted at her. “Don’t knock it ‘til
you’ve tried it.”
    “Sure. Like
never.”
    He laughed, his
deep boom at total odds to his skinny frame.
    In the little
room put aside for the staff, they all retrieved their keys and
bags and assorted other stuff before following Maryanne out the
back door. She locked it before waving goodbye to Bill and Harly
while following Mark to their car.
    “Come on,” Bill
said, long legs striding over the packed earth. “I’ll drop you off
home.”
    “Thanks for
that.” She waited as he unlocked the door, opening it herself when
he simply walked around and got in the drivers side.
    No one had ever
accused Bill of being a gentleman, but then again, Harly thought
fondly as she settled into the cracked seat, neither had anyone
ever accused him of being mean. Bill was just Bill. He’d unlock the
door but he figured that if you had two good working hands - even
one good working hand - you could open your own door. He wasn’t a
man to waste energy on anything unnecessary.
    Driving through
town was done silently. Bill wasn’t much for wasting words, either,
and he didn’t see much sense in talking about the day when he’d
just spent it with the same person, and that suited Harly just
fine. She had enough on her mind right now, especially since the
days work was over and unwelcome thoughts now had time to
intrude.
    Tonight was the
barbecue. Everyone she knew would be there, some nodding
acquaintances to herself only, some cousins, others friends, but
all people she’d grown up with in this small town.
    Tonight,
however, the star of the barbecue was neither friend, family, nor
nodding acquaintance. In fact, she wasn’t sure what to call Alex
Lawson. He was her cousin Paul’s best friend since primary school,
having met him in the city when Paul had been sent there to
boarding school. Paul and Alex had taken to each other straight
away and Paul spent many weekends at Alex’s home, while Alex, in
turn, spent at least two sets of school holidays a year with Paul’s
family in this little town.
    The last time
he’d been here on school holidays was sixteen years ago. The few
times he’d come since then for the odd weekend, she’d managed to be
out of town or out of sight, but since they’d all grown up and he’d
joined the Army there hadn’t been much time for him to visit.
    Until now.
    Closing her
eyes, she inhaled deeply. Time changed a lot of people and she
wondered if he’d be the same, if he’d changed much, if she’d barely
recognize him. War changed people. He’d