Mistaken Engagement Read online

  Someone moved to stand at her elbow and she turned. It was Lara, the ever smiling office manager. The pair had become immediate friends, linked by their love of sugar, bad television sitcoms and dirty jokes. Lara held out a small white bowl stuffed full of jelly snakes.

  Emma grinned and reached for a yellow one. “Thanks.”

  “You look like you’re having a crap day.”

  Emma nodded. “I’ve been justifying myself all morning.”

  Lara’s voice dropped. “Is he giving you a hard time again?”

  The woman saw everything, Emma thought. She looked over at Mark standing by his desk and gearing up, and said, “He’s trying.”

  “Good luck.” She began to back away, conscious of Emma’s need to move on. “Give me a call when the crane’s about to drive through? I want to get some pictures to mark the moment.”

  “Will do, but that won’t be until Wednesday.” She smiled and raised the snake. “I needed this.” She bit its head off as she left the office, Mark on her heels. As they crossed the pedestrian bridge and circled the Theatres Building, she thought to make conversation, but found she couldn’t be bothered. The man was a trial at the best of times, but her silver lining was that he would be gone soon enough that she needn’t trouble herself to make him feel comfortable.

  Their steel-capped boots thudded against the paving. Thunderclouds bruised the sky, but the weather bureau hadn’t predicted rain until tonight. She hoped they were right. There was much to do today.

  They reached St Kilda Road, and the large grey drum slid into sight. Hamer Hall—Melbourne’s premiere concert venue—her place of work for the next twelve months and her favourite project to date. She’d been involved in a number of new builds and one other redevelopment prior to this one, but Hamer Hall had found a special place in her heart. The building alliance that was running the redevelopment project gave her a headache sometimes—working conditions unlike anything she had experienced before—but she was so damn proud of the work they had done so far that she came to work every day thirsty for more progress.

  Unfortunately, progress hadn’t been so easily forthcoming without her star team member.

  Wake up, Connor, she thought irritably. Get out of that damn hospital and get back into the Auditorium. Send Mark back to head office in a deluge of sarcastic comments. Put him in his place and get back into yours.

  They climbed the steps leading onto the upper terrace then eased through a gap in the temporary fencing on the lawn area. Mark stopped to talk with a subcontractor and Emma chose not to wait for him. She tugged her safety glasses from around her neck and slipped them on before stepping through the new penetration and onto the ramp that stretched down to the working platform of the birdcage scaffold. Orange was everywhere. Workmen bustled about, preparing the area for the technical zone steel that was soon to arrive. She could hear block workers on the Stalls level, sixteen metres below her feet. Somewhere out of sight a man worked with a blowtorch. Blue light and gold sparks flashed.

  She felt a vibration in her pocket and reached for her phone. She didn’t recognise the number.

  “Emma Kitchener speaking.”

  “Ms Kitchener, this is Renee from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.”

  Emma’s heart constricted. Then it began to beat very fast. “Yes?”

  “I’m calling to let you know that Mr Abbott is awake.”

  Something inside of her loosened. Ecstatic, Emma grinned. “That’s brilliant news.”

  “Are you aware of our visiting hours?”

  “Can I come now?”

  “Of course.”

  Renee sounded pleased. It must be fun to make these kinds of calls, the kind that made people stutter with joy.

  Emma turned on her boot heel and strode up the ramp. The looming storm obscured the sunshine. There wasn’t a scrap of blue sky in any direction, but her day had just got brighter.

  Renee’s tone shifted slightly. “The doctor has asked that you speak with him prior to seeing Connor.”

  Emma stopped walking. “Why?”

  “You’ll need to speak to his doctor, I’m afraid I can’t give you that information over the phone. You’re listed as his emergency contact. Are you family?”

  “No.”

  There was a moment’s pause. “Do you know the contact details of any family members?”

  “He doesn’t have any family.”

  Another pause. “No worries. We’ll see you when you get here, then.”

  Emma hung up and stared ahead. Her intuition flared. Connor was awake at last but something had clearly taken the doctor by surprise. Renee’s interest in contacting his family was not the best of omens.

  She was listed as his emergency contact only because she’d filled in the forms the night he’d been rushed into emergency. She’d been covered in blood that had stained the admission pages, and she hadn’t had the information she’d have needed to fill out the forms any other way. She had access to the information now, however much she hated to use it.

  Emma crossed to Mark and the contractor from NJK. He took his sweet time acknowledging she was there, but she was too distracted to care. “Connor’s phone, please.” She offered her hand, palm up.

  What Mark saw in her expression she couldn’t guess. He handed it over. The moment the plastic touched her skin it rang. She rejected the call then thumbed through the menu button. She scrolled through his address book, past her name that still read ‘ICE Em’, and stopped when she reached the name ‘Singh, Asha’.

  She connected the call and walked over to the balcony edge. Below her, activity was under way preparing the riverfront for piling works. Rock breakers drilled into the earth, shuddering against the bedrock. In a few months time, the team would begin rebuilding the deck.

  The phone rang and rang. Then, “Connor?”

  She cleared her throat. “Uh, no. It’s Emma.”

  “Why do you have Connor’s phone?”

  “It’s a work phone, Asha. It went to the guy that replaced him. Listen, I’m calling because Connor’s awake. But it sounds like something’s up. I’m heading over now to find out what, but I thought you should know.” She closed her eyes. “Did you want to meet me there?”

  “Don’t you dare go in without me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll wait at reception.”

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