Page 45 of Doc Rock
It took him a second, then he remembered she meant Sie.“Don’t talk about that woman,”Ford spat, yanking his hand away.
“I’m sorry, Ford. I’m only going to say one thing. You’ve lived sixteen years without each other. Do you want to live like that for the rest of your life?”
“I don’t mean to be rude to you at your son’s house, but it's none of your business.”Ford didn’t want to speak about it.
“Iknow. But remember you’re judging her on something she did when she was little more than a child,”Gloria said and stepped back from the car, walking away before hecouldsay anything else in anger to her.
Fordwatchedher leave and tried to sink back into his melancholy, which was difficult when her words kept ringing in his head.
“Shit,”he yelled into the air.
The kid who was valet parking the cars jumped in surprise and looked his way. Ford closed his window, pulled up Donnie’s number and drove away from the house.
Donnie answered on the fifth ring.“Ford. Good tohearyour voice. How’s Burra Creek going?”
Ford didn’t mince his words.“Why did you suggest Kookaburra Creek?”
Donnie hesitated for a moment, and Fordknewhe was about to lie.“It seemed like a nice town when you touredthere.”
“Hmmm.”Ford made a non-committal-sounding noise.“And why did you put me in touch with Taylor Anderson?”
“He lives in town. Iknowhis manager. I thought you would enjoy meeting him.”
“Hmmm,”Ford said again, before he added.“So it had nothing to do with Sie living here.”
“Sie?” Donnie sounded innocent, but Ford knew him well enough to know when he was lying.
“Yes, you remember her. Short, long dark hair, violet eyes. She wrote most of the lyrics that have led to our success. That Sie.”
“Iknowwho Sie is. You’re saying she lives in Kookaburra Creek? What are the chances?”Donnie’s voice gave him away completely.
“Yeah. What are the chances?”Ford said dryly.“Although I didn’t recognise her. If she hadn’t been singing, I would have walked straight past her.”
“She’s still singing?” Donnie sounded surprised.
“So you didknowshe was here,”Ford said. He needed Donnie to confirm that Sie was telling him the truth.
Donnie sighed.“Yes. Iknew. Inoticedher when she came to treat Ryan at the concert.Therewas something about her that seemed so familiar.”
Ford didn’t say anything, but internally he agreed. It now made sense why itfeltso right when she fell into his arms.
“I went to the hospital where she works and spoke to her. When Isawher face properly, even with the hair, the glasses and the different eyes, Iknewit washer. I gave her my card, but she wouldn’t admit who she was.”
“So you sent me here?”Ford said dryly.
Donnie hesitated before he finally replied,“YouknowI love you. You’re my best friend, and I’vewatchedyou for sixteen years, waiting for this woman to come back. This is the girlfriend you never got over. Isawa chance, and I took it. Maybe I was wrong, but now you’ll be able togetclosure. She’ll no longer be an enigma that you search everywhere for. She’s flesh and blood again.”
“She’s not the girlfriend I never got over.”Ford huffed a sigh. He needed to tell his friend the whole story.
“What?”
“She was mywife.” Ford heard Donnie’s intake of breath at his words and continued, “She’s still mywife.”
“What?” Donnie repeated.
“When we were twenty-one, one day after a concert, I proposed, and she said yes. We didn’t want to wait, but her parents were away, and Sie wanted them to bethere. So we didit in secret and were going to have a big proposal and proper wedding down the track.”
Fordcouldpicture so vividly her violet eyes shining up at him and the stark contrast of her black hair against the white dress.
