CHAPTER THREE
I didn't see Dean for the rest of the day. I got some food at Salt and hung out near the fire pit at the caravan park, but I didn't see him come or go from his van. Eventually, it got dark and I went to my own van. I needed to do something about finding a permanent place to rent and look into what options were available for work. Monday, I told myself. I intended to spend Sunday surfing, and hopefully catch up with Dean again.
I headed down to the beach early and caught a few waves. My skills hadn't gone rusty during the years away, and I kept going for a couple of hours. Eventually, as I rode another wave back to the beach, I spotted Dean in the distance, his board stuck in the sand as he stood watching me. I jumped off the board into the shallows, picked it up, and strode towards him.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"I was looking for you last night," I told him.
"I was in my van."
"Okay. So, do you want to tell me what the community service is for?"
He avoided my eyes. "Not really."
"I've done far worse, I'm sure," I coaxed.
"I don't want you to think less of me."
"I wouldn't." I stuck my board in the sand beside his. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yes. You'll find out anyway. People around here are all gossips."
"I saw Willow was doing the same thing. Did you get involved in something together?"
Dean nodded and sat down on the sand. I sat too. He picked up a shell and fiddled with it. "I was facing a jail sentence. I had a good lawyer, and my work at the garage helped."
"Jail? Fuck! What did you do?" I gasped.
"Um, B and E. And, um, credit card skimming. And… hell, that's enough."
"There's more?" I gazed at him, horrified. How had things gone so wrong for him?
"Assault. It wasn't on purpose. I knocked him over trying to run away."
"Who?"
"Alf."
"Christ," I muttered. "How did you get into this, Dean?"
"Now you think I'm a fucking loser," he muttered.
"No, I don't. I want to know how things went so wrong."
"Willow has a gambling problem," he began. "She got into a lot of debt and I borrowed the money to pay it off for her."
"From who?"
"Loan shark."
"Fuck. And he put the screws on you?"
"Yeah. Doubled the debt, then trashed my van and made threats when I didn't pay up on time. So, we got a skimmer and set it up at Salt. We didn't think anyone was there, but Alf was in the office downstairs. I knocked him over trying to run out. Willow called the ambos, which is how we got caught. Her voice was on the tape."
"Oh, Dean," I groaned.
"I was facing ten years."
"That's steep for a first offence, even for what you did."
"It, um, wasn't a first offence. I did time a couple of years ago." He hung his head. "Don't ask me about that, okay?"
"It's all right. You don't have to tell me. You seem to have turned things around now. Is the apprenticeship going well?"
"Yeah, it is. I like the work. Justin hated me to start with, but he's been pretty decent. Willow told him some stuff about my mum, softened him up a bit."
"That's good."
Dean grinned suddenly. "There's this kid, Ryder, follows me around like a puppy the way I used to with you. He's seventeen, wants to be a River Boy. He's not gay, it's not like that. Just the hero-worship thing. He doesn't seem to have any friends his own age except for a couple of girls."
I smiled back. "What are you doing today? Other than going for a surf."
He shrugged. "Nothing much."
"You wanna catch a couple of waves, then get some breakfast? I need to figure out what I'm going to do for work. Maybe you can tell me what options there are around here."
"Sure!" Dean's grin widened, and he got to his feet. I rose and grabbed my board.
An hour later, we hit the showers at the caravan park, changed into jeans and T-shirts, and headed for the diner.
"Hello, darl!" Irene greeted, beaming. Then her smile slipped. "Dean."
"Get a table," I told him, and went to the counter to order some food.
"What are you doing hanging around with that young criminal?" Irene said under her breath.
"I've known him since he was a kid. I used to be pretty messed up when I was his age. You probably remember. It sounds like he's trying to make a go of it."
"Well, yes," Irene said grudgingly. "He's keeping his head down."
"He just needs people to give him a go. Can I get two full breakfasts, please? And coffee?"
"Of course, love. Go and sit down. I'll bring them over."
I went to the table and joined Dean. His face was solemn. Our knees bumped under the small table and I grinned at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I just get sick of hearing people bad-mouthing me. I know it's my own fault. It just doesn't seem like it's ever going away."
"I've been there," I reminded him. "It takes time. Irene's a good woman. If you knocked Alf down, she'll be smarting over that, but she'll get over it. He's renting you a van, isn't he? So, he's obviously not holding a grudge."
"I apologised," Dean said quietly. "He seemed to appreciate that."
Marilyn came over then, with a tray holding two mugs of coffee, one with milk in, the other with a little milk jug and sugar bowl beside it. "Here you are, boys. I didn't know how you liked yours, Heath, so I brought milk and sugar separately."
"Thanks, Marilyn." I appreciated more that she'd made Dean's the way he clearly liked it. I took the mug of black coffee, added some milk, and declined the sugar.
Dean took his and sipped it. "Thanks, Marilyn."
"You're welcome." She took the tray away.
"She seems okay with you."
"Yeah, she gives most people a second chance."
"So, what options do I have around here? I mean, for work. There's the restaurant, the garage, the gym, what else?"
"Not a lot. You could teach at the school?" Dean grinned.
"Hell, no. Bianca's a head teacher. How she does it every day, with hordes of teenagers behaving like I used to, I have no clue. I'm a qualified gym instructor. Worked in the one here for a while before we left for the city. Then I got qualified and managed one there."
"Well…" Dean quirked an eyebrow. "I heard Palmer saying the gym here's for sale. Robbo's after it, but he hasn't made an offer yet, as far as I know."
"Robbo's the ex-Fed?"
"Yeah. He's a decent guy. He shares an apartment with Colby, the local cop who used to be a River Boy too."
"River Boy turned cop? Really?" I scratched my head over that one.
"Yeah, it's a long story. Anyway, me and Colby were good mates at one time. Still are, I guess. So, I crashed on their couch for a while until I got in the shit and Colby couldn't be seen to be so friendly with me. Robbo's a good guy, but all's fair in, um, business. If you're interested in the gym…" He paused. "I suppose it depends if you can come up with the money though."
"Money's not an issue," I said. "And yeah, I'm interested. Who do I talk to about it?"
"Palmer can tell you who the owner is. He manages it."
"Okay, good. Thanks."
"Breakfast's ready." Irene interrupted us and placed two loaded plates in front of us.
"I missed your breakfasts," I told her. "Bee was a rotten cook."
"I know, love. Set fire to my stove once." Irene patted me on the shoulder and left us to it.
We ate our breakfast and Marilyn brought us refills of coffee when she took away the empty plates.
"Where can I find John today?" I asked her.
"Oh, well, he'll be at the beach right now, but he'll be in for his breakfast soon," she told me. "Do you need him for something?"
"Just a chat about something." The diner was filling up and I didn't want my business gossiped about before I'd even asked if it was feasible.
"Oh, well, he should be in by the time you've finished your coffee."
John Palmer came into the diner fifteen minutes later. He went to the counter to talk to Marilyn, who made him some coffee and suggested he get a table while she prepared his breakfast.
"I'll get out of your way," Dean told me.
"You can stay."
"Palmer's not my biggest fan. I don't want to scupper your chances."
"You won't. He's the manager, not the owner." I got up and went to Palmer's table. "Morning, John. You got a minute?"
He raised his eyebrows. "I suppose so."
I took a seat. "You manage the gym, right?"
"I do." His eyes narrowed. "Are you after a job?"
"No. I'm interested in buying the place." I said it quietly, but even in the busy diner, I noticed a couple of nearby people glanced at me.
"The gym's a good business. It's not cheap," Palmer said sceptically.
"I don't suppose it is. I have money. I want you to put me in touch with the owner."
"One of our locals is interested in it. Robbo."
"Has he made an offer?"
"Not yet."
"Does he have experience?"
"Not that I know of."
"Well, I do. I managed a gym in the city, have all the relevant certificates to be a trainer, and I have more than enough money for whatever the price is."
Palmer nodded. "All right. The owner is keen to sell quickly."
A couple of minutes later, I returned to Dean where he waited at the table, toying with his empty mug and trying not to look as if he'd been listening.
"Let's get out of here," I said. I went to the counter to pay Marilyn for the breakfasts, then followed Dean out of the diner. "So, he gave me the owner's number. He said Robbo's interested but hasn't made an offer yet. I have the advantage in that I have the experience he doesn't have."
"When are you gonna call?"
"Now. Palmer said the guy's in a hurry to sell." We headed down to the beach and as soon as we were out of earshot of anyone else, I called the number Palmer had given me.
"Yes?" The answer was immediate, and I wondered if Palmer had got in touch to let him know he'd be hearing from me.
"My name's Heath Braxton. I'm interested in buying the gym," I said without preamble.
"Ah, yes. John Palmer told me you'd be contacting me." He spoke for a few minutes and told me what the asking price for the gym was.
"I understand you haven't had any offers yet."
"I'm expecting one. I'm not willing to reduce the price at this stage."
"I'm not asking you to. I'm putting in an offer here and now for the figure you just told me. If you accept it, I can have the funds in your bank tomorrow."
"Oh! You don't require a mortgage? Or…?"
"No. Money's just sitting there with your name on it." I smirked at Dean and stuck my thumb up. He grinned back. Within ten minutes, I had a promise of an emailed contract later that day for me to look over, and the bank details for me to transfer the funds. I ended the call, beaming. "I just bought a gym!"
"Fuck me!" Dean exclaimed, then flushed.
Tempted as I was to make a comment about how I wanted to do just that, I held my tongue and gave him a brief one-armed hug instead. I could think about that later. I had another call to make. "I'm gonna call Brax," I said.
"He'll no doubt be pleased for you," Dean said.
"He'll tell me I'm an arsehole. I don't have all the money just sitting there. I'm fifteen grand short."
"Oh." Dean's smile slipped. "What are you going to do?"
"Tap him for the rest. He's good for it and he's too far away to give me hell over it." I chuckled and selected Brax's number from my contacts. He answered after a couple of rings.
"Heath, how's it going?"
"I bought the gym," I said.
"You had enough money?"
"Um, yeah. Not quite."
"Fuck. How much?"
"Fifteen grand."
"Christ's sake, Heath," Brax muttered.
"I'll pay you back."
He snorted. "Right. Like I haven't heard that before. When do you need it by?"
"Tomorrow."
He swore again. "I'll make a transfer now. Remember how much you owe me, little brother."
"Fuck off with the little," I teased. "Thanks."
"Make it worth my while."
"I intend to. The gym's going to be a talking point around here pretty soon."
Brax laughed and hung up.
"He's transferring the money now," I told Dean.
"Damn. I wish I had a brother. A rich one."
"Yeah, remember how he used to punish me for stuff when I was younger? I always had bruises on my face. Suppose it was my own fault, the amount of times I fucked things up. Well, the gym's cleaned me out now, so I'm gonna have to stay in the van a while longer. I'll look for an apartment or something in a couple of months."
"When are you gonna tell him the good news?" Dean jerked his head to the left and I spotted Robbo jogging along the sand, all red and sweaty.
"He'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I think we should celebrate later. Dinner at Salt?"
"All right. But I'm paying. You did just clean yourself out after all."
"I think I can afford to feed myself, but thanks. I'll go for that." I stayed with him a while longer, until Willow came looking for him. Then I left them and went back to my van. I collected my truck and drove into Yabbie Creek to look around and stock up on a few essentials, then returned to the van and checked my emails on my phone.
The contract sat in my inbox waiting for me to read and sign it. I read it twice, relieved it could be e-signed, otherwise I would have had to find someone with a printer and scanner who was willing to let me use them. After I'd signed and returned it, I checked my bank account and discovered the funds from Brax already there. He still had an Australian bank account and had made an instant transfer. I pinged him a quick text to say thanks, then set up a transfer to the gym owner.
By the time I'd done all that, the time had got away from me. It was already seven o'clock, the time I'd arranged to meet Dean before going to Salt. I hurried to the shower block to freshen up and put on my one pair of smart trousers and a blue shirt. My pulse quickened as I headed towards his van, and I wondered why it suddenly felt like a date.