The Sunshine Potluck Society, page 14
The suitcase was placed directly in front of the car space that Duncan used, so he wouldn’t be able to miss it or go around it. Gwen’s heart thudded against her ribcage as she heard Duncan’s car stop, then the car door open.
They hurried to look out the front window. He was standing, staring down at the suitcase with his headlights flooding the entire driveway. He reached for the suitcase and wheeled it back into the garage, then got into his car and drove it inside.
Gwen, Debbie, and Joanna then moved as quickly as Gwen could manage to the inner door to the garage and listened closely.
The door handle jiggled. There was a beeping sound, a curse and another jiggle.
“Gwen! Open up. Something’s wrong with the door.”
Gwen inhaled a quick breath. “I changed the code.”
“What? Huh? I didn’t hear you. Can you open it?”
She braced herself. “I changed the code!”
Her phone rang. It was Duncan. She answered it. “Hello, Duncan.”
He hesitated. “Gwen, what’s going on? The door to the garage isn’t working. And there was a suitcase in the driveway.”
Gwen moved into the living room and sat in her armchair with a sigh. “I saw you, Duncan. I saw you kiss that woman at the gym.”
He didn’t reply for several seconds. “What?”
“You kissed her. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”
“Open the door, Gwenny. We need to talk in person.”
“Not today, Duncan. I can’t face you right now. I need some time. I packed you a bag. You can go stay with your new friend for all I care.” She sighed. “I don’t want you in my house.”
“Our house, Gwen.” His voice grew louder. “It’s our house, and I have every right to be inside right now. You can’t lock me out of my own house!”
“I want to talk to you about all of it, but not today. We can touch base again soon, when you’re calm.” He always hated when she told him to calm down, but this time, he had no bargaining chip.
“It’s not what you thought. You saw something and misinterpreted it. I can explain if you’ll just open the door.”
“I know what I saw,” she replied. “I have a photo of the two of you kissing. Who is she? Do you love her?”
“It doesn’t matter who she is, just someone I met at work. And no, I don’t love her. I love you. You’re my wife. You can’t lock me out of your life like this.”
“We can talk tomorrow, Duncan.”
“No, wait!”
She hung up the phone and stared at it blankly. Debbie leaned down to give her a hug.
“I know that was hard,” Joanna said.
“I feel strangely unemotional right now,” Gwen replied. “I’m sure it will hit me later.”
Duncan’s car started up again and reversed out of the garage. The door closed behind him, and he accelerated down the driveway then turned onto the road.
“Let’s have some dinner and watch a movie,” Joanna suggested.
“That’s a great idea,” Debbie said.
“Okay,” Gwen agreed. “But please don’t make me choose. I don’t think I could.”
“Not a problem. I’ve been wanting a good cry myself lately, so I’m thinking Steel Magnolias.”
“That sounds perfect,” Gwen said. “Let’s go into the theatre. Duncan had it built so he could watch football with his friends. But he’s hardly ever used it.”
“Chicken and dumplings coming right up,” Joanna said.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Emily stared at the large container of chicken and dumplings in the fridge. It looked as though Joanna had made dinner, but she was nowhere to be found. Emily had spent the afternoon with her sister. When she got home, the house was dark and Joanna wasn’t home.
She wasn’t accustomed to finding Joanna gone. She hadn’t done that in the entire time Emily had known her. Simply vanished without any kind of warning. She tried calling her, but the phone kept going directly to voicemail. Hopefully she was okay and nothing bad had happened. The car was still in the garage, so she couldn’t have gone far. Unless she’d driven with someone else.
It was really very confusing.
She wandered around the house for a while, hoping that Joanna would call. Then finally, her hunger pangs drove her back to the kitchen. She piled a bowl full of chicken and dumplings to reheat. Then she filled a glass with Chardonnay and headed to the den.
Since she was home alone, she might as well eat in front of the television. She’d been watching a new show about a celebrity traveling around Italy and eating the food in every city and town. She’d missed the past few weeks. This would give her a chance to catch up. And she wouldn’t be ravenous as she usually was, since she had dinner in front of her.
With the show primed and ready to go, she sat in her favourite love seat and ate dinner while watching. It was nice to have a little time to herself. Halfway through the show, Joanna finally texted that she was fine and out with Debbie and Gwen. That helped Emily relax.
Then the front door slammed. She heard footsteps, and Aaron’s head poked around the doorway. “There you are.”
“Hi,” she said. “Hungry?”
“Starved.”
“There’s chicken and dumplings in the fridge.”
“Perfect,” he replied. “I love Gran’s chicken and dumplings. She makes it so delicious.”
He soon returned with a bowl and sat on the same couch. She wriggled over a little to make room for him.
“What are we watching?” he asked.
“A show about food.”
“We’re going to watch a show about food while eating food?” He laughed.
She grinned. “Of course. My philosophy is that you can’t have too much of a good thing.”
“After dinner, I’m going to test out this theory on the chocolate cake I saw in the fridge.”
“How was work?”
“It was fine. There’s a guy in my team who’s always trying to get me in trouble. Blames me for everything, but not openly. You know? He’s passive-aggressive with it. Today he told the boss he was sorry we couldn’t make the deadline for this iteration since I’ve been struggling with the code.”
“Wow. What did you say?”
“There’s not much I can say. I’m not struggling with the code. But how do I say that in a meeting when he’s been at the company longer than me? Should I tell them he’s lying? I don’t think that would go over well.”
“I’m sure they know what he’s like.”
“That’s probably true.” His shoulder bumped up against hers. He glanced at her, and their eyes met. “Where’s Gran?”
“Out with her friends.”
His eyes widened. “I wasn’t expecting you to say that. Good for her. She’s doing so well lately.”
“I’m proud of her,” Emily replied.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn, but does that change your position…?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But probably.”
“Have you thought any more about what you want to do?”
“I’m considering going to uni. When I left school, I wasn’t ready to dive right back into studying. And besides, I wasn’t sure what I should study. But now, I feel like it might be the right time.”
“What would you study?”
“I was looking at the website last night for the Sunshine Coast University. They have a midwifery course there that looks interesting.”
“Babies?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve always loved taking care of people, but especially babies. I think it would be so exciting to help them come into the world.”
“That’s a great idea. You’d be perfect at that. You’re so kind and gentle.”
Her cheeks flushed with warmth. “Thanks.”
His shoulder pressed against hers again, and this time, it was as though a bolt of electricity passed between them. His encouragement meant so much to her. Sometimes it felt as though no one really saw who she was. But he did.
Chapter Thirty
The next day, Joanna woke up with her first hangover in decades. She held her head as she swung her feet out of bed. Then with a groan, she stood.
“I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine,” she grumbled as she wandered to the shower.
She showered and dressed, then padded out to the kitchen in her slippers to find some paracetamol. Emily sat at the dining table with a laptop open in front of her. She glanced up with a smile.
“Good morning. Although, the morning is almost over. You must’ve been out late.”
Joanna groaned. “I need coffee and Panadol. Reverse the order.”
Emily laughed as she got to her feet. “Take a seat. I’ll get it for you. Are you hung over?”
Joanna sat at the table and dropped her head in her hands.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. What on earth did you ladies get up to last night?” Emily filled a glass with water and brought Joanna two capsules.
She swallowed them with a gulp. Then she took another swig of water. “Duncan is having an affair.”
“Oh, no. She’s sure?”
Joanna nodded. “We saw him.”
“Poor Gwen.”
“So, we stayed with her, ate and drank, and watched a movie. It was fun, but we’re sad for her, of course. I shouldn’t have had so much wine, though. I don’t usually drink more than a small glass. And now I’m paying for it.” She grunted.
“It was all for a good cause. I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“No bacon, please. I don’t think I could swallow it.”
“Eggs?”
“Yes, thanks.”
While Emily was cooking, Joanna’s phone rang. She picked it up and forced a smile onto her face. She found that when she smiled, her voice sounded more friendly, and she wasn’t feeling friendly. “Hello, this is Jo.”
“Joanna, it’s Bobbie. How are you?”
“I’m great, Bobbie. How are you? I hope the manuscript looks good.”
“It’s great. I’m calling to let you know that the initial round of edits are underway and I’ll be sending you some notes shortly.”
They chatted a little more about the book and next steps. Then Joanna hung up the phone. “We’ll be getting some initial notes back on the first draft of the manuscript soon. I’ll have to set aside some time to focus on it when it comes through.”
“Let me know how I can help,” Emily said.
Joanna wandered to the office to check her email. When she returned, her eggs were sitting on a piece of toast waiting for her. Fried the way she liked them, with the yolk still runny.
“It’s in the inbox, and the comments are positive!” she said, excitement buzzing in her gut and her hangover forgotten. “There’s nothing that beats the feeling of finishing a book except perhaps having your editor rave about it.”
“I have to say I agree,” Emily replied. “This was my first book, and I enjoyed the experience.”
“Did you? I’m glad.”
“It was a lot more work than I realised it would be, though.”
Joanna laughed. “It always is.”
After breakfast, there was a knock at the door. When Joanna opened it, Debbie and Gwen were there. Gwen held up a bottle of champagne.
“It’s time to celebrate,” Debbie said. “We brought champagne! We thought we should celebrate the cookbook. We never really took the time to appreciate what we achieved.”
“Oh, wow. Come on in,” Joanna said. “I don’t think I can drink today, but I appreciate the effort.”
“It’s non-alcoholic,” Gwen replied.
“Perfect,” Joanna said.
“Bobbie loves it!” Debbie declared as she set a box of chocolates on the counter. “I assume you all got the email. I’m so proud of us.”
“Yes! Me too,” Joanna said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. The Sunshine Potluck Society Cookbook will be on its way to bookshelves across the world before we know it.”
“It’s so exciting,” Gwen said.
“Are you sure you want to celebrate today?” Joanna asked.
Gwen popped the top of the champagne with a laugh. “Anything to get my mind off my marriage. Yes, please!”
Emily joined them as they each filled a glass. Then they held them high and clinked them together.
“Cheers!” Emily said.
“To our cookbook,” Joanna added.
“To our cookbook!” they all agreed.
Chapter Thirty-One
After their champagne celebration, Gwen had an appointment at the hospital to get her ankle checked out. The doctor said it had healed well and she was free to begin walking on it as usual for some part of each day, but that she should continue using the boot for the full six weeks. The appointment was faster than she anticipated, which she was grateful for since she had the Surf Club fundraiser that night.
As she walked back to her car, her leg felt light and free. She would drive home without the boot, then put it on again when she arrived. She couldn’t wait to be free of it entirely. She climbed into her car. The rest of the day would be full of party preparations. She had a major event to run. Major for the island and for her, anyway.
She couldn’t have added more items to her to-do list for the day if she’d tried.
Back at the house, she put on her boot and steamed her evening dress for the festivities. She’d managed to find a dress that would allow her to run about all evening in a boot while still looking elegant. At least she thought it was elegant. It had a wide skirt and hung off her shoulders. She intended to curl her hair and wear a faux fur around her shoulders. It was the best she could do given the timing and the other distractions in her life. If she made it through the event with her sanity intact, she’d consider that a win.
There was a knock at the front door, and it surprised her. She laid the steamer down on the counter in her bathroom and hurried to answer. Duncan stood there, looking dishevelled and tired.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.
“We need to talk.”
She waved him inside, and they sat in the front room.
He sighed and leaned forward. “You have to let me explain. You’re misunderstanding things, and it’s not what you think.”
She held up a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there because it hurts even more that you’d try to gaslight me.”
“Gaslight?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked.
“Yes, I’m hip and I know things.” She opened her phone, browsed to the photograph of him with his mistress, and held it up for him to see. “As you can tell, I captured the kiss quite nicely.”
He leaned back in his chair, eyes flashing. “What did you expect, Gwen? We haven’t connected as a couple in years. You aren’t blameless, you know. You’ve neglected me for so long, I can barely recall anything different.”
“Neglected you? I do everything for you.”
He shrugged. “I need more than that. We don’t talk. We have nothing in common. You have your friends and the grandkids, the occasional fundraiser and books. But I’m not really interested in those things. I was looking for more, and I found it.”
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I see. So, I sacrifice my own life, wants and needs for this family for decades, and then suddenly that makes me boring and worthless?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said with a grunt. “Don’t twist my words.”
“That’s what it sounds like to me.”
The doorbell rang.
“What on earth? Who could that be?” Gwen was feeling flustered. She still had so much to do before the fundraiser. So many things to organise, and she wasn’t dressed yet. Her family and friends all knew about the fundraiser. She’d spoken about it with them several times. Yet here was Duncan, monopolising her time right when she was supposed to be getting ready for the event. And now someone else was at her door as well. Anxiety fluttered in her belly.
“Hey, Mum,” Brandon said. He had two children with him. Both had snotty noses. “I have a meeting in ten minutes. Is there any chance you could take the kids for the rest of the day? Of course they both had to get sick when I’ve got a full schedule. And Mara is in surgery all day long.”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “You’re asking me to watch the kids?”
“Yes, please.” He smiled. “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll call you later.”
He turned to leave.
“Wait!” Gwen shouted. “Do you remember anything about what I’ve got going on today?”
Brandon’s brow furrowed. “Today? Um…”
She crossed her arms. “Brandon Lee Prince, you know I’m organising the Surf Club fundraiser. It’s on tonight—I sent you and Mara an invitation weeks ago. I can’t watch the kids. I’m getting dressed to leave. And I have an enormous amount of work to do before the event.”
“Oh. Can you take the kids with you?”
She wanted to scream. Instead, she drew in a deep, calming breath. “No, I can’t take the kids, honey. I’m going to be very busy. Why don’t you ask your father? He’s right here. I’m sure he doesn’t have anything else to do.”
Brandon poked his head through the front door. “Dad?”
Duncan rose to greet him. “Hi, son.”
“Do you think you could watch the kids for me?”
Confusion filtered across Duncan’s features. “Me? Watch the kids?”
“It would be a big help.”
Gwen ushered them both out the front door. She gave Duncan a little shove in the back to get him over the threshold. “That sounds wonderful. The two of you can work things out between you. But he can’t watch the kids here, since he doesn’t live here anymore. Love you, Bran. Hope it works out. Bye-bye.”
She slammed the door shut. She shouldn’t have said that bit about him not living there anymore. Or at least phrased it differently. It was callous, since it was the first Brandon was hearing about it. She’d wanted to break it to her children gently. But they weren’t kids anymore, and they should be able to process their parents separating. Perhaps she should call them later to discuss it and try to smooth things over a bit. She hated the thought of any of her family being upset with her. But she couldn’t dwell on that now. She had a lot to accomplish.
