The Sunshine Potluck Society, page 5
“Five kilometres. I have to eat quickly and head to work. We’ve got a team meeting at nine thirty.”
“How’s work going?” Joanna asked.
Aaron gulped down a mouthful of juice. “It’s good so far. A lot to learn. It’s very different to the Army. A lot of meetings and chitchat. I’ll get used to it.”
“Is your boss nice?” Emily asked.
He met her gaze. His green eyes were dark and intense, and she had to look away. “He’s okay so far. He says things like ‘alrighty then,’ and ‘if you have to say it twice, it wasn’t worth saying once.’ But he’s fine. I’m learning a lot from him. It’s a good job. I just wish I could stay on the island. I love it here. It’s such a relief after all the deserts and tropical ovens I’ve been living in the past few years. There’s a breeze, the ocean is perfect, you can swim in it without worrying about crocs or jellyfish, and bonus, I get to live in a great house with two beautiful women.” He winked, and Emily felt herself blush against her will.
Joanna laughed. “Get away with you, boy. You’ve always been a charmer.”
He laughed too. “You know me, Gran. I can’t help myself. So, what are you two up to today?”
“We’re working on our cookbook,” Joanna replied.
He took a bite of eggs. “How’s it going?”
“It’s coming together,” Emily said. “We’re doing themed weeks, like we do with the brunch, so we have photos and stories to go along with each theme.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Let me know if you need help testing out any of the recipes. I’m a good taster.”
After breakfast, Joanna and Emily set themselves up at the dining table. It was the only place big enough to spread out their cookbook-related papers and photographs, other than the floor. And Joanna wasn’t keen on working on the floor.
“At my age, it’s too hard to get up again,” she said.
Emily opened the folder and spread everything out. Then she pulled two chairs up to the table, one for her and one for Joanna. Joanna brought them each a cup of coffee, their second for the day. Emily was trying to cut back but couldn’t resist the homemade hazelnut creamer Joanna had made for them. It had just the right amount of sweetness to it but meant Emily drank far more coffee than she normally would.
“I’m going to have to buy decaf if you keep spoiling me with these creamers,” Emily said. “I’m becoming an addict.”
Joanna chuckled. “All part of my devious plan to keep you here, my dear.”
Emily laughed at that. Joanna often made comments that indicated she thought Emily might leave. She wasn’t sure why. Emily was perfectly content in her job. Perhaps it was because Joanna realised there wasn’t a lot of opportunity in the role. But Emily liked being close to her sister, Wanda, who lived five minutes away. The flexibility meant she could help whenever her sister needed it. And besides, she was considering going to university. She’d never made it there, and she’d always thought about it. Now, she’d built up a little nest egg of savings and could afford to take a few classes. Maybe she would find something she was passionate about. But in the meantime, she couldn’t imagine a better job than taking care of Joanna and helping her write cookbooks.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
“I noticed those brochures from the University of Queensland. Are you thinking of attending?” Joanna said as she moved photographs around the table with her fingertips.
Emily leaned back in her chair. “Maybe. Although I’m also looking at the University of the Sunshine Coast.”
“What would you study?” Joanna asked, her head cocked to one side as she looked for something. She reached for a photograph of the Eiffel Tower and slid it down the table with a look of satisfaction on her face.
“You know how much I love taking care of people,” Emily began. “I’m considering becoming a midwife. I love babies. Helping bring them into the world would be pretty amazing.”
“That would be lovely,” Joanna said. “When I had my babies, the midwives were so wonderful. They really made the experience one to cherish. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. And I can certainly imagine you in that role. You’d be perfect for it. Although I’d miss you here.”
“It’ll take me four years full-time. So, I don’t know if I should do it. It’s a lot to take on. I can’t imagine studying full-time on top of everything else. I can’t neglect you…”
“I’m sure you can manage it without neglecting me. We’ll be finished with this book soon, and then you’ll have a lot more time on your hands. I feel like I’m getting a little better every day, in large part because of your help. Leaving the house isn’t as daunting as it was even a few months ago. As much as I hate to admit it, I won’t need you so much in the future. And if you want to do something, you should at least get started. One step at a time. Don’t wait, my dear. Time passes whether you follow your dreams or not. You might as well reach for those dreams while it goes by.”
“That’s true,” Emily said. “Thanks, Joanna. I’ll definitely think about it. And I’m so glad you’re feeling better. That’s because you’re willing to take the plunge and try things.”
They spent all morning working on the layout for the cookbook and all afternoon refining recipes for the collection. By the time Joanna retreated to her room for her afternoon nap, Emily was exhausted and ready for a break herself. As soon as she’d finished cleaning up the kitchen, she carried a herbal tea out onto the back patio, with the latest thriller she was reading from the local library. She really wanted another coffee with hazelnut creamer but was doing her best to resist. So instead, she hurried back to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of freshly baked scones with whipped cream and homemade blueberry jam.
She sat with her legs tucked up beneath her, eating a scone and drinking her tea, while she read. Birds chirruped in the garden. The blue water in the pool sparkled beneath the afternoon sunlight. The sun, as it set, painted the world with a golden hue. Every now and then, Emily looked up from her book to take it all in. She should go for a walk, but she was feeling lazy. And she’d been on her feet for most of the day.
As she was reading, she heard the garage door slam shut. Aaron must be home. He kept his car in the three-car garage alongside Joanna’s and Emily’s. He’d bought it soon after he arrived on the island. It must be hard for him trying to establish a whole new life after years in the military. He must miss his friends. But he didn’t talk about it much.
A few minutes later, he found her on the porch. He knocked on the doorframe. “Do you want some company?”
She nodded, put her book down and patted the seat beside her. “That would be nice.”
He sat, leaned back and sighed.
“Long day?” she asked.
“It went quickly. I’m working on a new project for a utility. We’re developing software to map water usage.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“I think it will be,” he replied, rubbing his eyes. “But it’s a big learning curve for me.”
“I never thought you’d be into technology,” Emily said with a smile.
“What did you think I’d do?’
“I don’t know—something to do with field hockey, I guess. You were the field hockey star.”
He laughed. “I don’t know if ‘star’ is the right word. But I loved to play.”
“You were definitely the star,” she replied. “The whole school would go out to watch you win.”
“They watched the team,” he objected.
“I went to watch you,” she said, then bit down on her tongue, her cheeks flaming. Why did she say that?
“Did you?” He faced her, eyes twinkling.
“You knew I had a gigantic crush on you back then. Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”
He laughed. “I didn’t know.”
“Yes, you did. You stole my first kiss and then ghosted me. You knew.”
He frowned. “What do you mean, stole your first kiss?”
“My friends and I played a game. They were pressuring me because I was turning sixteen and had never been kissed. I didn’t want to do it, but they convinced me to play along. There was this kissing booth they set up at the autumn carnival down on the beach. They were charging two dollars a kiss for high schoolers. Don’t you remember? It wasn’t official or anything, and the adults would’ve freaked out if they knew. But they thought they were so smart. Of course, I wasn’t going to participate. I only pretended so they’d get off my back.”
“Oh, I vaguely recall that,” he said.
She sighed. “I’m glad I’m so memorable for you.”
“You’re very memorable.”
“Well, anyway, they all got kissed, and when it was my turn, I was going to pretend someone had kissed me and leave. They weren’t paying attention. They were all chattering away behind me. So, I put my lips up to the gap in the booth, where the fictional boy was supposed to be, and then you leapt out of nowhere and kissed me.”
He grinned. “You puckered up. What was I supposed to do?”
“I had no idea you were there.”
“I didn’t know it was your first kiss. And I didn’t ghost you,” he said.
“You never spoke to me about it. And you left after graduation. I didn’t hear from you again.”
“I wasn’t quite eighteen,” he said with a shrug. “I didn’t know how to talk to you. But I thought about you all the time.”
“You did?” She found that hard to believe. He’d been the cool kid, the boy all the girls wanted to date. She was the plain girl no one ever noticed.
“I made every excuse under the sun to come over to your house, to Tristan’s house, to see you.”
“You were there almost every day, but you never said a word to me.”
“I wanted to,” he said, meeting her gaze.
The look in his eyes made her breath catch her throat. She stood to her feet. “I should start on dinner.” And she hurried inside.
Chapter Eleven
When Joanna woke up from her nap, the sun was already low in the sky. She shouldn’t have slept so late. Now she’d never manage to get to sleep that night. She’d be awake, staring at the ceiling, until late, and then exhausted tomorrow. When would she learn?
She heard voices on the back porch and realised Emily was out there with Aaron. They were seated close to one another, their voices low. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. They seemed to be reconnecting—they’d known each other in childhood. Was there something between them? It was definitely possible.
Aaron was twenty-five years old and starting over in life after eight years in the military; he was most likely longing to settle down and start a family, while Emily was twenty-three and had always wanted to be married with a family of her own. Her shyness meant she rarely dated. In fact, Joanna couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. Truth be told, they were well suited to one another. Although, what would it mean for her working relationship with Emily if she and Aaron were to get together?
As Emily’s boss, she wasn’t sure she liked the idea. It could mean losing her employee. As Emily’s friend, she was delighted at the prospect. And after all, they were more friends than they were boss and employee. Emily had been a rock for her in recent years. Her gentle kindness was sometimes the only thing that helped Joanna through the dark times when she was having nightmares every night about the death of her husband or the fire. Emily was the soft voice of reason that brought her out of the nightmare and back into the light of the real world.
When the restaurant burned to the ground, she’d been so exhausted trying to be the head chef, to keep everything afloat without her husband to manage the place. The bank account had dwindled down to nothing; she hadn’t been sure how she would manage to keep paying the staff. And then all they’d built together before his death, was destroyed. She’d lost everything. The photographs on the walls, the spacious kitchen with its temperamental stove. All of it. And in the end, it’d been the stove that was the culprit. A fitting end after the number of arguments she’d had with it over the years.
The insurance company hadn’t believed her. Thought she’d burned it intentionally to get out of the financial hole she was in. It’d taken her years to recover from the trauma of it all. Her daughter, Karen, moved far away after her husband landed a job in Melbourne designing aircraft. They’d left Sunshine after their eldest, Aaron, graduated from high school. Her son, Brett, was busy with his own life. He’d had his own set of crises to manage at the time with marriage troubles and a bankruptcy for his business. So, she was left to deal with the fallout alone.
It was only Gwen and Debbie who’d carried her through it. Emily was still a teenager, living at home, at the time. Finally the insurance company had concluded it was an accident and paid her out what they owed. She’d decided not to rebuild and instead used the money as an investment for her own retirement so she could write cookbooks instead. It’d worked out well in the end, but the nightmares kept her sleep-deprived for years. And the agoraphobia increased in intensity until finally she hired Emily to help her manage.
That had been five years ago. Emily had decided not to go to university, since she wanted to stay close to her sister, and Joanna had hired her as a live-in carer. But they’d built a relationship of so much more than that. And truthfully, Joanna didn’t know how she’d have managed without her.
She decided to go outside for a quick walk before dinner. She couldn’t go far without her anxiety playing up, but after her discussion with Emily earlier about getting better, she was determined to work on adventuring out of her comfort zone. So, she walked around the perimeter of the yard. The sky overhead was darkening. The streetlights were coming on. Anxiety built in her gut, but she chose to ignore it and the lightheadedness that threatened. She could do this. She wouldn’t let it rule her forever.
Chris was in his garden. She could see his head bobbing above the fence. He bent over, no doubt gardening. She called out to him, and he peered over the fence with a smile.
“Good evening,” she said.
He raised a hand in mock salute. “What a beautiful time for a stroll.”
“How’s the garden?”
“It’s doing okay. Although that little rain we had recently wasn’t quite enough. I think another soaking would do just fine. What have you been up to today?”
“We’re working on a cookbook together—me, Emily, Gwen and Debbie.”
“That sounds fun,” he said.
“It is. I’m really enjoying it. Even more than when I write the books on my own. It’s special to be able to share something like that with friends.”
“I can certainly understand that,” he replied. “I miss my workplace for that very reason.”
“You miss accounting?”
He laughed. “Does that sound completely far-fetched?”
“Not at all,” she replied.
“I don’t miss the accounting, but I miss the office and the camaraderie. I ran a partnership with my best friend. And we had a lot of good times together.”
“Where is he now?” Joanna asked.
“He passed a few years ago,” Chris replied. “I sold the business soon after. My heart went out of it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Joanna replied. “It’s hard to keep going when your partner is gone. My husband was the restaurant manager, as you know. And I was the chef. And the two of us were such a good team. But without him, I floundered.”
“I remember,” Chris said. “You made the best barramundi around.”
She smiled. “Thank you for that. I try to remember the good things. All of that loss caused me a lot of angst, and it’s probably been too much of a focus for me.”
“My wife used to suffer from anxiety,” Chris said. “I figured out if I could distract her, she’d forget she was anxious. And then I’d take her to the beach. That always worked a treat.”
“I’m sure she appreciated you for it,” Joanna replied.
“I hope so. Otherwise, we walked a lot of kilometres for nothing.”
She laughed. “It was good exercise.”
“You’re right. An accountant definitely needs that.”
“It’s pretty sedentary, huh?”
He shook his head. “By the end of my career, I was happy to retire just so I could finally stretch the chair shape out of my legs.” His blue eyes twinkled.
“I was a chef and mother, so I was always on my feet.”
“You’re probably glad to be finally getting some rest,” he said.
“I most certainly am. Although sometimes… Well, never mind.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t want to bother you with my troubles.”
“It’s not a bother. I like our chats.”
She sighed. “I wish I could get out more. That’s all.”
“I know you struggle with that. Is it still a problem?” His brow furrowed.
“It’s getting a little better. The nightmares are less frequent now. I’ve been receiving some digital therapy, and I think it’s helping.”
“Digital?”
“My therapist calls me online. It’s silly, I suppose. But I prefer that to going to her office, even though she’s only thirty minutes away.”
“Not silly at all. That seems sensible to me.”
“Are you completely retired? I thought I saw you heading off to work yesterday.”
He squinted into the last rays of the setting sun behind her. “Not completely. I sold my business, but the new owner gets me to come in a day or two a week. Some of my clients have been with me a long time and weren’t happy about the change. So, I keep them happy, and it gives me something to do twice a week.”
“That’s a good arrangement,” she said. “I’m still writing cookbooks, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll do it. I can’t imagine retiring, personally. What would I do with my days? Besides, I love what I do. I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to write recipe books for a living.”
He grinned. “You’re living the dream. So, why stop?”
