by C. Fonseca
She leaned into the car. “I’d love to. Drive safe.” Jess pressed the car door closed and stepped back.
Haley pumped her fist out the driver’s side window. She started the car and tooted the horn before driving off.
So much for not drawing attention. Jess looked up at the house and shook her head. She couldn’t see any sign of Lili. Maybe it was just the sensor light acting strangely.
The first orange rays of sunlight were dancing on the landscape. A blanket of fog sat just above the trees, and the air was cool and dewy. Jess sighed tiredly and climbed the stairs to the house.
Chapter 12
Helen unbuckled Aruishi’s car seat and lifted her out. Aruishi nodded drowsily and rested her head on her grandmother’s shoulder. “Lili, you grab the bags, and I’ll carry this sleepyhead into the house.”
“Not a sleep head,” Aruishi mumbled, wriggling her feet.
“Can you walk in by yourself, then?” Helen asked as Aruishi slid out of her arms.
They’d spent a leisurely two hours at the farmers’ market, perusing the goods and visiting the animals at the Children’s Farm. Lili and Helen sampled artisan breads, local free-range meats, cheeses, and other gourmet treats, while Aruishi fed the baby goats and geese, and enjoyed a ride on Mickie the donkey. Lili was chuffed, having made a great bargain with a second-hand dealer for a large, rusted iron rooster weathervane that would look amazing mounted in the restaurant’s kitchen garden. He’d promised to deliver it to Ailie early next week.
As she placed the string bags filled with produce onto the kitchen island bench, Lili felt a tug on the hem of her shirt.
“Can I please tell Auntie Jess about my ride on Mickie?” Aruishi rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Hand over your mouth, please,” Lili said, glancing over to her mother, who raised her eyebrows.
“Yes, Mama.” Aruishi placed her hand over her mouth. “But can I check if Auntie Jess is awake?” she mumbled through her hand.
Lili pinched her nose between her fingers. “I don’t think Jess would want to smell you before you have a bath.”
“I’ll get things started,” Helen said, coming to Lili’s rescue. “You smell like Mickie the donkey, and you’re covered in straw and mud.” She ruffled Aruishi’s curls.
“Do I really smell like Mickie, Gran?” Aruishi lifted her pink windcheater up to her nose and sniffed.
“Maybe just a little. But you’ll smell like oranges after your bath.”
Aruishi took her grandmother’s hand. “Okay, then I’ll tell Auntie Jess later when I smell like oranges.” They walked towards Aruishi’s bedroom hand in hand.
Now it was Auntie Jess this, Auntie Jess that. Lili groaned and began emptying the bags of fruit and vegetables onto the kitchen table. She wished she hadn’t been curious last night and turned on the carport light when she’d heard a car pull up. But she had—just in time to see Jess and Haley all over each other.
“What did Aruishi want to tell me?”
Lili staggered backwards. The apples and grapefruit she’d been holding rolled across the kitchen floorboards. “Damn,” she muttered. “I really wish you’d stop doing that.”
“Doing what?” Jess asked.
Lili couldn’t stop staring at Jess, who lounged against the doorjamb, her dark hair tousled like she’d just got out of bed. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, rich, dark-brown—almost black.
“Frightening me to death.” Lili lunged for an apple as it rolled off the table and plummeted to the floor. She reached down and picked it up.
“Sorry. Let me help you.” Jess bent down on her knees and scurried across the kitchen floor, scooping the spilled fruit into her arms. Lili tried hard not to focus on Jess’s drawstring pyjama shorts and her muscled thighs, or the sleeveless jersey that fit like a glove. Lili wasn’t blind. In fact, she had twenty-twenty vision, and it was hard to take her eyes off perfection.
What am I doing? I’m ogling a woman who clearly isn’t interested in me. Lili shook her head to rid herself of the image of Jess and Haley in the car. Jess had been partying—and goodness knows what else—with Haley just a few hours ago.
“Lili, could you tell me where to put these, please?”
Lili bit her lip and reached for the wire fruit bowl. “In here. Please put them straight in here.”
Jess painstakingly placed the eight apples and three grapefruit into the bowl. “There you go. Hopefully they’re not bruised.”
Like my ego. Lili lowered her eyes. “Thanks for your help,” she snapped.
“No problem,” Jess said, taking the last apple from Lili’s hand and placing it gently on top of the pile. “Anything else I can help you with?”
“No, thanks.” As Jess shrugged and turned to leave, Lilli swallowed hard and added, “Jess, wait. I owe you an apology.”
“For what?” She turned back to face Lili, her eyebrows raised in question.
“For my reaction to Aruishi’s new bike. And for my rudeness.”
“Okay, no problem.” Jess stared, obviously waiting for her to continue.
Lili tucked her hands into her pockets. “I also want to thank you for your generous—”
“Auntie Jess, you’re awake,” Aruishi called as she emerged from the hallway, naked and dripping with water. She ran towards Jess with Helen close behind her, clutching a towel in one hand and Aruishi’s clothes in the other.
“Ru, get back here, you scamp.” Helen lunged towards Aruishi, who threw her arms around Jess’s legs.
“It’s all right, Gran. I can make a noise now. Jess is up.”
“Aruishi, let go of Jess,” Lili said, perhaps a little too desperately. “Please.”
Helen wrapped the towel around Aruishi and scooped her up in her arms. “Sorry, Jess. Now your clothes are wet.”
“Um, it’s okay. I’m happy to see you too, Aruishi.”
Aruishi squealed. “I had to have a bath because Mickie got me dirty.” She bobbed her head up and down dramatically.
Helen sighed. “Good afternoon, Jess. How was your excursion to Melbourne?”
“It was rather late.” Jess stifled a yawn with her hand before she took a seat at the kitchen table. “But a lot of fun. It felt good to let off steam on the dance floor.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Lili murmured under her breath and shoved her hands even deeper into her pockets.
Helen tilted her head to one side, glancing quickly from Jess to Lili with a frown. “Maybe you should go along with Haley and her friends sometime, Lili.”
“Yes, Mother.” Lili grimaced. It might be what Jess liked, but, really, what made her mother think she’d go clubbing with Haley?
“Anyway, I’ll let you take over from here, Lili.” Helen passed Aruishi into her arms. “Ru, are you going to tell Jess about the animals at the market?”
“Yes! At last.” Aruishi wriggled in Lili’s arms and turned to Jess. “I’ve been to the children’s farm with the animals, and I had a ride on a donkey named Mickie. He’s not as big as Dora, but. And I fed the geese and the baby pigs, and I got covered in mud and stuff.”
“Slow down, Ru. I don’t think Jess understood half of that.” But Lili was actually grateful for the distraction from her thoughts about Jess and Haley. She placed Aruishi on the floor and held the towel around her.
“Yes, Mama.” She tugged on Jess’s hand.
Jess laughed. “Did you enjoy your ride on Mickie?”
“He was really smelly.” Aruishi pinched her nose. “Some of it rubbed off on me.”
“So, that’s why you had a bath.” Jess leaned down to Aruishi’s height and kissed the top of her head. “You smell lovely now.”
The gesture towards her daughter was disarming, and despite everything from yesterday and today, Lili would have been sucked in if her mother had not interrupted her thoughts.
�
�Sorry to be a nuisance.” Helen handed Aruishi’s clothes over to Jess.
Lili gave her mother a flicker of a scowl, which Helen seemed to be blithely ignoring. “I’m off home. The McPhersons are popping in for afternoon tea. Hope you three enjoy the rest of your day.” She kissed Lili on the cheek.
“Thanks, Mum,” she said with a small wave of her hand, then turned back to Aruishi. “If you’ve finished telling Jess about the animals, after you get dressed we can go to the beach.” Lili brushed stray curls away from Aruishi’s eyes. “Maybe build a fort in the sand? Like the one at Queenscliff.”
“Yes, okay, if Jess can come.” Aruishi placed her hands on her hips and turned to Jess. “Can you come with us to the beach and help make a fort, please?”
Jess visibly bit her bottom lip. “I’d love to, Aruishi, but I was about to get ready for a long ride. If Lili takes a photo with her phone camera, I’ll be able to see a picture of the fort when I get back. How about that?”
Thank goodness Jess had the sense to realise now was not the time to play happy families in the sand.
“Good idea,” Lili said, and twirled Aruishi around and marched her towards the bathroom before her daughter had a chance to argue.
Chapter 13
“Table eight: four pork, two ravioli,” Lili called, and watched Sky, her third-year apprentice chef, place perfect dollops of apple puree, just off-centre, onto four hand-thrown ceramic plates. She followed with a measure of broad beans to the left of each circle. Lili then lifted the small rectangle of roast pork belly and placed it until it was just touching the puree and spooned the apple brandy reduction onto the plate—she preferred this traditional, rustic finish rather than a smear or painterly streak. The twice-cooked pork was soft and tender with a golden crispy skin. The bright green of the broad beans, the pale yellow of the puree, and the dark caramel glaze finished the dish. Lili positioned the plates under the infrared lamp beside two shallow earthenware bowls of goat’s cheese ravioli with lemon butter, white asparagus, and a sprinkling of red currant jelly cubes—topped with a popping green fried parsley sprig.
“Pick up table eight.” Lili reached for the table plan on the shelf above the serving station and looked up, straight into Haley’s eyes.
Haley smiled. “Good to go,” she said, placing two plates along her left arm and picking up one of the vegetarian bowls. Owen was close behind. He collected the remaining meals and followed Haley through the kitchen doors.
Lili hadn’t thought again about Jess’s night out until Haley had come bouncing into the kitchen at the start of her shift. She was in high spirits, full of praise about Jess, and couldn’t stop talking about how much fun they’d had at the nightclub.
Lili’s imagination ran riot, with visions of Jess and Haley cosying up on the dance floor, a variant of the scene Lili had witnessed in the car. It didn’t help that she’d barely seen Jess since her night in Melbourne.
“Chef, we have a problem.” Nora stood beside the servery with a deep frown on her usually cheerful face.
“Yes? What is it?” Lili asked calmly.
“Eddie was dismantling the electric slicer.” Nora shook her head. “He’s cut his finger quite badly. I think he’ll need stitches.”
Oh no. “Is he okay?”
Nora shrugged. “I hope so.”
“All right. Thanks, Nora.” Lili took a deep breath. “Alex, relieve me, please.”
Alex spoke briefly to Sara, the assistant pastry chef, and took over Lili’s place at the servery. She picked up the clipboard. “Sky, you’ll assist Sara,” she instructed the apprentice chef. “Next course in fifteen minutes, people.”
“Yes, Alex,” Sara and Sky called in unison.
Walking briskly towards the utility area, Lili took her phone out of her jacket pocket and pressed the preset contact for the local after-hours doctor, who picked up after just a few rings. She explained about the accident and asked him if he was available for an incoming patient that might require stitches.
Blood splatters dotted Eddie’s apron and the white tiled floor. She grabbed a pair of sterile gloves, a roll of paper towels, and a clean cloth from under the nearest workstation. Eddie was perched on a low stool with a cloth stained dark red around his right hand. He looked pale and visibly shaken.
“How are you feeling, Ed?” She placed her hand on his shoulder.
“A bit queasy,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lili. I totally forgot to wear the mesh glove.”
“Guess you won’t forget next time.” She crouched beside him. “Will you let me look? I’ll be as gentle as possible.”
He nodded.
“Here’s the warm water.” Nora placed a basin of water and the first aid kit on the floor beside them.
“Thanks, Nora,” she said. “Okay, here we go.”
Lili gently removed the stained towel, exposing the deep gash between Eddie’s thumb joint and forefinger. She cleaned away the blood with alcohol wipes and pressed a clean, soft cloth firmly against the wound.
Eddie flinched.
“Sorry.” She removed the cloth and quickly wrapped a strip of gauze around the wound. “You need to hold this around here. That’s right, use a bit of pressure. Not too tight.”
“Will I need stitches?”
“Probably. Doctor Travis will take care of you.” Lili stood and called Nora to one side. “Can you please drive Ed to the medical centre in Portarlington? I’ll call back and let him know you are leaving now.”
“No worries. I can drop him home after and make sure he’s okay.”
“Thanks. I’d go myself, but I’m closing up tonight.”
“It’s no problem. I’ll just grab my keys,” she said. “I don’t know how long it’ll take.”
“Don’t worry, I have you covered. Take everything with you, and go straight home after seeing to Ed.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely. Now, get your things, and I’ll help him collect his gear. We’ll meet you out the back.” Lili threw the gloves and soiled towels into the waste bin and helped Ed to his feet. “Come on. The doc will have you fixed up in no time.”
Eddie looked down at his shoes. “I’m sorry. I feel like a total twit. Who’s going to finish off my work?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.” She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “Let me know how you get on.”
Jess parked the Jeep alongside Lili’s bright-orange Subaru in the rear carpark at Ailie. She hopped out of the driver’s seat, walked through the dimly lit courtyard, and heard the clinking of glass. Probably bottles being emptied into the recycling bin. As she got closer to where the intense beam of a spotlight lit the service area, she saw Lili jumping animatedly on a large cardboard box.
“Has it been that bad a night that you’re taking it out on a carton?”
“Christ, Jess.” Lili clutched her neck, then pulled earphones out of her ears. She was blurry-eyed, and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead. The front of her apron was patterned with stains, like a quirky Jackson Pollock abstract. “It’s nearly midnight. What are you doing here?”
“I had dinner with Aruishi and your parents. Helen finally managed to put Aruishi to bed, after I read her the same story four times. Then Helen brought out some old photograph albums, and time got away from us.”
Lili picked up the squashed box and tossed it into a four-wheeled recycle bin. “Mothers,” she muttered, shaking her head and shrugging. “Well, that would have been fun for you.”
“It was, actually. You were a cute kid, and a gangly teenager with braces. You’ve changed,” she said, and looked away. Even in her dishevelled state, with her hair damp and sticking out at odd angles, there was nothing gangly or awkward about Lili now.
Lili frowned. “Yes, well, I’ll have something to say to Mother about that.”
“Don’t be too hard o
n her. I loved going through the photographs,” she said. “Helen mentioned what happened tonight, and you still weren’t home when I got back to your house, so I thought I should come over and see if you needed help.”
“Thank you. I’m just about done,” Lili said. “Alex and Mei stayed on to help.”
“That’s good. How is your kitchen hand?”
“Ed will be fine. Six stitches. He’s lucky he didn’t sever a tendon. If all goes well, he’ll be back at work next week.”
“That’s good. I am glad he’ll be able to return soon.”
“It could have been worse.” Lili sighed. “The accident reminded me I need to schedule a refresher on the safe use of machinery, knives, and blades.” She tilted her head towards Jess. “Don’t suppose you could help me with these bins? I almost forgot to put them out.”
Jess helped Lili roll the two wheelie bins to the outside of the courtyard gate.
“Thanks.” She nudged Jess with her shoulder and quickly stepped away.
Jess looked up, surprised. “No problem.” She followed Lili inside and down the corridor towards her office. “What else can I do?”
“Follow me around and make sure I don’t fall asleep on my feet,” she said.
“Okay.”
Lili turned back to face her. “Just joking. But thank you for helping with the bins. I’m nearly done here.” She rubbed her lower back and twisted from side to side. “I really do need a hot shower. And a whiskey.”
“Are you sure I can’t help you with anything else?” Jess repeated.
“Only if you’re any good at massage and have magical hands.” Lili pressed the back of her neck.
Jess briefly squeezed her eyes shut. “As a matter of fact—”
Lili stifled a yawn with her hand. “Relax. I’m joking.” She managed a tired smile. “But since you’re here, you could give me a lift home. I’ll leave my car and walk over in the morning.”
“I can do that,” Jess said.
Things had been so strained between them, and yet Jess found the idea of being around Lili tonight, even for a short while, strangely agreeable.
