Promises

by Angela Verdenius

  Sounded like a plan. “Okay.”

  Luke leaned one shoulder against a veranda post. “Raincheck on the coffee, then?”

  “Yep.”

  She felt them watching her as she walked down the path. “You don’t need to watch, Luke.”

  “Just making sure you don’t jump some poor bugger on your way home, Iz. It’s getting dark.”

  Translation: He wanted to make sure she got home safely. Sweet. It’d been awhile since anyone had cared.

  The low murmur of their voices drifted in the chill air as she walked up onto her own veranda and unlocked the front door, stepping inside. Only then did she lower Arnie to the floor and watch him prance off to the kitchen to check out his food bowl.

  Leaning back against the door, she closed her eyes. Oh boy. Prickling heat spiralled through her at the memory of that hard body against hers, that strong thigh between her own. There was no way she’d imagined the way Jason’s pupils had dilated. Instinctive reaction, no doubt, to having a woman straddling him.

  Fanning herself, she pushed away from the door. She’d certainly made an impression on him that was for sure. Chalk that one up for the life experience book.

  It was one of the more pleasant experiences lately.

  ~*~

  Jason watched his neighbour walk to her house with her weirdo cat hanging down over her shoulder, those dark paws dangling as Arnie happily surveyed the view from his strange position.

  Talking about strange positions, he’d been in an unexpected one not long before. He never thought he’d come home and end up with a curvy chick straddling his thigh. Not to mention being smothered by a bosom that blossomed her thin jumper out so nicely. She’d smelled good, too, a faint flowery scent and soap. Nice. As nice as those generous curves had felt pressed against him. The woman had been an armful that was for sure.

  “So, that’s Izzy,” he drawled.

  “Yep.” Leaning against the veranda post, Luke observed her progress.

  “Something between you two?”

  “Me and Iz?” Luke laughed. “Nah. We’re just friends.”

  “You know her well?”

  “Kind of. We met through one of Blue’s friends a long time ago. She works at the local supermarket.”

  “Huh.”

  Luke slanted him a look. “You interested?”

  Jason shook his head. “Nope.”

  “She’s pretty.”

  He nodded. Yeah, she was, no doubting that - sandy hair in a ponytail with the ends bouncing around her shoulders, and a straight little nose with a tip-tilted end giving her a mischievous air. But the real kicker was those eyes - light green framed by long, thick eyelashes. Pretty and voluptuous, that described her to a T. But nope, he wasn’t interested in dating her.

  “She’s fun,” Luke added. “You could do with some fun.”

  Jason’s eyebrows rose.

  “You need someone to rattle your cage. Tickle your funny bone. Make you laugh.”

  “I laugh.”

  “You crack a smile now and again, and something resembling the croaking of a cane toad issues out of you when the situation requires it, but apart from that? Zilch.”

  “I laughed yesterday.”

  “Me tripping over a hose and going face-first into a mud pile is not a laughing matter.”

  Jason grinned at the memory.

  “That’s malicious humour,” Luke added.

  “Depends on your point of view.”

  “At least you now know that landscaping is dangerous work.”

  Jason snorted.

  “Izzy’s gone inside.” Luke pushed away from the veranda post. “I need a drink.”

  Jason lingered a few minutes outside as his cousin disappeared into the house. Looking around, he silently catalogued things that needed doing in the yard. Half dead grass to be torn up, new turf to lay down, just a couple of garden beds to put in, he didn’t want anything fancy, just easy-care stuff but enough to look pleasant. Rip out the old broken path and place down a new paving path, or maybe a concrete one. Concrete would be good, there’d be no weeds to grow between pavers. And that was just the front. The backyard needed doing as well, not to mention all the repairs inside the big, old house.

  Tipping his head back, he closed his eyes as the chill breeze caressed his face. Man, he was buggered. Today had been hard, so much to do and so little time. The contract his uncle had gotten had a time limit, a tight one, but they were working hard. Luke was already doing the landscaping, while he and the other men hired by his uncle worked their arses off from dawn to almost dusk. But it’d be worth it.

  Six years working for his uncle and look where he was now. His own place. Okay, mortgaged, sure, but it had been a steal at the price, mostly because it was in need of a crap-load of repairs, but nothing he couldn’t fix. The fact it was a big, double-story house with heaps of promise if he could return it to its former glory - or the glory he imagined, anyway, he wasn’t into a house that was a showpiece and not a home - was a bonus.

  Rolling his shoulders, he entered his house.

  Luke was perched on a stool in the kitchen with his booted feet hooked on the rungs, one elbow on the kitchen counter while he sipped on an Iced Coffee. “Man, you have no good shit in your ‘fridge.”

  “What do you mean?” Jason opened the ‘fridge. “There’s food in there.”

  “Let’s not even start on the food. Right now, I’m talking drink.”

  “There’s Iced Coffee, Coke, water, orange juice, light beer.”

  “There! That right there is so wrong!”

  As if Jason didn’t know what his cousin was babbling about. “I don’t stock normal beer, you know that.”

  “Light beer is like lolly water. It doesn’t have the same kind of kick.”

  Remembering the kind of kicks he used to get when he got drunk with his brother and raised hell, Jason grimaced. “I can do without the kick.”

  Luke sobered. “You’ve drunk straight beer since leaving Gully’s Fall without a problem.”

  Pulling out a can of Coke, Jason popped the tab, took a long swallow and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth with a sigh of pleasure. “I choose not to when I can, as you know.”

  Luke sighed. “Okay. But you could at least have a couple of cans in there for your hard-working cousins.”

  “When you’re in my house you put up with what I have. You don’t like it,” Jason shrugged unconcernedly, “tough.”

  “Geez. That’s a bit rough.” Luke drained the glass of Iced Coffee, pulled the bottle over and refilled the glass. “I have feelings, you know.”

  “That’s the word around the Tender Feelings Department.”

  Luke flipped his middle finger at him.

  “Is that from the Mature Men’s Department?”

  “It’s from the Real Men have Feelings Department.”

  “You’ve been around Mum too long.”

  “Speaking of Aunt Lora, how about her and this upcoming date, huh?”

  “What date? Did I forget a birthday or something?” Jason took another mouthful of drink.

  “Aunt Lora’s date. You know, with a bloke?”

  Jason’s breath sucked in sharply, drink went down the wrong way and he coughed and spluttered. Part of his mind was trying to process what Luke had said, the other part of his brain was trying to organise his lungs not to drown in drink but cough the offending liquid back up.

  It took a minute before he was able to choke out, “Date? Mum is going on a date? With a bloke?”

  Luke looked pained. “Ah…you didn’t know?”

  “With a man?”

  “I’m thinking so, unless she’s decided men are too much problem and is swinging the other way?”

  “What the hell?” Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, Jason wheezed, “Mum is going on a date?”

  “Something tells me you didn’t know about this.”

  “No, I didn’t know about this.” Breath regained, Jason frowned. “Who is he? Do you k
now him?”

  Luke shook his head. “Nope.”

  Jason’s frown grew. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “Hey, man, she probably did.”

  “I’m damned sure I’d remember something like that.”

  “Maybe she meant to, but you haven’t been around to the house to see her for a week or so.”

  “I’ve been busy shifting. Are you sure you don’t know him?”

  “Cross my heart, hope you die, because I sure don’t want to.”

  Ignoring the way his cousin had unashamedly mangled the saying, Jason folded his arms. “Does Uncle Harris know?”

  “I guess so.”

  Jason stared at his cousin before dropping his eyes to the can of Coke he’d dropped onto the bench during his coughing fit. Condensation trickled down the sides to pool around the bottom of the can.

  He couldn’t believe it, was trying to digest the information. His mother was going on a date with a man. His mother. She hadn’t told him. Why hadn’t she told him? And who was this man? Who the hell had managed to get past her reservation and had her agreeing to go out with him?

  “You all right?” Luke queried.

  “Hell, Luke, I don’t know.” Jason shook his head. “I just…”

  His cousin waited quietly.

  “I just…” Jason took a swig of Coke, swallowed, felt the cold, tingling wash of fizzy liquid roll down his throat. “I mean, after Dad…you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” Luke’s normally cheerful expression grew darker. “He was a bastard, no doubt about it.”

  “He belted her.” Jason’s grip tightened on the can of drink. “Belted her black and blue for years. Then Brand…” Fury boiled through him as fresh as though it was just yesterday. Taking a deep breath, he placed the can back down onto the bench to lean both hands on the pitted top and stretch back on straight arms. Took another deep breath. “I never thought she’d go out with another man after all that.”

  Luke nodded.

  “She’s never shown any inclination to go out. I thought she was finished with that kind of thing.”

  “On the bright side, this bloke must be exceptional,” Luke suggested.

  Jason shot him a dark glare. “He better bloody be.” Abruptly, he pushed upright and yanked the mobile from his pocket.

  “Hang on.” Alarmed, Luke reached out to block the move. “What’re you doing? Who’re you calling?”

  “Mum.” Jason yanked the mobile from under his cousin’s hand.

  “Is that wise? I mean, look at you.”

  “What?” Jason scrolled through the contact list.

  “You’re pissed off.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “You look like you’ve had a mouthful of brussle sprouts. Now just stop and think about it, okay?”

  “I’m not mad at her.” Pressing the button, Jason put the mobile to his ear and waited.

  Luke rolled his eyes.

  “I’m just checking in with her, is that okay with you?”

  Luke threw his hands up in the air. “Whatever!”

  The phone rang, rang some more, and then his uncle’s voice rumbled, “You’ve reached Well’s Handyman and Building Services. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.”

  Jason hung up.

  Swallowing Iced Coffee, Luke peered at him over the rim of the glass.

  “No one’s home.” Jason laid the mobile down. A nasty thought struck him. “Shit. Was the date tonight? Did you get it wrong, you dick?”

  “No, the date’s not tonight, you wally.” Luke lowered the glass. “What if it was? You going to track her down, embarrass her?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what?”

  “I just want to check this man out for myself, meet him. Make sure he’s good enough for her.”

  Luke arched one eyebrow. “And?”

  A muscle jumped in Jason’s jaw. “Let him know if he lays one hand on my mother, I’ll break the bloody thing off and shove it up his arse.”

  “Huh.” Tipping the bottle over his glass, Luke poured out the last of the Iced Coffee. “One way to make a good impression on who could one day possibly be your new daddy.”

  Jason glared at him.

  “Hey, I’m just saying.” Luke grinned.

  “Don’t you have a home to go to?”

  “I thought I’d sleep here.”

  “You thought wrong.”

  “Relax.” Leaning one elbow on the bench, Luke said mildly, “Aunt Lora’s at her craft group tonight, remember?”

  Oh yeah, it was Thursday, the evening of the local craft group his mother had joined a couple of years ago. He couldn’t very well ring her there demanding answers. In fact, he couldn’t demand answers, his Mum had her own life to lead. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t go fishing for answers, of course. After everything she’d been through, they’d been through together, he figured he had a right to see that she remained happy, and that meant meeting her date and checking him out. Yeah.

  Luke drained the last of the Iced Coffee from the glass and placed it beside the empty bottle. “Got a plan?”

  “No plan.”

  “Uh huh.”

  He figured it was way past time he dropped in to his uncle’s house and visited both Uncle Harris and Mum. He’d just drop in tomorrow night, say hello, and do a little fishing. No harm in that.

  “By the way,” Luke drawled, “how’d Arnie get on the balcony?”

  “No idea,” Jason replied.

  ~*~

  “So how’d Arnie get on the balcony?” Mikki queried.

  “No idea.” Pulling more boxes of cereal out of the large box at her feet, Izzy stacked them on the shelf.

  “Was the ladder against the wall?”

  “Nope.”

  On the other side of the aisle, Mikki placed jars of coffee on the shelf. “Tree near the balcony?”

  “Nope.”

  “You know what this means, right?”

  “I’ve a feeling you’re going to tell me.” Ready to be entertained, Izzy grabbed the empty box and with the retractable blade knife, she cut the sticky tape holding the bottom shut.

  “It’s the ghost,” Mikki announced.

  “The ghost.”

  “That house is haunted.” Pausing with a jar of coffee in each hand, Mikki looked over her shoulder at Izzy.

  Folding the box along the creases, Izzy laid it flat on the stack atop the trolley before slicing the next box open. Extracting more boxes of cereal, she recommenced filling the shelves. “It’s rumoured to be haunted.”

  “It is haunted. Why do you think it’s been bought and sold so many times?”

  “Okay, I did wonder about the ghost theory, but maybe it’s just because it’s an old house and falling apart?”

  “Because no one stays in it.”

  “Because it’s expensive to fix.”

  “Because it’s haunted.”

  Izzy stepped back for a customer to peruse the shelf of cereal. Mikki fell silent, placing jar after jar of coffee on the shelf. By the time the customer walked off, she’d started on the packets of tea.

  “Now I’m not saying I agree with you.” Izzy recommenced stacking. “But I have to admit it is weird that Arnie managed to get up on that balcony. I need to keep a closer eye on him-”

  “And you’ll see the ghost that did it.”

  “And I’ll find out how he climbed up there.”

  “He didn’t climb. What cat can climb onto a second floor balcony without help?”

  “One who can scale brickwork.”

  Mikki stared at her for several seconds before shaking her head. “Nope. Not possible.”

  “Very possible. I’ve seen home videos several times on TV where a cat has scaled brickwork.”

  Mikki’s lips pursed. “Okay, say that’s what he did, why would he scale the brickwork?”

  “To get on the balcony.” Izzy laughed as Mikki sighed.

  As Izzy stacked the last carton of cereal, her nam
e was called over the intercom to man a cash register. “Catch you later.”

  The register counter she was allocated was empty, but as soon as she pulled the retractable ribbon aside and flicked on the little light above the register desk, a line rapidly appeared as people converged. She didn’t have time to think more about the puzzle of Arnie while dealing with customers, and by the time she was able to close off the register and go back to restocking shelves she’d forgotten about it.

  The day passed busily, and she was relieved when the doors closed leaving only the supermarket’s employees. In the small locker room, she and Mikki pulled on their jumpers and slid the straps of their shoulder bags over their shoulders.

  “How about a pizza?” Mikki suggested. “My feet are killing me, I’m tired, and I can’t be fagged cooking.”

  “Pizza.” Izzy looked through the doorway at the gloom beyond. A light drizzle was falling. “Sounds good. My place or yours?”

  “Yours.” Mikki’s face brightened. “I can get a gander at the haunted house.”

  “You’ve seen it plenty of times.”

  “Yeah, but this is the first time actual ghost activity has been reported.”

  Izzy looked warningly at her friend. “Mik, we’re not going over there.”

  “I never said that. Did I say that?”

  “You didn’t have to, it’s written all over your freckly face.”

  “Excuse me, the freckles are only on my nose which, according to my mother, makes me look adorable.” Mikki hoicked the shoulder strap higher on her shoulder. “Besides, I might only just have a peek at it over your fence. That’s not going over there, right?”

  “You worry me.”

  With a snort, Mikki stopped beside her car and slid the key into the lock. “I’ll pick up the pizza and see you at your house.”

  As Izzy pulled into her driveway, she had to admit the big, old, double-storied house next door did look eerie in the dark drizzle. A dim light shone upstairs, another light through the glass panes of the front door. The desolate air wasn’t helped by the rain and the neglected ruins of what had once been a thriving garden.

  She couldn’t help but wonder who the original owner had been that had decided a double story house was a great idea in a street of small three by ones. Maybe it was the first house built in the street by an eccentric rich man or something. Whatever, it didn’t really fit in with the other much smaller, single-story homes. Then again, none of the houses were new, it was an old street, but nevertheless the double-storied house on its much larger block of land stuck out like a sore thumb.