The Sunshine Potluck Society

Chapter 7

Emily slipped a pair of headphones on, tied her hair into a ponytail and got to work cleaning up. The monthly brunch was over. Gwen and Debbie had gone home. Joanna was resting. She looked exhausted after all that cooking, and there was a gigantic bruise down the back of her thighs where she’d fallen.

Emily had given Joanna some more medicine then helped her into bed. Now she was working on cleaning up the mess they’d made. The kitchen looked as though a bomb had gone off. There were bowls and pans stacked up in the sink and dirty dishes piled around it. The ladies had helped wash the initial load of dishes and put away the remnants of the meal that’d been brought out of the dining room before they left. But there was still a lot to be done.

They’d sealed the leftovers into small containers and found room for them in the refrigerator. Gwen and Debbie had taken some home. The rest would be perfect for lunches over the next few days. Especially since she had to go out tomorrow. Her sister was going through chemotherapy, and Emily liked to visit and help out around the house. Especially since Wanda had two small children and got tired easily with her treatments.

Brian, her boyfriend, was gone. Their mother had moved to northern QLD as soon as Emily graduated, so it was mostly left to Emily to support Wanda. And even though it was hard, she liked taking care of people. It was why she’d gravitated towards the job with Joanna. Something about looking after and nurturing others gave her joy. She was exhausted at the end of a long day, but she felt good about what she’d achieved. And when she had to clean up, like today, she could put on her headphones, pump up the music and revel in the satisfaction of cleaning surfaces, plumping cushions and tidying rooms.

The one person she couldn’t stop thinking about was Aaron. What would it be like to live with a man? She’d never done it. She’d lived with her brother, Tristan, until he was eighteen, when he’d moved out to attend university. But she’d never lived with a man. Her father had left when she was five years old; she barely remembered him being in the house with them.

Now Aaron had moved in. For how long? She didn’t know. She’d overheard he and Joanna talking about him staying until he got on his feet. But how long did something like that take? It seemed he’d left the military—honourable discharge, he’d said. So, what would he do now?

He was in the room next to hers. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Surely it would be fine. No doubt he’d get a job and she’d hardly see him. Still, it felt strange to know he was there, behind his bedroom door. After all this time, he was a stranger to her and yet also felt familiar. She glanced at the doorway and imagined him in there. Then she shook her head and hurried to find the vacuum cleaner in the hall closet.

With the vacuum running, she had to amp up the volume of the music so she could hear it. She preferred upbeat songs. Something that would help give her the energy she needed to get through the afternoon’s work. She bopped and swayed as one of her favourites came on. Then she shut her eyes and held up the end of the vacuum like a microphone. She was a famous singer on stage, and the crowd was going wild as she reached for the high note.

What if Aaron expected her to be his carer as well? She took care of Joanna, but would he want the same treatment? He was a grown man. Surely he wouldn’t need that. But maybe Joanna would want her to cook for him, do his laundry, clean up after him the same way she did for Joanna. It would be strange, although it wouldn’t add a lot to her workload. Her job was fairly easy, and she was paid well for it. She didn’t mind the extra work. Only, it would be awkward to take care of Aaron, with the history they’d shared.

Not that he seemed to remember any of it.

She sighed and vacuumed up a few corn kernels that someone had dropped on the dining room carpet.

He was sleeping a lot. He’d said he was taking a nap about two hours ago and hadn’t come out of his room yet. Would he sleep this much every day?

She should ignore him. He wasn’t going to disrupt her life. She wouldn’t let him. She had a good life. She loved her job. Joanna was good to her and gave her flexibility to help her sister whenever she needed. She had a group of friends she’d known since high school. She had everything going for her. Aaron Gilston being back in town would make no difference to her whatsoever.

She turned towards the dining table and worked on a stubborn set of corn kernels. Those little things had managed to tumble all over the place. There were some stuck behind the door. She closed the door most of the way to get to them. Then she moved around the door, opening it again and backing out into the hallway.

When she turned around to march towards the kitchen, she ran smack-dab into a strong, wet and very naked chest.

Emily’s cheek was pressed to Aaron’s chest. She dropped the vacuum cleaner nozzle and grabbed hold of him with both hands to steady herself. She’d been moving quickly, dancing and hurrying with her headphones blocking out all other sounds. She hadn’t noticed him leave the bedroom. He wore a beach towel wrapped around his waist, and somehow his arms had found their way around her.

It felt good. Too good. Her face flushed with warmth, and she took a step back, then wiped the pool water from her cheek.

When she removed her headphones, she heard him laughing quietly. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t hear you or see you. I was vacuuming and had the music turned up loud…”

“I can see that.” His eyes twinkled. “I thought I’d take a swim. It’s such a beautiful day. And I couldn’t wake up after my nap. You must think I’m such a grandpa, taking a nap in the middle of the day. But honestly, I haven’t had much sleep lately. It’s been a rough few months.”

“No, it’s fine. I like naps myself. Well, not usually because I hate that groggy feeling that you have afterwards, like you’re living in a dream world or something. But I like the idea of naps.” She was babbling. He made her nervous.

He smiled at her as he wiped the dripping water from his forehead with the end of his towel. It came unravelled and revealed his blue and green board shorts slung low around his toned hips. She quickly looked away. He’d really worked out since the last time she’d seen him in a swimsuit. Like, a lot.

“Hey, I was wondering… Can you tell me where the laundry is in this place? I need to wash a few things.”

She busied herself unplugging the vacuum to move it. “Oh, you can put your clothes in the hamper in the laundry room. I usually do a load in the mornings.”

He hesitated. “I didn’t mean for you to do it. I’m going to wash my clothes. You work for Granny, not for me.”

Good to know. “Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“That would be way over the line. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you or Granny. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I promise not to add to your workload. Besides, I’ve been taking care of myself for eight years. I don’t know how to do it any other way.”

She nodded. “Fair enough. The laundry room is through the garage by the pool. The clothesline is behind the garage.”

He waved goodbye and headed to his bedroom. Emily watched him go, her heart thudding in her ribcage. At least he’d answered her unspoken question—he didn’t expect her to take care of him. That was a relief. No awkward dirty underwear to deal with. Hopefully he’d manage his own dirty dishes and crumbs in his bedroom as well. But even with that conversation taken care of, no matter what she told herself, having him here changed everything. And it was ridiculous for her to pretend otherwise.