Chapter 18
The kitchen gleamed. Emily filled a mug with steaming hot water. Tea seeped from a bag into the water. Her phone buzzed. It was Wanda.
Mia threw up all over the bed. Mason has a fever. And I feel awful. I’m not coping.
She texted her sister back.
I’m so sorry. I can come by later if that helps.
There’s no point. Then you’d be sick too.
Let me know if you need anything.
I will. Thanks.
She walked out to the back deck, set down her mug of tea and pressed her hands to her hips to inhale a large breath. The afternoon sun glinted on the surface of the pool, inviting her in. She might go for a swim to clear her head. She still hadn’t quite digested all the food they’d eaten but was feeling a little better.
She’d dropped Gwen home half an hour earlier. Between them, they’d cleaned up Joanna’s kitchen, and now Joanna was down for a nap. Emily wanted to do something. She itched for a bit of activity. Sometimes she wished she had more friends her own age. She loved spending time with Joanna, Gwen and Debbie, but they’d been together since kindergarten. She was a blow-in. And she was less than half their age. She needed more stimulation, some excitement, an adventure. Her life was slipping by, and she hadn’t done anything yet.
She sat and sipped tentatively at the boiling hot tea. It scorched her lips and tongue. She panted for a moment, regretting her haste.
Maybe she should go over to Wanda’s and check on them anyway. Even if Wanda didn’t want her to. She could bring them some chicken soup. That might help them feel better. But she needed to take a few minutes to herself first, finish her tea and have a swim. Then she’d get started on the soup.
The house phone rang, and she leapt to her feet and ran into the kitchen to answer it before it woke Joanna. She’d insisted on keeping a house phone even though no one else had one. Emily had explained to her that mobile was all she needed, but Joanna had asked, “What if there’s an emergency? I always turn my phone to mute and forget about it.”
She had a point. When Joanna left her phone on mute, it was impossible to reach her.
“Hello, this is the Gilston residence. Emily speaking.”
“Oh, hi. I’m looking for Aaron Gilston,” a woman’s voice said.
“Who’s calling?”
“I’m Amy Sykes. He has my number.”
“I’ll tell him you called.”
“Can you please ask him to call me back? That’d be great.”
“No worries,” Emily replied.
As she hung up the phone, she couldn’t help wondering who Amy Sykes was and why she was calling Aaron’s home number. He obviously hadn’t given her his mobile number. She hadn’t mentioned a doctor’s surgery or a dentist’s office. Clearly it was a personal call. But who was she? Was he dating already? He’d only just arrived in town. It seemed a little unfair that he’d already be going out with other women, especially when she was right here in front of him and he hadn’t so much as asked her out. Why would he, though? He’d never seen her that way. Why start now?
The front door opened, and she was still staring at the phone on the bench. She startled and turned to see Aaron walking in with his laptop bag in one hand.
“Oh, hi,” she said, her cheeks warming. “How was work?”
“It was fine. I still can’t believe they needed me to come in on a Saturday. I hope it’s not going to become the norm. I need my weekends.” He grinned, the dimples in his cheeks deepening. “How was brunch?”
“It was great,” Emily replied. “I can make you a plate, if you like.”
“That would be fantastic. I’m so hungry I can barely think straight.”
“Coming right up.” She’d have to share the phone message with him, but not right away. He’d only stepped through the door seconds ago and was famished. She would give him a chance to breathe first.
While Aaron changed, Emily heated up a plate of food for him. She left it covered on the kitchen bench, then headed to her room to put on a swimsuit. It was a hot day, and although the house was air-conditioned, the moment she stepped outside, she began to sweat. The sun bored down on her head as she slathered sunscreen over her exposed skin. The red bikini she wore was a little too small. She really should go shopping for another one. She kept hoping she’d be able to drop the five kilograms she’d gained and fit back into it.
When she jumped into the pool, the cold water rushed over her. She pushed to the surface and gasped for air. Within a few moments, it felt nice, although the initial cold had made her shiver. Then she remembered the phone call. She’d have to tell Aaron about it soon or she might forget completely. And that could seem intentional.
Ten minutes later, she heard a splash behind her and turned to see Aaron surfacing. He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. Then he smiled at her. “I hope you don’t mind. It looked so good, and the city was so hot. By the way, that food was the bomb.”
“I don’t mind at all. And I’m glad you enjoyed the meal.” She pushed her long, wet hair back from her face. “There was a phone call for you a few minutes before you got home. A woman called Amy.”
He frowned. “Amy Sykes?”
“That’s right. She asked if you’d call her back.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll give her a call when I get out of the pool.”
She wanted to ask. But she shouldn’t. It wasn’t her business. He had every right to date. He had no obligation to her.
“Do you know her from work?” she asked.
He bobbed in the water. “I met her there, yes. But she doesn’t work with me.”
“Oh.” She pursed her lips and concentrated on picking up stray leaves from the bottom of the pool with her toes and tossing them over the edge onto the deck.
“We had coffee.”
“Oh.” So he was dating her, but nothing serious. At least not yet. Still, none of her business.
“I’m not sure why she’s calling. I didn’t give her my mobile. I guess she looked up the number.”
“That makes sense,” she said. There were too many leaves. She’d never be able to pick them all up one by one. Where was the pool vacuum? She spied it over by a clump of palm trees. What was it doing all the way over there?
She climbed out of the pool and padded, dripping, to pick up the vacuum. Then she carried it back to the pool and lowered it into the water. She jumped into the pool behind it. But the vacuum didn’t do anything. There must be a button to switch it on. She ducked beneath the water’s surface and pulled up the vacuum. Then she resurfaced and looked for the on switch. Where was it? She hadn’t looked closely at it before. They had a maintenance guy who came regularly to keep the pool in working order. Surely the button wouldn’t be too hard to find.
The vacuum was heavy. She readjusted her grip. Just then, two arms enveloped her and reached for the vacuum, holding it easily aloft. Aaron’s arms were on either side of her, muscular and tanned. He peered over her shoulder so his chin was almost resting on top of her head.
“Here it is,” he said, pressing a button on the side of the vacuum. “I took it out to fix a blockage. Should work fine now.”
He let go of the vacuum and swam away.
“Uh, thanks.” Emily realised she’d been holding her breath in her throat. Her entire body hummed with energy. She was aware of every single hair, every toe, every finger, every fibre of her being. And the skin he’d touched was still dimpled with goose bumps.
She lowered the vacuum into the water, then pushed off the side with her feet to swim a lap. She swam until she was tired. When she emerged from the water, Aaron was gone. And the ache in her heart had grown.