Chapter 6 JJ
SIX
JJ
“Oh come here and give me another hug.”
JJ found herself smushed into her mum. It was like being hugged by a cupcake.
She ate with her family every Sunday and popped in at least a few times during the week. Being away from them was going to be weird, so she squeezed her mum a little harder than usual, basking in the overabundance of love.
“Have you packed your sunscreen?” her mum asked before pulling out of the hug.
“Yes, Mum.” JJ tried not to roll her eyes. They stood in the foyer of her family home. Cheese and garlic wafted down the hallway from the kitchen.
“Your dad’s out the back with Gran picking tomatoes for the salad.”
“Still?” JJ headed down the hall. It was early April, though in Adelaide it might as well still be summer. The heat had been as prolific as the tomatoes.
In the kitchen, there wasn’t an inch of bench space left. Dishes littered every surface, either in line to be cleaned at the sink or filled to the brim to be taken outside for their lunch. Once again, her mum had cooked for an army. An army of four.
“Give me a hand with those, love.” Her mum passed her the salad and a bowl of huge SA king prawns on a bed of ice.
JJ’s mouth watered as she eyed off which one to eat first. She slid open the glass door with her foot and stepped outside.
The sun beamed into the backyard, making her squint.
She hurried over to the table, setting down the plates so she could flick her sunglasses down on her face.
A large straw hat poked out amongst the tomato vines, and JJ made her way over to the veggie patch.
“Happy Easter, Dad!”
Her dad was bent over the raised garden bed trimming up the bottom of the plant and picking off the odd tomato at the same time.
“JJ! Happy Easter.” He squinted up at her with a big grin from beneath his hat. He stood, groaning as he straightened up and stretched his back. “That’s enough of that for today.” He brushed the dirt off his knees and opened his arms for a hug.
JJ was crushed again for the second time that day. She inhaled the distinct earthy aroma of the tomato leaves clinging to her dad’s shirt—the smell of summer and dirt and family.
“Still off tomorrow?” Her dad grabbed the bowl of tomatoes, and they wandered back to the table for lunch.
“Nah, Brooke wants to leave Tuesday to avoid the holiday traffic. So we’re heading off at lunch.”
“Sensible. You don’t muck around with peak hour traffic. And you’ll avoid the roos too.” He nodded, taking off his hat and hanging it on his chair.
“I thought I heard my Bugaboo!” Gran appeared from the other side of the garden carrying a couple of lemons. “Excited for the trip?” She slipped into a chair at the end of the table and began slicing the lemons.
“That’s an understatement.” JJ leaned over and gave her gran a side-armed hug, then took a seat next to her dad.
“Brooke’s made it so easy. Everything’s organised, and I’ve barely had to do a thing.
The biggest workout has been my bank balance.
” Every item was emailed across to be booked, all with clear instructions from Brooke, so JJ could keep her focus on wrapping up work.
Her mum brought out the potato bake and sat down across from JJ. “Right, tuck in everyone before it gets cold.” She smiled, then frowned, clicking her tongue. “JJ, that’s not enough on your plate. Here.”
A mountain of creamy, cheesy potato landed next to her prawns before JJ could object. “Thanks, Mum.” She ignored the potato and picked up a prawn.
“You sure it’s a good idea to be travelling with this random woman?” her dad asked, serving himself a healthy slab of tuna mornay. JJ, in the midst of peeling the prawn and eyeing off the homemade cocktail sauce, paused. This “random woman” was the only reason this holiday was going ahead.
“She’s not random. She’s a friend of Jess’s.
” A friend of Jess was probably a stretch.
Speaking with her housemate, Jess had filled her in on the Brooke she knew before she’d become a world traveller.
She didn’t have much to say about her now; only that she seemed more reserved and aloof.
“Not to mention, she’s a client’s sister, so I know where she lives. ”
The joke fell flat, her parents exchanging glances.
“Is this your latest girlfriend?” Gran asked over her glasses, cracking a shell off her prawn like it was nobody’s business. JJ’s cheeks heated as all eyes turned to her. Gran was no stranger to JJ’s dating struggles, her eyes alight as she waited for a response.
Brooke would be the last person JJ would date, they were complete opposites.
Thankfully Brooke’s bickering banter and expertise kept their interactions fun enough for JJ to want to travel together.
JJ didn't mind differences of opinion, especially short term.
Two weeks was nothing. If she had to consider spending the rest of her life with Brooke, that would be a different story.
“No,” she replied. “Just my tour guide.”
Around her, shoulders sagged and faces fell as everyone went back to their meal.
JJ plucked up another prawn. She would worry about all of that when she was back. Right now she needed to put all thoughts of dating into the recesses of her mind.
JJ paced around the dining and lounge, checking off her list. Everything was done and running on time.
It was D-Day.
That sounded ominous.
It was holiday time!
Much better.
Only one last paint job and she’d be out of here! Her stomach roiled.
She passed Jess, who was finishing the last of her coffee. She popped the mug in the dishwasher and grabbed her lunch bag from the fridge.
“Soak the peace lilies every other week,” JJ reminded Jess. “And water all the seedlings every second morning. Unless this hot streak continues, then every day.”
“I know. The schedule is on the fridge.” Jess made a show of pointing to JJ’s neatly handwritten notes plastered on the front. “I’ll do my best to green up that black thumb of mine and keep your plants alive.”
“Thanks, Jess. If you could also—”
“Check the mail, pay any bills. Swipe your credit card details and go on a shopping spree.”
JJ narrowed her eyes.
Jess cracked a grin. “I promise I’ll look after the house while you're gone.”
“And no sex on the couch!” JJ shook her finger at Jess.
“Hey! I told you that in confidence, not so you could use it against me.”
JJ walked to the kitchen cupboard and grabbed a glass. “I don't trust you or Remi around my furniture.” Bloody rabbits in their honeymoon stage.
“That's fair. I wouldn't either.” She cackled. “Especially without you around cockblocking us.”
“That was one time. Plus, I didn't know you two were together and I know—”
“—we weren't actually together,” Jess finished for her.
“Not sure who you were fooling.”
Jess ignored her, pulling on her pink safety boots and heading off to work with a friendly wave and a cheshire cat smile.
Alone again, JJ stared at the completed checklist for a third time.
She put a hand on her chest, heart thudding against it.
She couldn’t seem to slow it down, even though everything was set.
Her suitcases were packed; she was ready to go.
She poured herself a water, almost hyperventilating as she watched the glass fill.
Gulping it down, she braced her hands on the sink to give herself a moment.
You’re only nervous because this is new and out of your comfort zone.
Brooke would be with her, and she was a travel expert no less.
Everything would be fine.
Now to get this last-minute paint job out the way for the morning. Her back ached at the thought of cracking out the paint roller again. Nerves aside, the open road was calling. Keeping busy until it was time for tools down would be good. Plus, it was only a single bedroom—nice and quick.
Two hours in, there was nothing simple about the job, and JJ was still struggling with the prep work.
It turned out, the homeowner had rented out the spare bedroom, and the last occupant was very fond of wall posters.
There were Blu Tack marks everywhere, and not only were they a pain to remove, but time-consuming.
The residue wasn’t something you could just paint over.
She texted Brooke an update, but hopefully she’d still be ready to hit the road just after lunch.
Rolling on the final coat, JJ downed her tools and stretched out her back. Regret seeped into her bones as her legs ached from standing all day. She pulled her headphones off and took her phone off focus mode.
3:30pm. Five missed calls. Three text messages from Brooke.
Fuck.
“I’m so sorry!” JJ cried as soon as Brooke answered the phone.
She raced around the room, tidying up one-handed and pulling off the last of the masking tape.
“I can’t believe the time. I could’ve sworn I’d only been painting an hour.
I was completely in the zone. We can leave now.
I’m just finishing up here.” She stopped to take a breath.
“Honestly, there’s no point in leaving now,” Brooke said, then sighed.
JJ paused, a sticky ball of wadded tape in hand. “What!? What are you talking about?”
“Relax, I mean no point leaving right now. It’d be rush hour by the time you picked me up. So don’t stress. I’ll call the accommodation, then how about you come get me when you’re ready. We can have dinner and leave after the mad rush.”
The suggestion sounded good, but with the amount of driving they had ahead of them…
“Wait… that means we wouldn’t get there til like… midnight.” JJ walked outside and put the leftover paint in the car.
“I mean, it’s not the best-case scenario, but I’ve arrived at midnight in plenty of places.
I once had a bus that dumped me on the outskirts of Venice at one in the morning.
Come on, what would you rather: sleep in and wake up in the Flinders tomorrow?
Or lose a night and have to leave at lunch tomorrow? ”
“Ugh.” JJ scratched at her arm, the itch travelling right up to her shoulder.
This was not ideal. She closed her eyes and breathed out her nose, leaning on the side of her car.
Why had she taken on the extra work? She could’ve said no.
She didn’t need the money. Now, waiting around for another morning sounded like torture.
She’d been antsy enough today. Plus, the plan was to leave today.
The thought of everything switching around—
“Well, what do you want to do?”
Right. She hadn’t answered Brooke.
“I’ll pick you up for dinner,” she replied, walking back inside.
It was going to be a long, dark night.