Lean on Me (The Mackay Sisters)
Page 18
Blinking open her eyes, she focussed on his face and memories of the night came flooding back, immediately followed by a blush that had her cheeks feeling like they were on fire. “Ummm…morning.”
“I’ve got to get home and showered for work.” He winked. “Keep the bed warm for me.” He dropped a kiss on her lips, light and friendly before tugging the doona back up over her head.
Listening to him walk down the dim hallway, Lori could only marvel at what had happened.
Matt Winters had made love to her, Lori Mackay. He wanted her, trusted her, was honestly turned on by her over-generous curves, and he welcomed her shy, tentative, but undoubtedly enthralled explorations of his body.
When she thought of what he’d done to her during the night…what she’d done to him with his encouragement…cripes, it made her cheeks burn and her womanhood clench.
Rolling over in the bed, she buried her face in the pillow he’d been using, inhaling his male scent. The pillow smelled like Matt and if she closed her eyes and tried hard, she could almost imagine that he was still there in the bed with her.
She couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped her and she sat up. It was true. It was really true. Her dreams had become reality, her fantasises well on their way to being fulfilled, and all was right with the world.
Her gaze fell on the empty spot on the bed and a touch of sadness hit home hard. Minx’s spot was empty.
The moment was bitter sweet, the loss of Minx and the gaining of Matt. Loss of one love, the birth of another.
Some people wouldn’t understand, but… Lori stroked the spot where Minx used to sleep. So much had happened in so short a time. So much frustration, so much happiness, and a lot of tears.
“But I know you liked Matt, Minxie,” she whispered with a teary smile.
Lying back down, she looked up at the wall, quietly contemplating all that had happened, watching as the dawn gave way to the morning, the sun creeping up to paint the wall in a wash of warm gold.
Finally she got out of bed, wincing a little at the unaccustomed soreness between her thighs, the pull of muscles used for the first time. The warm shower was a definite balm.
Slipping on a skirt and top, she stepped in sandals and went outside to sit on the veranda with a cup of tea and a slice of toast, watching the world go by, knowing that life went on, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always there, it was a matter of just learning how to walk it, as her grandma used to say.
Old Man Parker came meandering along the footpath on the opposite side of the road. He took one look at her and turned into Mrs Hubble’s gate, hurrying up to her door and knocking.
The door opened, Mrs Hubble looked at him, looked across the road at Lori, grabbed Old Man Parker and practically yanked him into the house, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Ouch. Lori winced. Damn, she’d been hard on the local gossips. Mrs Hubble, Mrs Swanson and Old Man Parker could chinwag about everybody in the town and there was no doubting they spread rumours like one spread vegemite on toast, but basically they were harmless. Everyone knew they gossiped and everyone took what they said with a grain of salt. No one took a lot of umbrage because deep down the trio were nice people, always the first to offer a hand, always the first to offer condolences on a loss, and they’d all been there for Lori and Ali when her grandma had died.
Rubbing her forehead, Lori sighed. There was also no doubting the trio were nosey, prone to embellishing, and over-eager to find a story, however far-fetched, to boost their day.
Okay, she had a right to have a go at them yesterday, but still, they were her elders and she’d been brought up to respect her elders. So she should apologise. Didn’t want to, sure, but good manners dictated she needed to.
If they’d have anything to do with her. Looking at Mrs Hubble’s closed door, Lori sighed. It was the first time she could ever remember that Mrs Hubble hadn’t waved or called out a greeting at spotting her.
Shit, no one was perfect.
Lori was just debating when to go across and apologise when Mrs Swanson’s car pulled up in front of Mrs Hubble’s house, and Mrs Swanson got out and hurried up to the front door, opening it without knocking and entering, shutting it behind her.
Lori watched curiously. Lynch mob in the making, perhaps? No doubt she was the object of speculation in Peeron right now, a lot of people had seen her lose her cool at the supermarket.
Cringe factor. Big time.
Her heart fell a little. The trio had been good friends of her grandmother’s, who’d laughed at their antics and shrugged off their meddlesome ways. Always one to dwell on everyone’s good points, she’d happily overlooked their gossiping and kept their friendship.
Now Lori felt guilty. About to stand up and head over to Mrs Hubble’s house to apologise, she stilled when Mrs Swanson, Mrs Hubble and Old Man Parker suddenly came out of Mrs Hubble’s house, Old Man Parker shutting the door behind them and following them up the garden path.
Onto the street they came, Mrs Hubble holding a small pot with a little bush in it, a dainty white rose bobbing on a slim stem. The trio crossed the road and entered Lori’s gate.
She stood slowly, coming to the edge of the veranda to meet them.
They watched as she came down the two steps to stand before them.
“I’m so sorry-” she began, only to be interrupted.
“We heard about Minx.” Mrs Hubble thrust out the pot. “I know you’re mad at us, but we just wanted to give you this so you have something to place in the garden in her memory.”
“Please accept it.” Mrs Swanson cleared her throat, a tinge of colour in her cheeks. “We know she meant a lot to you and Ali.”
“Condolences,” Old Man Parker muttered, thrusting his hands in his pockets and rocking backwards and forwards in his shoes.
A lump rose in Lori’s throat as she took the pot. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She smiled around at them. “All of you. This means so much to me, and it will to Ali, too, when she gets back.”
“Anything we can do?” Mrs Hubble asked gently.
And there it was, the niceness of them, that soft-heartedness that just surged up when anyone needed help.
Shifting the pot to one arm, Lori walked forward and embraced her, hugging her tightly. “Thank you.”
Mrs Hubble patted her back. “That’s all right, dear.”
Stepping back, Lori turned to Mrs Swanson, who was waiting with arms out. Another hug, another whispered “thank you.”
Old Man Parker hemmed and hawed when Lori turned to him next, cleared his throat, then gave her a careful hug as though afraid he’d break her. His cheeks were distinctly pink when he moved back. “I can plant it for you,” he offered gruffly.
Knowing his back wasn’t as good as it used to be, Lori smiled gently. “Thanks, Mr Parker, I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll have a look at the garden later and see where the best spot would be to plant this beautiful memory rose.”
“Could always get your young man to plant it,” he said, a gleam in his eyes right before Mrs Swanson jabbed him in the ribs. “Or not.”
“We never saw a thing,” Mrs Swanson assured Lori.
They couldn’t have either, not unless they had night vision. For one wild second Lori wondered if Shirley might have night vision goggles, she could just picture her with them up to her eyes in one hand, the other hovering above the phone with one finger extended out to the speed dial buttons.
Looking at Mrs Hubble, Mrs Swanson and Old Man Parker, Lori knew they’d soon get wind of what was happening between her and Matt. Maybe she’d actually give them the news first. It was, after all, good news, though she still felt a little self-conscious about it.
However, before she even opened her mouth, Mrs Hubble announced in a rush, “We’re so sorry we caused you such distress yesterday, Lori.”
“We never meant to hurt you,” Mrs Swanson added. “We just sort of heard…we thought… Well, we never meant to hurt you.”
&n
bsp; Old Man Parker fixed a steady gaze on Lori. “We had no idea you were under a bit of pressure. We’re sorry.” He glanced at his two cronies. “I guess we did get a bit carried away with things. It’s a little problem we sometimes have.”
“I don’t know about that,” Mrs Hubble sniffed, only to add when he glared at her, “Okay, sometimes.” Looking away, she muttered, “Rarely.”
Lori couldn’t stop the amused twitch of her lips.
Reaching out, Mrs Swanson patted Lori’s hand. “Are we good?”
“Mrs Swanson,” Lori replied gently, “We’re always good.”
A smile of relief spread over her face.
“I shouldn’t have been so rude, I apologise for that.” Lori shook her head. “Grandma would have boxed my ears if she’d been there.”
“Right after she’d boxed ours for gossiping,” Old Man Parker stated bluntly.
“She always did have a temper when riled,” Mrs Swanson said.
“Called a spade a spade,” Mrs Hubble agreed.
“I miss her.” Old Man Parker cleared his throat.
“We all do, Percy.” Mrs Hubble patted his back. “You more so, we know.”
Oh ho, that was unexpected. Lori took a harder look at Old Man Parker. Catching her look he blushed, glancing way and rocking harder on his heels.
Wow. Grandma and Old Man Parker? Surely not? Surely… Lori switched her gaze to Mrs Swanson, who gave her a sly wink. Cripes!
That brought to mind several scenes that had no right bouncing around in her head. If she’d been able to scrub the thoughts out with a toothbrush, she’d have been inside scrubbing right then and there. Really, how long had it been going on between Grandma and Old Man Parker? To the end? Oh man, that just wasn’t right, that…wait until she told Ali!
Hang on, did Ghost know about this? He’d had been living beside Grandma before she and Ali had moved in, so he probably did know. When he got home she was going to pin him down and see what he’d known, if he’d kept anything back from them. Then again, Old Man Parker and Grandma. Erk. Maybe Ghost had done right by not mentioning anything.
A car horn beeped and they all looked up to see Harriet’s car drive past, Harriet waving at Lori.
“Hey,” Mrs Hubble said, “Isn’t that the new woman in town?”
“I do believe you’re right,” Mrs Swanson agreed. “Hermione. Hannah. Helen?”
“Harriet,” Lori supplied.
Three sets of eyes swung back to her. Unnervingly, all three pairs of eyes gleamed.
“Harriet?” Old Man Parker raised his eyebrows encouragingly.
“Wasn’t she visiting you yesterday?” Mrs Hubble queried, as though she hadn’t obviously seen from her lounge room window.
Old habits died hard. Lori didn’t know whether to sigh or laugh. “Yes, she did.”
“She must be lonely.” Mrs Hubble tapped her lip. “Keeps to herself a lot.”
“Mmm.”
“No point trying to pump Lori,” Old Man Parker told Mrs Hubble. “She’s just like her Grandma, see all, hear all, say nothing.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Mr Parker,” Lori said.
His smile was wide, a twinkle in his eyes. “It was meant as one, young Mackay. Now come on, you two.” Turning, he grabbed his cronies by the elbow. “I do believe you brought cupcakes from your restaurant, Millie.”
“Well, yes, but-”Mrs Swanson began, finding herself being ushered towards the gate.
“And Claire, I reckon that kettle would be boiled by now. I could do with a cup of tea to wet my whistle.”
“Percy! Really, your language!” Then Mrs Hubble spoiled her outraged look by giving a giggle.
“Don’t encourage him,” Mrs Swanson told her. “It only makes him worse.”
“Thanks for the rose,” Lori called after them, waving as they all glance fleetingly back and smiled before Old Man Parker resumed ushering the women across the road.
Mrs Hubble’s door shut behind them and Lori grinned. No doubt it would be tea, cupcakes and dissection of Harriet’s presence in the town.
Feeling a lot better, she went back into the house and through to the garden, setting the pot beside Minx’s grave. Yes, the white rose was a good choice for her fur-baby. Sweet, gentle, and peaceful.
Tears stung her eyes again, but this time she was able to smile through them.
~*~
Lori dreaded telling Ali about Minx, but Saturday evening rolled around and she came home. It didn’t take her long to realise that Minx wasn’t there, and it was a good half hour before Ali was finally able to talk without crying.
Unwillingly, Ghost left Ali to sleep in her own room but knowing her so well, he simply kissed her on the forehead, hugged her, hugged Lori, and left quietly without arguing, but anyone with half an eye could see that he wanted to drag Ali home with him, to coddle and soothe her.
Out of politeness, Matt steered clear of the Mackay house, telling Lori that he felt it was best for the sisters to be alone for the night. There was no doubt in Lori’s mind that he’d have been more than happy for her to insist he stay, but she did want time alone with Ali.
Regardless of everyone’s best intentions, Minx had been their cat for years and had been with them through their parents’ and grandmother’s deaths, and they’d shared confidences to the little ginger cat that they couldn’t possibly tell anyone else throughout their teenage years.
To say they’d lost a member of their family was so true.
Sitting on the back veranda, they watched the sun set and finally disappear, talking quietly about Minx, their parents and their grandmother. It was a sad time, but it was a time of closeness for the sisters, and when they finally went their separate ways to bed both were able to smile and hug each other without Ali bursting into tears.
Sunday morning Lori was woken by the sound of Ali in the kitchen. Going out, she met Ali’s sad smile with one of understanding.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go have breakfast at the café.”
Ali glanced around before finally nodding. “Good plan.”
After showering and dressing, they locked the house and walked through the small town until they came to the café. Entering, they nodded to Tommy and crossed to a far booth. Sitting opposite each other, they both studied the menus.
Tommy walked over and stopped by the table. “What’ll it be?”
“Charming,” Ali said.
“Amiable this morning, aren’t you?” Lori asked without looking up.
Tommy grunted.
Lifting her gaze from the menu, Lori caught Ali studying her with raised eyebrows. It struck her suddenly. Ali knew a lot of the town’s secrets, many people confided in her, knowing she never gossiped. And Ali knew Tommy’s, Lori always suspected that, some secret that was no longer a secret to Lori.
Or was it? Lips pursed, she dropped her gaze back to the menu. Maybe it was a different secret that Tommy had, not the same as he’d told Lori. Or sort of told her, though she now knew what it was regardless thanks to Harriet’s visit.
“Decided yet?” Tommy asked.
Lori glanced up at him and raised one brow.
He looked directly at her as though daring her to say something apart from the order.
“Your attitude needs some fine tuning,” she told him.
With another grunt, he tapped his pen on the notepad.
Not happening, obviously, surly bastard.
She snapped the menu closed. “I’ll have the cheese and bacon omelette, a slice of toast and a cup of tea, please.”
Tommy scribbled the order and looked at Ali. It wasn’t hard to see the annoyance simmering in his eyes.
Ali smiled at him. “Same.”
Swinging on his heel, he walked back to the kitchen, beginning to bark out the order to the cook, which happened to be his own mother.
Even with the door shut, her voice was clearly heard. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Then don’t
use that tone with me, son.”
“What tone?”
“The one I’m about five seconds from beating out of you.”
There was silence for several seconds before Tommy’s voice replied, a lot more subdued, “Two orders of omelette, toast and tea. Please.”
“That’s more like it. And you better work on your attitude, Tommy, or you can find yourself another cook.”
“Sorry.”
“Oh, that sounded sincere.”
Lori and Ali watched as Tommy came out of the kitchen. He took one look at them, glanced around the deserted café, and then crossed over to their table.
Unceremoniously shoving Ali along the bench seat, he sat down beside her. “This is doing my head in.”
“I guess so,” Lori replied carefully.
“I don’t understand women!” Thrusting one hand through his hair, he glared at her.
“They don’t exactly understand men.”
“She’s driving me insane!”
“Your mother?” Ali asked just as carefully.
“No! Harriet!” Flopping back against the backrest of the bench, he stared up at the ceiling. “I’m so tired. I am so bloody tired!”
“And horny?” Ali suggested, only to catch Lori’s horrified gaze and shrug. “Hey, it’s obvious who and what he’s talking about.”
“I’m not horny,” Tommy denied before Lori could answer. “I get enough sex.”
“Whoa.” Lori held up one hand. “I’m all about sharing and caring, Tommy, but-”
“How the hell can I make Harriet see reason?” He rubbed his eyes. “This sneaking around-”
The doorbell sounding cut him off and he leaped to his feet as though stuck with a pin. “Later,” he said to the sisters and practically stormed off to meet the hapless customer who was watching his approach warily.
Ali studied Lori. “So you know.”
“Yep.” Lori traced a finger on the table top. “A few things have happened while you’ve been gone.”
“Really?” Intrigued, Ali settled back, stretching out her legs to rest her heels on Lori’s bench seat. “Do tell.”
“Well, as you undoubtedly know now, Tommy had a chat with me.”