by Claire Raye
“Place looks amazing, Lulu. Your parents would be proud.”
I swallow hard and nod my head.
Why is it so hard to take him seriously?
“What about your parents? Your dad?” I ask, changing the subject before things get a little too comfortable between us.
“Dad’s retired, and he’s off traveling through Europe with my mum,” Jack responds but offers nothing more. And before I can ask what he’s been up to, he says, “I’ll check in with you in a bit after I have time to look into things.”
“If I’m not here, I’ll be up front in the office.”
Jack gives me a curt nod of his head and leaves, making his way back to his cottage.
I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly, watching him walk away.
“Get a good look at my arse?” Jack calls over his shoulder, his laugh booming across the empty rows of vines.
“Shut up!” I yell back, slapping my hand over my face before I disappear, mortified, into my house.
I slam the door and I hear that Ellen and the kids are back, and she giggles as I storm into the kitchen.
She’s standing poised at the island with a glass of wine in each hand and a smile on her face.
“How’d that go?” she questions, and I can’t tell if she’s teasing or prying.
“About as well as expected,” I mutter, grabbing the glass from her hand and taking a big gulp.
“Dad would kill you if he saw you chug your wine like that.”
“I don’t need your shit, too.” I roll my eyes at her and plop down on a stool, as Ellen grabs the one next to me.
“Is he married?” she asks seemingly out of nowhere, her eyebrows going up along with the corners of her lips. Nosiness must run in the family.
“You’re as bad as the kids.”
Chapter Three
Jack
I’m grinning as I walk back into my cottage. It’s funny how things have turned out, me wanting to look Lulu up while I’m here and her turning out to be my boss and neighbor.
Even better is the fact that I still have an effect on her, too. Good to see nothing’s changed there. It’s certainly gonna make my time here a whole lot more fun.
After I pull on some boots, I walk back to the building containing her broken crushing machine and take another look. Almost immediately I think I know what the problem is, but I also know I can’t do anything about it. Not right now anyway.
Before I leave, I take a look around the shed, the two other crushers she’s got to the side, the logbooks and signs documenting everything that goes in and everything that comes out. She’s organized and methodical about it all, which is good. It’s exactly how you need to be.
Eventually I walk out of the shed and head back to her house, but she’s not there, no one responding when I call out.
I head back up to the main building, the one I know from my time here as a kid that houses the cellar door and tasting rooms and the offices out the back.
“Hey, Lulu?” I call out as I walk inside. “You in here?”
I hear the loud exhale before she calls. “Back here.”
I walk through to the main office and see her standing behind a desk, an annoyed look on her face.
“What, don’t tell me you’ve given up already?” she asks, a look of aggravation on her face as though this would legit piss her off if I had.
I grin. “No, Lulu, I have not. But, I do know what the problem is, so I will be able to fix it. The biggest issue is the grapes, they gotta go.”
“What?” she asks.
“The grapes,” I say shrugging. “I can’t fix it with them in there.”
“Shit,” she mutters. “Think we can save them?”
“How long they been in there?”
Her eyes flick to the ceiling as though she’s mentally tallying the days. “About a week?” she says, like she’s asking me.
I let out a long breath. “Yeah, no, we can’t save them,” I tell her. “Maybe the untouched bunches at the top, but the rest, are toast.”
“Shit,” she says again.
“Kinda stupid putting fruit in a crusher that was playing up, wasn’t it?” I say, taking a step toward her.
Lulu puts her hands on the desk and leans forward. “Oh, you think that’s what happened, do you?” she asks, annoyed.
I smirk at her before I’m distracted by the clear line of sight I now have down her top. I can’t resist looking and clearly I’m obvious about it because she immediately stands and takes away my view.
“Whatever,” I add, waving my hand as though to say it doesn’t matter. “But I will need some help getting those grapes out.”
She shakes her head, hands on her hips. “The guys will be in tomorrow morning,” she says. “I’ll get them to help you.”
I nod, even though a part of me wishes it were her that was going to be the one helping me. The idea of Lulu, half buried in crushed grapes, her arse sticking out of the crusher, her skin and clothes stained with purple juice, it’s almost too much to bear.
Before I have a chance to ask her though, the door opens and a girl, maybe in her early twenties walks in and hands some paperwork to Lulu before turning to look at me.
Lulu nods in thanks and then looks up, sees this new girl and me eyeing each other. “Penny, this is Jack, he’s here to fix our crusher and be a monumental pain in my ass. Jack this is Penny, she runs the tasting room,” she says, clearly annoyed at what she assumes is us checking each other out.
“Hi,” Penny says, grinning at me.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Penny stares at me before glancing at Lulu, then turning back to me again, a confused look on her face now.
Lulu sighs. “He’s asking ‘how are you?’” she says. “He’s an Aussie, they don’t speak properly down there.”
“Aussie,” I say, turning to Lulu.
“Yeah, that’s what I said,” she replies.
“No, you said, Aussie. But it’s pronounced Aussie.”
“What?”
“Aussie, like oh-zed-zed-why, Ozzy.”
Lulu rolls her eyes at me. “You mean oh-zee-zee-why?”
I grin, crossing my arms over my chest. “Pretty sure it’s zed actually.”
Lulu mirrors my pose. “Pretty sure it’s not.”
We’re standing staring at each other, Penny looking from me to Lulu to me again. “Did you guys used to like date or something?” she asks.
“NO!” Lulu immediately shouts as I burst out laughing.
“She wishes,” I add.
“I do not!”
“Ohhh, come on Lulu, just admit you fancy me,” I say, chuckling at how pissed off she looks. “Even just a little?” I add holding up my hand, fingers pinched almost together as if to indicate just how much I mean.
“I literally have no idea what he’s saying,” Penny says, turning to Lulu again. “You need anything else from me boss?”
Lulu shakes her head, her eyes never leaving mine. If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man right now because she is staring daggers at me.
“No, thank you, Penny,” she says. “See you tomorrow.”
Penny nods to us both before she leaves and as soon as she’s gone, the tension in the room immediately ratchets up a notch or two.
“You,” Lulu starts, a finger pointed in my direction as though she’s about to unleash on me.
“So tomorrow,” I say cutting her off. “I’ll be in the shed by eight, have the guys meet me in there, okay? Thanks boss,” I add before turning and walking out, not giving her a chance to say another word.
Back at my house I can feel the exhaustion catching up with me. I know I need to force myself to stay awake for a few more hours though, fight the jet lag so I can get into this time zone as soon as possible. So changing into a pair of shorts and some runners, I do the only thing I know that will keep me awake.
I stick to the Somerville property, looping around the yard at the back of the houses Lulu and I are sta
ying in before heading back out to the drive and entrance. It’s probably only a couple of kilometers the whole way around, so I run four loops, my legs burning as I pass by the main building for the fourth time.
Slowing to a walk, I immediately hear the sound of feet behind me. Turning, I catch Oscar, running, struggling to keep up with me. Grinning, I slow even more and allow him to reach me.
“You in training or something?” I ask.
Oscar is breathing hard, clearly struggling to catch his breath. “Nah,” he gets out between puffs. “I always,” he pauses, before trying again. “Always, do, this.”
“Right,” I say. “Well, I’m done now, so time for a cool down.”
Oscar nods as though this is exactly what he was planning and he slows to a walk, gradually catching his breath.
“So,” I start, knowing this kid is gonna be a great source of information for me. “You like it out here?”
Oscar shrugs. “Yeah,” he says, still trying to catch his breath.
“Your dad around?” I ask, wondering exactly who he might be. Hopefully not one of the guys helping me tomorrow, that’s for sure.
It was a shock finding out Lulu even had kids, and I’ll admit, a part of me doesn’t like the idea of her having done that with some other guy, even though I know there’s not a chance in hell she’s remained a virgin these past fourteen years.
But there was something about the idea of some other guy claiming her as his, of starting a family and tying them together forever that just didn’t sit well with me.
“Here?” Oscar asks. “No, he’s not here.”
“So he and your mum aren’t together anymore?”
Oscar looks up at me as though I’ve just asked him a really dumb question. “Yeah, they’re together,” he says.
I nod, trying to look like I’m not prying, when in fact, I am. “Okay,” I say. “So he just doesn’t work here then?”
Oscar shakes his head. “Nope.”
“What time does he get back from work?” I ask, wondering when I’m going to be forced to meet this guy that’s married Lulu and knocked her up. Although truth be told, I’m not sure she is married, I didn’t see a ring.
Still that could be because it’s currently sitting on the bottom of the crushing machine on account of the fact she insists on sticking her hands in there without putting gloves on.
Oscar shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says. “Mom’s been letting us stay here this past week.”
Now I’m really confused, my jetlagged brain trying to process what this kid’s telling me. Just as I’m about to ask him, it dawns on me. Chuckling, I say, “Ohhhh, so Lulu’s not your mum?”
“Who’s Lulu?” Oscar asks, glancing sideways at me.
My grin widens. “Lauren,” I say, gesturing toward her house as we walk down the dirt road to it.
Oscar shakes his head. “No, she’s my aunt.”
I burst out laughing at this, suddenly relieved at the idea that not only are these not Lulu’s kids, but that maybe she might not be married either.
“So,” I say, hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “Is your aunt Lauren married?”
Oscar shakes his head. “Nope. Mom says she’s married to this place,” he adds, looking around the property.
I laugh. “I see. Boyfriend?”
He shakes his head again. “Nope,” he repeats again. “But I overheard Mom telling her that a good pounding from a hot guy is exactly what she needs,” he says. “What does that even mean?”
I burst out laughing, actually stopping as I bend at the waist, hands on my thighs. Oh god, thank fuck for the honesty of kids, cause this one’s gonna be a goldmine of information.
“Oh Oscar,” I eventually say. “I think you and I are going to be good friends.” A hand on his shoulder again as I steer him toward what I now know is his aunt’s house.
“Cool,” Oscar says, nodding.
When we get back to the house, Lauren is sitting on her front porch, feet up on the rail and a beer in her hand.
“There you are,” she says standing, eyes on Oscar. “Get inside and get cleaned up,” she says to him.
Oscar holds out a hand to me, giving me some complicated handshake when I offer him mine, before he walks off. Lauren stares at him until the front door slams, before turning back to me.
“Good kid you got there,” I say, even though I know he isn’t hers now.
“Hmmm,” is all she says, not bothering to correct me.
I grin, lifting my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face. When I lower it, I see Lulu staring at me, her mouth slightly open.
“Get a good look?” I ask, grinning.
She swallows hard, before taking a long pull from the beer that’s currently pressed against her neck. “What happened to your glasses?” she asks, the added, “Four eyes,” clearly said to piss me off.
I chuckle, remembering all the times she called me that as a kid, thinking it did piss me off when really, it did nothing but confirm she was paying attention to me.
“Laser,” I say, lifting my shirt again, partly to wipe the sweat, partly because I wanna watch her reaction once more. “Don’t wear them anymore.”
Lulu nods but in that way that says she hasn’t heard a single thing I’ve said.
“You okay there, Lulu? You look a little tense.”
She nods again, but says nothing.
“Well, I gotta take a shower,” I say, hand gripping my t-shirt. “Laters, Lulu,” I add, pausing before adding, “Unless you wanna join me?”
I watch as she stares back at me, a look on her face that I can’t decipher, before her jaw tightens and she seems to regain control of herself again.
“Grow up,” she says, shooting me a filthy look.
I chuckle. “What?” I say, hands out as if to indicate, I have no idea what she’s talking about. “We’re both adults.”
Lulu rolls her eyes. “One of us is,” she mutters.
“Well,” I say, as I make my way next door. “The offer’s there, should you change your mind,” I add, opening my front door. I can feel her eyes on me, watching me as I walk inside my house. Just before I let the front door close behind me, I pop my head back out and bust her still watching me.
Grinning, I say, “Also, I brought a shitload of Tim Tams over with me, so you know, if you want some…”
I trail off, not bothering to hide the double meaning of my words if you want some.
Lu says nothing, but I can’t stop the grin as a red flush creeps over her cheeks. Chuckling, I wink at her again before disappearing inside to take a shower, my brain picturing what it would be like if she joined me.
Chapter Four
Lauren
How after all these years does he still know how to push my buttons?
He knows I love Tim Tams and for the past fourteen years, I’ve been getting by on the American knock-offs, but they just aren’t the same.
I could always sneak over to his cottage while he’s in the shower and snatch some. I’m sure he wouldn’t miss them, and then I wouldn’t have to deal with begging him for a package. There’s no way he’d hand them over willingly, and I’d then be forced to deal with his incessant teasing.
I can be stealth-like when I want to. And it wouldn’t be like I was breaking and entering since I actually own the cottage. But if he catches me…
No cookie is worth subjecting myself to Jack and his obnoxiousness, but I do contemplate sending Oscar over there to con Jack out of a few.
I finish the last swig of my beer as I walk in the house. Oscar and Olivia are working on building this epic Lego rendering of my house and the cottage next door; something they’ve been working on for a solid two weeks since they started their summer break. I remember how much it sucked being trapped here as a kid, but they actually seem to like it. Oscar even more so now that Jack is here.
The kids have spent the past few nights with me, but with their dad returning from his business trip, I imagine Ellen will want to take them home.
“Aunt Lauren, why’s he call you Lulu?” Oscar asks when I step through the door, a confused look on his face.
“I don’t know,” I reply, annoyed that my nickname has now traveled beyond Jack’s lips.
“Can I call you Lulu?”
“No and stay away from Jack. He’s… yucky.” I stand with my hands on my hips looking down at Oscar who’s smiling up at me with a silly grin on his face. By telling him no, I’ve just solidified that he will call me Lulu for the rest of his life. And Jack will now be his new best friend.
“Whatever you say, Aunt Lulu,” he chides back, shrugging his shoulders and going back to adding the multi-colored chimney to the house.
“I think we should all call you Lulu,” Ellen shouts from the back of my house, letting out a belly laugh that makes me want to pull my hair out.
Why are they all turning on me? He’s not that charming.
“Get Tommy to empty some of your compost out when he comes in tomorrow,” Ellen says, walking in through my mudroom with a bowl. “You barely have any room in that thing.”
She’s just finishing up making dinner that looks to be spaghetti and salad, and as annoying and motherly as she can be sometimes, it’s been nice having her here. Most of the time I eat alone, but it doesn’t bother me too much.
“Got it, Mom,” I reply back, giving her an exaggerated eye roll.
One of the perks of living on so much land is that I have plenty of room for a garden and I always have compost. Between the vines, the grapes, the cut grass and my own food waste; it’s kind of never-ending.
“So, does he think he can fix it?” Ellen asks as she signals for the kids to come and sit down for dinner. She’s dishing out spaghetti while I pour us each a glass of wine.
“He does, but we have to clean the entire machine out.”
“Well, that sucks. We’re gonna lose all the grapes in there. That’s at least a dozen bottles of wine.”
She’s preaching to the choir here. I know this already and I’m just as pissed off at myself for continuing to use the damn machine when I knew it wasn’t working properly. Something Jack didn’t have an issue pointing out to me.