Authors: Bec Johnson
Jonah took Jenny gently aside, she was visibly shaken. He told her to pop home for her insurance documents and suggested she take Tyler with her. Leaving Zeb and Lori to it, he went to ring up the last customers and close up the shop.
‘Why are you doing this Zeb?’ Lori asked when they were finally alone.
‘Doing what Lorikeet? My job?’ He spat.
‘No! Well, yes, your job, but I mean why are you so angry with me all of a sudden? I thought we’d moved beyond this bickering. I thought we were…’
‘Friends?’ Zeb snorted.
Lori flinched at his derision. ‘YES! Friends.’
‘Friends,’ he repeated.
Lori gritted her teeth, she didn’t want to play his silly games any more, they were tiring. She had enough trouble dealing with her own behaviour, she didn’t have the energy to be worrying about his also.
She stood in silence as he recorded her licence details in his note book, just like Officer Schroff had. And when Jenny returned with her insurance papers, Tyler by her side, he took them from her and sat at Lori’s desk checking the fine print.
‘Right, I think we’re done here. Tyler, great to see you again mate. Jenny.’ Zeb tipped his cap at her.
Lori followed Jonah and Zeb to the front door. Jonah rubbed her arm and smiled apologetically then disappeared across the verandah and down the driveway towards the squad car.
Zeb stopped in the doorway and held up his hand, Lori’s licence gripped tightly between his fingers. Still refusing to speak she grabbed the top of the plastic card and tugged. Predictably, Zeb wouldn’t let go.
‘Friends,’ he said it again, his eyes narrowed.
Oh my god. Exhaling slowly and audibly, Lori nodded, her eyes on his hand. ‘Yes. Friends.’
‘Holy Guacamole you’ve got an incredible crowd out there,’ Tyler laughed as he let himself in from the deck. The front doors were locked tight, there was still another ten minutes to go before the open home's advertised start time of nine a.m. and as promised, he’d come to help man the sign-in table so that Jenny could again do her magic with the refreshments while Lori concentrated on schmoozing the viewers.
After her visit from the local constabulary yesterday Lori, Jenny and Tyler had cracked open a couple of bottles of strawberry wine and worked until the place was spotless and several batches of chocolate brownies were baked and cooling ready for the morning's open home. With their help, her to do list was crossed off in only a few hours and they then spent a couple more sat in the kitchen laughing at Tyler’s hilarious tales of university life. At the end of his fourth year of a Vet Science degree he’d given Bob a free if slightly tipsy check up.
Talk had inevitably made its way round to Zeb and Jonah. According to Tyler, he’d first met Zeb when he joined the local high school. Zeb was starting his final year and Tyler, five years younger - a confused thirteen year old, had gained a lot of attention, for all the wrong reasons. Crusading for justice from a young age, Zeb had protected Tyler from the bullies, and introduced him to the gymnasium. In return Tyler did the same for Jonah when he joined the high school five years later again.
With his parents now living in Singapore, Tyler had chosen this year to come and spend Christmas with his grandmother in the village so that she wouldn’t be alone. He tried to persuade Lori that she wasn’t as terrifying as she let on but after two glasses of potent home-brew she had almost cracked a rib giggling so much.
‘Ok team, take your positions.’ Lori walked up to the front door and opened it. She'd been right, it was going to go off.
An hour and a half later Lori broke away from a group of people upstairs and went to check up on Tyler and Jenny.
Most of the brownies had now gone and Jenny was busy adding more ice to the lemonade to make it stretch a little further.
Tyler had left his post to do a quick round of rubbish collecting, clearing away the paper cups and plates that had been left in the most obscure places. Lori had even found one next to the toilet earlier.
According to the sign-in sheet there had been forty-three groups come through. Lori ran her finger down the list looking at the names. Stopping on the very last couple to sign in her pulse quickened with anticipation. They’d come back for a second viewing!
She found them at the bottom of the garden sat in the grass, Bob by their side.
‘Hi! Mr and Mrs Peters, how lovely to see you again.’ Lori greeted them with her brightest smile.
‘Lori! Lovely to see you too, we were just watching that surfer out there, he's very talented.’ Mr Peters pointed to where Zeb was sat on his board, bobbing up and down just beyond the breakers.
‘Very talented indeed,’ his wife chuckled as she stood and brushed imaginary grass from her shorts.
Mr Peters ruffled Bob’s ears then picked himself up off the grass, wincing as though he’d hurt his back.
‘Oh! are you ok?’ Lori rushed forward to take his arm.
‘I'm fine love, just old age,’ he laughed and patted her hand.
‘Enjoy your youth while you have it,’ Mrs Peters added with a smile, wrapping her arm around her husband's waist.
They really were a sweet couple Lori thought, like an older Sara and Max, or Kristy and Simon even. The shop would be ideal for them to retire gracefully into she decided. And for certain they wouldn’t be likely to make any rash changes to the place.
‘So,’ Lori grinned, ‘did you want another tour while you’re here?’
‘No no, you’re ok, we can show ourselves around if that’s ok with you? It’s getting on and I’m sure you probably want to get the cafe open, which by the way, we think is a wonderful idea, and perfectly suited to the place.’ Mr Peters turned to his wife and nodded.
‘Do you mind if we do a little measuring?’ She pulled a dressmakers tape from the pocket of her shorts.
‘Not at all, go...’ Lori stopped mid sentence. Zeb had appeared from the steps behind the Peters’, dripping wet in just his board shorts, his surfboard was tucked under his arm. Bob the turncoat spun wildly in circles. Great, she prayed he wasn’t here to make a scene and ruin her chances of sealing a deal.
The couple turned to see what had captured Lori’s attention.
‘Oh my.’ Mrs Peters pressed her hand to her chest.
‘Morning Lorikeet.’ Zeb wiped the drips from his forehead, grinning broadly. His chest, tight and glistening with sea water, rose and fell with each breath. The weight of his wet board shorts pulled them low on his hips, accentuating an incredible set of lower abdominal muscles.
‘Heeeyy Zeb,’ Lori’s voice stammered.
‘Listen, I hope I’m not interrupting,’ he smiled in apology to Lori’s elderly guests, who nodded kindly in return, ‘I just wanted to say sorry for last night.’
‘Last night?’ Lori frowned. Not now Zeb, please!
‘Yes, you know, work comes first and all that.’ He shrugged his shoulders, a little smirk playing on his lips. ‘I just felt bad having to leave you like that.’
‘It’s fine, really, apology accepted,’ Lori spoke through gritted teeth.
‘Oh good, I couldn’t have you being upset with me, so, I’ll see you later yes?’
‘Umm, yes, sure.’ Lori tried to smile. What the hell was he up to?
‘Great.’ Zeb winked so only she could see, and stepped forward. With one wet hand he grabbed her neck, his thumb tucked under her jaw, and pulled her face to his, kissing her tenderly on the cheek. His face, cool and wet, pressed against hers, sending her mind into freefall.
Instinctively she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him. Argh! Stop it Lori.
When he let go he smiled at the three of them and raised his hand in farewell before striding off up the garden.
‘Wow! Is that your boyfriend Lori? He is a hell of a catch,’ Mrs Peters asked before Zeb was even ten metres away.
‘Zeb? Noooo Zeb and I are umm, we’re umm...’
‘Friends!’ Zeb called loudly without turning around. ‘Lori and I are friends!’
‘Was there really some dude called Heimlich?’ Kristy asked after carefully chewing and swallowing another bite of her muffin.
‘Yes, but his methods aren’t generally recommended anymore, especially if someone has only inhaled a little bit of Raspberry.’ Lori looked at her friend’s red face and giggled.
‘Actually, it was Apple, I saw it when I cleaned it off the floor.’ Kristy wiped another tear of mirth from her cheek.
Lori had never thought her love life, or lack thereof, would create any need for her rudimentary first aid skills. Yet incredibly, it had.
This morning, Kristy had brought Lori’s delivery of bread to the shop extra early so that they would have the chance to catch up over breakfast. She was dying to hear how the open home had gone on Saturday but as Dough Raise Me was inundated with orders, thanks to the holiday crowds, this was the only way they could get together for more than a fleeting ‘hi’ and ‘bye’. When Lori had filled her in on Zeb’s erratic behaviour Kristy had laughed so hard she’d choked.
‘So, what are you going to do about it?’ Kristy picked the last few crumbs off her plate.
‘About the kiss?’ Lori blushed at the memory.
‘Yes! The kiss.’
‘I don’t know, I mean friends kiss each others cheeks all the time don’t they?’
‘Well, they do… but not like how you explained it happened, plus the whole issue of him getting hung up on the word ‘friends’ is really strange too. And, if you ask me, I think you should be aiming for a bit more than just cheek kissing considering the kisser is as hot as Sergeant Sexy,’ Kristy cackled.
‘Oh my god! Listen to you, you sound like a school kid.’ Lori shook her head. Not having Sara here with her, and with that relationship now feeling like it had moved into a different phase anyway, she was so grateful to have Kristy to bounce her thoughts off, even if she really wasn’t being much help at all.
‘Whatever.’ Kristy's best impersonation of her fifteen year old self sent them both back into hysterics again.
‘Well, you should probably be getting on with your deliveries so you can get back to the bakery and make sure Simon hasn’t stuffed your apprentice into the bread oven,’ Lori said when she’d regained her composure.
‘They’ll be fine.’ Kristy stood up and took their plates to the kitchen. ‘Simon’s just got a bit of adjusting to do. He’s been so used to doing things all by himself it’s hard for him to accept that he needs the extra pair of hands now.’
‘And he didn’t mind that you went ahead and signed up the Cooper’s kid without consulting him?’ She queried, following her.
‘Yes, and no. He ranted for a few days and then when Dylan started, all bright-eyed and eager to learn, he soon changed his tune.’ Kristy popped the plates in to the sink and picked up her van keys. ‘Now, talking of kids, you have the Youth Club end of year party tonight. Have you thought about how you’re going to play things with Zeb?’
Lori led her friend back through the shop and out onto the verandah. ‘Only about a thousand times over, not that it did any good. I guess I’ll just wing it and see.’
‘Ok, well make sure you wear your sexiest underwear then, just in case he changes his mind and decides to arrest you after all.’ Kristy burst out laughing then stopped herself mid snort. Across the road, sat on the verge outside Mrs Westerly’s place was Zeb. Two surfboards were propped up against her fence. The front door of the old weatherboard house opened, then closed, and Tyler trotted down the front path in his shorts, waving to the girls as he did.
‘Nice one,’ Lori turned her head and whispered.
‘Shit, sorry,’ Kristy murmured through the side of her mouth in return.
‘Morning girls,’ Zeb nodded, speaking softly as he stood up. Just past sunrise the street was still deathly quiet and his voice carried easily across the road. From the smirk on his face, as he walked off with Tyler in the direction of the beach, it was obvious he’d heard Kristy loud and clear.
‘So, have you had any feedback from the open home?’ Jenny asked as she re-loaded the coffee machine with beans after the morning rush.
‘No, nothing new,’ Lori didn’t look away from her laptop as she spoke. She was frantically trying to finalise a stock order as well as making several very last minute online gift purchases in the hope that she’d make the deadline for them to be delivered tomorrow, Christmas Eve.
In truth, Mr & Mrs Peters had emailed her on Saturday afternoon, only a couple of hours after they'd left the shop, to let her know they were going north for Christmas. They assured her that they’d be back in touch before the New Year and not wanting to get her own hopes up, let alone cause any potentially undue worry to Jenny, she’d decided it was just easier to pretend like she’d not heard.
‘Knock knock! Is it safe to come in?’ Tyler poked his head around the doorway just as Lori hit ‘confirm’ on her final purchase.
She turned in her swivel chair and gave him a withering look. ‘Yes Tyler, you’re safe from me and my supreme waitressing skills. For now.’
‘Ah hah! I’m so glad you mentioned that.’ He stepped into the kitchen.
Lori scolded herself for feeling a little disappointed on seeing that he was already dry and changed, Zeb must have gone straight home after their surf. ‘Go on, why is that then?’
‘Well, I’ve had a brilliant idea.’
‘Uh oh,’ Jenny chimed in from the pantry under the stairs.
‘Don’t tease me you two,’ he pouted, ‘I… want to work for you. For free.’
‘Free?’ Lori and Jenny spoke in disbelieving unison. Jenny had reappeared from the pantry with a huge bag of sugar in her arms.
‘Yes, free. Sort of. I mean have nothing better to do with my time while I’m here, so I thought I could wait tables for you,’ he smouldered at them both, hoping his good looks might get him across the line.
‘And the sort of part of it is?’ Jenny thumped the bag down on the counter beside the food processor and wiped little beads of perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand. According to a list she’d stuck on one of the overhead cupboard doors she was half way through her preparations for the kids’ party tonight. Marshmallow squares appeared to be her next task.
‘I’ll work for free if I can keep any tips I make… and… you feed me.’ Tyler lifted his top and patted his washboard stomach. ‘I’m a growing boy and I need more than the rabbit food my grandmother insists on eating.’
‘You’re twenty-five Tyler, you should have stopped growing by now,’ Jenny laughed, ‘but yes, I can agree to your terms, as long as Lori can too. It is her final decision after all.’
‘Put that away.’ Lori pointed at Tyler’s midriff.
‘Is that a yes then?’ Tyler grinned confidently as he smoothed both his hands over his shirt. Running them down his chest and stomach he tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts so that they were pulled down just far enough to unveil a little vertical line of light brown fuzz running from below his belly button, south. He may be gay, but he still knew precisely how to work a woman.
‘Yes, that’s fine by me, you can start right now. I need to take a shower.’ Preferably a cold one, Lori added to herself.
On top of keeping the afternoon flush of café patrons happy, Jenny and Tyler did an amazing job of preparing for the Youth Club party. After showering, and then changing her outfit three times, Lori spent several hours behind the counter in the shop serving a steady flow of customers heading home after their day on the beach. It was a good job she’d ordered extra sun lotion and moisturiser judging by the lobster pink colour everyone was turning.
‘Now, are you sure you don’t need us to stay?’ Jenny asked as she did a final wipe down of the counter tops.
‘No, you go. You have the Bridge Club luncheon tomorrow, you need to go home and rest.’ Lori took the cloth from her hand and pushed her gently towards the door.
‘Rest? Not a chance, I’m heading down to Fisherman’s Bay now for late night shopping. I need to get my supplies for the Seven Deadly Sins lunch.’
‘Oh! That reminds me,’ Lori looked at Tyler and sniggered, ‘I hear you’ve volunteered to play Santa.’
‘I have indeed yes, and I’m very much looking forward to getting a certain someone on my knee and finding out what they are hoping to unwrap on Christmas Day.’ He narrowed his eyes and laughed, following Jenny outside into the sultry evening air.
With the place finally quiet and a ‘Closed for Private Party’ sign stuck to the front door Lori fed Bob and popped upstairs to change for the fourth time.
Humidity and looking pretty didn’t mix, at least not for Lori anyway. Suffocated by her long, half wavy half straight and wholly unruly hair, she wriggled stickily out of the dress she’d put on earlier and threw it moodily on the floor.
In search of an elastic for her hair Lori wandered into the bathroom in her frilly pink lingerie. Turning her head upside-down she gathered her out of control mane and tied it high in a ponytail so that when she righted herself it no longer felt as though it was smothering her. Instead only the very ends now reached the clammy skin between her shoulder blades.
With the cold tap turned on and her eyes closed tight she leant forward over the basin and splashed water on to her face. Wrapping her cool wet hands around her throat she pressed her fingers against the nape of her neck.
‘It’s going to be a hot one tonight,’ a male voice called from her bedroom.
‘Zeb!’ Lori almost jumped out of her skin.
‘Yes Lorikeet?’
‘What the hell are you doing?’ She grabbed for a towel but her hands only met with the bare rail. Damn it. Behind her eyelids Lori visualised the dryer in the laundry, still full of the towels that she had been meaning to empty and fold earlier.
‘I came up to talk to you of course. Can't you just come out of there? It’s too hot to shout and besides, now that I’ve seen this elusive underwear the baker’s wife spoke of you don't need to hide from me.’
She slammed the bathroom door shut.
‘Go away!’ Lori wiped her hands over her burning face and flicked the water off her fingers onto the floor.
‘Oh come on, I’m only messing with you. Look, I’ve got your clothes.’ Zeb tapped on the door.
She opened it just wide enough for him to fit his hand through, and after dropping her clothes on to the bathroom floor he quickly retracted it again before he lost any fingers.
Of all the outfits that had been strewn across her room that he could have chosen, he'd picked up her favourite, unsexy, denim shorts and vest top. Kristy would be terribly disappointed.
‘Right, what do you want to talk about then?’ Once she'd dressed, Lori pulled open the bathroom door and walked assertively into the bedroom. Zeb was sat on the corner of her bed, his arms behind him, propping him up. He was wearing the same old blue police overalls with ‘Turner’ embroidered on the chest that he usually wore to Youth Club, only in this heat, his sleeves were rolled up and his strong tanned forearms glistened with moisture.
‘I just thought I’d see how the open home went on Saturday. The old couple you were talking to seemed nice,’ his voice was soft.
‘They were, I mean they are nice,’ Lori answered without really answering. Moving over to the window she flung it open, trying to find a breeze.
Outside, in the garden below, she could see Jonah talking to a small group of parents while their kids played fetch with Bob and what looked like a clump of seaweed that he must have brought up from the beach.
‘Did they like the place?’ Zeb pushed himself up and off the bed, moving over to the window, ‘and...Is it hot in here or is it me?’
It’s you.
Lori wafted her hands in front of her face, and answered him carefully, ‘They did like it. And yes, it’s incredibly hot.’
‘So do you think they’ll make an offer?’ He stepped forward, closing the gap between them so that Lori could almost feel the heat of his body against hers. It made it impossible for her to lie.
‘I think there's a chance, yes.’ So much for her plan to forget about them until after Christmas.
‘Interesting. So then it’s quite likely you’ll actually need your investors to approve a purchaser?’ Zeb raised his eyebrow quizzically.
‘That’s the plan, why do you ask?’ Lori frowned, suspicious of where his questioning was going.