By the time Deanna pulled to a stop outside a house clad in white brick, Harley was hanging out the window as far as the gap would allow. Ready as I’d ever be, I took a deep breath and exited the car. Either the smell of sulphur had diminished or I’d adjusted to it.
There was a nip in the air, and the sun was trying hard to peek through the clouds. While Deanna got Harley out and attached his leash, I grabbed the Tupperware container and our jackets from the boot. I slipped into mine and tossed Deanna hers.
“Thanks.” She tied it around her waist. “It’ll be warm inside, probably too warm. Mum lights the fire any excuse she gets.”
It wasn’t until then that I noticed smoke billowing out the chimney. And as someone who loved an open fire, I wasn’t about to complain.
Harley tugged at his leash, and Deanna lengthened it so he could reach the tree on the kerb. He lifted his leg, and I grinned at Deanna. “If I was a dog, and you were a flower…”
She pointed a finger. “Behave.”
Right then, too little boys came barrelling down the driveway. “Aunty Dee!”
She pressed a finger to her lips. “Quiet voices. You don’t want to scare Harley.”
He looked excited more so than scared, but I admired Deanna for being cautious. It wasn’t unheard of for even the most placid dog to lunge when spooked.
“Sit.” Harley sat at her heel, tail wagging, tongue lolling, his gaze never leaving the two adorable boys with mops of brownish-red hair and infectious grins.
It was hard to tell who was six and who was seven. They were strikingly similar in appearance, including their missing front teeth. They slowed their pace and walked in a crouch. “Hello, Harley.”
He whined, a happy whine, and their eyes grew wide. The scene was so sweet, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Can we pat him?” the slightly taller boy asked.
“Sure can.” Deanna crouched beside Harley, holding him on a tight leash while her nephews stepped forward and patted him. Harley licked the boy wearing a Shrek sweatshirt, and they burst out laughing.
Deanna looked at me. “This doofus is Travis.” She pointed to the boy wearing a Harry Potter shirt. “And that’s Mitchell.”
“Hi.” I waved, but they were too busy jumping all over Harley to pay me any mind.
“Where’s Nana and Pop?”
“Nannie’s making lunch. Pop’s fixing my bike,” Mitchell said.
“What’s wrong with your bike?” Deanna asked as we all wandered up the driveway.
“It’s got a flatty.”
“Cause you’re a fatty,” Travis said, then tore off with Mitchell hot on his heels. Harley pulled at his leash, anxious to join in the mayhem.
“You know that’s not PC?” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
“I do. I also know they’re just two kids having fun. Does that make it right? Probably not. But I believe in picking my battles, and if anyone’s feelings had been hurt, I would’ve been all over it.” Deanna shot me a sideways glance. “You wouldn’t believe half of the names my sisters and I used to toss at each other.”
She had a point, and I decided not to mention she still referred to her younger sister by some unsavoury names.
We rounded the corner of the house, and my gaze landed on an elderly gentleman stuffing a tube back into a bike tyre. He attached a pump to the valve and handed it to Mitchell. “Here you go, big guy. Pump.”
We watched Mitchell give it his best shot until Deanna’s dad helped him. Once it was done and the bike back on two wheels, Mitchell jumped on and did a lap of the huge backyard.
Magnolia trees dotted the perimeter, and a vegetable garden took up the back corner.
“Can I take him?” Travis asked, trying to pull Harley’s leash out of Deanna’s hand.
“Sure.”
“Just a minute.” Deanna’s dad pulled on a wire gate against the corrugated iron fence and swung it closed. Instead of handing the leash to Mitchell, Deanna unclipped it. Harley wandered off, nose to the ground.
“Don’t annoy him,” Deanna’s dad said.
“We know,” Travis replied. “Because he’s got big teeth and will bite you.” He held up his hands like claws, chasing Mitchell around the backyard. Harley danced around them excitedly but showed no signs of aggression.
“Hi, Dad.” Deanna wrapped him in a side-on hug, her gaze never straying far from Harley and the kids.
“It’s good to see you, sweetheart.” He looked her up and down. “In one piece.”
“Don’t start.” She smiled affectionately. “This is Soraya.”
“Cop?”
“Dad.” Deanna slapped his shoulder. “Behave.”
“Girlfriend?” He raised a bushy white eyebrow.
“Frank, leave the girl alone.” A plump woman appeared on the doorstep, wiping her hands on an apron covered in flour.
“Hi, Mum.”
“Don’t you ‘hi’ me. Give your mother a hug. And who’s your friend? You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you.”
She didn’t? Great.
“This is Soraya.”
“Hi.” I held out the Tupperware container like a peace offering. “I brought cake.”
“Mm, cake.” Travis and Mitchell came running over as if they had supersonic hearing.
“Go and wash your hands. Shoes off first,” Deanna’s mum called after them. She turned back to me. “I’m Margaret. Nice to meet you.”
“And you.” I held out a hand, and we shook. She had kind eyes and red hair streaked with grey. In other words, she was a Deanna lookalike thirty years from now. At least, I thought she looked around seventy, but I wasn’t about to ask.
“Come in out of the cold.” Margaret ushered everyone inside.
Harley tried to follow, but Deanna stopped him. “In your kennel.”
My gaze landed on a dog kennel off to the side of the back porch with HARLEY stencilled across the top. “Home away from home?” I asked.
“Yep. Mum and Dad spoil him rotten.”
Frank reappeared with a bone in his hand. “Sit.”
Harley sat, watching him expectantly. Frank set the bone on the ground, and I stared at it along with Harley. I felt sorry for him, like he was being teased, but figured it was a drill he knew well.
Frank stepped back. “Get it.”
Harley was on the bone in a second, and my heart leapt for joy. When everyone moved inside, I followed, breathing in the smell of wood burning on the fire. Deanna was right: the house was toasty warm.
“I’ll take that for you.” Frank held out a hand for my jacket.
“Thank you.” I handed it over, and he hung it on a coat tree in the entranceway.
“Pikelets?” Deanna pointed to a plate loaded with what were essentially mini pancakes.
“Yep,” Margaret said. “The boys wanted to cook.”
“You’re good to them.”
Margaret gave Deanna a sad smile and quickly looked away. Frank clapped a hand on his wife’s shoulder and squeezed.
What was that about?
Ten minutes later, we were all seated at the table, sipping on hot tea and eating chocolate cake and pikelets smothered in butter and strawberry jam.
“So, what does Soraya do?” Frank asked.
No matter how many times I was asked that question, I never got used to it. I really needed to sort out a standard reply so I didn’t keep getting caught off guard. I cleared my throat. “I’m in the business of making women feel good about themselves.”
Deanna spluttered. “Sorry, wrong hole.” She thumped her chest.
Rather than ask what the right hole was, I rubbed circles on her back. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“Are you Aunty Dee’s girlfriend?” Travis asked.
“Travis!” Margaret shook her head, but she was smiling.
“It’s fine,” I assured her, then looked at both Mitchell and Travis, who were sitting opposite us at the table. Mitchell had chocolate icing smeared across his face, and Travis had a blob of strawberry jam on his cheek. “I don’t know. What do girlfriends do?”
“Kiss!” Travis said.
Mitchell made kissy sounds at his brother, and they burst out laughing. Everyone was smiling, except for Margaret.
She clapped her hands. “Boys, go pack your bags.”
They stuffed the last of their food in their mouths and climbed down from the table.
Deanna threw a worried glance at her mother. “What’s going on?”
“Dan’s picking them up soon,” Frank said. “Do them good to spend some time with their father.”
“Excuse me.” Margaret pushed back from the table, her expression full of doom and gloom.
“Mum, what’s going on.” Deanna got to her feet.
“Nothing!” Margaret snapped. “Dan’s in town and taking them for the night.” Her voice rose in pitch. “What was I supposed to say? ‘You can’t have them’?”
“Whoa.” Deanna held up her hands. “I’m not the bad guy here. And I only asked.”
“Fine.” Her mum burst into tears and fled the room.
To say I felt awkward was the understatement of the year. Right then, I would’ve given anything to be transported back home. A stab of selfishness hit me. Just because I didn’t cope well with family drama didn’t mean I shouldn’t be there for Deanna. I slid my hand into hers and squeezed.
She gave me a small smile and opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted her.
Frank headed that way. “I’ll get it.”
Two minutes later, a guy entered, and Margaret came bustling back out, full of cheer and big smiles. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have known she’d been in tears moments before.
“Dan, it’s good to see you.”
“Boys,” Frank called up the hallway. “Dad’s here.”
“Daddy!” Travis and Mitchell charged into the room and flew into his arms.
“Hey, guys.” He ruffled their hair. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.” They nodded vigorously.
Frank appeared with two backpacks and handed them to Dan.
Deanna squeezed my hand and stood. “Be right back.”
Rather than sit there feeling as useless as tits on a bull, I cleared the table and stacked the dishes, hoping they appreciated some privacy. When I turned and saw Deanna huddled with her parents, speaking in hushed tones, I grabbed my jacket and let myself out.
Ten minutes later, Deanna found me on the porch steps with Harley beside me, his head in my lap.
She sat next to me on the top step and nudged my shoulder. “Lucky bastard.”
Appreciating her attempt at humour, I smiled, but I still felt completely out of place. “Maybe you should’ve come on your own.”
“I never find that as satisfying.”
This time, my smile was genuine. “Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Be careful how you pick your friends; you’ll become like them’?” Like anything, that didn’t apply to everyone, but I’d seen my share of awesome people turn into arseholes I’d never associate with after they got into the wrong crowd.
“I wouldn’t mind if I turned out to be like you.”
“Even if it means having a mind that lives in your knickers?”
A throat cleared behind us, and I was glad Margaret couldn’t see me. I was equally glad it wasn’t Deanna’s dad who’d heard me uttering those words to his daughter.
“Sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable.” Margaret stepped around us, descending the porch steps.
“It’s fine.” I shielded my eyes from the sun peeking out between the clouds. “Families are complicated. I get it.”
“Is yours?”
I nodded, grateful when she didn’t press for more. I didn’t want to lie, but I sure as hell didn’t want to talk about my dysfunctional childhood.
As if sensing my sudden change in mood, Harley nudged my hand, pushing it with his wet nose. My spirits immediately lifted. Animals had a funny way of doing that.
I ruffled his fur and was rewarded with a quick lick. Using my jacket sleeve, I wiped the bottom of my chin.
“Are you up for looking after Harley for a couple of hours?” Deanna asked her mum.
“Always.” Margaret patted her leg. “Come here, boy.”
Harley lifted his head then dropped it back in my lap.
“He likes you,” Margaret said.
Feeling both delighted and embarrassed, I climbed to my feet. “Go see Nana.” I pointed Harley in her direction.
Throughout the exchange, Deanna watched with amusement. I wanted to kiss that smile right off her face. Would her mother approve?
Frank tiptoed outside. “Is it safe?”
“Oh, hush.” Margaret slapped his arm. “You’re more than used to women and their damn hormones. Happy one minute, falling apart the next.”
He squeezed her shoulder, his expression full of concern, which led me to believe there was a lot more to Margaret’s meltdown than hormones.
“Just because the boys aren’t here doesn’t mean you’re off babysitting.” Deanna looked up at her father. “I’m taking Soraya to the luge. We’ll pick Harley up after.”
“Good of you to ask.”
“Mum already said it was fine.”
“Oh, right. And what mum says goes.”
Margaret and Frank looked at each other with such adoration, the love they shared was palpable.
“Off you go.” Frank shooed us away. When Harley tried to follow, Frank whistled and tossed a tennis ball. Harley tore after it, searching for it under some shrubs.
“Jeez, it’s like distracting the kids while their mum tries to sneak out.” Margaret pecked Deanna on the cheek. “Have fun. We’ll see you when you get back.”