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‘She’s a general surgeon over at Sydney General.’
‘Hmm. Quite the medical family.’
Jasper smiled and flipped another pancake. ‘She’s incredibly smart. I was two years ahead of her in medical school but she was the one helping me out and explaining things.’
Jennifer laughed. ‘Should you be confessing such things to your new boss?’
‘Not to worry.’ He set two butterfly placemats on the bench next to her and added cutlery before cutting up the pancakes into little squares. He did it all so naturally she could tell it was part of his routine. He was clearly a dad who spent a lot of time with his children. ‘I passed my exams with flying colours and haven’t had to rely on my baby sister for quite a number of years.’ He called to the girls, who came barrelling in and clambered up onto stools. Lilly managed it quite easily but Lola got stuck and Jennifer quickly picked her up and sat her down before Jasper could come around to help.
‘Thanks,’ he said.
‘No problem.’ She smiled at him as he added syrup to the girls’ breakfasts and watched as they devoured the food in next to no time. ‘You must have been very hungry,’ Jennifer commented.
Lilly nodded enthusiastically. ‘I was.’
‘Anyone would think your daddy rarely feeds you.’
‘We had dinner at Grandma’s last night ’cause Daddy was in surgery,’ Lola added matter-of-factly.
‘We do that. Sometimes we have breakfast at Grandma’s, too,’ Lilly chimed in.
‘But it’s just up the stairs,’ Lola pointed.
‘Not too far,’ Lilly agreed.
‘Now, my yummy princesses,’ Jasper said as he added another pancake to the warming plate he had in the oven, ‘time for a bath.’ His words were received with mild protests. ‘You’re both covered in syrup,’ he pointed out when they asked why.
‘But, Daddy, why can’t you just wipe us down with the cloth? Then we will be all ready to play.’
‘Planning to wear your jimmy-jams all day long?’ He smiled at Jennifer before excusing himself to go and run the bath. Jennifer sat there, looking around his home, and was surprised to find it very welcoming. Usually when she went to a new friend’s house, it took quite some time for her to feel comfortable but, like at Sara’s house, she felt quite relaxed here.
Jennifer looked at the pancake he’d put on the stove to cook before he’d gone off to tend to his daughters and quickly went to check on it. He’d turned the heating element down so it was cooking at a slower rate but now that she was up, she decided to at least make herself useful. After checking on the sizzling bacon and eggs, she checked the dishwasher and found it full but clean. Quietly and quickly, she took the dishes out, and after opening a few cupboards, was able to figure out where most things went. Next, she put the girls’ sticky plates and cutlery into the dishwasher then wiped down their placemats and the bench. It was quite nice to potter around in his kitchen…a kitchen that serviced a real family. It brought home to her how her own little kitchen at her flat in Melbourne in retrospect seemed bare and lifeless as she’d prepared meals for one.
She’d flipped the pancake and was about to take it out and pour another when Jasper came rushing back.
‘Oh, thanks, Jennifer. I hadn’t planned to be that long. Lola has syrup in her hair so I’ll need to wash it but first, let’s have some breakfast in peace while the girls get themselves and the bathroom nice and wet.’
Jennifer laughed and moved aside so Jasper could return to the stove. She decided to help a bit further and took out plates and cutlery for the two of them, then reboiled the kettle, found two cups and put them on the bench.
‘Here you go.’ Jasper handed her the teabags, amazed at the warming sensation he was experiencing at having a woman poking about in his kitchen. He been so used to being chief cook and bottlewasher for years that it was nice to be sharing it with someone else, even if it was just a one-off thing.
When it came time to eat the two stacks of pancakes Jasper put before her, Jennifer couldn’t help exclaiming at the taste. ‘These are heavenly. So light. So fluffy.’
‘As you’re a connoisseur of pancakes, I’ll take that as a very high compliment.’
‘Mmm. You should. Delicious.’ When she’d finished, she licked her lips. He watched the action intently, not surprised to experience a mild tightening in his gut. He’d never thought he would be jealous of a pancake. He was enjoying this time alone with her…just the two of them…and even though he could hear the girls in the distance, squealing and laughing, it didn’t matter one bit. He was here, in his house, alone with Jennifer.
