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“Okay, whatever,” he says, waving his hand in dismissal. “I can see I’m getting nowhere here. Later.”
I laugh. “Laters, little dude,” I say. “Let me know about that dinner,” I call just as he walks out the door.
After Oscar leaves, I spend a couple more hours pulling the crusher apart. It’s still a couple more weeks until the parts get here, but I figure it’s the perfect time to give the whole machine a good overhaul and cleaning.
Judging by how clogged up the thing was, I’m gonna guess it hasn’t been done for a long time. Kind of like the gutters on the outbuilding and a couple of other things I’ve noticed around the place.
And as much as I know Lu is a professional who takes pride in her work and would never ruin the reputation her family has spent generations building, it makes me think that maybe she needs an extra pair of hands around the place.
That maybe I could be the person to help her out with things and what that would mean if I did.
Could I really leave my life in Australia behind?
When I boarded that plane in Sydney, I’d thought this would be a couple of months in the States that would allow me to escape the shit fight my personal life had become at home. An opportunity to look up the girl I’ve never forgotten about, despite all the years that had passed.
I’d been an idiot not to keep in contact with her when I left, but I was also a guy, a teenage boy that didn’t know what the fuck to do when it came to women.
And even though I’ve grown up a lot since then, I can’t help but wonder if I should have done something sooner. Should have come and found her years ago, before I had the chance to make the million other mistakes I’ve made.
What would my life have been like?
What could my life be like now?
As weird as it was that I’d admitted those things last night, things about her having kids and how much that bothered me, I knew I’d never take those words back.
Knew I meant it when I had said them to her.
At lunchtime, I finally take a break and wander down to the main office, looking for Lu. But she’s not there, instead I’m greeted by Ellen.
“Hey,” I say, standing in the doorway, feeling weirdly nervous.
Ellen looks up. “Hi,” she says, a strange smile on her face.
“Is, ah, is Lu around?” I ask, glancing around the obviously empty except for us office.
Ellen chuckles as she sits back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest in a move that is eerily reminiscent of her son. “No,” she says, still smiling. “She’s gone to see one of our co-packers,” she says. “She’ll be back later. How are you?” she adds, head cocked to the side as she watches me.
I shrug. “Fine,” I say.
“Just fine?”
I narrow my gaze at her. “Yeah,” I say cautiously.
“Not great, or fantastic or un-fucking-believable?” she asks.
“Um,” I say, scrubbing a hand across my jaw. “I guess.”
Ellen nods, the smile still on her face as she uncrosses her arms and goes back to whatever she was doing when I walked in. “Alright then,” she says. “I’ll be sure to tell Lauren you’re looking for her,” she adds, chuckling to herself a little.
“Okay,” I say, as I turn and walk out.
I don’t know what the fuck that was all about, but something tells me that Ellen is more like Oscar than I realized.
And I get the feeling she just might know about that kiss last night too.
Chapter Twelve
Lauren
