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“It’s kinda quiet without the two O’s around isn’t it,” I say as I throw some steaks onto the hot pan.
“Who?” Lu asks, handing me a glass of red wine.
“The two O’s,” I repeat. “Oscar and Ollie.”
Lu laughs. “Yeah, it is. Same when they go back to school.”
I watch as the meat sizzles on the pan, monitoring the time so I can flip them to create the perfect medium rare. “I actually kinda miss them,” I admit. “Even if they’re nosy little buggers with incredibly bad timing.”
Lu doesn’t say anything and when I turn to look at her, I see she’s leaning against the bench, silently watching me.
“What?”
She shrugs, biting her bottom lip for a second or two before eventually saying, “You’re really good with them, you know.”
I shrug, because it’s no big deal, before flipping the steaks.
“You ever think about having kids?” she asks, surprising me a little.
I keep my eyes on the steaks for a few seconds longer, pressing them with the tongs to check if they’re done before switching off the gas. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it,” I say, shooting her a glance. “You?”
“Mmmm hmm,” she says.
I slide the pan to the side and leave the steaks to rest for a few minutes before turning back to Lu. Leaning against the bench, I take a sip of my wine before asking, “What does Mmmm hmm mean?”
Lu swallows, stalling a little by moving the salad she was just mixing to the island where our plates and cutlery are, not looking at me. When she moves back toward the stove, I reach for her, a hand on her hip as I pull her to me.
“I’ve thought about it,” I say, tilting her chin so her eyes meet mine. “And it’s something I want, one day,” I add.
Lu nods, her whispered, “Me too,” barely audible.
I smile, lean down and brush my lips against hers. “Well, it’s good we’re on the same page then, isn’t it?” I say, before moving back to the stove and dishing up the steaks.
We eat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us elaborating on the somewhat major and potentially life-changing discussion we’ve almost just had. While it’s true, it isn’t something I want right now, it doesn’t stop my mind from wandering to the future, to a time when there’s a mini Lulu running around this house with us.
It feels surreal just to think about it and not just because I have no idea how to make that future a reality.
“Tell me why you took this job?” she suddenly asks, interrupting my fantasy of domestic bliss.
I look up at her, flashing her a smile. “So I could look you up,” I say, as though the answer is obvious.
Lu smiles, but I can tell she’s not really buying it. “Sure, but why did you leave Australia?” she asks. “I mean, why’d your job end and why were you able to come here?”
I exhale a long, slow breath, putting my knife and fork down as I contemplate how best to answer her. “Generally speaking,” I start, “I don’t stay at one winery too long. Usually I’m brought in to get things started or fix up a production. I’ll do my thing, take someone under my wing and train them up and then move on.”
Lu nods. “But this time?” she asks, and I can tell she knows there’s more to it than just finishing up a job.
“This time,” I say. “I wanted to leave for other reasons. Wanted to get as far away as possible to be honest.”
“Why?” she asks, her voice quiet.
I smile at her, reaching for her hand. “I got involved with someone,” I say, knowing I owe her some sort of explanation even if it’s the last thing I feel like talking about. “It didn’t end well and it was awkward as fuck being around her there. I needed a break and this…this came up. It felt like…I don’t know, perfect timing, a sign, the right thing to do.”
“She worked at the winery?” Lu asks and I know exactly what she’s thinking now. Mixing business with pleasure; how if it couldn’t work out with this other girl, how the hell is it going to work out with Lu.
I shake my head. “No, she didn’t,” I tell her. “She was the sister of the one of the workers. She worked in town but we all ran in the same crowds, it was impossible to avoid to her.”
Lu exhales, relaxing the tiniest bit when she understands that it’s a different situation to us. “How long ago did you break up?” she asks.
