AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Me: Thanks so much.I’ll give you the key before I go to Aunt Laurie’s.I need to mine her computer for information.
I gulped down a mug of the tea I had packed with me— I had to hope a pack of two hundred and forty would be enough to tide me over— and shoved my feet into my Converse.In addition to my other tasks, I needed to do the washing today, or I’d very shortly run out of clothes, and I couldn’t really justify the time to go and buy stuff.
AndI needed to read and respond to the comments on my latest video.
I’d better be careful or everything was going to start snowballing.I already had a hell of a balancing act to do, and Rick was fast becoming a big distraction.
Aunt Laurie had reminded me of the walking directions to her house, and I dropped the bakery key off to a sleepy but excited Jenny before I left.
Rick was nowhere to be seen, and I was half disappointed but also half relieved; I’d never have made a quick exit if he’d turned up all rumpled from rolling out of bed.
Just the idea made my stomach clench with yearning.
I made the ten-minute walk in a little less time, aware that I wasveryon the clock if I wanted to get everything doneandmake the game with Rick later.That could be my treat for bossing it with my tasks.
My aunt lived in a cute little two bed, single-story red brick house on a quiet street.I knew it well from my visit here a few years back.It hadn’t changed.
Birds in an overhanging tree tweeted busily as I let myself in, almost getting knocked over by an enormous, short haired tabby cat.I didn’t remember him, he must have been an addition since I’d last come here.
“Oh, hey baby!”
The cat meowed plaintively.I bent to stroke his fuzzy head and he glared at me.
“Right, sorry.Food, you want food.”
The cat led me to the kitchen and jumped on the counter, butting his head against the plastic box of kitty food, meowing constantly, as if to sayfinally, stupid human.
I couldn’t blame him.
I rinsed his bowl out and filled it, making sure to provide him some fresh water, too.
The cat’s purring went stratospheric when he started to munch.
I headed through the house to the spare bedroom, where Aunt Laurie said she kept her computer.I glanced around as I booted it up.Her home was warm, cosy and full of personality.Books wereeverywhere,on shelving and in little piles on the floor, and I loved that.I didn’t trust people who didn’t have books.What did theydoin their free time?
I scanned a few of the titles, but didn’t get very far before the login screen appeared.I fished out my phone and copied over the details.I got the blue wheel of death for a moment, which told me Laurie’s computer wasprettyold, and then her desktop background appeared, a picture of her, Jess and Jess’ brother Greg, who had moved to Washington to work for the US Government, in front of a gorgeous waterfall.
I felt a pang of guilt not telling my cousin about her mum’s injury.I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I had to hope that the Redwing Falls gossip mill got to her soon enough so that she wouldn’t be mad with me.
Putting it aside, I looked at my notes and opened her file explorer.It didn’t take long to find the word document and email it to myself.As I was turning the computer off, I texted my aunt to let her know I’d fed the cat.She replied saying that her neighbor had agreed to do it until she got home from the hospital, and that he pooped outside so I didn’t need to worry about a litter tray.
Can’t say I wasn’t relieved about that.
As I locked everything up, my phone pinged with a photo message of the order list from Jenny.Everything was going according to plan.So far, anyway.
I power-walked back to Jenny and Rick’s house, already sweating under the warm sunshine.Jenny opened the door as I approached.
“I just got back, and I’m child free!”She started jumping.
“Maybe shout a little louder?Not sure the people on the far side of town heard you.”
Unembarrassed, she did a little dance on the doorstep.I was pretty sure I was in love with her - I’d certainly be very sad to leave this woman.“I don’t care!I have two free hands!Count ‘em!”She wiggled them in the air and whooped.“What do we have to do?”
“First, we need to go to Sureway and get all the ingredients for the two cakes Aunt Laurie needs me to make, plus the baking I want to do for my channel.I’ll carry on selling that stuff inCake Away.”I continued listing off our plans to Jenny.“There’s a wedding cake and a seventieth birthday cake, but the wedding cake is the priority.”
“Roger that.”
