I hum, unconvinced since they’ve only got worse, and I often see her applying sunscreen to them whenever I take a peek at her through the kitchen window. Doesn’t look like sunburn to me; more like allergies. “What have you two been up to today?”
She grabs her bag and hoists it over her shoulder. “We’ve been playing, mostly. Painted some rocks we found outside, which are drying out in the sun by the back door, so don’t step on them. Leo says his is a tiger. It really doesn’t look like one, but if you tell him it does, I’m sure it’ll make his day. He wanted to hunt for bugs, too, but I told him he couldn’t keep them as pets because they’d miss their bug friends.”
I bob my head and pull off my backwards cap, ruffling up my hair slightly to give my hands something to do, and Flo beckons me into the kitchen and unveils their bakery creation for today.
Rocky-road slices, topped with rainbow sprinkles.
“We made these today, too. Feel free to have one. They’re from a box mix, so they might taste like asshole, but I think they turned out pretty good.”
“I’m not a huge fan of sugar, but they look great.”
Flo’s eyes bug out. “What person doesn’t enjoy sugar? I get you’re a professional athlete and all, but you seriously don’t like sugar?”
“Never have. Even as a kid, candy never interested me.”
“You really are an old man.”
My eyes narrow. “I’m seven years older than you. I’m not an old man.”
“Could have fooled me. Is that a grey hair I spot?” Flo leans in closer, and I rake my hands through my strands and release a grumbled, “No.” My eyes shift back to the treats. “Have you had one?”
“No, my blood sugar is a little high, so I didn’t want to risk having one.”
Although I’ve never personally known someone with diabetes, I’m aware of just how draining the condition can be. But Flo doesn’t show it, always wearing that big smile of hers. Humour and sarcasm seem to be something she uses a lot, and I wonder if it's her vice, the same way coffee and grouchiness are mine.
“How old were you when you got told you had it?” I clear my throat. “Don’t answer that if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind at all, Evan. I’m not ashamed to have it. I was twelve. It sucked because my favourite food was chocolate cake, and it felt like I was being punished for eating way too much of it. But, what can you do? It’s life.”
Blinking, I hum. Flo seems so nonchalant about her condition. Sure, she’s lived with it for many years, but I can’t help but feel like she’s holding how she really feels about it back, like if she doesn’t talk about it, she can pretend it’s not there.
“Thank you for today. Looks like Leo had a productive day.”
“Of course.” Flo’s eyes trace the shape of my bicep as I place my cap back on my head before she blinks and turns to head out of the kitchen.
“You don’t have to rush out, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know I’m back, but you don’t have to leave right away. I feel like… I make you uncomfortable. I don’t want to do that.”
Flo releases a noise of acknowledgement in the back of her throat. “You don’t make me uncomfortable, Evan. I just thought you’d rather I leave when you’re around. The day you came back when Gracie was here and we were making brownies, you looked upset I was still here, so I don’t want to intrude.”
“I wasn’t upset. I know I was grumpy. I’m always grumpy, but I was just tired more than anything, and surprised that you wanted to stay with Leo even if you weren’t getting paid.”
“He’s fun, and I like Gracie. I enjoy being around them.”
My eyes slice out of the window, to the cabin, and I’m suddenly concerned she doesn’t like it there. I’d hired someone last minute to finish fixing it up when Darrell practically hired her for me, and even though I’d inspected it to make sure it was up to scratch, I’m not big on building work and don’t know what’s right and wrong. I should have asked Gracie to check it out.
“Is the cabin okay?”
Flo’s eyes bleed confusion before she catches my drift. “Oh, no, it’s not the cabin. I love it. Seriously, I do, but… I guess I just like to keep busy. Being alone is when I have time to think, and we both know that nothing good comes of that.” She’s smiling now. “Remember when I looked after Leo last week at the stadium?”
Yes?” I hitch a brow up.
“Well, we pumped some of the spare footballs in the supply closet with mayonnaise. It was his idea, too. You’ve got a smart kid, West.”
“You didn’t.”
