“Oh, you wish.”
I glanced at him, eyes wide at the banter. “Oh-kay…”
He winked at me, then concentrated back on the road like nothing had happened.
But it had, right? Something had just happened?Right?
* * * *
When we got out of the truck in the yard in the middle of a mishmash of buildings, a person of indeterminate age bounced towards us, clapping their hands. They took one look at our faces and pointed at the sign that readTOILET.
Their delighted laughter followed us as we speed-walked to the toilets. At least there were two stalls instead of one, because it would’ve gotten ugly if I’d had to fight Theo for the first go.
After washing my hands, I made my way back out.
“Jules, I presume.” I held out my hand. “I’m Lake.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.” They squeezed my hand firmly, then grinned at Theo, who came out of the bathroom. “See, it was totally a good idea to have a toilet right there, thanks for the idea.”
Theo marched to Jules and they briefly hugged.
“I can have good ideas.” Theo smiled. He turned toward me to explain. “There have been guys peeing in the bushes over there after a long drive. I thought it would be nicer to have actual toilets.”
“Can’t disagree with that,” I admitted.
“So, what do we got?” Theo asked Jules.
They hummed. “Well, a lot. But there’s also lunch waiting for you guys, so let’s do that first?”
My stomach growled, luckily not loud enough for them to hear. “I could eat!”
“Yeah, you know me, I’m always up to eat.”
“Except in the mornings,” Jules said brightly as they turned to lead us inside.
How did Jules know Theo didn’t do breakfast?Huh.
The old single story farmhouse was filled with comfy furniture and animals. I could see three cats lounging in various spots and a cockatoo sitting on the mantle of a fireplace. There was an old looking dog sleeping on a comfy bed by the fireplace.
The cockatoo made a very loud sound of a doorbell. The dog lifted its head and let out a giganticboof!
“Shut up, Ringo. It’s okay, Maisy!” Jules told them.
I blinked at the three tiny dogs that rested in the corner of a couch. There was also a very large terrarium on a sturdy side table, and I could see a tortoise going about its business inside it.
“Oh fuck off!” the cockatiel called out. Then loudly wolf whistled someone. “Show us the buns!”
“Nice to see you, too, Ringo,” Theo called to the bird.
I walked after him to the kitchen.
“It’s a bit of a madhouse,” Jules said as they started to pour coffee into large mugs. “Please help yourself.”
There were three plates on a large country-style kitchen table with bowls of what seemed to be couscous salad and other things neatly placed in the middle.
We dug in and relaxed for a moment. Theo and Jules chatted about mutual friends, so I concentrated on eating the delicious meal.
“So Lake, I met your aunt a handful of times over the years, and I thought she was a wonderful person. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Jules’ big blue eyes were filled with sympathy.
