Petula threw the woman a grin. “Thanks, Blue. But it might be a while before that happens. I’m going to take things slowly. A few more morning meet-and-greets, maybe a lunch or two. Then before I throw him to you wolves, my smart brother suggested a possible hike, or fishing.”
“Ugh. Fishing,” Sherbert groaned. “I’ll never understand how the two of you get off on slimy worms, barbed hooks, and gutting fish. It is so, not my idea of a good time.”
Petula laughed. “First of all, we use lures, not worms,” Although that hadn’t been the case when they’d been younger. “And second, I don’t see you complaining when you sleep on the bank while we fish, then eat what we’ve caught when you wake up.”
Point in case… “I could be coerced into frying up some previously frozen catfish for supper tonight,” she told him.
“That’s awesome,” Sherbert cheered. “When you serve it to me on a plate, I can pretend I’m in a restaurant.”
“God, you are such a wuss, Sherb.” Tonka, the largest one of the bunch, launched a pillow at Sherbert’s head. It was caught, and hurled back, but before things could break down into a full blown pillow fight, Blue intervened and deftly confiscated the projectile, mid-air.
“Nope. We arenotmaking a mess of Petula’s house. She’s had a long day, and the last thing she needs is to clean up after you cretins. Now settle down, and maybe she’ll be nice enough to feed us if she still has the energy.”
“You know I do, Blue,” Petula chuckled as she vacated her chair. “I’ve already got the fish prepped. So if you can keep these idiots under control for a short while, I’ll head to the kitchen and get things cooking.”
“I’m on it,” Blue said, with no hesitation, and Petula believed her.
Like Sheila, at the Diver Downeast office, Blue somehow managed to intimidate the guys with a single word. Petula didn’t know what that was all about, but she was grateful for it more often than not.
Shedding her boots, she gave a sigh and walked into the kitchen.
Here, she was extremely comfortable. Cooking was a way for her to relax, and tonight she needed it. With all the problems she’d had today, and the excitement of another date with Julian on the horizon for tomorrow, culinary-creativity would put her mind at rest.
Hmm… Maybe some home-made cornbread to go with the fish.
Three hours later,with the delicious meal consumed, and everyone stuffed to the gills and yawning, Petula and Stat bid the crew goodbye amongst assurances that none of them were drunk. It would have been a rare occurrence if someonehadbeen in their cups because they were all just social drinkers. But it never hurt to be sure.
More pledges were given as coats were donned, as Petula assured them that she and Stat didn’t need help cleaning up, which was true. In reality, there were only a bunch of empties, alongside some dirty dishes to take care of.
Petula felt the last bit of stress within her unwind as the last person left.
This was the part of the day she liked best. Every time she cooked, which was more often than not, her brother would be the one to load the dishwasher and scrub pans, during which they mutually dissected their respective days for each other.
Tonight, Petula knew, Statler would be even more curious than normal, digging into what he figured she hadn’t told the group about Julian, and she relished it. Their rehashing would allow her to work out a few things in her head.
The clatter of dishes was so normal, it soothed any remaining nerves she might have. Of course, the two beers she’d downed hadn’t hurt either. She was a real lightweight drinker.
Petula hopped her ass up onto the counter and watched her brother rinse every item, one by one, to place them neatly in the dishwasher.
“What else do you want to share with me about your time with Julian this morning?” Stat finally asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
Petula wouldn’t hold back.
“I like him, Stat. I mean, I really like him. He’s a good listener, even going so far as to hear things Iwasn’tsaying. It made me comfortable that I didn’t have to spill my guts.”
What else had she liked? Petula didn’t have to search her brain, too hard. “He has a great sense of humor, isn’t hesitant to talk about himself, and he clearly adores his family.”
Statler nodded. “They’re a good bunch, from everything I’ve heard.” He pretty much reiterated the words he’d spoken the previous night, then voiced his concerns. “He, uh, didn’t…try to make any moves on you, did he?”
Petula could hear the worry in her brother’s voice, and she was overjoyed to be able to put him at ease. “No. Not at all. He was a perfect gentleman.” She grinned, remembering. “He never touched me, not once, and even opened my car door for me, if you can believe it.”
“It’s only what you deserve, Pet.” Statler shuffled his feet a bit, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“What?” she asked. There was clearly something he wasn’t saying.
“You’re not gonna like this, but I have to let you in on something. I, uh, might have set Sherbert up with Julian’s info and had him do a quick search on the guy.”
Petula wanted to be mad, but this was the protective side of Statler and his crew that she’d seen time and time again. It would actually have been strange for Statnotto dig a little deeper into Julian.
