Ember Flowers (11 page)

Jo stopped her
as she walked past, pulling her into a careful hug. A calloused
hand cupped her cheek and gazed at her, concerned. “Sure you’re
OK?”

The policewoman
nodded. They walked toward the door. Jo stood on the path beside
her front door, her mind still buzzing.

Jean waved as
she got into her car, with the summer months, night was only just
on the horizon. A sun still setting as she drove home.

She sighed
softly as she listened to the radio.

Chapter
16

Scott was
hefting bags of river stone into a wheelbarrow, walking it over to
Jean, and then repeating the process. The pyramid in the back of
the old ute was getting shorter, and he was happier for it. The
last few bags in the black metal tray and he was turning the barrow
toward her. The old aquatic centre needed a tidy up, a quick
maintenance job, hopefully they’d be done soon. He’d heard her
cursing under her breath since they arrived.

He lifted his
shades from his eyes and wiped them on the bottom of his shirt.
Kneeling down beside the woman to spread the stones across the
narrow garden beds. Alone together before the start of the working
day for most, it got too hot to do this toward noon, especially
with the heat radiating up from all this concrete. He wasn’t
blessed with his boss’ olive complexion.

Another mumble
as she pulled out a weed.

“Someone give
you decaf this morning Jean?”

She glanced
over at him behind her sunglasses. A shake of her head. “No, these
dandelions are just being stubborn, so many of the bastards.”

Uh huh.
“You aren’t having lady issues are you? I saw this thing on the
Discovery Channel..”

She stopped,
giving him a scowl, he grinned.

“Dick head.”
Then continued with what she was doing.

He stood up and
moved the stones with a shovel blade. “You can tell me Jean? I used
to tell you when Ellie gave me hell?” a friendly smile on his
stubbled face.

“Scott, Ellie
knows you’re a good guy. I wasn’t sure if what I said helped
much?”

Jean dusted off
her hands, reaching behind her to a row of potted plants. She’d
been there for him, almost like a maternal figure, when he was
worried about his marriage. Luckily for Scott, his fears were laid
to rest when his wife said she wasn’t leaving, but that she was
knocked up. Their son was five now, and they had another baby on
the way. Since then, he’d always come to her for advice.

“It did. So go
on, tell me what’s bothering ‘Aunty Jean’?” He chuckled to himself.
It was his son’s affectionate name for her. He knew it made her
feel old, and he’d goad her with it when she was in a bad mood. She
didn’t really want to get into it. Scott was a good friend, an old
friend. But a part of her felt like she’d be breaking Jo’s
confidence if she said anything. Then again, it’s not like Scott
knew her, or had a big mouth.

“It’s
complicated.”

Another shovel
load of the smooth grey pebbles. “Complicated? That could be code
for ‘lesbian four way’ or..’I’ve decided to join a cult’.”

She propped her
shades on top of her head. Shaking her head at him, at his humour.
“Joanne is a complicated woman.”

Though Jean
hadn’t said anything, he noticed her routine had changed a bit in
the last few weeks.

“Go on? She
seemed nice? Maybe a bit well..unfriendly. But she is a
copper.”

Jean was
digging with a hand shovel, potting in delicate plants then
clearing a space for the next. “Yeah, she’s..I vowed a long time
ago not to get involved with straight women. Only leads to
trouble.”

Scott paused.
Involved. That sounded serious.

“What happened
between you guys? You haven’t said anything.”

She chose her
words carefully, to avoid certain follow up questions. “We’ve been
spending time together. She’s questioning herself for it.”

His eyebrows
shot up toward his sandy hair and he grinned. “You got lucky with
‘Officer Sexy’? Wait..I thought you said she was straight?”

“I thought she
was. So did Jo. She’s confused.”

OK. That
made sense, kinda, and she called her Jo, not Joanne.
Jean was
his friend, he tried to force his brain out of testosterone
overload. “So she’s not into relationships and she doesn’t want to
dick you around?”

She stopped
what she was doing, reaching over for her water. “I guess in a way.
She’s straight, she was married, they’re over. She’s never been
involved with a woman before. Like I said, complicated.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I’m
worried it’s going to end badly. Maybe I should cut my losses
before I invest too much?”

Sometimes Scott
would leave the manly stuff behind, and just be thoughtful, he
rested a gloved hand on her shoulder. “It sounds like you really
like her. Maybe she really likes you too?”

She smiled. “I
do really like her. She’s a good person. That’s the problem.”

With a drawn
out sigh as he thought to himself. “Maybe you should get naked with
her? Show her that she’s got nothing to be scared of? Then you
should put it on YouTube.”

And there it
was again
. “Scott, get back to work. You’re no fucking Dr
Phil.”

He put his
hands up in surrender, but knew she wasn’t serious by the tone of
her voice.

Jean sighed as
she watched Scott spread the rocks over the garden bed, being
careful to avoid the green newly potted plants. Things had been
heated between her and Jo yesterday. The patient, thoughtful side
of her almost gave way to her more immediate desires. Jo would have
likely reacted badly if she’d been a bit more brazen. As much as
her hand had wanted to slip inside Joanne’s jacket. It was clear
that they would be moving forward, if at all, only on the blonde
woman’s terms.

A younger her
would have been frustrated, but Jean really did care about her, she
didn’t like to see her hurting. At least Jean would never hurt her
deliberately, it made her even angrier to think about what Jo had
put up with.

The idea of
getting closer to the Officer was certainly appealing. But she
didn’t want to be an experiment, a blip in the woman’s experience,
a stepping stone between boyfriends. Somehow she didn’t think Jo
thought of her that way. Even their passionate exchange on the
policewoman’s sofa had been laden with trust and affection.

She would give
her time, hopefully Jo wouldn’t have second thoughts.

Chapter
17

Every day she’d
put it off.
The call.

A little over a
week had flown by, each time she picked up the phone a little voice
told her to put it away, to busy herself with something else.

It was
Wednesday evening, she was at her mother’s house with her little
girl. Annabelle was dressed for bed, little fluffy pink pyjamas
with kittens all over them. Her mother was out, seeing friends,
playing rummy. Now was as good a time as any. She shouldn’t put it
off any longer.

Seven thirty
p.m., hopefully she would be home.

Jo’s fingertips
found the contact on her phone, waiting for the ring. It rang out,
Jean’s answering message kicking in. She hung up, a part of her
secretly happy she could put the conversation off a little
longer.

Within a few
seconds her phone rang. Joanne answered. “Hello?”

Jean sounded a
little out of breath. “Joanne, Hi. Sorry I missed your call, I was
upstairs.”

She leant back
further into the couch, Annabelle was playing with her toys on the
rug. “That’s OK, how was your day?”
Small talk to ease
in.

She heard the
sound of the older woman walking over the floorboards, of a door
closing, a tinkle of chimes outside. “Not bad. Small jobs mostly.
Got home a little while ago, just came in from feeding the horses.
You?” There was a warmth in Jean’s voice.

“Stuck behind a
desk most of the day, paperwork. Now I’m with my little girl before
she goes to bed.” Her daughter’s blue eyes looked up at her, then
she went back to knocking over blocks.

“Jean, do you
have a moment to talk?”

“Sure.” She
sounded worried.

Joanne took a
deep breath. “Jean I..I need to know what this is?” There was
fragility in her voice, as much as she tried to hide it.

There was a
silence for a moment. “What do you want it to be?”

The blonde’s
brows furrowed. “I don’t know. Right now I’m confused as hell. I
don’t know what to do. I don’t know what you want from me.”

A squeak of
leather, Jean was probably sitting down in the lounge room, she was
sure she saw a modern looking leather recliner in there. A thin
black padded one with a beech wood spine running down the back. The
fire would probably be going.

“Jo, I don’t
want anything from you. I like spending time with you?”

“I like
spending time with you too.”

Jean’s voice
was gentle in her ear. “Doesn’t have to be anything more than that
if you don’t want it to be. I like you Jo, I’m attracted to you,
you know that already. But I don’t expect anything from you.”

That was kind
of a relief. “I’m..fond of you too. I just..I’m not comfortable
with..”

“..Jo?”

She brushed her
hair off her face, the blonde strands against her temple.
“Yes?”

“How about we
take this as it comes? I like being around you, and I think you
feel the same way. I’d like to get to know you. No strings, no
obligations.”

The policewoman
thought about that for a moment. Her daughter was pawing at her
hand, murmuring, wanting help onto the couch. “Hang on Jean,
Annabelle wants me.” She put down the phone, helping the toddler
up.

“Sorry, are you
there?”

“Yes, I’m
here.”

“So you want to
see where this goes? And you don’t expect anything?” She wanted to
be clear.

“Yes. If you
want to? I know things are complicated for you right now. But I do
like you. I understand you’re worried about what people might
think, but I won’t get your name tattooed on my arm or anything Jo.
To anyone else we’re friends if that’s what you want?”

“I think I can
handle that. Friends. Friends..who make out occasionally.”

Jean snickered.
“Well yes. You seemed to enjoy it last time?”

Her thoughts
went back to the soft lips against her own, the smooth skin of
Jean’s arm under her hand. She answered quietly. “Yes.”

“Good.”

Her daughter
was wanting her attention. Grabbing at her sleeve with insistent
little hands. “Jean, my little girl is getting restless. I’m sorry,
can I call you sometime?”

Her thoughts
were still clouded. Thinking of Jo’s warm body pressed against her
own. “Sure Jo. Sleep well.”

“I will. You
too.”

She smiled,
clicking off the phone and looking at it before she put it back
into her bag. Jo felt surprisingly lighter after talking to her.
All her dread had been for little concern. Jean hadn’t wanted to
turn her into something she wasn’t. Hadn’t expected her to confirm
this was some sort of relationship. She supposed it was, they were
getting to know each other, a bit like dating but with a new set of
rules.

Annabelle
looked up at her, she’d been talking more lately. Little short
sentences. But right now she looked tired.

Jo smiled,
tweaking her cheek. “OK little one, time for bed.”

Chapter
18

Scott ran his
hands through his wet salt crusted hair, his wife Ellie lay back
propped on her elbows, watching the surf from the comfort of their
beach towels. Summer time was measured in days like this. He looked
over his shoulder, Ellie smiled at him, feeling self conscious. Her
slender body changing with the progression of her pregnancy. Half
way along, and glowing, at least he thought she was beautiful.

He smiled back,
his attention turning to Alex, his little boy who was being
slathered in sunscreen by his mother. His nose crinkled with the
unfamiliar smell.

The sun was
flaring gold and orange, reflecting strands of peach and bronze
over the waves. A warm afternoon, the ocean proving a respite from
the heat. He strode over to them, his large feet sinking into the
white sand, board shorts hanging below the trail of fuzz on his
belly.

“Want me to
take him in?”

Ellie shielded
her eyes, nodding. “Be careful.”

Scott grinned,
“Don’t worry so much sexy, just a little dip.” He stuck out his
tongue, making a surfing gesture with his hand.

She shook her
head,
her loveable oaf
, she’d be lost without him.

His strong
hands scooped up his little boy, raising him up to sit on his
shoulders. Alex responded with a happy squeal and a tug of his
hair, bouncing his heels on his father’s chest. They walked
together into the green and blue foam.

***

Jean sat in her
car on the other side of the city, she had spent the last forty
five minutes driving out to a stockist. She ticked off a list of
items she needed to pick up. She scribbled in her diary, making
notes for what else she had to do.

Trolleys rolled
past in the car park, the coarse bristle of wheels over bitumen.
Scott had requested the day off, which was fine, she owed him some
holidays. Sometimes she didn’t mind her own company, it gave her
time to think. Lately her thoughts had been straying back to a
certain blonde.

She smiled to
herself, tapping her pen against the pages.
Perhaps they could
catch a movie? A quiet dinner? It would be nice to just spend time
getting to know her, unhurried.

Jean had left
the ball in Joanne’s court. This was new for her, two steps forward
one step back, willing but hesitant. It seemed as though her
pre-conceptions were always at war with her feelings. The older
woman figured a slow courtship would be better for them both. The
policewoman was worth the wait.