Page 42 of Special Delivery
‘And sweeter in America,’ said James.
Poppy nodded. ‘Yeah.’ She’d been about to say that.
She lay the play mat on the verandah and placed Maeve on top.
‘When was the last time you had Cornflakes?’ asked James.
‘No idea,’ Poppy said with a sigh. ‘Probably about ten years ago, when I went backpacking with my best friend. We were so skint we always had to choose the cheapest hostels. Rickety beds, crap showers, the constant stench of booze and BO. It was the best.’
James smiled and Poppy accidentally smiled back.
‘I went travelling with my brother for a few months after uni,’ he said. ‘We were those Aussie guys you meet at every hostel—wearing footy shorts and thongs even when it was freezing, surviving on beer and baguettes. Unhealthiest I’ve ever been in my life, but jeez it was fun.’ He looked down towards the dam and then back at her. ‘Couldn’t do it now, though.’
‘No,’ Poppy agreed, her gaze settling on Maeve, who was tugging the fringing on the play mat. ‘Somehow we all grow up.’
‘Or we try not to,’ said James. ‘I’m going back to uni next year. Hopefully studying medicine. It’ll be strange being the oldest guy in the lecture hall, but I don’t care. I made the decision for me, no-one else.’ He lifted a giant spoonful of Cornflakes to his mouth and gulped them down. ‘FYI, you don’t need to fill up on cereal today. There’s so much food up there.’ He gestured towards the cabins up the hill. ‘My mum starts planning Easter lunch before we’ve even digested Christmas pudding. It’s an affliction.’
Poppy smiled at the spoon in her hand. ‘Thanks for inviting me to join you,’ she said.
‘Not at all. You’re doing me a favour.’ James scraped the last of his Cornflakes from the bowl. ‘She always tries to force-feed me the leftovers so it’s always useful to have someone else to share the eating load.’
‘I wonder why she thinks you’d be hungry.’ Poppy smiled, inclining her head towards his empty bowl. ‘You inhaled that.’
James shrugged. ‘Cornflakes are fucking delicious.’
Poppy looked down at her bowl to hide her chuckle. The sun felt warm on her face as it slid long shadows across the verandah. It was so quiet she could hear the patter of a magpie’s feet as it landed on the corrugated-iron roof. She scooped up a spoonful of Cornflakes. She’d forgotten: theyweredelicious.
As they stood up to clear the bowls, James said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry I showed up with no warning. I forgot to consider you might not be up and at ’em yet.’
Poppy turned to him, puzzled. Maeve was still happily turtle-backing on the play mat.
‘What?’ he asked.
Poppy picked up her daughter and playmat. ‘I don’t know.’ She shook her head. ‘You seem so different from when we first met.’
James grimaced as he opened the screen door for them. ‘Yeah, I feel bad about that, sorry. It had been a weird day. Although’—a wicked smile crept across his face—‘I’d like to remind the jury that youdidn’thave a pram.’
Poppy tried to elbow him as she passed. ‘You try carrying a baby in the peak of summer. My parking choices were completely justifiable.’
‘It’s okay.’ James patted her on the shoulder. ‘I forgave you instantly.’
It was like his hand left an imprint on her. Something ballooned in Poppy’s chest and she tried to quash it. The conversation, the casual touching; this was veering into something she couldn’t put her finger on and it was making her nervous. When had this truce sneakily emerged? She was supposed to hate him. Poppy racked her brain for one of those conversation starters to change the subject. Should she ask his views on organised religion?
James got in first. ‘Do you have plans this morning?’ he asked, pulling a scrubbing brush from the cupboard under the sink. The sunlight through the window had transformed his hair from dark blond to honeyed gold.
Poppy nodded. ‘I’ll put on the baby carrier and go for a hike. Maeve loves a walk. As in, she loves to sleep while I walk. It suits both of us.’
‘Do you reckon …’ He trailed off. ‘Nah, don’t worry.’
‘What?’
‘Nothing.’
Poppy narrowed her eyes. His blank-faced man-of-mystery routine was so annoying. ‘Tell me,’ she said.
James turned on the tap and began scrubbing the bowls. ‘I was going to ask if I could join you with Eileen. But it’s okay. I know you wouldn’t want that.’
Poppy bristled. ‘Don’t presume to know what I want.’
