The Heart of Deception

Chapter 5

Grocery shopping in Maroochydore proved to be a pleasant, but short trip, because they had to return to Canoorah in time for Helen to change for an afternoon shift at the small country hospital nearby.

Lauren safely strapped Jessica into the baby chair on the back seat. To her surprise, Helen handed her the keys, and climbed into the passenger seat. She cautiously manoeuvred the huge Mercedes Benz out of the garage, and down the winding driveway. At first, Lauren was surprised to find the car had a manual shift, but after a few kilometres, she began to enjoy driving the luxurious vehicle.

At the grocery store, Helen pushed the pram up and down the isles, while Lauren manipulated a shopping trolley that appeared to have a mind of its own. It didn’t take them long to accumulate all the goods that they wanted to buy, then, laden with stuff, she propelled the unwilling contraption towards the checkout.

Lauren’s mouth suddenly dried with anxiety when she couldn’t recall Diane’s personal identity number to pay for their purchases. Under Helen’s curious scrutiny, her nerves began to fray. Her second attempt was as futile as the first had been. Through sheer luck though, her third proved to be successful.

Relieved, Lauren hastily concluded the transaction then headed out of the shop. Mercifully, Jessica began creating a fuss in her pram, giving her the perfect excuse not to have to explain anything to Helen.

This has to be the first time I’ve ever felt grateful for the opportunity to change a smelly nappy, she thought with amusement. Helen didn’t need much coaxing. She found them a seat at the coffee shop and ordered some lunch, while Lauren went in search of the parents’ room. After all three of them were fed and watered, they took the tourist route, from the Sunshine Coast, back to Canoorah on the Hinterland.

Packing away groceries had never been one of Lauren’s favourite jobs, especially now she’d made up her mind to move the contents of the kitchen cupboards around. But it killed time she would otherwise have had to spend in Kurt’s company since Helen had rushed off to work, grabbing her leftover sandwich to finish in the car.

Kurt was patently amused.

“They look all right to me,” he said, opening a couple to peer inside. “Why create more work than you need to?”

“Everyone likes there kitchen set up differently,” Lauren explained, crossing her arms defensively. “If I’m to do the cooking until we find a new housekeeper, then I want to have it organised to suit myself.”

Her brother-in-law shook his head good-humouredly. “Okay lovely lady, where would you like me to start?”

He was treating her to one those lopsided smiles again. Her heart skipped a beat. She longed to reach out a finger to touch the dimple in his right cheek.

How Diane finds anything disagreeable in this man, is beyond me, she thought. He’s absolutely gorgeous.

Lauren felt the blood rush to her face when she realised she was staring quite openly at him.

Gorgeous and married to your sister, she reminded herself, as she spun around to start on the pantry.

Turning her mind to the task at hand, she told Kurt where to move all the stainless steel cookware, while she started on the pantry. It wasn’t long before the kitchen cupboards resembled a similar order to the ones at home.

With a sense of accomplishment, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. Kurt was obviously impressed with the logical changes she’d made, and told her so.

“Thank you kind Sir,” Lauren grinned, with a mock curtsey. “May I reward your efforts with a cold drink?”

She turned to the fridge to find some soft drink, while he took out two glasses. Their glasses touched in a salute to the mission accomplished.