The Jump

26 Sunset

Audrey tapped Lucinda on the leg and nodded her head toward the kitchen in a silent invitation to follow her. The both of them stood up from their seats and Audrey linked her arm through Lucinda's as they walked into the house together. A strange roll of relief passed through her as soon as they were away from the tension that Rachel release into the air. Raif's aunt headed for the counter and continued chopping the veggies she abandoned earlier. She pulled an extra knife from the drawer and welcomed Lucinda to join her. An appreciated distraction.

"So how are you doing so far Lucinda?" she asked as she placed a towel over her shoulder and began chopping peppers. "How is all of this for you? Are you ok with it, cause if I know Rachel, she purposely arranged this visit to sabotage your first time meeting Raif's parents."

"It's ok. I don't mind." Lucinda shrugged.

Audrey stopped and looked up as Merrill walked into the kitchen. They locked eyes briefly before she addressed him. "Needing a break from hurricane Rachel? I know she loves to talk about herself and it can get really boring."

"Me?" He pointed to himself. "Oh no, I'm just heading for the lou."

"Ok." Lucinda smiled. "I'm just chopping veggies."

"Keep that knife handy." Audrey nudged her. "If Rachel decides to turn this day sideways, then it'll become useful."

Merrill chuckled and covered his ears. "I'm just going to step away and pretend I didn't hear that..."

Audrey's gaze followed him as he walked away. When the coast seemed clear, she picked up the conversation again. "You're too sweet, Lucinda. Don't let Rachel make this about her. This was supppse to be your day. Raif will never utter a foul word about Rachel, but I've never trusted her. Have you met her mother?"

"Unfortunately." Lucinda smiled weakly.

"She's a nut! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with her." Audrey then grabbed a purple onion from the fridge and went back to chopping. "I can tell Raif adores you, and I've honestly never seen him so happy. My nephew deserves a good woman, so please, don't let Rachel push you to the side, honey. Let her know you're here to stay."

Just as the words began to sink in, Raif appeared in the kitchen, causing a grin to instantly bloom across Lucinda's face.

"There you are!" he said as he embraced Lucinda's back and rested his chin on her shoulder. "How are my two favorite gals doing?"

"Oh we're fine." Lucinda smiled at Audrey slyly. "We're just chit chatting."

"Well let me whisk you away before you start smelling like onions." Raif laughed. "I want to show you that addition I was talking about."

As Lucinda walked off with Raif, hand in hand, they passed Merrill while he was exiting the bathroom. "Raif's going to show me his favorite part of the house. We'll be back," she told him.

"My aunt is in the kitchen if you want to chat with her. She won't bite." Raif winked, which caused Merrill to turn just a bit rosey.

At the end of the hallway sat a window with a bench seat, letting in just enough light to paint shadows across the wood floor. To the right there was a door which lead to a spare bedroom, but to the left was a walk-in linen closet. Raif opened the door to the walk-in closet, stepped inside and placed his hand on the back wall. As he slid his hand sideways, the wall began moving over. Lucinda watched with wide eyes as the sliding wall revealed a spiraling staircase that went down. Taking her hand again, Raif made his way down the steps and into the hidden room.

As they descended, Lucinda could see a red wall with large black and white photos of musicians. On the adjacent wall were electric and acoustic guitars, a violin, a banjo, a mandolin and what looked like framed memorabilia. In the middle of the room it looked as if a jam session was about to take place, with antique amps that had tweed faces, microphones with stands, and a set of drums. As if that weren't enough to make her eyes pop, the main wall was made entirely of floor to celing windows with an amazing view of the ocean.