The Summer That Changed Everything

Chapter Four - Part One

Felicity wiped her brow after she placed even more books into an already heavy cardboard box. She got up off her knees, put her hands on her hips, and blew a stray piece of hair out of her face. She didn't realise she had so many books in storage. Was it really wise to take them all to university with her? But she knew for a fact she'd crave to read a book she'd left at home. It was an inevitability that she wanted to avoid. Shrugging, she decided it was a conundrum she could solve another day. It was break time. And judging from the time on her phone, it was also dinner time.

As she skipped down the stairs, her stomach rumbled, and she couldn't wait to stuff her face with whatever she could find in the kitchen, probably something completely random that didn't really make sense. She spotted her parents as soon as her sock-covered foot touched down on the laminate flooring in the foyer. They weren't in casual or even work attire, surprising Felicity. Her mother was wearing a fitted maroon-coloured dress, a stark contrast to Felicity's comfortable joggers and t-shirt. A light shawl donned her shoulders, and she held a matching clutch bag in her hands. Her father wore a dark grey suit and slicked his hair into a fancy style, rather than his usual unkempt evening look. They were both hanging around near the front door.

"Oh, are you two going out?" Felicity breathed, putting all the pieces together.

Both of her parents looked at her with guilty eyes, thus confirming her suspicions. Her parents' remorse mirrored her own feelings of disappointment; they wanted to spend time with their daughter, knowing she would be off to university in almost no time.

"We completely forgot to tell you, sweetheart," her mother's tone implied an apology.

"We have an essential business dinner to attend to," her father finished. "It couldn't wait, and if we secure this deal, it will be amazing for Park & Poole."

"Oh," Felicity stuttered, her longing for family time evident in her voice. She didn't want her green-eyed monster to crawl in from the depths of her brain. She knew how lucrative these dinners were. But she wanted to spend some time with her parents. They may have invited her to this particular dinner, considering she was free. To take more interest in the business, she had to get used to lavish and vital dinners. At least, that's what her parents told her. "I just thought… that I'd, I dunno, cook dinner for us tonight. You know, start practising before I have no choice but to fend for myself in a few weeks."

"Honey," Tanya sighed. The remorse on her face and in her voice was genuine. "Maybe some other night this week? We'll make sure our evening is free. Besides, the kitchen is fully stocked, so feel free to get started tonight. Make yourself something lovely, and maybe we can have some leftovers tomorrow."

“And if it’s disgusting, at least I can’t put you through torture. Plus, you don’t have to pretend to like it,” Felicity let out an awkward laugh to ease the tension and show that she was OK with the situation. Thankfully, her parents laughed along with her.

“We don’t know when we’ll be back. You know how late these things tend to go,” Felicity’s father said. “So, don’t wait up.”

Felicity nodded in understanding and stepped forward to kiss her parents on the cheek, then wished them luck and a pleasant evening. Feigning happiness, she ignored their protests and waved them out of the door and into their Uber. After the piece of wood had closed, she stared at it and bit the inside of her cheek, at a complete loss. What should she do now? In that second, she made a split-second decision. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and composed a text.

Are you free this evening, Mr Last Resort? I have to practise my cooking skills on someone before uni, and you’re the unlucky person I’ve chosen.

His response was almost immediate.

Fantastic. Food poisoning is just what I want on a Wednesday evening.

Felicity nibbled on her thumbnail as she saw the three dots pop up on her screen. Jared was typing another message. She took the nail out of her mouth in disgust, as it was a nasty habit she had acquired when she experienced anxiousness. Waiting patiently - yet nervously - at those three dots, her heart raced. Was she too forward? She had never texted him first before. Perhaps she shouldn’t have opened the discussion with tales of her terrible cooking skills. She had probably scared him off. She sighed as his text came through.

It just so happens that I am free tonight and for the next few days, so even if I do get food poisoning, I won’t be missing anything important. I’ll be right over.

Her phone pinged with yet another text.

You’re not scaring me off that easily, Park. I’ll bring the antacids just in case.

Felicity smiled in triumph and mirth, locked her phone, and placed it into her back pocket once more. With a new bounce in her step, she skipped into the kitchen. She had food to prepare!

***

Felicity let out a squeal as the sauce flared. The blue and red flames shooting into the air made her jump back in surprise, almost dropping the wooden spoon. Once she recovered, she turned down the stove’s heat and vowed never to turn it back up. She breathed deeply and returned to spooning through the ugly sludge that was meant to be the sauce. She scraped the bottom of the pan, removing the bits of vegetables and meat that had stuck to the metal. Were those bits supposed to look burnt? Surely, that was a stylistic choice to add a bit of variation to her dish?

Oh, who was she kidding? She had ruined this meal.