Chapter 4

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 511.

Saturday came and went pretty much as it always did. Andi worked till around four pm, and then hauled her week's washing to the laundromat situated three shops down from her office. While it washed she tidied up her working space, emptying bins, dusting her desk and shelves, restocking the small bar fridge with bottled water and fruit for the week ahead. It was a routine she had established some time ago and it suited her just fine. On her way home she'd swing by the Chinese takeout and pick up some lemon chicken and fried rice and then pop into the video store next door to grab a movie while she waited for her order.

“How very safe and predictable.” a voice muttered in the far recesses of her mind - where the hell had that come from?

“So what's wrong with safe or predictable?” she rejoined defensively, “It works for me. I'm happy, not hurting anyone.”

Arriving home though she couldn't help being the slightest bit disappointed that Gill's little rust bucket Fiesta was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh wonderful Andi.” she grumbled to herself, “What were you planning on doing if it was there? Inviting her in to share your dinner and talk about tax relief?”

Someone as cute as Gill was bound to have any number of fun things to do on a Saturday night. And they sure as hell didn't include a woman practically old enough to be her mother, she thought disgustedly as she flopped on the couch with her dinner and a cold beer.

Andi awoke to white noise on the television and stretched gingerly. She was stiff from sleeping on the couch and annoyed that she had missed the end of a movie yet again. This was becoming a habit. Looking at her watch in the glow from the screen she was startled to see it was nearly 5.30am. Damn she had slept virtually the whole night away. Now that was a new twist, normally she woke about 1 or 2 am and put herself to bed.

Getting stiffly to her feet she wondered out loud if it would be worth the trouble of attempting to sleep just for the sake of another hour. No, she might as well go for an early morning run. Andi wondered what people would think about her talking to herself this way. Perhaps she should get a cat; it seemed permissible to talk to animals, even if they didn't answer back. Then again, perhaps not. If her record with house plants was anything to go by, the poor thing wouldn't last a week. Her Sunday morning run was about the only exercise she got these days. There had been a time when she had run nearly everyday; glorying in the freedom from figures and spreadsheets, letting her mind empty, whilst her feet had pounded the coastal paths near the San Jose house. Since moving here, she just didn't seem to have the time on weekday mornings.

By six o'clock, fortified with coffee, Andi was impatiently checking the sky outside her window and decided it would be light enough by the time she reached the park. She slipped the spare house key under the lining of her trainer and closed the front door quietly behind her.

“Shoot, I wouldn't have taken you for a runner, nice legs though.”

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom she saw Gill stretching her hamstrings against the wall, dressed in a grey crop top and matching shorts. She was looking Andy up and down in a way that would have made a lesser woman blush, if Andi hadn't been doing exactly the same thing herself. “Geez Louise!” she thought heatedly. “What a body!” There simply wasn't an ounce of spare flesh on Gill's compact little frame and her breasts, straining against the soft, stretch material of the top, were doing interesting things to Andi's cardiovascular rate long before she had even started to warm up. Suddenly she was uncomfortably aware of the softness around her middle, which spoke of too many takeaway lunches and dinners eaten at her desk lately.

“You're up early.” She smiled before jogging slowly off down the sidewalk with Gill right at her shoulder, not sure if she was happy about the company or not. Not that it appeared she was going to be given a choice in the matter. With her sweet smile and big brown eyes Gill reminded her of nothing more than an affable puppy, absolutely certain that its tagging along was exactly what you had in mind.

“Nah, normal for me. I run every morning at this time, too much to fit into my days to spend them in bed, .alone.” Andi wasn't quite sure if she had imagined the last word and chose to ignore the innuendo, starving her imagination of any visuals. Fumbling to change the direction of the conversation, she decided to turn the tables back on Gill.

“So you seem to have found out all this is to know about me, I'd say turn about is fair play, wouldn't you? What else is there to know about Gill…?” here she paused, realizing she didn't even know her companion's surname.

“Hadley, Gill Hadley. Well leastways that's my married surname. Not sure as yet if I will be going back to my maiden name of Boulden once the divorce is final.”

Andi's spirits sunk, though mentally she was annoyed with herself for letting it affect her that way. . Hadn't she picked this gal for straight from the get go? Her ebullient friendliness and flirtatiousness most likely extended to everyone she met, she was just a natural Sally Sunshine. Gill didn't seem to notice any change in her demeanor and was happily babbling on.

“We've been separated nine months. Initially I stayed in the house and he moved out, but I got to thinking, what on earth did I need with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and all that garden to upkeep? He was gonna fight me every inch of the way so I thought, damn, let him have it. The settlement terms means he pays me enough to cover my rent and utilities. Well, most days anyways”.

They swung through the park entrance and soon settled into a steady rhythm around the soft grass running track. Andi was concentrating on keeping her breathing steady and even, more than glad to let Gill do most of the talking. Not, she thought wryly, that it appeared to be any problem for the younger woman who was managing to talk a mile a minute, keep running and still look as fresh as if she just stepped out of a shower. Andi was very aware of the sheen of sweat breaking out on her face and neck and darkening the front of her singlet top.

“I'm much happier in my little unit than I ever was in that big house.” Gill confided as they headed up the slight rise at the northern end of the park for the third time. “I used to wander from room to room looking for something to clean. I swear the cat used to light out when he saw me coming, I would have polished him if he'd sat still long enough!

She gave an infectious chuckle and Andi couldn't stop the corners of her mouth turning up, though she tried hard not to laugh out loud, not wanting to betray how labored her breathing was becoming. Was this gal ever going to stop? As they reached the park entry gates for the fourth time, she knew her legs weren't going to carry her another circuit and that, as much as it galled her, she would have to cry Uncle.

“That's it for me.” Andy said, puffed and slowing to a walk. “You keep going if you like though.” She groaned as she bent over the water fountain and let the cool spray hit her in the face. Straightening up she found Gill still standing beside her, her eyes glued to the beads of water running down Andi's neck and over the swell of her breasts. Hell she looks as if she wants to devour me whole, Andi thought embarrassedly and then their eyes locked and a jolt of lustful recognition seared between them for an unspoken second. Shocked Andi dropped her eyes and moved aside so that Gill could access the fountain, wondering if the sudden shaking in her legs and stomach was as a result of the run or something more. She moved a few steps away and dropped down on the grass under a shady tree, purposefully averting her eyes from the sight of Gill's trim little butt as she bent forward drinking. Oh, this was not good, not good at all, she admonished herself. Damn it, you know the rules.