Page 12 of All The Wrong Notes
Oh heavens, how was he ever going to get any work done today?
* * *
Janet and Carlos wandered into the kitchen about an hour later. Elise was on her third cup of coffee and had made good progress on her book. Carlos, it seemed, was a frequent enough visitor here that he had his ‘usual’ room (now shared with Janet), and he knew all the ins and outs of the house, as Will had implied. He made another pot of coffee and then, after taking orders, set about gathering ingredients and making omelettes. Elise was happy with her toast and Danish pastries, but she was amused to see how much at home Carlos felt here.
“Have you known Will for a long time?” she asked as he whisked the eggs and milk together. “You know this place well. You must have come up here a lot.”
Carlos handed Janet a block of cheese to grate, and gave Elise one of his lovely smiles. “We’ve been friends for about ten years, maybe a bit more. Well, that’s not quite true. My father met Mr. Pemberton, Will’s dad, through their businesses, years and years ago, before we moved here from Spain. I think he was the reason my dad chose to come to Canada. Every now and then, families were included in whatever conference or business weekend was happening, and Will and I met then, as kids. But we weren’t friends in any real sense, just two kids who had to get along for a few days. We just saw each other once a year or so back then. But we both went to McGill for university, and that’s when we became friends. Will, as you probably noticed, doesn’t make friends easily. He’s the master at putting his foot into his mouth. Usually both feet, together.”
Elise huffed. “I noticed.”
“I told you, back in the summer, that he wasn’t such a bad guy.” Janet passed the bowl of shredded cheese to Carlos and began chopping mushrooms with what looked like a lethally sharp knife. This was a fully-supplied kitchen! “He doesn’t make friends easily. You have to get to know him.”
Carlos put a pan on the cooktop in the middle of the counter and dropped in a hunk of butter. In a moment, it started to sizzle and the aroma of frying butter filled the air. “If I hadn’t known him as a kid, I don’t think I’d have said more than hello, but he stuck to me like he was drowning and I was a life raft, and we found we got on really well.”
“Hmmm,” Elise muttered. “It’s hard to imagine him as not being confident. He comes off as so superior.”
“It’s just how he protects himself,” Carlos replied. “You sure you don’t want an omelette? There’s plenty.”
Elise wanted to ask about Kevin, if Carlos knew anything about what Will had done, but the conversation had turned, and she still fought with herself about it. Carlos didn’t seem to recognise Kevin at all at choir practise, although Kevin had said he recognised Carlos. It was likely that Carlos knew nothing about whatever had gone on with the now-defunct foundation. Such a decent guy would never keep up such a close friendship with someone he knew had stolen money from children. And so, she let the topic die and joined them in talking about their plans for the day instead.
The three of them spent all that day together. They drove into the nearby town to buy some more snacks—although it seemed Will had laid in plenty of supplies for the weekend—and to stop at a local microbrewery that had a wonderful selection of cold-weather beers. Elise liked the chocolate stout, and Carlos insisted on buying a few bottles to take back to the cottage and share.
They wandered down the main street with its eclectic selection of shops—everything from a greasy-spoon diner to a nameless place that sold yarn and old magazines, to an upscale shoe shop that took up half a block. After some window shopping and the purchase of a totally unnecessary pair of paisley socks, they strolled up to the canal to watch the last of the season’s pleasure-boaters as they made their way through a short series of locks on the nearly-400 km-long waterway that connected Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario.
They stopped at a small bakery for fresh rolls, then drove past a dairy near the town for cheese, and returned to the cottage, where they spent the afternoon sitting on the dock, alternately eating their purchases and tossing tiny bits of cheese into the lake to watch the fish as they darted up to nibble on this exotic treat.
“Waste of good cheese,” Carlos grumbled, but he laughed when Janet explained it must make a wonderful change from eating bugs.
Elise left the two lovers on the dock for half an hour as she manoeuvred a fibreglass kayak through the calm water, enjoying the rhythm of the paddle and the brief moment of solitude. She loved her friends and was happy to chat with Janet all day—Carlos, too, come to think of it—but she cherished the respite, not feeling she needed to find the right words or make the right joke, just for a while.
Left side, right side, left side, right side. The paddle slipped in and out of the water, gliding her along, an ostinato for the luxury of wordless thoughts that landed softly on her mind and then fluttered away, like the birds in the sky.
The leaves were turning. Autumn was more advanced here than in the city not so far to the south, and the golds and reds of the deciduous trees were set off by the deep evergreens and those few trees that had not yet changed their garb from summer to autumn’s clothes. And all this glory was reflected in the deep still water of the lake, a mirror to nature’s masterpiece above. It was a moment of simple joy, a sliver of paradise.
When Elise returned to shore, it was with a calmness of mind she hadn’t felt in months. She was at peace with herself and her company, and was even determined to give Will a chance.
He joined them for dinner. While they were out on the dock, he had put another delicious meal together, this time a simple but drool-worthy casserole rich with vegetables and beans and warm Mexican flavourings. He served it with a green salad, sharp cheese, and fresh cornbread still hot from the oven. One of two ovens, Elise now noticed, set into the brick wall. The meal went wonderfully with the chocolate stout, and Elise thought her taste buds had gone to heaven.
“You surprise me, Will,” she quipped between mouthfuls. “I would have thought you’d have a chef to do your cooking for you. It’s hard to reconcile the man in the suit from last summer with this new apron-clad version in jeans who makes his own meals.”
Janet gave her the side-eye, but Will just shrugged. “I’m happier not having to tiptoe around staff. When we do large meals, we call in for help, but those are more business affairs than family meals. I enjoy cooking. It’s a chance to do something for me, that doesn’t get judged by the press. It’s something I can give to the people I call friends.” He looked at her meaningfully. “I’m just a normal guy, really.”
Elise laughed. “Right! A normal guy with a cottage that’s nicer and fancier than what most people could dream of for their homes.” And who steals money from starving children. But she’d leave that for now.
“Elise…” Janet whispered a warning.
But again, Will just shrugged it off. “I’m lucky. I know that. That’s why I spend as much time here as I can. My parents, too. It’s as much our main home as the place in the city.”
Our? Did he still live with Mommy and Daddy? What was this man?
Nevertheless, he was friendly, almost charming, and he did cook an excellent meal, and her time on the water had predisposed Elise almost to like him. Or, at least, dislike him less. She let Janet steer the conversation to other topics, and sat back to enjoy the food.
After the dishes had been cleared away, they all took their drinks and sweets into the large living room to sit around the crackling fire. Elise brought out her guitar, and they hummed some familiar tunes for a while, and then Will put some music on the sound system. Once more, it was classic jazz, and Elise fought her inclination to sing along. Another time. Now she would just listen. Maybe hum quietly to herself. The speakers were excellent, and it sounded almost like the ensemble was playing for them from the next room.
Good music, excellent food, great company, and a warm fire on a cool autumn night—this was pretty perfect.
Sunday followed much the same pattern as Saturday. Will went off to his office after an early breakfast, leaving Elise to enjoy the cottage and the area with Janet and Carlos. They spent the morning hiking the trails around one end of the lake, and after a light lunch of sandwiches and shortbread, took the bikes out for a short ride. There were five in the garage, all excellent quality, with a selection of helmets as well, something to fit everyone.