Secret Words(31)

CHAPTER TWELVE





"I'm back!" Jasmine cried as she hugged Kristen McCann, who opened the door for her.

"I missed you!" Kris responded, hugging her back tightly. "Sam's trying out a new recipe," Kris whispered, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

Jasmine laughed, already thinking of the cleaning up they would have to do after dinner as she walked into the large open plan living room/dining room/kitchen of the apartment shared by the cousins Samantha and Kristen. After dropping her bag on a chair, she went up to Sam, who was frowning as she tasted the food she was whipping up.

Sam loved being adventurous with her cooking and judging from the number of used bowls and cups on the counter top and her friend's scowl, this was another one of those times when she pushed her creativity too far.

"What are we having tonight?" she asked as she gave Sam a quick peck on the cheek. She knew not to distract her too much when she had that intense look on her face.

"Hi Jaz. Just give me a minute to fix the flavour in this dish. I think I might have added too much of something."

"Okay. You want us to leave you alone?"

"Yes, please. We should be ready in a few minutes, once I'm happy with it."

Jasmine smiled and followed Kris to the sofa. As she looked around, melancholy hit her. This had been her second home for so long. She and her two best friends had shared some of their innermost secrets and biggest dreams in the very room she was standing in. But soon, she'd be too far away from them to simply get in her car and drive the ten minutes it took to get from her current apartment to this place.

"What's wrong, Jaz?" Kris asked, hands on hips. "Don't tell me that Kane guy has hurt you already?"

She chuckled at her friend's stance. Kristen was a highly emotive person who would defend the people she loved with everything she had. Sometimes she went overboard with her expressiveness and rubbed people the wrong way, but those who understood her knew she had a massive heart of gold.

"No. I was just thinking how there's not long to go until I'll only see you guys occasionally instead of a couple of times a week."

"Oh, I know, hon," Kris cried, her arms dropping to her side. "We hate the thought too, but we know you have to take bigger opportunities for yourself."

"Yeah," she said as she slumped down on the sofa.

"So, have you told your boss you're taking the Sydney role?"

"No. I have until Monday to tell him my final decision. I'm still moving to Sydney, but there's another option that's been playing in my mind. I want to talk to you and Sam about it."

"Okay. We can discuss it over dinner. But first, I have something to show you." Kris picked up an open laptop and placed it on her lap. "What do you think of this?"

She gasped in delight. It was the book cover for her fourth novel and she loved it. Kris had done another marvellous job with her cover design.

"Thank you so much," she gushed, placing an arm around her friend's shoulders and squeezing her tightly. "This is perfect, Kris. You really should start marketing yourself for this. You're so good at it."

Kris snorted. "You know I do it when I'm in bed and can't sleep. I'm happy to do it for you, Jaz, but if I make it a business, that would eat up my dancing time."

She laughed out loud. Dancing was Kris's passion. If she could find a way to make a reasonable living out of dancing, Kris would give up her job as the executive assistant of a big shot CEO in a flash.

"Eating time," Sam called, carrying her unnamed dish to the dining table.

"It looks delish, Sam," Jasmine said sincerely as she inspected the concoction.

"I hope you guys like it," Sam responded. "It's not as bad as the casserole I cooked before you left for Sydney."

Jasmine shook her head at her friend, who absolutely loved cooking but had a bad habit of minimising her skills in the kitchen. "Sam, that casserole was good. It wasn't your best but it was darn good."

"Okay, thanks," Sam said, sounding unconvinced. "Anyway, I heard you say you wanted to discuss something with me and Kris."

"Yes," she responded as she tried her first mouthful of Sam's new creation. "Hmm, this is really yummy, Sammy!"

"Hmm! Really good, Sam," Kris agreed.

Sam beamed at them. "Thanks, girls. I know I can always count on you to praise me. Now, Jaz, you were saying —?"

Jasmine nodded her head. "Well, I'm moving to Sydney."

"Yes, we know that. It seems that having a new boyfriend there was the push you needed to make a definitive decision."

A hankering for Kane hit Jasmine. It had only been three days since they were last together but she was already missing him so. He said he'd visit again in two weeks, but that just seemed so far away.