The Locked Door

Part 17

The next day while Walker worked, Jaya cleared out the hidden room. Her mother had said she wanted to see the baby clothes before they were given away. The rest of the items were to be donated. Jaya called the charity again and they picked up the furniture. So by that afternoon, once again Jaya was finished her task. As she waited for Walker to finish work she thought about what was going to happen when her week there was over. Walker had to stay to help look after his mother but her life was in the city. How on earth could they make any sort of relationship work when they were going to be so far apart? Then again maybe he wasn’t interested in anything beyond the next week. Either way Jaya knew she was better not becoming too emotionally involved. Maybe she should have thought about that before she slept with him, she acknowledged. Now she had a horrible feeling it was too late.

Walker knocked on her door just before six. Jaya smiled “hi, come in.”

Walker gave her a quick kiss but did not enter. “I can’t stay” he said “I’m looking after mum tonight.”

“Oh right” Jaya said. She understood, but still she was disappointed.

“Do you want to come and keep me company?”

Jaya frowned “won’t your mum mind? No you should spend time with her.”

He smiled “she goes to sleep early so most of the evening I just need to be there. And no she won’t mind.”

“What about your sister?” Jaya said feeling a little disconcerted at having to explain to a lot of people that they had met via a job and fell into bed.

“She won’t be there. She has her own place. She just stays over when I’m not there. We take it in turns.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” she said.

“I’m positive. You don’t even need to see mum if you don’t want to. She doesn’t leave her bedroom so it’s up to you.”

Jaya bit her lip as she thought. She did want to spent time with him but she felt a little weird doing that in his mother’s house.

When she didn’t speak his smile faded and stepping back he looked away “if you’d rather not, that’s fine.”

Jaya knew that she had to be honest. “It’s not that I don’t want to Walker but we are still getting to know each other and it feels a little weird to throw your family into the mix so soon especially given your mothers situation.”

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable Jaya but I promise you it’s fine. Why don’t you come over for dinner and see how you feel. If it makes you feel uneasy you can go again.”

“Okay” she said “I’ll come over for dinner.”

He smiled “thanks, do you want to follow me?”

“Just let me grab my bag” she said and headed back through the house, closing windows as she went. She was soon back at the door and getting in her car she followed Walker to his mother’s home.