Lauren appeared by her side.Nel had never been so pleased to see her.
‘I’ll get drinks,’ Lauren announced, vanishing again in the direction of the bar before Nel had time to stop her, leaving her standing alone again.
Where was Jimmy?She scanned the crowd.Her mum was by the window, talking with Geoff Marshall.Roy Warner stood with a group of men in suits and ties, the overhead lights reflecting off his completely bald head.Lachie was on his dad’s left, a fatter version of Ryan, nodding along as Roy held court.Her eyes were drawn to a tall man with thinning hair.Her chest tightened.Was that Troy Farris?She wasn’t sure.She couldn’t see Ryan but he would be here too, somewhere.
God.This was a nightmare.Nel took a deep breath, trying to shake the unsettling realisation that she was an outcast at her own father’s funeral.Where was Lauren?What was taking her so long?She moved her head from side to side, searching for her sister’s smooth, ash-blonde head, and spotted her deep in conversation with Jen Henry, of all people, and a bunch of women Nel recognised from school.She was fighting the urge to leave when Jimmy appeared in front of her, a glass of champagne in his outstretched hand.
She felt her shoulders drop with relief as she took the glass.‘Is the entire population of Carrinya here?’
‘Popular man, your dad,’ he said.
She took a large sip, but it did little to take the edge off.‘I can’t face this, but I can’t leave.’
‘Then let’s hide.’He took her elbow and guided her to a high table in a small annexe off one side of the room.
‘To your dad.’He clinked his glass against hers.
Warmth spread through her.What a relief it was to have a friend here.
‘You look good, Jimmy,’ she said, studying his face.‘Kind of the same but different.’
He laughed.‘You too.I like the hair.Suits you.’
Nel smiled and ran a hand through her long fringe.‘I can’t believe you’re back here.What’s it like?’
‘Being back?Not so bad.Quieter than Wollongong obviously, but I’m enjoying it.’
‘Really?’She’d seen him on the news, speaking at press conferences about a high-profile missing child case.How could police work in Carrinya compare with that?‘I thought you were killing it in Wollongong.’
A shadow crossed his face.‘I needed a change … so when a general duties position came up back here, I took it.’He shrugged, took a sip of his beer.‘It’s a step backwards.I’m still getting used to wearing a uniform again, but a detective role will come up in Mount Clare sooner or later.’
Nel nodded as though it made perfect sense.‘Did your wife come back with you or …’
‘No, no she’s … still in Wollongong.’He swallowed, visibly uncomfortable.‘What about you?Married?Engaged?’
She held up her left hand to show her bare ring finger.‘I was with someone for a while in Dublin, but that’s over now.’
‘What happened?’
‘It wasn’t serious.’She took a sip of her drink.‘At least,Ididn’t think it was serious, but then he went and proposed, completely out of the blue.He had a ring and everything.’
‘Sounds like a real bastard,’ Jimmy said with a lopsided smile.‘So that was it?’
‘Pretty much.We’d never talked about marriage.It felt very … presumptuous, I suppose.’She shrugged.‘Anyway, I’d finished my GP training, so after that happened it felt like the right time to come back to Australia.’
‘What a pair of losers we are.’He raised his glass even though it was empty.‘Cheers to us.’They clinked their glasses.‘Another one?’
‘I’ll have a beer instead.’She watched him walk through the crowd to the bar with an easy confidence he’d lacked when he was younger.
Her eyes were drawn to Sophie Warner who stood with her back to the wall, looking at her phone.Nel scanned for Ryan again and found him nearby, talking intently to an elderly lady who was gazing at him like a beloved grandson.He wore a checked shirt and a suit jacket with beige pants, just like he did in the photos on his Facebook page, his short hair gelled to one side.
She looked back at Sophie.Why was she alone?She must know plenty of people here.Nel thought of the look on Sophie’s face, the spasm of pain as she leaned on her wrist at the end of the appointment.
‘Do you ever get called to the Warners’ place?’Nel asked Jimmy when he returned from the bar.
He followed her line of sight.‘RyanWarner’s place?’
‘Yeah.’
