‘You lot look thirsty,’ Barb said to the kids.‘What’s your poison?’
The kids looked back, blank-faced.‘What do you want to drink?’Sophie translated.‘Lemonade?’
‘Yes, please,’ they said, nodding vigorously.
‘Take a load off.’Barb gestured to the bar stools and reached for some menus.‘I reckon you’ll be hungry too.Let me guess …’ She pointed to Harvey.‘You like chicken nuggets.’
Once their bellies were full, Barb took a key from a rack behind the bar.
‘Follow me,’ she said, leading them down the corridor past the dining room and out the back door into the cold night.
There was a line of doors to what looked like motel rooms.Sophie yearned to spend the night in one of them, but Barb kept walking.
‘Where are we going?’Harvey whispered.Sophie gave a tiny shrug and took his little hand.
They crossed a dusty paddock towards a small building with a porch light on.Insects buzzed in the yellow glow.
‘This is you.’Barb unlocked the door and pushed it open to reveal a small cabin.‘Two bedrooms, internal loo.Should do you nicely for the night.’
Sophie could see a bunk bed in the closest room, made up with crisp white sheets.A rolled white bath towel sat on the end of each.Two conflicting emotions jostled inside her.Relief at the thought of surrendering to sleep in this little sanctuary, and panic at the potential cost.
‘It’s on the house,’ Barb added as though she could read her mind.‘That’s your room, kids.’She pointed at the first door.‘Go pick your beds.’
‘Bags the top bunk!’Charlie called, running towards the door.Jaz and Harvey followed.
‘This is for you.’Barb handed her the key.
Sophie took a shaky breath, moved by the generosity of these kind strangers.‘I don’t know what to say …’
‘Least we can do,’ Barb said, with a wave of her hand.‘Baz’ll take you up to Longreach in the morning to sort out the tyre.You’ll be back on the road in no time.’
Chapter 64
When Nel opened her eyes, a slight ache gripping her forehead, she was confused to see that there was a wardrobe where there was meant to be a heavy curtain.She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.Instead of the looping ribbons, a characterless white ceiling with two downlights looked back at her.She sat up suddenly, realising where she was, then she looked down and yanked the quilt up over her bare chest.
Oh god.The other side of the bed was empty, the covers tossed back.She reached for her phone to check the time.7.54.Where was Jimmy?She closed her eyes and listened for some sign of movement in the house, the shuffling of feet or the creak of a floorboard.Nothing.
Dread rose up inside her.What had she done?This was Lauren’s fault.She’d put dumb ideas in Nel’s head and kept refilling her glass, and then the beach had been so beautiful in the moonlight and she was cold and Jimmy was warm and now she’d wrecked her only decent friendship.It was a terrible mistake.Jimmy clearly thought so too.He was so embarrassed about it that he’d got up and left!
She felt sick.She should go, but the thought of gathering her clothes from the bedroom floor and walking out Jimmy’s front door onto Manning Street was mortifying.She lay back down.
Her thoughts went back to the night before.It was a bit hazy.Jimmy’s broad chest flashed in her mind, moving above her in the darkness.She could almost sense the warmth of his body pressed against hers.He’d kissed her face, her neck, his fingertips brushing across her skin as though he was trying to memorise every part of her.A pleasant shiver ran through her.
No, this was a bad idea.It would be best if she left now to save them both from an awkward conversation.She got up and retrieved her crumpled clothes from the floor but as she pulled on her shirt she heard the jangle of keys.
Shit.She should have gone while she had the chance.The front door closed with a thud, followed by footsteps up the hall.
She was sitting on the bed with her jeans in her hand when Jimmy appeared in the doorway holding a tray with two takeaway coffees and a brown paper bag.
‘Hey, sleepyhead, I got croissants,’ he said.His eyes flicked to the jeans, his smile falling a fraction.‘Are you going?’
‘Yeah, I’m … I’m meeting Viv to start packing up the clinic.’
He looked at the time.‘At 8 am?’
She bit her lip, clearly caught in a lie.Shewasmeeting Viv, but not until eleven.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.‘Were you about to ghost me?’
