‘Why would I have thoughts? You know that’s not me. Nothing going on up here.’ Hamish tapped his forehead.‘All the action is here …’ He sliced his hands in a V toward his groin. Because Lachlan took life too seriously, Hamish had become accustomed to being his brother’s less serious counterpart. Plus, it made the perfect disguise: no one expected clowns to have feelings.
Lachlan groaned. ‘Give it a rest, Ham. We all know you got both the brains and the beauty in our family.’
‘If you want to put it like that, fair enough. But was this supposed to be some kind of lame setup? I thought this dinner invitation came at short notice; should have been suss, then.’
‘Not a setup, just a lucky circumstance,’ Charity said, striving to look innocent.
‘Not so lucky. Because you know I need a farm girl. Someone who can jump on the quad to bring the cows in from the paddock, then milk them.’ He used the classic stretch and yawn technique to rest his arm along the back of Indi’s seat. Chuckles rippled around the table, although Daniel Kubenk scowled. Hamish gave him a wink. ‘Probably drive the tanker in to Murray Bridge, too.’
Indi shoved him so hard he had to grab at the table to stop himself from toppling. ‘Last I checked, the MacKenzies don’t run dairy cattle. And I don’t milk.’
‘Whoa, been taking notes from Jemma?’ Hamish said. ‘Treat a man mean to keep him keen?’
‘Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t reckon that was Jemma’s angle,’ Indi said, making a mocking pout of sympathy.
Hamish blew out an expressive breath as he picked up his schooner. ‘That’s lawyers for you, I guess: always on the lookout for a fight. So, yeah, thanks heaps for the great setup, Charity.’
‘Again, not a setup. Pure serendipity.’
‘Except serendipity is adesirablecircumstance. Much like the fact that Rik is headed our way with a platter of desserts and half our group have already called it quits for the night.’
Placing the platter in the centre of the table, Rik pointed at the layers of flaky pastry sandwiched with finely crushed green nuts. ‘Pistachio baklava. Next to that is kunefe—my personal favourite. It’s goat’s cheese between sweet string pastry sheets. And on the far end, revani, traditional orange semolina cake.’
Hamish nodded. ‘It’s not a vanilla slice, but I guess it’ll have to do.’
Rik chuckled. ‘Natasha tells me you’re in on the working bee tomorrow?’
‘Of course. I had no idea Tracey was having trouble getting around her backyard. She should have said something.’
‘Apparently Charlee Brennan noticed when she was looking for that magpie of theirs. She reckons the backyard is a jungle, but you wouldn’t know, because the front is tidy-as.’ Rik broke off as a striking woman carrying a laden tray approached the table. ‘You’ve all met my sister, Soula?’
Soula’s lips, painted the same shade of deep red as Hamish’s nails, which had so clearly offended Jemma, curved briefly. ‘Turk kahvesi and lokum,’ she said, passing them each a cup balanced on a matching saucer next to a tiny square of Turkish delight. The dark brew was almost hidden by a rich, golden froth. Soula placed a glass of water beside each saucer. Then she stood back, holding the tray against her chest.
‘Enjoy. As we say in Turkey, “A single cup of coffee is remembered for forty years.” Put your saucer over the grounds when you’re finished, and Mum will flip it and read your fortune. Though I can predict right now that if you plan on drinking the coffee, your fortune will be to stay awake all night.’
‘True enough,’ Rik said. ‘Yet I can’t break the habit.’ He picked up one of the cups, lounging against the back of a chair pushed under the nearby table. ‘Yeah, when Charlee gave her a heads-up, Natasha took a look over their fence. She said Tracey was struggling to get a basket of washing out to her line: apparently there are steps down from the back of the house that are proving a bit of a problem. So we’ll have a go at making them shallower or something. Jack said Sam got the council to put in handrails at their grandparents’ place, so someone could maybe look into that?’
The conversation swirled for a while around what needed doing in the older woman’s backyard, and Hamish used the opportunity to snag a disproportionate amount of the desserts. Rik had put a plate aside for him, but the necessity to bolt his food when he had a set to play always left him feeling a bit cheated.
‘Ethan’s heading down tomorrow,’ he said around a mouthful of cake. ‘He gets loads of old skateboard decks left in his shop by dudes who buy and roll out on their new setup. So he’s replaced the wheels and bearings and is bringing them so the kids can practise in the main street till the skatepark is finished.’
Indi choked, though Hamish wasn’t sure if it was on the coffee or at the discovery that townies could be so flippant with stuff that cost money. He pushed the bowl of tiny sugar cubes her way. Rik had introduced him to sucking the coffee through a cube, though the Turk teased him that the trick was just for kids.
‘Best not let Dave catch wind of that plan,’ Indi spluttered. ‘He’d chuck a fit.’
Her uncle—or great uncle or whatever; just about everyone in Settlers Bridge was related to at least half-a-dozen otherpeople—had been outspoken in his opposition to setting up a public skatepark.
‘Yeah, no doubt Ethan will be keen to steer clear of him. Anyway, he’s staying the weekend, so I’m sure he’ll lend a hand with Tracey’s place. Many hands make light work, and all that.’
‘Speaking of lights,’ Lachlan said, ‘I reckon Rik’s about ready to turn his off. We’ve outlasted everyone else.’
Rik glanced at the clock in the back of the restaurant. ‘No, you’re fine, take your time.’
‘We’ll settle up,’ Daniel said, pulling out his wallet. ‘It’ll take Soula forever to work out the bill split.’ The others followed suit, making their way toward the till at the back of the restaurant.
As Hamish reached into his pocket, Rik held up a hand. ‘Your dinner’s covered. And I still owe you the difference on last month’s performance. Cash okay?’
Hamish paused, making sure Daniel was out of earshot. ‘Don’t worry about the cash, just comp Indi’s meal, mate, and we’ll call it square.’
