Are you coming back from exile now? We miss you.
I glance at Chris, who’s carefully picking off the olives from his slice, placing them in an obliging ashtray. It’s late now, ten-ish, quiet except for the muffled sounds of a baby crying next door.
I proofread the celebrity wedding article again, eyes sticking from hours of screen time.AFL star Tim Botkin tied the knot with influencer…
Chris flicks an olive at my face. It misses, sticking wetly to my shoulder before rolling into my lap. “Did you and Oliver have your wedding planned out?”
“No,” I say, nodding at the villa. “But he would have loved something like that.”
“And you?”
I shake my head. “I’d like something quiet. Elope on a beach.”
“While the sharks watch.”
“That would be jaw-some.”
“Where do you get all these awful jokes? The back of a toilet door?”
I smile, remembering. “My brother. We used to know hundreds.”I nudge him with my foot. “Guess what food we’d serve at the wedding?”
He scrunches his face up before announcing triumphantly, “A shark-uterie board!”
“Excellent.” I smile. “And the wedding song?”
“…‘No-Fin Compares to You.’ ”
“Not bad, but I’ve got a better one.”
He raises an eyebrow, waits.
“Journey’s smash hit ‘Don’t Stop Bleeding.’ ”
“Oh my God.” He nods at his laptop. “Reminds me of Rachel’s attack photos.” I lean forward, interested, but he waves me away. “I hope her family don’t see them.”
“Are they all in Bethanga?”
He nods. “For the last year, Rachel had been living on the family property there.”
“Why?”
“Her marriage broke up. She was staying with her parents to get back on her feet.”
“And now shehasno feet.”
“Melanie…” Chris grimaces, gives me a disapproving look.
“Sorry.” I lean back. “Do you know why she was in Kangaroo Bay?”
“Her mum wasn’t very forthcoming about that.” He sighs, rubbing his neck. “I called earlier.”
“When are you going up there?”
“I asked to see her on Tuesday afternoon,” he says, frowning. “Whether she opens the door or not is another story.”
“And then you squeeze her for answers like a big, juicy puffer fish?”
His lips twitch. “Wesqueeze her for answers, yes. Or you could pepper her with your fish puns until she confesses.”
