“It’s about time.” Kim nudges her, glad of the break from her intrusive thoughts. “Spill. And would Jorie like a sleepover with Bella tomorrow?”
“It’s a first date. No sleepover for me. I’ve got more cautious about that. Jorie would love a sleepover, though. I was going to ask Mum, but I know Jorie would rather go to yours.”
“No worries. I can take her to school with Bella in the morning. So, who’s the date?”
“You know how my fuel gauge doesn’t work properly,” Suze says. “I normally make sure I fill up before it gets below half to allow for this, but somehow I didn’t last week, and I ran out of petrol on the Nepean Highway in rush hour.” She rolls her eyes. “So I was stuck in the middle lane, with traffic rushing around me on either side, hooting, and drivers giving me the finger. This tradie in a ute stopped behind me, put his flashers on and waved down the traffic until it stopped, then pushed my car onto the service road. He then went off and bought five litres of fuel for me.”
“Wow,” Kim says. “There are kind people in the world after all.”
“He was lovely,” Suze says. “And we’re meeting for drinks tomorrow at five, with an option for dinner after if we’re both comfortable.”
“Decent and sensible,” Kim says.
“Mm. Just like Danika.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Danika
It’s been almost three weeks since Danika has seen Kim. On Thursday, Danika can no longer put off calling her. Cami is sulking; she wants to see Bella. Their hobby horses need exercising, there’s soccer training to consider, and well, she just wants to see her sister.
She’s making dinner when her phone rings. She sees the caller ID and her heart gives a leap.
“Hi Kim.” She puts the phone on speaker and continues peeling potatoes. “How’s things?”
“Good,” Kim says. “It seems like a while since we’ve talked. And Bella’s been asking if Cami can come over.”
“It is a while.” Danika sighs. “I feel that’s my fault. Some things I had to work through. Accept.”
“That makes two of us. I think we need to talk. And that’s partly why I’m calling. The official purpose of this call, though”—and there’s a smile in her voice—“is that Bella is having a sleepover at Suze’s on Saturday, and Cami’s invited as well. I thought that if you want to come over, you and I can go out again to catch up, and you, too, could sleep over.”
Danika’s mind latches on to the last two words. A couple of months ago—at Johanna Beach, at Bright—she’d have thoughtsleeping over wouldn’t be about sleeping at all. Now, though, she thinks Kim means the words at face value. Sleeping over on the uncomfortable sofa bed or in Bella’s bed. What they had—the closeness, the low, slow burn of sexual desire—has dissipated in the fog of Danika’s anger, in the indecision about how to move forward with any change to Chris’s affairs.
Now, she doesn’t know what she wants. But Kim’s right—they need to talk.
“That would be good,” she says. “We could go back to the wine bar.”
“As long as that same bloke isn’t there.” Kim laughs.
“True. Although if we want to talk, maybe we could order takeaway and stay in.”
“That’s a better idea,” Kim says. “We can decide when you get here.”
“Let me check with Cami that she’d like that—although I’m sure she’ll be ecstatic. She’s been nagging me to call you all week. I’ll call you back in a few.”
She ends the call and goes to find Cami, who’s predictably delighted. She calls Kim back and then calls Suze to thank her.
Danika slumps on the couch, phone in her hand. She has until Saturday to figure out what she will tell Kim.
And until Saturday to figure out what she wants.
“This is seriously delicious wine.” Kim swirls the chardonnay in her glass.
“I’ve always loved an oaky chardy, even when it wasn’t a fashionable choice,” Danika says. She’s gradually relaxing. Cami and Bella are at Suze’s house, and she’s here in St Kilda.
Kim laughs and gestures to her nubby, ochre-coloured pants. The hippy style is baggy over her hips and thighs and hangs low in the crotch. “Who cares about fashion; it’s what you like, what’s comfortable.”
Danika takes in Kim’s figure in the slouchy pants. They suit her, softening her shape. Kim’s wearing a close-fitting rust-coloured jumper, and it shows the skin on her upper chest, and outlines her breasts.
