‘Do you like it out here?’ Xander asked.
‘Love it,’ Simon said. Katy didn’t reply.
‘Must be a fair change of pace for you,’ Nathan said.
‘That’s kind of the point,’ Simon said, and Nathan had a vague sense he was being patronised. ‘You don’t get anything like this at home. We were blown away by how big these stations actually are when we first came out. We passed through one in WA which was half the size of Wales.’
‘Oh.’ Nathan had no idea how big Wales was, but it didn’t surprise him. ‘So you’ve worked at other stations?’
‘Yeah, a couple.’
‘Where?’
‘Out west, mostly.’
‘Yeah, you said. West is a bloody big place.’
‘I don’t think you would have heard of it.’
‘Try me.’
‘Armistead.’
Nathan hadn’t heard of it, much to his irritation. ‘Where’s that exactly?’
‘Kind of east of Perth.’
‘Everything’s bloody east –’
Liz dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter. ‘Jesus, Nathan.’
‘Why don’t you let them eat in peace, mate?’ Harry said.
‘No, it’s my fault,’ Simon said. ‘It’s a crap description, I know. But it’s so hard out here. There’s nothing to help pinpoint things.’
That was only true, Nathan thought, if you were completely blind to the subtleties of the land.
Across the table, Xander swallowed his mouthful. ‘What brought you over to Queensland?’
Simon had taken a sip of water and took his time swallowing. ‘Weather.’
‘Really?’
‘Too bloody hot in WA.’
‘You know this is officially the hottest part of Australia?’
‘Oh. I didn’t, actually. Still, better than the freezing fog at home, isn’t it?’ Simon looked to Katy, who blinked, distracted.
‘Sorry. What?’ She had been staring at something unseen out of the window. The sky was dusky as evening drew in.
‘I was saying –’
He was interrupted by the landline jangling loudly from the hall. Word must be spreading, Nathan thought.
‘I’ll get it.’ Harry started to stand, but Liz was already gone, leaving her plate practically untouched. Harry looked at the empty doorway for a moment, then shook his head.
‘We’re so sorry about Cameron,’ Simon said, to no-one in particular. Katy was picking her nails again. ‘He was a great guy. When we were in town looking for work, we heard a lot of nice things about him, and people were right. They all said we’d be lucky to work for him.’
