“Oh yeah? G’day.” Rohan nodded to Falk as he came over. He accepted a glass, examining the liquid before taking a sip. “I won’t have any more, I’m driving. But yeah, good. Tannins are nice and smooth.”
“I thought so, too.”
“Definitely. Come up well, mate.”
“What do you reckon?” Charlie turned to Falk, who took a swallow. He had never been a big drinker and, although he didn’t tend to admit it out loud, usually chose wine based on price and what fell at eye level on the shelf. He focused now on the inside of his mouth. The wine was…nice.Think of another word.Redcame to mind. Charlie was watching for his reaction, genuinely interested, and Falk felt under pressure.
“It’s”—he took another sip—“fruity?” he tried.
“Really?” Charlie frowned at the bottle. “It’s supposed to be at the slightly lighter end.”
Falk smiled. “That’s probably what I meant, then.”
Charlie grinned at that. “All right. Just tell me this, do you like it?”
“Yeah,” Falk said honestly. “I do.”
“Great. That’s all I really need to know,” Charlie said, reaching for a fresh glass as Naomi wandered over. He poured a taste for her without needing to ask, and their hands brushed as she took it. Across the room, Falk saw Zara watching.
Naomi took a sip as she turned to Falk. “Hello, good to see youagain.” Her voice was warm, and she stretched up and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then looked past him to the door. “Is Henry back, too?”
“On their way. Shouldn’t be long.”
“I hope so.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll have to head off soon. Just wanted to see the little man himself ahead of tomorrow.”
Zara’s eyes slid from Naomi to her father and back again, then down to the tube of bubble mixture in her hand. Naomi drained her glass and placed it on a nearby trestle table.
“That’s a nice one, Charlie.”
“Thanks, I’m pretty happy with it. Good to get another opinion, though. Shane’s no help, now he’s completely off the booze.”
“Still?” Rohan seemed both surprised and impressed. “That’s great. Not at all?”
“No. Been a few years now,” Charlie said, and Naomi nodded.
“Well,” Rohan said. “Good on him. Goes to show.” He put down his own glass, then stepped over to a nearby stack of chairs and lifted off the top two. “We’re placing these along here, mate?”
“Yeah, great.” Charlie moved their empty glasses out of the way and turned to Falk. “And listen, I’ve been meaning to say, thanks for helping Shane out the other day. He said you showed him a shortcut with the invoices or something.”
“No worries, it was no trouble.” As Falk went to grab a couple of chairs himself, he noticed a small bottle of paint thinner among a box of supplies. He thought for a moment, then picked it up. “Hey, can I use some of this?”
“Sure.” Charlie waved a hand. “Help yourself to anything.”
“Thanks,” Falk said. “And it was easy. Showing Shane. He got it straightaway.”
“Of course he did.” Naomi looked up from her phone at that, fixing her gaze pointedly on Charlie. “He’s a smart guy. He just hates that accountant you’re using.”
“He doesn’thatehim.”
“He does, Charlie. Open your eyes. That’s why he’s so stressed lately. He’s constantly worrying about stuffing things up.”
“Shane’s fine.”
“No, Charlie. I’m not sure he is.” Naomi’s brow creased. “Not about this.”
“Okay, but that’s dealing with accountants for you. It’s no one’s favorite part of the job, is it? Shane used to tie himself in knots getting the paperwork ready for Dean as well.”
“Not in the same way.”
