‘Of course.’
Margot frowned. ‘What on earth is that noise?’
‘It’s a different sort of ambience, isn’t it?’ Faye turned the laptop briefly to show the downpour, which looked all the more impressive as it hit the canopy and ran straight off.
‘That sound is rain? It’s so loud!’
‘Tropical rain.’ Faye turned the laptop back so that she was on camera. ‘And in the summer it’s often way heavier than this.’
‘I love the rain.’
She could remember a similar feeling when she was a little girl, dancing in and out of puddles with her sister, their wellington boots on, when rain was fun rather than a nuisance. When her twin was a little girl just like her and didn’t come with all the drama she liked to surround herself with now.
‘When I lived in England the rain always made me want to cosy up,’ she told Margot. ‘You can’t do that here when it gets hot and sticky. You just have to shelter.’
‘Well, it looks like you’ve picked a good spot to do that.’ But then she frowned. ‘It’s odd with just the two of us. I don’t think this has happened before, has it?’
‘No, not that I can remember. I don’t think it happened to Auntie Clare either. She built the book club for insomniacs like her and from memory she said there were usually a few of them attending each week.’
‘Your auntie sounds like a real character.’
‘She was, and I really wanted to continue the book club for her.’
‘She’d be proud of you.’
‘Not for how many members show up she wouldn’t.’
Margot gasped. ‘Please tell me you’re not going to put a stop to the club?’
That was what she’d been thinking as members fell away and even her hardiest members hadn’t shown for the last three weeks but seeing Margot’s reaction, and remembering what the club had meant to Auntie Clare, how could she? ‘Don’t panic. I intend to keep it going and who knows, maybe next week there’ll be a whole load of us.’
The rain upped its tempo and Faye had to speak a bit louder as they got to talking about their book choiceCircle of Friends.
‘I raced through the book,’ said Margot. ‘Beautiful Ireland, fantastic characters: it was brilliant.’
As they settled into chatting, Faye went to her happy place, a place that was far removed from her sad reality.
When it was time to say goodbye, Margot was first to notice that the sunshine was back for Faye.
Faye smiled. ‘Queensland is a bit like that. Heavy rains one minute and the next? Well, you wouldn’t even know it had happened.’
‘Not like here. When the rain comes, it lingers. But I love it though, it’s always peaceful sitting inside and watching it pelt against the windows.’
Faye bet Margot had a beautiful home. Whatever room she was in was bigger than Faye’s whole apartment, by the looks of things, and had a fully equipped gym in the background.
After she ended the Zoom session, Faye emailed Howard again to check in and ask whether everything was okay. She bet if he knew what was going on with her he would have something to say about the people harassing her and talking about her and her family. He’d tell them to butt out, or use words to that effect; she knew he would. They’d once read a book centred on a family scandal and Howard had been very strong in his opinion of the gossips. He, like a lot of readers, got so engrossed in the different worlds in their books; they were passionate about the issues they raised and the characters’ behaviour. Howard had said that the people in that story should’ve focused more on their own lives than other people’s and the world would be a happier place.
Faye couldn’t help thinking he might be right.
* * *
She’d only been back at her apartment five minutes when the phone rang. It was Brad. And she couldn’t help it, hope rose inside of her until he told her why he was calling.
‘I’m sending Guy to pick up my things,’ he announced.
Guy was a friend of his from work here in Queensland.
Her back against the wall she slid down until she was sat on the cold tiled floor. He didn’t have much here, but she’d never once thought he’d send an errand boy for his belongings rather than coming to get them himself.
