I sighed and bent down to pick it up as Rosie bolted too. I’d just mopped the floor that morning.
‘Mum, I can do that.’
I looked up, surprised.
Lex gestured to the mess. ‘Let me clean it up.’
‘My goodness!’ I heard Elias say in the front hallway as the girls squealed with excitement. ‘What an elegant welcome sign!’
‘That’s all right, sweetheart,’ I said to Lex, already halfway through imagining the condescending monologue Michelle would deliver if she saw them trying to parentify themselves like this. ‘I’ve got it.’
Elias was good-naturedly deflecting the girls’ pointed questions about whether he’d brought them any presents when I finally made my way into the living room. ‘Hey, Fi,’ he said warmly, pulling me into a hug.
‘Hey, you.’ My older brother smelled of sweat and faded cologne, his stubble scratchy as he kissed me on both cheeks. ‘How are you? You must be exhausted.’
‘I’m fine, actually. It’s about ten am Munich time. I might have been flying for a whole day, but I’m wide awake.’
So too were the girls, high on adrenaline, and by the time I managed to get them to bed and Lex had retired to their room witha book Sadie had bought for them on a whim at the airport, Jonah had cracked open a bottle of Bibliophile riesling. ‘We picked this up from our local down on the high street,’ he explained to Elias, handing him a glass.
‘The one with the absurdly generous somm, right?’ Elias tilted his glass to the side, looking at the body. ‘Bold move, little brother, pouring riesling to someone who’s been in Germany for two years. I’ve got high standards.’
‘It’s a beautiful wine.’
I barely realised I’d spoken until Elias, Jonah and Sadie all looked at me. ‘It’s top-notch,’ I said defensively. ‘The winemaker’s brilliant. He’s won, like, eight thousand awards. Besides, Tasmania’s got a great climate for riesling. It’s cool but there’s a lot of sunshine, so—’
‘Okay, okay, Wikipedia.’ Elias chuckled. ‘I promise, Fi, I don’t need a position paper to talk me into having a glass of wine.’
I knew he meant nothing by it, but it still stung. What might he – or any of them – say if I told them about the piece on Bibliophile I was halfway through editing for my new column?Oh, nice, it’s cute that you have a hobby. How did you find time to do it with the kids? Anyway…
‘Cheers, Fishers – and honorary Fishers,’ Elias added to Sadie, who made a face. ‘It’s lovely to be in the same country again.’
We all clinked our glasses together. Jonah and Sadie looked each other in the eye, smiling knowingly. I dug the nails of my free hand hard into my palm.
‘Oh, thisisgood wine,’ Elias said. ‘Sorry for the doubts.’
‘I told you.’ A little flash of pride cut through the tangle in my stomach. My brothers and I might have made leaps and bounds in our relationship over the past year, but it was still hard to get a Fisher to admit they were wrong.
‘I hope you’ve got some more, Fi,’ Jonah said, clapping Elias on the shoulder, ‘because I don’t think one bottle is going to do us.’
‘Sorry.’ The momentary flash vanished, and status quo was restored: Fiona Fisher, family disappointment. ‘I’m out.’
‘No drama.’ Jonah pulled out his phone. ‘I bet I know someone who’ll deliver.’
It took me a second to realise what he meant. ‘No! Tsundoku isn’t that kind of—’
‘But if there’s one person they’d make an exception for…’ He winked at me. ‘Hi – Charlotte? This is Jonah Fisher. I’m at Fiona’s place, and I was wondering…’
It turned into a three-way conversation as Elias started offering his opinion on which wines should go into the impromptu half-case Jonah was ordering. Sadie nudged me with her elbow. ‘Are you all right?’
I nodded tightly.
She looked at me for a long moment before hooking her arm through mine and pulling me towards the front door. ‘Come with me.’
‘Fi, where are you taking my wife?’ Jonah called, putting his hand over the mic on his phone.
‘Wedding stuff!’ Sadie replied. ‘Mind your own business, Fisher.’
She sat me down at the table on the front porch, closing the door behind us. ‘Okay, spill,’ she said. ‘What’s wrong?’
