Coming Home to Wishington Bay

I flapped a hand, complete with toy prawn, dismissing the comment. ‘You shouldn’t listen to half of what Ned tells you. Seriously.’

‘So, you haven’t been doing long hours for years?’

‘Well … I suppose sometimes my hours have been quite long. But, you of all people know that long hours can often be part of the job. You said yourself you’ve got a double shift tomorrow.’

He gave me a look that somehow said both ‘touché’ and ‘that’s not the same thing and you and I both know it’. But to his credit, he let it pass.

‘But you have had panic attacks?’

I gave Petey another flap. ‘I’m not sure you’d call them panic attacks and really there’s only been a few. I was just particularly stressed a couple of times and got a bit overwrought. I’m fine, now. Honest. Ned’s just been getting phantom hormones since Carrie got pregnant and working himself up about it.’

‘Or he could be aware that since Gigi is no longer here to keep an eye on you, you’re not taking care of yourself in the way you should.’

I let out a sigh, and this time I knew for sure it was out loud.

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my boundaries. Maybe right now you’re wishing that I’d either brained myself this morning or that we had stayed mad at each other because either way you wouldn’t be getting what you, I imagine, to consider to be a grilling.’

‘No. I don’t wish either of those things. Especially not the first. I’ve got enough to do in that house without trying to get blood out of the deck too.’

Moonlight caught his smile, his teeth showing bright in the celestial glow. ‘It’s just that I’ve been doing this job a long time now, and I’ve got pretty good at reading people. I’ve also known Ned and Carrie pretty much since the first night I moved here, as Gigi was eager for me to meet some new people and make friends. Between all of that, I can usually tell when people are worried about something, no matter how well they try to hide it. And your brother’s worried about you. More than I think you realise.’

I ran a hand over my hair and pushed it back over my shoulder from where the softest of sea breezes had blown it forward.

‘I don’t really know what anyone wants me to say! I’ve taken the time off and I’m here, aren’t I? I’ve got a whole summer’s worth of relaxation time ahead of me, so everyone can just stop worrying now.’

‘So, you’re not planning to just sort the house super quick so that that you can get it sold and get yourself back up to London as soon as possible?’

Even in the low moonlight, I was pretty sure Gabe could see my guilty blush.

‘Yeah. That’s what I thought. Is your boss actually going to let you back that quick?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll have at least taken some time off by then, and shown willing, so I don’t see why not.’

Gabe smirked. ‘I think “shown willing” is pushing the description a little far from what Ned said tonight.’

I shook my head. ‘My brother, as I’m sure you’re already aware if you’ve known him for as long as you have, says a lot of things. Quite a large percentage of which can easily be ignored. For example,’ I carried on, just in case Gabe had plans to circle back to those panic attacks, ‘about how you were practising your … what was it … “smooth chat-up spiel” on me earlier.’

This time it was Gabe’s turn to colour a little – and it was kind of adorable.

‘I really wasn’t, you know.’

Somewhere deep inside, I felt a surprising stab of disappointment. ‘No.’ I laughed it off. ‘I know that. I was just using it as an example of one of the many dopey things that emanates from my brother’s mouth from time to time.’

‘Right.’

We walked on in silence for a little way, the only sound around us being the soft whoosh of the waves as they caressed the sand before pulling back out.

‘Not that I wouldn’t practise on you.’

I looked up.

‘I mean, not that anyone would want to just practise on you, because that sort of implies they’re looking for something … someone a bit …’

‘Gabe?’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s probably best if you quit while you’re ahead.’

‘Yep. I think you’re probably right.’ His laugh was soft in the quiet of the night, but after a few minutes he spoke again. ‘Ned just likes teasing me about stuff like that precisely because it’s not really something I do.’

‘Chat women up?’

‘Chat anyone up,’ he said, apparently clarifying things for me, just in case.

‘You mean women just fall at your feet naturally?’ I was teasing, but even when I thought he was a burglar and then threatening to report me for squatting in my own house, I could still totally see how that could happen.

‘Ha! Yeah, I wish.’

Be careful what you wish for there, Gabe …

‘It’s just finding the time.’

‘Too much surfing?’

‘Too much working. And then, when I’m not, you’re right, I want to get in the surf because I don’t know when the next opportunity will be.’

I stopped walking and two steps later, Gabe realised and also stopped. In the front of his jacket, Bryan shuffled a little and carried on snoozing.

‘Wait, so after an evening of everyone giving me grief about how I was a workaholic, you’re standing there telling me you’re one too? Isn’t that just a little hypocritical?’

‘I do work a lot, but that’s not necessarily being a workaholic.’

‘Are you though?’

He shifted his weight as he looked down at me. Now I’d taken my sandals off, he was back to having a good twelve inches’ height advantage over me.

‘Probably.’

‘Hmm.’

‘Gigi tell you that?’

‘No. I’m getting that information straight from the horse’s mouth. Gigi was always too busy telling me how gorgeous and wonderful you were.’

Gabe shook his head. ‘Funnily enough she told me the same about you.’

‘Oh God, did she really?’