“Come on, drop and give me twenty push-ups!” Ringer yelled.
Adam was out the back entrance doing some warm-ups.
Oh, perfect.
I wanted to slide down in my seat. Adam hadn’t seen me yet, but it didn’t take long for him to register who was in the passenger seat. His arms slowly dropped from over his head, and a dark look spread across his face.
“Thanks, Ringer,” I muttered sarcastically, getting out and slamming the car door.
“Anytime, babe.” He saluted before backing out and spinning away with a chorus of still more animated honks.
I inhaled, readying myself to meet Adam’s uncertain frown as he took in last night’s clothing, my wet hair and make-up free face. I was holding my shoes in my hand so as to tiptoe more effectively up the back staircase.
Adam’s eyes darted to me, then towards where Ringer’s car had torn away, then back to me again. A look of horror spread across his face as it all clicked into place.
“Oh my God, you totally shagged Ringer?”
I placed my hands on my hip. “Oh, yeah, I totally shagged Ringer,” I said. “Jesus, Adam!”
The horror was replaced with confusion. “Where have you been then?”
I sighed. “He dropped me off from Sean’s.” I wanted to mentally slap myself for the admission, but I had been so focused on Adam’s assumption that I had been secretly rendezvousing with Ringer, it just came out.
Adam’s brows lifted. “I see.” He nodded like that made more sense. “So you’re going to tell me you didn’t …”
“Shut up!” I snapped, storming past him.
Adam shook his head. “I wouldn’t go that way if I were you.”
I paused. “Why?”
“Everyone’s having a family brunch in the beer garden.”
I grimaced. “Everyone?”
“Uncle Eric, Aunty Claire, Chris, Melba, Toby, Tess.”
My eyes widened. Oh my God, did they know the Onslow was getting put on the market? Had Mum and Dad announced their plans before I’d had a chance to do damage control? Adam must have read the look on my face.
“They know. Everyone knows. That’s what they had to tell you last night, isn’t it? That they were still going to sell.”
I nodded. Reality came flooding back, punching me in the face. I was trying to think how this had all just spiralled out of control.
“When did Mum and Dad tell you lot?”
Adam sighed. “They didn’t.”
Confusion must have filled my face as Adam rolled his eyes in frustration, grabbing my arm.
“This way!” He dragged me towards the front. I did my best not to stumble with his quick pace and the sharp pebbles that dug into my bare feet.
“Ow-Ow-Ow … Adam slow dow—” My words broke off as we turned the corner of the hotel to the front and I skidded to a halt. Shrugging off Adam’s hold, I moved slowly forward; the stones that dug into my feet were the least of my worries. I crunched along the drive to stand before a giant auction sign with bold letters that proudly stated, ‘Opportunity Knocks’. My worst fears were realised.
I felt sick.
Chapter Fifty-One
You know when you have hit rock bottom?
When you sit in a bar getting drunk at three o’clock in the afternoon, talking to old Ray Mooreland, an alcoholic sheep farmer.
3 p.m.: “I mean, what are they even going to do, Ray? Retire? Pfft, what a joke.”
3.25 p.m.: “Not once, Ray! Not ONCE did they even ask me. How bloody disrespectful can you be?”
3.40 p.m.: “Oh, and get this, get this, right …? You won’t believe this …”
4.01 p.m.: “What I’m trying to say, Ray, is I get it, I do! They want to go and enjoy life, I get that, but, like, what about me? Where do I come into it?”
4.10 p.m.: “I mean, Ray, the thing of it is, and hear me out when I say this … The thing of it is … Umm, what was I saying?”
The bar room front door screeched open and Chris and Sean pushed their way through.
“Oh, thank fuck for that!” Ray jumped up from his stool, grabbed his hat and made for the door. Pausing next to Chris and Sean, he said, “Listen, she’s a sweet girl and all, but now you deal with it.”
By this time, I had managed somehow to stumble my way over to the jukebox and, tipsy or not, I would always have my favourite song selections memorised: 2981, 4739, and my absolute favourite, 2217. Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’ started up and suddenly I didn’t care about anything. I didn’t care about my parents or about the uncertain looks I was getting from Chris and Sean. All I cared about was the music as I spun around the pool room singing at the top of my lungs.