An Endless Summer(19)

By nine a.m. I was showered and dressed, but for what exactly I wasn’t sure. Each time I heard a chorus of laughter or a raised voice or power tool from outside it grated me.

My stomach rumbled in protest and I remembered how the hotel wasn’t even stocked with things like food! I grabbed my bag from my room and made my way downstairs; I wanted to distance myself from what had now turned into a construction site. A few hours out would do the trick.

I stepped out onto the verandah, super aware of what would greet me now: a jungle of steel poles stood as support under the gaping hole in the balcony floor, with a board placed under the hole as something to walk on until they fixed it. Stan was up on the boarded platform, whistling along to the radio. Yeah – a radio! They had certainly settled in for the day.

Stan looked down at me with a smile.

“You off, then?”

“Yeah. Just have to get a few things from town. Looks like he has you doing all the work.”

Stan laughed. “He wishes.” He plonked down into a sitting position, his legs dangling over the edge.

I wondered why Stan was here helping Sean, anyway. Last I knew, Stan had been working elsewhere in town, but that was a while ago.

“So what have you been up to, Stan?”

“Oh, you know, work and more work.”

“So you’re just helping out Sean?”

Stan looked at me, confused. “We work together.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Sean came and saw me when he got back, made me a deal and here I am.”

I nodded. At a loss as to what else to say, I was about to ask how his girlfriend, Ellie, was going. Then, I quickly stopped myself as I remembered they had broken up a few years ago. Before I put my foot in anything else, I decided I’d better get going. I wasn’t exactly up with the latest in Onslow happenings.

“Well,” I said, “don’t work too hard.”

I turned to walk down the steps before it registered. “Stan, did you want anything from down the street?”

Stan’s smile was more striking than the sun. “No thanks, Amy, Sean’s popped down for some smoko, best not spoil my appetite,” he said with a wink.

“Okay, no worries, see ya later.”

I headed towards the downward slope of Coronary Hill; I would no doubt be puffing and panting up it on my return, arms loaded with bags. I wasn’t exactly fit. For now, though, the downward walk was awkward, but manageable.

I had made my way down the last of the hill, walking out on the flattened edge of the bitumen into town, when I saw a white twin cab Hilux in the distance, making its way towards me.

“Oh, great!” I said, tipping my head back and groaning.

It slowed, as I knew it would, and had a suntanned arm leaning out of the opened window as it pulled to a stop. A smile beamed at me from the driver’s seat as the driver pulled back his sunnies to rest on his head.

Sean.

“I would offer you a lift, but I’m afraid that might be considered charitable. I wouldn’t want to give you that dastardly impression.”

I tilted my head and smiled sarcastically.

“Hey, I brought some smoko.” Sean leaned over to the passenger side. He held out a Chico Roll and a strawberry Big M to me.

I cringed at the thought of devouring that for breakfast.

“No thanks, I’m just heading into town to get some supplies.”

“You sure? This will give you all your daily calcium needs and …” he said. “What exactly is in a Chico Roll?”

It was a good question. “I hate to think.”

Sean studied the giant Aussie version of a spring roll before he shrugged and bit into it.

“Mmm, it’s good. Sure you don’t want some?” he spoke with his mouth full.

I screwed up my nose as I watched him. “As tempting as it looks, I think I’ll pass.”

Sean swallowed and winced. “I think it’s got cabbage in it.”

“I’ll definitely pass.”

I started to walk again but instead of leaving him behind like I intended, Sean put the ute in reverse and drove backwards alongside me.

“It won’t take us long to finish what we’re doing,” he said.

“Great!”

“We’ll be all clear and out of the way by the weekend.”

“Sounds good.”

“You are opening for the weekend, right?”

I stopped.

What day was it?

“Today’s Thursday,” Sean said, as if having read my mind.

Open for the weekend? Was I going to open today? Was Matt even coming in? I hadn’t even thought about it. Crap!

I half laughed to myself. “Would anyone even notice if we didn’t?” I asked.

Sean looked at me side on for a long moment. “Wow! Is that the sound of defeat, Henderson?”