him. He’s lovely to look at too. Don’t let that man slip through your fingers so easily.’
Annie shifted her bottom on her fallow pillow. ‘Maybe . . .’ she mused. ‘Maybe . . .’
They stopped at Ballina, piled out to have their photo taken in front of the Big Prawn, and headed off again.
‘WELCOME TO BYRON BAY’.
The headlights of the sturdy RoadMaster Royale lit up the road sign and Meredith, Annie and Nina whooped with joy. They’d made it! Two thousand kilometres, nine nights, millions of mosquitoes, one black bream and a dead feral pig later . . . and they had arrived.
Old Swivel Hips was gyrating under the streetlights as they all sang loudly: ‘Well, it’s one for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready, Now go, cat, go!’
‘Here, turn here!’ called Annie. ‘First Sun Holiday Park—this is the place you booked, isn’t it, Nina?’
Nina swung the vehicle off the main street, halted at the park’s boom gates and jumped down from the driver’s seat. This was a ritual she was well used to by now. She handed over the forty-two dollars in cash at the fluoro-lit site office and in return received a pin code for the toilet block and a campsite number.
Soon the van was cosily parked between two rigs of equal bulk in pole position right in front of Main Beach. The RoadMaster heaved, sighed and settled into the grass. Nina plugged into the electricity grid and the unit hummed with cheery hospitality.
Nina, Annie and Meredith ran to the wooden railing edging the ocean and leaned over it to breathe in the salty breeze sweeping across Cape Byron. It was dark by now, but the sound of waves crashing on the beach below was exhilarating enough. At the end of the beach, just out of sight, the lighthouse blinked a cautious welcome to the most easterly point of the continent of the Great South Land.
The first stop was the shower block, and the second the laundry. With spirits restored by washing powder, body gel, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, moisturiser and a change of clothes, the company was in the mood for a celebration.
Meredith had set the table on the concrete apron of their campsite and laid it with a good Irish linen cloth. Nina had thrown together a platter of tinned vine leaves, salsa dip, jars of pickled asparagus, marinated fetta and a packet of water cracker biscuits she’d unearthed from a cupboard. Annie had fetched the second-last chilled bottle of champagne from the fridge. They stood around the table and raised fine crystal flutes etched with stalks of wheat.
‘Well, girls, we did it!’ cheered Nina. ‘Here’s to us. To Byron or Bust!’
‘Can anyone join in this celebration?’
Nina swung her head at the sound of the familiar voice from the shadows.
‘BRAD! Ohmigod, Brad!’ she cried and made a leap for his open arms. ‘What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?’
‘He rang while you were still in the shower.’ Annie grinned.
Brad stepped into the light, his arms thrown around Nina and his head bent to kiss her neck. Annie looked at Meredith. Did Nina have any idea of how lucky she was to have such a big handsome husband holding her tight? Meredith laughed and threw her hands up in disbelief. Nina’s long-winded campaign of whingeing and complaining had apparently been vanquished by a cuddle and a kiss.
‘I knew you’d be here tonight,’ said Brad. ‘Isn’t the wedding tomorrow?’
Nina’s answer was to burst into tears.
‘Not exactly the reception I was expecting,’ he laughed.
‘Did you bring the boys? How are they? Are they here?’
‘Nup, they’re at home with Mum. It’s just us, so grab your things, we’re staying at “Rae’s on Watego’s” tonight. The Mirabella Penthouse.’
‘You’re not serious?’ Nina gasped. The hotel was rated as one of the Top 25 in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine. Nina had tucked the fact away after reading about it in the dentist’s rooms while she was waiting for Jordan to have his braces removed. The idea that she might stay there one day had been an impossible dream.
‘Yep! Come on. We’re having dinner overlooking the beach. And tomorrow, you’re booked into the spa. You could do with a bit of pampering after your adventure. Did you have an adventure?’
‘Oh, Brad, you have no idea!’ Nina sniffed.
After kisses all round, and promises to meet for a pre-wedding drink back at the van the next day, Nina and Brad headed off.