around six, and we’ll have those cocktails and make you dinner? Zoran’s a top cook. And, hopefully, there’ll be Spanish mackerel on the menu.’
‘I’m sure the girls would love that. Although . . .’ and here Annie thought she might entertain herself, ‘do something for me. Don’t let on you know they’re not gay. I’d like to see them squirm for a bit.’
Matty laughed. ‘I’m remembering now that you have a wicked streak in you, Annie Bailey. OK, deal. See you then.’
‘Good luck with your fishing!’
‘I’m not staying long,’ Meredith hissed. The sun was sinking behind clumps of ti-tree as they trailed through the campgrounds to Lot 55. ‘I’m having one drink and then, I have . . .’ she paused, trying to find the right term, ‘an engagement.’
‘Oooh! She’s gonna bonk her mystery man again! You trollop, Meredith!’ Annie nudged Nina. ‘Your woman’s bisexual. Can’t keep her eyes off the blokes. Did you know that, honey? When do we get to meet this stud anyway?’
‘They think we’re lesbians!’ Nina grizzled. ‘How long do we have to keep this up?’
‘Come on now, girls—hold hands, play nice,’ sang Annie as she marched ahead with righteous purpose. ‘Serves you right for lying to them back in Mallacoota. If you hadn’t tried to interfere in my love life this wouldn’t be happening.’
‘Shut up, Annie,’ said Meredith. ‘This is completely embarrassing. We’re having just one drink and then we’re going. As for your “love life”, someone’s got to interfere sometime. You’re not making much of a success of it.’
‘Oh that hurts, Meredith! But I like this guy, so just do it for me. It won’t kill you. He doesn’t need to know my friends are total fake lezzo weirdos.’
‘I met that Matty again,’ Nina blurted.
‘What!?’ Annie turned and glared at her with as much fake indignation as she could muster.
‘At Gillard’s Beach and we were all going to meet up and have a cocktail party on the beach . . . only,’ now Annie and Meredith were both eyeballing her, ‘I got a bit lost.’
‘So did you tell him then that you weren’t a lesbian?’ demanded Annie.
‘Not exactly. He just assumed so . . .’
‘You let your filthy lie follow us up half the east coast of Australia. So, serves you both right! You better start acting like a lovely couple.’
Annie trotted along, happily humming to herself. Meredith and Nina straggled behind her, arms folded like two sullen schoolgirls on a dreaded excursion. Up ahead Annie spied Matty and Zoran standing under the striped annexe of a handsome old-fashioned green canvas tent, complete with seven-foot wooden poles. They were dressed in clean shirts and cargo pants. As she came closer, she could see five chairs arranged around a camp table set with an ice bucket and plates of antipasto—dips, olives and bread sticks.
For a pair of ‘yobbos’, they were surprisingly domestic, thought Nina. They looked far more like a same-sex couple than she and Meredith ever would. Annie couldn’t have chosen a gay man again, could she? She looked at Meredith who raised her eyebrows. She seemed to be thinking the very same thing.
After a hearty round of kissed ‘hellos’ and the acceptance of Annie’s bottle of wine, Matty offered drinks. ‘We have vanilla martinis, or would you like to start with your very impressive chardonnay?’
Zoran stepped forward and proudly explained the menu: ‘Grilled eggplant and red pepper antipasto. This one’s ceviche—raw snapper cured with lime juice. I caught the fish this afternoon, so it’s about as fresh as it can get. Then the dips are beetroot and this one’s basil and fetta. All home-made. Please, help yourselves.’
Nina was bug-eyed. They didn’t seem like ‘union thugs’ or ‘idiots’. She searched for confirmation from Meredith, who refused to look at her.
When they were all settled with drinks and plates of food, Matty gave Annie a secret, conspiratorial smile and began: ‘So, you’ve been a little mischievous, hiding Annie from us.’
Nina and Meredith shifted uneasily in their chairs, coughed in unison, sipped at their martinis.
‘Yes, they’ve been impersonating the ugly stepsisters, I’m afraid,’ scolded Annie. ‘Very naughty ladies indeed.’
‘And Matty’s been chasing Cinderella up the coast with a pair of sunglasses. Priceless!’ chuckled Zoran.
‘Still,’ continued Matty, ‘when you’re in such a close relationship yourself, you want the best for your friends, don’t you? So we forgive you. That’s a brilliant rig you’ve got. You gals do a lot of travelling?’
Nina stuffed her mouth with bread so she didn’t have to answer. This was torture.