Charlie never sees any of hers, do you dear?’
‘No,’ said Charlotte stiffly, wishing Kath would shut up for half a second.
‘Well, the place doesn’t seem to have fallen apart while Iwas gone.’ Jen’s voice was bright. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Fine — I only got back myself yesterday.’
‘Oh, right. How was the ski trip?’
‘Great.’
‘Good.’
‘I’ve made up Nick’s room for Zoe — it’s all ready.’ Guest-loving Kath was in her element.
‘Oh.’ Jen looked embarrassed. ‘Actually, I, um … we thought Zoe’d stay in my room.’
‘Yes, of course, if that’s what you want.’ Kath looked flustered. ‘But there’s only one bed in there.’
There was silence in the kitchen. Jen looked down, avoiding Charlotte’s gaze. On the stove, a pot lid began to rattle.
‘Oh look, here are Rex and Matt!’ exclaimed Kath in relief. ‘You make the introductions, dear — I just need to drain those carrots.’
After lunch, Zoe volunteered to help Kath with the washing up, and at last Jen met Charlotte’s eye.
‘You, er, wouldn’t mind giving me a hand with the rest of the bags, would you mate?’
Charlotte followed her out to the ute. The back seat was pretty well loaded up — just how long was Zoe staying?
‘So,’ said Jen.
‘So you’re gay.’
Jen scanned Charlotte’s face. ‘Yeah … I guess I should have said something before.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘Well, to be honest, at first I thought it was none of your business. And then …’ She grimaced. ‘I didn’t want things to get weird. You know, like they are now.’
‘Hey.’ Charlotte shouldered a bag. ‘You were right — it’s none of my business.’
‘Don’t be like that. Please.’
Jen sounded so hurt, Charlotte turned. To her horror, Jen looked close to tears. ‘I don’t want things to change,’ she said, in a very small voice.
Charlotte put the bag down and hugged her. ‘Of course nothing’s going to change!’ She held Jen back by the shoulders and smiled into her eyes. ‘Why would it?’
‘How long did you say Zoe was staying for?’ Kath asked Jen, nonchalantly, a week later.
‘She didn’t,’ said Charlotte pointedly.
‘Yeah …’ Jen shifted in her chair. ‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You know, things’ve been going really well with Zoe and me. Really well.’
Charlotte braced herself. How bad could it be? Another week? Two?
‘The thing is … well, we’ve talked about it, and …’ Jen took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want Zoe to go. At all.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding!’
The words were out before Charlotte’s brain had engaged. They were followed by a silence.
‘I think I hear Rex calling me.’ Kath scurried for the door.
‘Zoe said you wouldn’t be cool with it.’ Jen shook her head, staring down at the table. ‘She thinks you don’t like her.’
‘That’s got nothing to do with it,’ evaded Charlotte. Sure, Zoe was needy and nervy and talked too much, and Charlotte couldn’t for the life of her see what Jen was doing with her, but that wasn’t the point. ‘Come on, don’t you think her moving in is a bit much?’
‘No,’ snapped Jen. ‘I don’t. If Matt wanted his girlfriend to move in, you wouldn’t have a problem with that.’
‘I damn well would,’ Charlotte snapped right back. ‘Besides, Matt hasn’t even got a girlfriend.’
‘Hardly surprising, since he’s stuck out here all the time.’
‘Hey, no one made you come here.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You chose to live here, so don’t moan about it now.’
‘All very well for you to say, with Rob Booty-Call on speed dial.’
There was a dangerous silence.
‘Like I said, you made your choices,’ said Charlotte icily.
‘So maybe I’ll choose to move on.’
‘If that’s what you want.’
Jen leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hands over her face. ‘It’s not what I want. You know that. But what am I supposed to do?
‘No,’ said Charlotte stiffly, wishing Kath would shut up for half a second.
‘Well, the place doesn’t seem to have fallen apart while Iwas gone.’ Jen’s voice was bright. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Fine — I only got back myself yesterday.’
‘Oh, right. How was the ski trip?’
‘Great.’
‘Good.’
‘I’ve made up Nick’s room for Zoe — it’s all ready.’ Guest-loving Kath was in her element.
‘Oh.’ Jen looked embarrassed. ‘Actually, I, um … we thought Zoe’d stay in my room.’
‘Yes, of course, if that’s what you want.’ Kath looked flustered. ‘But there’s only one bed in there.’
There was silence in the kitchen. Jen looked down, avoiding Charlotte’s gaze. On the stove, a pot lid began to rattle.
‘Oh look, here are Rex and Matt!’ exclaimed Kath in relief. ‘You make the introductions, dear — I just need to drain those carrots.’
After lunch, Zoe volunteered to help Kath with the washing up, and at last Jen met Charlotte’s eye.
‘You, er, wouldn’t mind giving me a hand with the rest of the bags, would you mate?’
Charlotte followed her out to the ute. The back seat was pretty well loaded up — just how long was Zoe staying?
‘So,’ said Jen.
‘So you’re gay.’
Jen scanned Charlotte’s face. ‘Yeah … I guess I should have said something before.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘Well, to be honest, at first I thought it was none of your business. And then …’ She grimaced. ‘I didn’t want things to get weird. You know, like they are now.’
‘Hey.’ Charlotte shouldered a bag. ‘You were right — it’s none of my business.’
‘Don’t be like that. Please.’
Jen sounded so hurt, Charlotte turned. To her horror, Jen looked close to tears. ‘I don’t want things to change,’ she said, in a very small voice.
Charlotte put the bag down and hugged her. ‘Of course nothing’s going to change!’ She held Jen back by the shoulders and smiled into her eyes. ‘Why would it?’
‘How long did you say Zoe was staying for?’ Kath asked Jen, nonchalantly, a week later.
‘She didn’t,’ said Charlotte pointedly.
‘Yeah …’ Jen shifted in her chair. ‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You know, things’ve been going really well with Zoe and me. Really well.’
Charlotte braced herself. How bad could it be? Another week? Two?
‘The thing is … well, we’ve talked about it, and …’ Jen took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want Zoe to go. At all.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding!’
The words were out before Charlotte’s brain had engaged. They were followed by a silence.
‘I think I hear Rex calling me.’ Kath scurried for the door.
‘Zoe said you wouldn’t be cool with it.’ Jen shook her head, staring down at the table. ‘She thinks you don’t like her.’
‘That’s got nothing to do with it,’ evaded Charlotte. Sure, Zoe was needy and nervy and talked too much, and Charlotte couldn’t for the life of her see what Jen was doing with her, but that wasn’t the point. ‘Come on, don’t you think her moving in is a bit much?’
‘No,’ snapped Jen. ‘I don’t. If Matt wanted his girlfriend to move in, you wouldn’t have a problem with that.’
‘I damn well would,’ Charlotte snapped right back. ‘Besides, Matt hasn’t even got a girlfriend.’
‘Hardly surprising, since he’s stuck out here all the time.’
‘Hey, no one made you come here.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You chose to live here, so don’t moan about it now.’
‘All very well for you to say, with Rob Booty-Call on speed dial.’
There was a dangerous silence.
‘Like I said, you made your choices,’ said Charlotte icily.
‘So maybe I’ll choose to move on.’
‘If that’s what you want.’
Jen leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hands over her face. ‘It’s not what I want. You know that. But what am I supposed to do?
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