leave then?’
He grinned. ‘Yeah — something like that.’
She kept looking, expectantly.
‘And, well, I kind of buggered my knee a bit. It’s fine,’ he quickly added, seeing the concern on her face, ‘but it needs a break. It’ll be fine,’ he said again. ‘I’m doing a few bits and pieces on base until it gets sorted, but mostly I’ll be working with Dad.’
‘Bits and pieces?’
‘Yeah. Bits and pieces. Just non-operational stuff.’
‘Right.’ She paused. ‘What about your knee? What happened?’
‘ACL.’
‘ACL?’
‘It’s a ligament. And it hurt like hell. Now,’ he picked up the wine list and frowned, ‘what do you want to drink?’
Case well and truly closed, she thought. Fair enough, though; they hadn’t seen each other for nearly two years. It wasn’t as if she could be privy to every detail, and obviously the subject of his work wasn’t up for discussion.
Other than that, the talk was easy, surprisingly so. They quickly slipped back into the effortless conversation that had linked them for far longer than the time since they’d last seen each other. Ginny thought of the summer ahead, of having Mac around to hang with, and it made her glad.
He asked her about the business, and she caught him up on where it was at and, because it was front and centre, the RK account.
‘It isn’t exactly going well.’ She briefly explained how a search is supposed to work: the initial list of leads building on itself as each contact refers other people.
‘Are you worried?’
‘Not yet. It’s still early days but I’d like to see it pick up.’
He nodded, then took a taste of wine. ‘This is nice. When did you become a wine guru?’
‘Yes — it’s yummy, isn’t it? The Pinot is a very stroppy grape, but if you treat it right, you’re rewarded ten-fold for your efforts. I dated a vintner for a couple of months and learnt a few bits and pieces. So you like it? Impressed?’
‘Always,’ Mac replied, feeling that old captivation. ‘Was. Am. Will be.’ And then, ‘Vintner?’
‘Um, yes — Matt. Nice guy, knowledgeable about grapes but, you know — not a keeper.’
He nodded.
‘And you? Spend much time at Ohakune these days?’ She grinned at the confusion on his face, then realisation dawned and he looked down, embarrassed.
‘Oh. Hell — um, no.’ He raised his head sheepishly. ‘I was very drunk, and she was very determined. And energetic, from what I recall.’
Ginny laughed, holding her hands out in protest. ‘No, no, no — I don’t need to know.’
‘You sure? I don’t remember a lot but there are a few salient details I could share, if you’re interested.’
She shook her head, still laughing. Glad she could laugh about that weird, unsettling night.
‘So what happened to Stephen, the actuary?’ Mac asked. ‘Trample his heart into the dirt? Leave him for dead?’
‘No — nothing so dramatic. He was happily transferred to Canberra.’
‘Ahh. Suitable spot for him, I’d say.’
Ginny snorted. ‘Yes — spot on.’
They smiled at one another, a beat, and then another. ‘So,’ Ginny broke the connection and looked over Mac’s shoulder. ‘Where the hell is our main?’
Later, over dessert, she asked him about his dad and Jen.
‘They’re good. Dad still works like a man possessed, but he always will. Jen’s well — she says to say hi.’ He paused. ‘She said, ah — she said she hasn’t heard as much from you lately.’
‘Um … we’re still in touch. She still keeps me posted … but for a while I was seeing a lot of her and, well … you’re my friend, you know? And I figured that when … if,’ she corrected herself, and he frowned, ‘you wanted to get in touch, you would. I didn’t want her to think I was … I don’t know … stalking your family or anything.’ She smiled, trying to make light of it. They’d managed to avoid anything too heavy and she didn’t want to get into it now, not at the end of what had
He grinned. ‘Yeah — something like that.’
She kept looking, expectantly.
‘And, well, I kind of buggered my knee a bit. It’s fine,’ he quickly added, seeing the concern on her face, ‘but it needs a break. It’ll be fine,’ he said again. ‘I’m doing a few bits and pieces on base until it gets sorted, but mostly I’ll be working with Dad.’
‘Bits and pieces?’
‘Yeah. Bits and pieces. Just non-operational stuff.’
‘Right.’ She paused. ‘What about your knee? What happened?’
‘ACL.’
‘ACL?’
‘It’s a ligament. And it hurt like hell. Now,’ he picked up the wine list and frowned, ‘what do you want to drink?’
Case well and truly closed, she thought. Fair enough, though; they hadn’t seen each other for nearly two years. It wasn’t as if she could be privy to every detail, and obviously the subject of his work wasn’t up for discussion.
Other than that, the talk was easy, surprisingly so. They quickly slipped back into the effortless conversation that had linked them for far longer than the time since they’d last seen each other. Ginny thought of the summer ahead, of having Mac around to hang with, and it made her glad.
He asked her about the business, and she caught him up on where it was at and, because it was front and centre, the RK account.
‘It isn’t exactly going well.’ She briefly explained how a search is supposed to work: the initial list of leads building on itself as each contact refers other people.
‘Are you worried?’
‘Not yet. It’s still early days but I’d like to see it pick up.’
He nodded, then took a taste of wine. ‘This is nice. When did you become a wine guru?’
‘Yes — it’s yummy, isn’t it? The Pinot is a very stroppy grape, but if you treat it right, you’re rewarded ten-fold for your efforts. I dated a vintner for a couple of months and learnt a few bits and pieces. So you like it? Impressed?’
‘Always,’ Mac replied, feeling that old captivation. ‘Was. Am. Will be.’ And then, ‘Vintner?’
‘Um, yes — Matt. Nice guy, knowledgeable about grapes but, you know — not a keeper.’
He nodded.
‘And you? Spend much time at Ohakune these days?’ She grinned at the confusion on his face, then realisation dawned and he looked down, embarrassed.
‘Oh. Hell — um, no.’ He raised his head sheepishly. ‘I was very drunk, and she was very determined. And energetic, from what I recall.’
Ginny laughed, holding her hands out in protest. ‘No, no, no — I don’t need to know.’
‘You sure? I don’t remember a lot but there are a few salient details I could share, if you’re interested.’
She shook her head, still laughing. Glad she could laugh about that weird, unsettling night.
‘So what happened to Stephen, the actuary?’ Mac asked. ‘Trample his heart into the dirt? Leave him for dead?’
‘No — nothing so dramatic. He was happily transferred to Canberra.’
‘Ahh. Suitable spot for him, I’d say.’
Ginny snorted. ‘Yes — spot on.’
They smiled at one another, a beat, and then another. ‘So,’ Ginny broke the connection and looked over Mac’s shoulder. ‘Where the hell is our main?’
Later, over dessert, she asked him about his dad and Jen.
‘They’re good. Dad still works like a man possessed, but he always will. Jen’s well — she says to say hi.’ He paused. ‘She said, ah — she said she hasn’t heard as much from you lately.’
‘Um … we’re still in touch. She still keeps me posted … but for a while I was seeing a lot of her and, well … you’re my friend, you know? And I figured that when … if,’ she corrected herself, and he frowned, ‘you wanted to get in touch, you would. I didn’t want her to think I was … I don’t know … stalking your family or anything.’ She smiled, trying to make light of it. They’d managed to avoid anything too heavy and she didn’t want to get into it now, not at the end of what had
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