They parted easily, and Frazer made sure to drink the last dregs of her coffee and drop it in the bin rather than attempt to walk with it. It wasn’t a day for those kinds of risks, apparently. Taking the stairs, she hoped she didn’t fall down them and break her neck. Panting yet unscathed, Frazer dropped all of her things on her desk and flopped into her desk chair.

She was exhausted, only slightly hung-over, and it felt like the day should be finished, though it wasn’t even eight thirty. Digging her phone out and wrinkling her nose at the stale coffee smell, Frazer opened a message from Jemma. A pouting face photo.

Trust her to make Frazer feel bad.

And another from Cora.

Frazer sat straight up in her chair. When her thumb tapped it, the screen was tacky. Nothing happened. She tapped it again, probably a bit too hard, and the message opened.

I’ll take training tonight. You take a day off. Have a nice day.

Frazer knew when she was being dismissed.

When her body fell back against her chair, her knee banged against her desk. She let out a yelp.

Maybe she should cocoon herself in bubble wrap before she faced the rest of her day.

* * *

Once again, Cora was sitting in an empty house. Lisa was out, and Cora was in her comfortable house clothes, glaring at her computer.

The training had been fine. Avoiding Frazer and Alec had been fine. Not meeting Lauren’s eye had been fine. Though Cora was still waiting for Alec to make some kind of play, he had seemed uninclined to do so thus far.

When on earth had house rental prices in Perth become so expensive? Most places were outrageously overpriced, even the hovels in terrible neighbourhoods. She’d never really lived in an apartment, mostly in houses that she’d shared, but maybe now she’d have to. There were a few smaller ones, one with great light that was still stupidly pricey, but less so than most others. It was a fifteen-minute walk to Scarborough Beach too which was nice.

Maybe she’d get a dog. Alec hated dogs. But maybe now, Cora could go to a shelter and get a big, dopey dog that drooled. She had a thing for dogs that liked to lie around with you and take a lazy, twenty-minute walk once a day.

If she was going to do that, she really would need a house. Sighing, she went back to perusing houses, especially ones with big backyards.

There was one not far from Lisa’s, and it was only a ten-minute drive to the beach instead. Dogs liked the beach. There was also a viewing in a few days, at a time Cora could probably make. She put the details in her phone.