“Two of your finest coffees, please,” Caitlin said. “We are on a farewell tour of Newtown. Josephine is handing the keys to her swanky digs back to her landlord tomorrow and has, finally, officially moved in with me.” Caitlin drew her lips into a triumphant smile.

“Congratulations,” Mia said from behind the coffee machine. “Any chance of your former swanky digs being affordable and still available, Jo? Lou and I went on a very frustrating apartment hunt yesterday.” She stuck her head out above the machine and rolled her eyes at them.

“Trust me, Mia,” Caitlin said. “Jo’s flat might be affordable and available, but it’s the polar opposite of swanky.”

“If you don’t mind living amid a bunch of students,” Jo ignored Caitlin’s jibe at her former home. “It might not be a Darlinghurst penthouse, but it served me well for many years. And it has two bedrooms.”

“I’ll talk to Lou, but I don’t have high hopes. She’s been spoiled by living in Brisbane and her standards are a bit higher than mine.” Mia handed Jo and Caitlin their drinks. “Would you like one?” she asked Jane.

“Sure.” Jane emerged from behind the counter and joined them. Seeing Caitlin again reminded her of the remark that had caused the penny about Annie’s feelings for Kristin to drop. What had at first appeared as an innocent enough comment, had been far from it. As a result, Jane didn’t quite know how to carry herself around Caitlin. She also wondered whether Caitlin had told Josephine. She probably had. Which made Jane look even more the fool.

“Any idea what the final tally of last Friday’s sales were?” Caitlin asked.

Jane shook her head. “Sorry, you should ask Annie.” Caitlin’s book reading felt like something that had happened weeks ago instead of days.

“Where is she?” Caitlin fixed her gaze on Jane.

“Upstairs.” Caitlin knew too much and it unsettled Jane. It was as though, with that stare, she was trying to remind Jane that she did. Jane wasn’t sure she liked Caitlin James very much. Even though without her meddling comment she might still be none the wiser, there was something smug about her that Jane was instinctively allergic to.

“Guess who’s going to have her own TV show on ANBC soon?” Josephine said. Jane wondered whether she spoke to defuse the mounting tension. Josephine struck her as a totally different character than Caitlin.

“No way, Caitlin. Have you finally succumbed?” Mia asked.

“I did promise Zoya I would keep her seat warm in case things don’t work out for her in Paris and she wants to come back.”

“Yes, darling. We all know you’re doing this out of friendship and nothing but the goodness of your own heart.” Josephine patted Caitlin on the knee, then looked at Jane and smiled. “She’s not doing it for the attention at all.”