As they settled with beers in front of them, gradually the awkwardness of introductions warmed into genuine conversation and soon Elle found herself laughing along with the others. The noise of the pub around them meant that Elle had to concentrate extra hard to understand the accents, but she found herself having a lot of fun even when she had to ask Aila to translate for her.

It turned out she had been right in her assumption that the men were farmers, which made her smile. It seemed there was a lot that connected the small community where she’d grown up with this one across the globe.

Throughout the evening Elle tried to unobtrusively work out the group’s dynamics. Joe and Sabrina were clearly a couple, but Elle had a feeling there was something under the surface between her cousin and the other two men. Andrew seemed to hang on Aila’s every word and was the first one to stand and get her another drink whenever she placed an empty glass on the table before her. He was like a faithful puppy, the way he gazed adoringly at her when she spoke—a tall, lanky, brown-haired puppy. But then there was Steven. He was stocky and muscular with sandy hair and Elle caught him watching Aila across the table with a lazy probing look that every now and again her cousin would catch and hold. They were only fleeting glances, but Elle swore she could almost see sparks.

‘So, what do you think of the place, Elle?’ Joe asked during a break in the band’s set, meaning conversation could be spoken, not shouted.

‘I love it. It’s a great little town.’

A chorus of scoffs followed her statement, but she knew that Aila at least was only going through the motions. Deep down Elle knew her cousin loved Portsoy, but she got it: your hometown was supposed to be a bit of an embarrassment. Small towns were somewhere young people couldn’t wait to leave as soon as possible. Often it wasn’t until you left that you realised how much you appreciated the place. Like Elle had. Sydney had been exciting and new for the first few months, there were so many shops and galleries and things to do—so much that it had often taken her all day to decide where to go. There was a lot to be said for limited choice; it was easier to decide what to do with yourself.

‘I can’t wait to leave,’ Sabrina said, reaching for her drink, the clink of her bangles sounding like a fairy chime.

‘Some of us don’t have the option,’ Joe said tersely from beside her.

‘Some of us could do whatever they wanted if they could only stand up to their father,’ she retorted, and her scathing tone shocked the rest of them into an awkward silence.