‘You left without saying goodbye last night,’ Mandy said, and Nicole thought she detected a hint of hurt feeling beneath Mandy’s usual friendly tone. ‘I hope they behaved today,’ she said to Nicole, looking from Trevor to Danny. ‘This one still backs up all right after a night on the grog.’ She patted Danny on the shoulder. ‘But this one?’ She looked down her nose at Trevor. ‘He still thinks he’s twenty.’

‘No, they were great.’ Nicole smiled. ‘We got through it all today.’

‘Excellent. You boys run off then and let Nicole and I have some girl talk. Poor thing probably needs a break from the two of you. Shall I pop the kettle on?’

The quiet beauty of the early afternoon sun slowly dropping behind the tall eucalyptus trees in the distance, was punctuated by Mandy’s infectious laugh. She recounted events from the night after Nicole had left the pub.

‘You missed a doozy.’

‘Sounds like it,’ Nicole said.

‘I understand why you left, though. Cove people can be a little full on if you’re not used to them. Especially when it comes to their footy, and especially when they have their first win in years.’

‘It wasn’t bad,’ Nicole said. ‘Just a bit intense.’

‘Intense is one way to put it!’ Mandy turned to face her, looking serious all of a sudden. ‘So, what exactly brings you to our little corner of the world, Nicole? Don’t get me wrong, I love this place, but it’s a bit out of left field for someone like you, I’d say.’

‘Someone like me?’

‘A celebrity. Don’t they normally go to Bora Bora, or Paris? Or Byron Bay even?’

Nicole laughed. ‘I’m hardly a celebrity.’

‘Sure you are! You wrote that amazing book,’ Mandy said. ‘And in my eyes that makes you a celebrity.’

Nicole grimaced.

‘Oh, you don’t have to say anything. I’m just glad you’re here. Maybe we can run a piece in the Cove Chronicle about our brush with fame.’

Nicole dropped her teacup and it hit the saucer with a loud clang. ‘No. Please don’t.’

Mandy raised an eyebrow. ‘Not if you don’t want to. Of course.’

Nicole knew she had to change the subject and a thought came to her. ‘I was wondering if you could help me with something.’

‘Anything,’ Mandy said quickly.

‘How much do you know about Ivy Wilson?’

‘Ivy?’ Mandy looked surprised. ‘Not a lot more than I told you about that night at dinner.’

‘Oh, that’s right. I just wondered …’ how could she get round this without giving too much away, ‘… if there was any more to her story. The real estate agent I signed the lease with gave away nothing. What’s the deal exactly with Ivy?’