‘It’s beautiful here. Thank you for allowing me to come.’ He spread his hands and gestured to the windows, to the room in general. When her mother put a bowl in front of him, he asked, ‘Is that pumpkin soup? My favourite.’ He sniffed it appreciatively and took another admiring glance around the room.

Ava wondered fleetingly what he saw. Their kitchen was open plan, like the rest of the house, except for the original hallway and the formal sitting room. The walls were white, the rooms airy with lots of cane, magazines scattered across the side tables, and a couple of resilient plants spreading quietly in pots in the corner.

He was returning her regard when she turned back, and she felt her cheeks warm at the appreciation he directed not at the room but more personally at her. She tried not to blush and give Mim something else to crow about.

Mim wouldn’t have missed any of it. She was busy perusing the full breadth of him sitting at their table, his broad shoulders taking up the whole of the carver chair back, and she even patted his hand. Ava stifled a laugh as she saw the funny side of her grandmother’s approval.

Mim smiled at him, her mobile face easily drawing a return smile from Zac, and waved her hand as if she’d known him for years. ‘It’s lovely to have you here, Zac. A new face to brighten us up.’

He looked smitten. Ava remembered the story he had told on the way in and changed the subject. ‘Zac worked in Weipa for a couple of weeks.’

Stella paused and her brows drew together. ‘Really? I know a nurse who worked up there. I’d love to hear about that while you’re here.’

So over the lunch table, the three of them sat and listened to Zac’s description of the gulf communities, crocodiles and other exotic wildlife, and medical emergencies managed with the barest of essentials. Ava felt a stirring of almost envy at his words. Maybe Weipa could be a bolthole if she needed it. It was a little more distant from home, wilder, and full of unusual characters. Zac had mentioned the most extraordinary patients escaping the world – or hiding – in the Top End. It sounded so fascinating and like a true challenge. She would definitely enjoy the experience.

‘I’ve always been captivated by remote medicine. And Weipa sounds a little different to what I do now,’ Ava said.

He shook his head. ‘It’s primitive, stinking hot and the mosquitoes try to kill you all the time.’

She returned his stare calmly. ‘You seem to like it well enough. Are you attempting to scare me off being attracted to Arnhem Land?’ Ava teased him and surprisingly he bit back.

‘Are you interested enough that I have to worry?’