‘Lily, not now,’ Oli says firmly. ‘Do you need something?’

‘Not really.’ She sighs loudly. ‘I just want to complain about Rebecca.’

There’s the slightest tension on Oli’s foot as they hit an incline, and the car shifts into a lower gear. The road becomes slightly rougher, with cat’s eyes running along the dividing line in the middle. The houses start to thin out, replaced by long stretches of ferns and native grass.

‘What’s Rebecca done now?’ Oli surveys the intersection ahead.

Lily groans. ‘She’s like a ghost popping up all the bloody time—a money-grubbing, evil bitch ghost who has no pride and no morals. Basically she’s just doing her standard bullshit. Anyway, don’t worry, I can complain later. Can I call you tonight?’

‘Maybe.’ Oli is now pretty sure that Lily has been drinking. ‘I don’t know how late I’ll be.’

‘Seriously, Ol, isn’t Dean loaded? Surely you can stop busting your balls?’ Lily sighs. ‘Anyway, you’re lucky Isabelle’s dead, that’s all I can say. I wouldn’t wish an alive ex-wife on anyone. Also, Mum wants you to call her.’

Lily hangs up. The white noise in the car amplifies, and Oli clears her throat in an attempt to banish the awkwardness.

‘My mum’s always at me to call her,’ Cooper says after a few moments. ‘And I still live at home!’

Oli reaches past him and pulls open the dashboard compartment, retrieving the packet of cigarettes from under the car-care manual. She hits the button to wind down her window.

His Adam’s apple protrudes awkwardly. ‘I thought you didn’t smoke at work?’

She eases a cigarette into her mouth straight from the packet and flicks her lighter, leaning toward the flame. ‘I do today.’

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

ABOUT HALFWAY UP THE MOUNTAIN, THE GPS ON OLI’S PHONE REALLY starts to lose it. The guiding arrow on the screen goes haywire, swinging wildly from left to right. Dawn is texting her, wanting updates, and Oli impatiently flicks the alerts off the screen with her left thumb, while trying to keep a grip on the cigarette in her right hand. ‘Come on, come on,’ she mutters, using her knees to steady the steering wheel.

‘Here,’ Cooper offers, clearly alarmed, as he loads Google Maps on his phone. ‘I’m with Telstra.’

‘So?’

‘They have the best network coverage.’ He relaxes into his seat. ‘So, back to my idea about you co-hosting the pod. What do you think?’

Oli groans inwardly. This kid is relentless. ‘I’m a print journalist, Cooper.’

‘So far. But who knows what might happen next! You could switch to TV, radio, or something completely unrelated to journalism. Did you know that on average these days people will have up to four different careers?’