Yesterday she’d been restless after Gabe had left. Knowing he wouldn’t be calling in took the shine off the day but not her decision to stay. She’d tossed aside the book she’d been reading. The main character had decided she must leave her husband and Natalie wasn’t sure if she was making the right decision. The story had unsettled her.

Today she wanted to get out and do something. She glanced around the tidy cabin. She’d cleaned out the fridge and scribbled a list of items she needed. The bed was made and the floor swept. She knew Rosie would do it again. It was her job to clean the cabins and although Natalie had said she was happy to do her own, she always knew when she returned after her morning walk or a swim that Rosie had been there. The coffee and tea were topped up, a chair straightened, the fresh smell of pine in the bathroom.

A vehicle rolled to a stop outside.

She opened the back door as Rosie climbed out of her four-wheel drive.

“Hi, Natalie. Sorry I haven’t seen much of you the last few days,” Rosie said. “I’ve been busy. My cousin’s been away and I’ve been doing her jobs as well as mine. She’s back now.” Rosie stopped below the step, looking up at Natalie. “I wondered if you’d like to come to my place for a cuppa?”

Natalie was grateful for the distraction. “I’d love to, thanks.” She pulled the door shut behind her and followed Rosie to her vehicle.

Rosie lived with her mother in a new house on the other edge of the community. Natalie had only seen it from the distance on one of her walks. The map of the community had been clear about where visitors could and couldn’t go and she respected the privacy of the locals who lived here. Her time with Gabe had always been spent out away from the community or at her cabin. She didn’t even know if he had his own place or stayed with someone else when he was here.

They pulled up under a carport that was lined with bright-leafed plants and Natalie followed Rosie past a garden overflowing with lush tropical vegetation and taller frangipani, and then under an arbour of bougainvillea leading to the front door.

“Come in.”

Inside she felt the instant relief of cool, clear air. There was a sleek air conditioner purring from high on the wall, so different to the old machine in her cabin, which was efficient but made a heck of a racket.

“This is lovely,” Natalie said, taking in the simple lines of the modern home.

“Much better than my old house. Especially on days like this. The windows keep most of the dirt out. I hate windy days here. Damn pindan gets into everything.”

“Pindan?”

Rosie cast her arm towards the window. “Red dirt.”