Laura ventured one instead. “I don’t understand why you’re even friends with her.” She took a bite of the apple she’d whipped from the fruit basket before her mum had taken it away. “It’s not as if you’ve got anything in common.”

“We have lots in common.”

“Like what?”

“Books, movies—”

“How often do you go to the movies?”

“We do the odd trip to Port Lincoln together, see a movie, go shopping. Well, we used to…” Kate faltered. “I don’t know if we will much in the future.”

“Why not?” Bree asked.

Kate’s pale cheeks went pink. She looked down at her boots. “Bit of a difference of opinion.”

“Over what?”

“Nothing much.” Kate looked up again. “Anyway we don’t have to leave the house to see movies. We do have Netflix. Unlike some other rural dwellers I know.” Kate gave her parents a pointed look and Laura, happy to have an ally, joined her in the stare. The Kings’ television was old and suggestions they should buy a new model and subscribe to any form of paid entertainment always went unheeded. They’d only installed a wireless network in the last few years. Natalie either didn’t hear Kate’s dig or ignored it. She had her head in the back of the four-wheel drive packing things away and the two blokes had wandered back to their bikes and were having a smoke.

“We rural dwellers have enough to do without it.” Milt took the bait.

“You’re always complaining there’s nothing to watch,” Kate said in the teasy voice she used when she was trying to cajole her dad.

“Then I do something else.”

“But sometimes I don’t want to do something else,” Laura said. “Sometimes it’s good to veg in front of a movie.”

“Or binge on a series,” Kate said.

Milt shook his head and tossed the dregs of his tea to the ground. “Now you’re talking another language.”

“Maybe you could buy a new TV while I’m home, get Netflix. I could set it up for you.” Laura had only just thought of it and she was enthused by the idea. She’d had a Netflix subscription but she’d cancelled when she quit her job. She only had so much money and she had no idea how long it would be before she found something else. Thank goodness she had her parents to rely on till then. “You need a smart TV these days, Dad.”

“I don’t want any electronic equipment telling me what to do.” Milt put his hands to his hips and stretched backward. “Anyway, luckily for my bank balance the shops are shut now.”

“There’s online shopping these days, you know, Dad. Anytime, anywhere.”

“I prefer to support our local shops.”