‘Are you a local? I haven’t seen you around before.’

Penny shakes her head. ‘New to town.’

The woman’s face lights up. ‘Oh, welcome!’ She looks genuinely pleased at the possibility of friendship. ‘What street are you on?’

‘Weatherley.’

The woman considers this a moment. ‘I didn’t know anything had sold along there?’

‘I’m renting one of the furnished units,’ Penelope says, feeling a little unsettled at giving out so much information.

She looks relieved that she’s gotten to the bottom of it. ‘My husband works at the local real estate,’ the woman explains, ‘so I usually know when new people have moved to town.’

‘I’m renting privately.’ Penelope’s words are clipped.

‘Join me?’ The woman indicates towards the wine. ‘I thought I might have another glass.’ Her eyes are hopeful and friendly.

But Penelope doesn’t let herself be tempted. ‘I really better be going.’ She begins to gather her things.

‘What a shame.’ The woman’s face falls. The rejection seems to hit her harder than Penelope had anticipated and for a moment she feels a stab of guilt.

She offers a polite goodbye before hurrying off, craving a walk, a release from once again feeling like she’s let someone down. She digs into her bag for her phone, forcing herself not to look at the screen. Instead she flicks open the back, rips out the SIM and chucks it into a bin without letting herself give it a second thought.

Chapter 3

3

‘I ran into Parko today,’ Drew says as he gets out of Darcy’s parents’ shower and wraps a towel around his waist.

‘Yeah?’ Darcy leans towards the mirror as she applies some mascara, getting ready for a little family barbecue to celebrate her dad’s birthday. She’d finished audition week on The One and even though she could have slept the whole weekend away, they’d decided to drive up to their hometown. She curses under her breath when some mascara clumps at the end of her lashes. She bought a new brand last week and every time she uses it, she ends up spending more time pinching the clumps off than she does applying it in the first place.

‘He said there’s a position coming up.’

Parko is the head of PE at Gloucester High, their old high school. ‘What? Here?’ Her fingers are now black with mascara.

‘Yeah,’ Drew says, leaning across her to grab his toothbrush. She prickles as he drips water onto her dress. She steps to the side, straddling the toilet to give him space.

‘For you?’ She’s confused.

‘Yeah, why not?’

Darcy almost laughs. ‘Because we live in Sydney. It’d be a bit of a commute, wouldn’t it?’

He’s started brushing his teeth, but pauses for a second, watching her reflection in the mirror. ‘It’s probably just going to be a ten-week block. It’s mine if I want it.’