Page 67 of The Wedding Forecast

‘Who is that?’ Mum says.

I realise the tiniest edge of Mac’s shoulder must have come into view very very briefly. Mum could solve a murder case in two hours. She misses nothing.

‘Nothing. No one,’ I say. Mac looks at me weirdly when I say this.

‘There’s a man in your room,’ Mum says.

‘It’s Luke’s friend Mac. You remember, from the wedding. He’s been showing us around.’ I turn the iPad to face him and he waves.

‘Hi Mac,’ the mums chorus.

‘Where’s Hayley?’ Mum says.

‘She’s still at her conference.’

The mums chat to me for another minute or so, and then my mum says, ‘Anna can you take me off speaker for a sec.’

‘Sure.’

I plug in my airpods and head into the bathroom.

‘Do you have pepper spray? You know it’s legal there. And other weapons of that sort,’ Mum says.

‘I don’t have any weapons with me, no.’

‘Did you give Mac a key to your room?’

‘No.’

‘Because you shouldn’t give anyone access to your room.’ When I’m travelling, Mum goes into panic mode and forgets she ever encouraged me to date or meet new people.

‘No one has access to our room,’ I say.

‘Is there something going on between you and Mac?’ Bobbi asks. Gossip is still her focus.

‘No, we’re just friends.’

‘Anna, be really careful,’ Mum says.

‘Mum, I need you to remember I am an adult woman on a holiday in a major city that is probably safer than Melbourne.’

‘I just get nervous when you’re on the other side of the world, honey.’

‘I know. And I have to go.’

‘Go somewhere crowded,’ Bobbi says. ‘It will ease your mother’s mind.’

‘Not too crowded,’ Mum adds.

‘Why?’

‘You can be crushed to death if there’s a panic or a fire,’ she says.

‘On that happy note, I’ll speak to you both tomorrow.’

‘I love you so much and so does your father,’ Mum says.

‘Where is he?’