Page 92 of Not So Very Sensible

“Do you want to call Jordan to come watch it too?”

“Hmm, I might call him and see if he still wants to go out. He won’t have gotten too far, and I could meet him there.”

“I feel bad for breaking up your date plans.”

“Hey, it’s not broken, just delayed a little, but we might still be able to sort it out. If Ellie doesn’t mind staying here with you.”

“I’ve got Charlie. He’s good company,” Katie said, as Emma-Jane’s cat wove between their legs before leaping up onto Katie’s lap, like he sensed she needed a cuddle.

“I’m happy to stay. Just point me in the direction of the nearest takeaway Thai menu.”

Five minutes later, after ordering chicken and cashew nuts (Ellie’s go-to) and pork in plum sauce (Katie’s), plus a selection of sides, they were on the living room couch, watching Emma-Jane’s stylish self slip into high heels. “I’ll be back by midnight!”

“Else you’ll turn into a pumpkin.”

“Good thing Jordan loves pumpkin,” Emma-Jane winked, then departed.

“It was good that Jordan was able to change his plans yet again,” Katie murmured.

“Blessed are the flexible, for they bend and don’t break.”

Jordan had come by train early this morning to run with Emma-Jane; then the two of them had hung out until Ellie and Katie had arrived midafternoon. He’d stayed until sunset, then caught a train home, cancelling his planned evening with Emma-Jane, until he received a call from her encouraging him to get off at Central Station and catch another train back to meet her at Circular Quay.

“Jordan is a good man,” Ellie continued, without thinking.

Katie’s breath shuddered, and she realised how it might be received.

She grabbed her sister’s hand and gently squeezed. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Okay?”

“How can you know that?”

“Because God is in control.”

Katie nodded, then settled into watching the show while Ellie made rice to go with their meal. She didn’t believe in paying for rice they could easily make themselves. Sensible as always.

Forty minutes later, they’d enjoyed their meal, and Katie’s blinks were getting longer. Ellie bit back a smile, watching her sister’s head loll as she defiantly tried, like a small child, to stay awake.

Ellie moved the plate containing the last spring roll from her sister’s blanket-covered stomach, as it was in danger of falling to the floor. “Hey, you can watch the rest of this tomorrow after church.”

“Want to watch it now,” Katie mumbled.

“Okay then.”

She let her sister continue, but the subject matter didn’t really interest her. But the talk of forensics and detectives reminded her of someone else. “Do you remember Chris Brandon?”

“Who?”

“That detective we sat next to at the murder mystery weekend.”

“Oh. Him. What about him?”

“I reckon this is the kind of stuff he’d do.”

Katie peered at her. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh.”