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‘Get up,’ he says. ‘I’m taking you somewhere.’

I pull myself up onto my elbows.

‘Where?’

‘It’s a surprise,’ he replies.

God, I’ve had enough of those.

‘You’ve got twenty minutes,’ he says.

‘Then I can do my hair or my make-up,’ I half joke.

‘You don’t need to dress up for this,’ he says. ‘See you soon.’

Ha, little does he know, I’m always dressed up. Even my minimal make-up requires a shitload of make-up.

I climb out of bed and start getting ready. Do I tell him that I went out with Jamie last night? I suppose I could, if we get a quiet moment later. It wasn’t a big deal, and he did get me there under false pretences. I suppose I didn’t have to stay, but it was only dinner. I’ll see how I feel as the day goes on.

Twenty-nine minutes later (which, honestly, I’m impressed by), I head to the hotel lobby, looking for Eddy.

Eddy is waiting outside beside a taxi. He has a coffee in one hand and a second cup balanced on the roof, which he grabs and hands to me when I arrive. Oh, thank God, something to wake me up.

‘Thanks so much,’ I say.

‘You’re welcome,’ he replies. ‘Let’s go.’

I notice that he’s wearing tracksuit bottoms and a vest, so we can’t be going anywhere too fancy.

‘Where are we headed?’ I ask.

‘You’ll see,’ he replies.

‘Am I dressed okay?’ I check.

I’m wearing an orange sundress with skinny straps and a low back, and a pair of black strappy sandals.

‘Yes,’ he replies. ‘And you look great.’

I smile, because he didn’t have to say that.

We drive away from the beach and through the city, eventually joining a wider road that takes us back out of town a little.

We drive for another fifteen minutes before turning into the grounds of a stadium – the Sydney Snakes.

‘We’re not here to run training drills, are we?’ I check.

‘You’re not,’ he replies.

‘Wow, it makes the Evergreen look like an allotment,’ I joke.

‘Rugby league’s a bigger deal over here,’ he replies.

There are a few cars already parked near the entrance, along with a small minibus.

As we get closer, I see children climbing out of it. There are about twenty of them, all different ages, maybe eight to fourteen, all wearing shorts and T-shirts. A tall, broad man with silver hair stands beside the minibus, greeting them as they arrive.

He sees Eddy and raises one arm.