Our Kind of Love by Victoria Purman

her. ‘Hey, Lizzie was disappointed you couldn’t make it. But we did have company for breakfast.’ Dan crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Joe turned up for about five seconds and said he’d seen you and that you were heading back home. Lizzie sent me here to find out what’s going on.’
    Anna looked into her lap. ‘I’ve got to get back to Adelaide. I’ve got so much to do.’
    ‘That’s interesting. Things to do on a Sunday,’ Dan pondered, rubbing the growth on his chin ‘What would they be?’ He sat down next to her, reached out an arm on the back of the sofa.
    ‘Stuff. I’ve got to do stuff. Lots of stuff.’
    Dan’s cynical look said he wasn’t buying it. ‘Anna, you know that I know what’s waiting for you back in Adelaide. If you stay here, you can avoid going home to your empty house. And, double bonus, you can also avoid your family.’
    Anna sighed and her twitchy fingers found good old St Christopher. ‘I know, I know, I have to tell them.’
    ‘That Catholic guilt will get you in the end, you know.’
    ‘God Dan, when did you get so smart?’ She felt a lump in her throat. Maybe this was part of feeling safe, she thought, knowing that Dan had her back.
    ‘What do you think? I learnt from the best. Six months ago, you helped me get my head out of my arse enough to see how much of my life I was missing. I’m just returning the favour, sweetheart.’
    Anna wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheek. ‘I’ll tell them. I will. I don’t know what they’re going to say. You know this will be the first divorce in the family? And by that I mean, ever, in the whole family. Even my Uncle Peter didn’t get divorced when his wife ran off to Darwin with the lead singer from that Cold Chisel tribute band.’
    ‘Oh yeah,’ Dan grinned. ‘I remember Maria. She used to wear that very, very short leather skirt.’
    Anna smacked him playfully on the arm. ‘Why am I not surprised you remember her? When she got sick of the touring and the Jimmy Barnes wannabe, she came back home with her tail between her legs and he took her back. The whole thing was swept under the carpet. It was like nothing had ever happened.’
    Dan lifted his feet and rested them on the coffee table. God, she envied how relaxed he seemed to be now. He was stretching out beside her while she felt as wound up as a slinky.
    ‘You don’t think things have changed?’ he asked. ‘You reckon your parents would want you to stay with Alex after what he’s done to you?’
    Anna huffed. ‘Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. I can’t think.’ Anna leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees, and let her head fall into her hands. Dan patted her back reassuringly and she took comfort in the simple gesture.
    ‘Look, you know you have to tell them. It’ll cut you up inside until you do. Just don’t do it today. Wait until your Wednesday night family dinner when everyone’s had a bellyful of food and wine. You still have those, don’t you?’
    Anna turned, looked at Dan. ‘You remember our Wednesday night dinner?’
    ‘You kidding? They used to scare the hell out of me, sitting there with your dad. He never liked me, you know.’
    ‘I know.’ Anna laughed at the memory of what seemed like a million conversations she’d endured with her father about Dan. His opposition to their relationship with Dan wasn’t the reason they’d broken up all those years ago. It seemed they were better friends than they ever were lovers. And the kicker was that they’d loved Alex from the day they’d met him. Hell, they still did. And out of Dan and Alex, who was the better man? Hands down, it wasn’t her husband.
    ‘You’re right, Dan. I’ll tell them on Wednesday night. That gives me three whole days to figure out what to say.’
    Anna flopped back on the couch, looked out to the sky and listened to the white noise of the distant waves on the beach. Getting up and driving away now would require a whole lot of energy. Energy