Quickly she grabbed her bathers from her beach bag and was halfway dressed when she heard a car. Damn it. She ducked behind her door to finish dressing. Not that it wasn’t something Tony hadn’t seen before, but he was in a relationship now, and she didn’t want to put him in an awkward situation especially if his girlfriend was with him.
An old white ute came into view and she jolted, placing a hand to her chest as she gasped. What was Matt doing here?
He parked next to her and got out. “Hey, what are you up to?”
“That was my question.”
He shrugged. “I noticed you turn off.”
She hadn’t seen him at all which was unusual since there wasn’t much traffic on the road. “Where have you been?”
“Around.” He grinned and her traitorous heart skipped a beat.
He’d been vague when he’d left the house earlier, saying something about having errands to run. “You got a new girl?” She kept her voice light, teasing, but her stomach cramped at the thought.
He chuckled. “No. You got a new guy?”
It would be easy to lie and say yes, but Tony didn’t deserve the trouble it might cause. “Nope.”
She was saved from any further questions as Tony arrived towing his small fibreglass boat. Matt glanced into her car and spotted the beach bag. “You’re going to the shipwreck.”
Crap. She nodded, because there was no point denying it.
“By yourself?” he asked incredulous. “We don’t know Stonefish is finished out there. It could be dangerous.”
She hadn’t considered that. Surely the consortium knew the police had scoured the island. They wouldn’t be back any time soon. She didn’t answer, just grabbed her bag and walked down the boat ramp to help Tony unhitch.
Tony glanced at Matt behind her. “A romantic outing?”
“No!” If only. She grimaced as she shook her head. “He’s a tag along.”
“What are you up to?”
“I’m doing observations on the Humpback whales,” she lied. “It’s volunteer stuff.”
“Cool. Listen, the phone reception’s crap out here. What time do you think you’ll be back?”
“About four.”
“Great, I’ll be back then.”
“Thanks, Tony.”
“Not a problem.” He waved as Matt came over, carrying a small esky. “Hey, Matt.”
“Tony. How’s things?”
“Great. I’m glad you’re going with Georgie. I don’t like the idea of her going out alone.”
“Hey, I’m right here,” Georgie protested. “I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, but accidents happen.” He waved and jumped back into his car before she could defend herself further.
She huffed out a breath, looking at the esky in Matt’s hand. “You’re not coming with me.” She didn’t need the extra stress of pretending to be just friends.
“Of course I am. Darcy would kill me if I let you go out on your own.”
She growled. “I’m a grown woman.”
