Every bone in Kate's body is aching as she closes the front door behind her and shuffles into the lounge room to find Cal perched on the lounge and digging into a bowl of ice cream. "You smell like smoke." She says by way of greeting, muting the television and shifting to better face Kate. Kate flops down on the lounge beside her sister, sinking into the cushions. Like pretty much all the furniture they owned, the lounge is second-hand, one Kate had bought at a garage sale and reupholstered. She picks at a loose thread with disinterest. "So, house fire?" Cal guesses, sniffing the air.
"No, it was a warehouse." Kate presses her face into her t-shirt for a moment and inhales, before wincing. Evidently the half-can of deodorant she'd sprayed all over herself wasn't enough to mask the smell of the fire. Barely suppressing a yawn, Kate closes her eyes and leans back. "We're pretty sure it was arson."
"Shit." Cal groans. "Anyone hurt?"
"Thankfully no. And we managed to get the blaze under control before it threatened other businesses so..." Kate trails off, taking a swig from a mug on the coffee table. "How was your day?" When Cal doesn't reply, Kate opens her eyes once more in time to catch Cal throwing a disgusted look over at Kate. "What?"
"You know that coffee you just drank has been on the table since you made it about 24 hours ago?"
Kate shrugs, closing her eyes once more. "The caffeine content is more important than the temperature." Kate defends. "Did you finish your assessments?"
"Yes! I tell you, psych is weird. But it was an interesting class today. It gave me lots to think about, which I am now suppressing with bad TV and ice cream." Cal beams. "You want to join?"
The honest answer is yes. Kate would love nothing more than to sit on the lounge for as long as she possibly can, but now that Cal has mentioned it, all she can smell is smoke. Perhaps a long bath, and then she'll treat herself to comfy pyjamas and junk food. "I think I need a bath first."
"Good call." Cal nods, before calling after her retreating back. "But don't forget Rose is here. Her Dad's going to pick her up in about half an hour so... make sure you're decent."
"What?" Kate groans. "Today?"
"Well, unless we decide to kidnap the poor kid, then yeah." Cal flashes Kate a look somewhere in between incredulity and amusement. "I don't know what your problem is with the guy." Cal turns back to the TV once more. "Truth be told, I kind of think he likes you, Sis."
She's not washing her hair for Mike Flynn's benefit, and she especially didn't shave her legs for him, or put on moisturiser and just a dash of perfume. No, she's earned the right to a little luxury, after the day she's had, and just because Mike Bloody Flynn has decided to insert himself into her life... well, it doesn't mean she can't pamper herself just a little.
She has just emerged from the bathroom when he knocks on the door, and even his bloody knock is annoying, an irritating rat-a-tat-tat that seems to drag on forever. Kate wrenches the front door open and glares at him, his fist poised in the air.
She has half a mind to leave him on the front doorstep, but she knows from experience that Bridie will manage to squeeze out another ten or so minutes of friend time before Rose has to leave. "Hi." He greets cheerfully, before adopting a frown on his face. "It's Kate, right?"
If she bumps him with the screen door as she opens it, it's completely unintentional, and it's with a small twinge of amusement that she watches him rub at the spot on his leg as she ushers him inside. "Coffee?" She's far from playing the dutiful house warmer; rather, she knows that if she at least has something to do, she won't have to talk to him. He nods, and she moves into the kitchen to flick the kettle on, not caring whether he follows or not.
"This is a nice place." Mike muses, looking around. She can't imagine just what he's complimenting - most of their decorative possessions are still packed in the boxes all pushed against the walls. But then he fingers a photo pinned to the fridge of a much younger Callista, cradling baby Bridie in her arms. She has to fight the urge to tug the photo from his grasp.
"Sugar?" She asks, in a sugary sweet voice, adding her usual three scoops of coffee to a mug out of habit.
"One, please. And, my word, that's a lot of coffee." He leans closer, peering into her cup. "I mean, you're barely tall enough to pass as an adult. I bet you still get carded at bars! And you're injecting what is, to put it mildly, a very severe heart attack of caffeine into your body."
"I work shift work." Kate answers simply, making sure to keep his gaze as she tips two scoops of sugar into her mug.
"Ah, see that's why I like being my own boss." Mike still looks distinctly concerned as he peers at Kate's coffee mug, but continues talking all the same. "I get to work whatever hours I choose."
"Sounds relaxing." Kate quips.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." He accuses, and Kate supposes it had been made to sound like it. "I guess I was just never one for following other people's rules."
"And why does that not surprise me?" She murmurs in a sing-song voice.
He grins, leaning slightly closer to her and lowering his voice. "And let me guess? You were that annoying kid in school that reminded the teacher about homework?"
"No." She doesn't shy away from his closeness. On the contrary, she takes a step forwards, so that they're nearly toe-to-toe, and despite the fact that she's a head shorter than him, he gulps and takes a step back, hitting her bench top. "I was the kid that punched out kids like you."
He tries his best to recover. "Ooh, anger issues as well. How cliched. So tell me," He leans back, looking too damn relaxed for her liking. "How does a woman like you end up a firefighter?"
"It was in my horoscope." Kate answers, almost immediately. She's used to giving answers like this, really. Used to the questions about why someone like her would choose a career like that. At least he hadn't called her a girl.
"Fine." Mike looks unaffected. "Then why did you move to Cairns?"
"The weather was nicer." She deadpans.
"See?" Mike jabs a hand in her direction. "You don't even try to be nice."
"Well, maybe I just don't want to make small talk with you." She points out. She pours the water into the mugs and sets his down perhaps a little too heavily upon the benchtop, before passing him the carton of milk from the fridge, taking her own coffee black.
"Would it be such a crime to get to know each other?" He adds the milk and stirs, before blowing on his mug to cool the liquid.
"Fine! What do you do, Mr I'm-my-own-boss?"
"Well, Miss I-pick-up-men-in-bars-and-punish-them-for-it-" Kate turns her head around quickly, making sure that the kitchen is free from overhearing ears, before glaring at him. "I make boats."
"Boats?" Kate repeats. Of all of the career choices, this is the last one she expects. "Like... model boats?"
"No. Like... real boats." He shrugs. "Have a warehouse in Manunda. I mainly make kayaks - they sell the best. But wooden dinghys as well. I mean, it's mainly a hobby for now. Although I do get paid. But for a job I own a fleet of pleasure craft and rent them out for charters."
"That's... interesting." Kate concedes.
He holds a hand over his heart. "Why, Kate McGregor, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. And, I mean, it's a bit less interesting than chasing after pyros and sliding down poles but hey, I like it." He grins at her. "So... your sister? Is her head always wrapped in cling wrap?"
"Seems like it." Kate shrugs, used to Cal's frequent hair colour changes. "She's dying it who-knows-what colour."
"You should do yours." Mike grins, flicking a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Bit of turquoise and purple at the ends, you know?"
She pulls away from his touch, glaring. "Oh, so you're one of those guys who thinks it's okay to just touch a woman without her permission."
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. "I truly apologise, dear Kate." He flashes her a wink. "You haven't been returning my calls, by the way."
"Well, you're not saying anything I particularly care about."
"But what colour corsage will I get you for the school dance?" He makes a show of blinking innocently up at her. Kate rolls her eyes, before calling down the hall.
"Rose! Your Dad's here, honey!"
"Kicking my family out?" Mike presses, grinning as though this was the outcome he'd been aiming for in the end anyway.
"Oh, Mike..." Kate takes a step closer to him. "Rose is welcome anytime."
"So, are we going to talk about it?" Cal uses the giant stuffed bunny she's holding as a puppet, adopting a squeaky voice and moving the rabbit's head.
"Talk about what?" Kate tries to direct her question towards her sister, but finds the stuffed toy blocking her gaze. Kate finds herself wishing she'd just stopped playing the game when she had the chance, but it was so satisfying to shoot the toy ducks (and maybe imagine Mike's face on them), and Bridie had been more than thrilled to claim the prize. "Can you get that thing out of here?"
"Hey, you won it, not me!" Cal protests. "I'm just holding it for Bridie." They both watch as Bridie swings around, feet kicking joyfully in the air on the swing ride. "And anyway, don't change the subject. You were flirting with Mike Flynn!"
"No, I wasn't." Kate protests, batting away the bunny's accusing arm. "He's obnoxious and rude and really annoying."
"And kind of cute, in a let's-make-love-on-a-houseboat-in-the-middle-of-a-deserted-river kind of way." She hoists the bunny onto her hip, before poking Kate in the arm. "Come on, Katie! You deserve a little fun." Watching Kate's face glow in the light of the dozen amusement rides around them, she adds, in a decidedly more serious tone, "They don't all turn out like Patrick, you know."
"I know that." Kate snaps, rather harshly.
"Do you?" Cal presses. "Because every guy you've seen since Patrick, you've kept at arms length."
She doesn't want to get onto the subject of Bridie's father - not now, and probably not ever. So instead she shakes her head. "I... I don't have time for a relationship."
"You do. You're just stubborn about it." The swing ride slows, and Kate shakes her head.
"Look, I don't... I don't want to talk about this now, okay? Right now, I just want to settle into work and... and have fun at a carnival with my family, okay?"
"Okay." Cal nods, before suddenly wrapping an arm around her sister. "You know I love you, right?"
Kate grins and ruffles her sister's hair. "I love you more, Kiddo." She grins, before turning to the other amusement rides. "Roller coaster?"
"Adrenaline junkie." Cal mutters under her breath as they make their way towards the ride.