SUMMER'S END

4

"If you don't mind me asking..." Nicki sat opposite Robyn on the patio. "How old are you?" She'd brought an ice bucket from the kitchen holding a six-pack of Singha. They each sipped one from the bottle.
"Still young enough not to mind the question." Despite them sitting under the sun shield, a shiny glimmer caught Robyn's hair. "I'm twenty-four and, as of recently, officially the black sheep of the Fenty
family." Robyn opened her palms to the sky as if presenting herself.
"Plenty of time to turn that around then." Nicki took a swig from her beer, but kept her eyes on Robyn.
Robyn chuckled. "Maybe I don't want to turn it around. Maybe I've just had enough."
Nicki arched up her eyebrows in response.
"How very dramatic of me." Robyn pulled one leg up onto her chair. "But people do say it's easier to talk to a stranger."
"We've seen each other in bikinis. We're hardly strangers anymore." Nicki was taken aback by the words exiting her mouth. She looked away for an instant before facing Robyn again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's quite all right." Robyn brushed a stray strand of hair away from her forehead. "If I could look like you when I'm your age-" Robyn brought her hand to her mouth. "Gosh, now it's my turn to
apologise, I mean, I don't even know how old you are," she stuttered. Nicki wondered if the blush creeping up her cheeks was visible. She hoped not. "Thirty-seven on Saturday."
"Saturday?" Robyn's eyes grew a little wider. "Really?" She seemed to have recovered from her earlier slip-up. "Are you having a party?"
Nicki relaxed back into her chair. "I'm not really one for celebrating anymore."
"Oh." Robyn looked at her through squinted eyes.
"Besides, I'm working."
"Are you always working?" Robyn placed her empty bottle on the table. "Is it just you here?"
"I employ two people to clean the rooms and do the dishes, but I manage all the rest." Not that there was so much to manage. Nicki didn't feel as if she was running a business. She considered the people who came to stay at the lodge more houseguests than customers. Sometimes, a few days went by without visitors, and that was fine by her as well. She didn't advertise The Red Lodge on the internet. Everyone who stayed here, arrived either by chance, by
word-of-mouth, or because of the flyers she had delivered to a few choice establishments in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
"What if someone has a special request?" Robyn reached for another bottle of beer, uncapped it with the beer opener tied to the bucket and handed it to Nicki.
"Like what?" Nicki accepted the beer.
"A birthday cake delivery." Robyn grinned at her and only now did Nicki notice how her smile dimpled her cheeks.
"I'm always very upfront with my guests about what's possible and what's not." She placed the cool bottom of the bottle on her thigh. "But if someone wants to celebrate their birthday here, they're
very welcome and I will make some calls."
"God, you really are British, aren't you?" Robyn mock-sighed.
"How can you possibly tell?" Nicki made an extra effort to sound as stiff and posh as possible.
Robyn burst out in a little giggle before a silence fell between them.
"You must be hungry?" Nicki's caring instinct kicked in.
"Shall I fix us some dinner?"
"You do the cooking as well?" Robyn had drawn up both her legs and slung her arms around them, her chin resting on her knees. She looked ten years younger than her age in that position.
"You make it sound like a chore." Nicki stood up. "A full house means six guests, and that's a rarity. It's really no trouble."
"Do you have a menu?"
"No." Nicki was surprised at the sudden harshness that had crept into her voice-it rarely happened that guests had that effect on her. She quickly corrected herself. "Do you have any allergies I
should know about?" She recognised her reaction, though. But she knew how to be careful.
"None. Thanks." Robyn was still looking up at her.
"Dinner in about an hour?"
"Sounds great."
"There's no dress code by the way." She only mentioned it because Robyn-even when wet from swimming in the sea and relaxed with a beer in her hand-looked like the kind of girl who was used to dressing up for dinner.
"Do you need help?"
Nicki wasn't expecting that question.
"Can you cook?" She felt a smile tug at her lips. The girl is full of surprises.
"A little. I took some classes back home and a chef with a name so long I can't possibly remember it taught me how to make a mean curry when I was up north."
"If you can chop a vegetable without losing a finger, you're very welcome in my kitchen." Cooking was always such a solitary, meditative time for Nicki, but she didn't mind the intrusion. "I'm just going to freshen up first. Get out of this bikini."
"If you must." Robyn winked at her and Nicki felt the blush rise again. She quickly made her way inside and pretended she hadn't heard. Maybe Robyn wasn't the spoiled little brat she had- admittedly-first taken her for. Even so, Nicki made a mental note to make it absolutely clear that her birthday was not an event to be celebrated.