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We entered through a side gate, following another guy in.
My experience of barbecue parties was of drunken youths with more beer than food, burnt sausages—the cheapest in the supermarket—slices of bread, and gallons of ketchup to cover the taste.
This one was more like I’d expect in a movie. Two giant, gas, multi-burner barbecues stood on the deck, cooking everything from cubed meat and veg on skewers, to grilled haloumi cheese, delicious-smelling pork ribs, and what might be chicken tikka, again on skewers. My mouth watered, reminding me how hungry I was.
A trestle table to the side was covered with bowls of salad and an assortment of breads, cheese, and chopped fruit. A stack of white plates waited to be used, and shiny metal cutlery was dotted around in jugs. It was a far cry from paper plates and plastic forks.
My cheese scones felt like a weak offering to bring to this feast. I clung to Dean’s hand and squeezed it with a silent message. Please don’t abandon me. He squeezed back.
So far, nobody had noticed us in the crowd. Was Dean looking for someone he knew? Or was he as uncomfortable about being here as I was?
“Dean. Hey, man. Glad you could make it.” A balding guy with a big smile approached us, his hand held out in welcome.
Dean had to release me, juggle the drinks from one hand to the other, and then greet the other guy. “Hi, Tim.” He turned to me. “This is Chief Fire Officer Morgan, my boss. Tim, this is Steph.”
“Hi, Steph.” Tim shook my hand next, with a firm grip. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“I work in the Beach Café. Maybe you saw me there?”
“Yes. Probably.”
I held out the box of scones. “I brought these. Not sure you need them.” I tried to make a joke.
He beamed. “God yes. There’s always room for Beach Café snacks. They’ll be gone in ten minutes; I promise you. Drop your food there, and drinks go in the chilly bins underneath.” He gestured toward the table, and I saw several large, white coolers, with drink bottles stacked on ice. “And then let me introduce to you my wife, Leanne.”
Tim seemed nice, and Leanne was lovely. She asked me how I liked working for Jacques, and where I came from in Wellington. We’d gone to the same high school, although she’d left well before I even started there.
Apart from the multitude of kids, I was the youngest person there. The adults were all Dean’s age or older, but I didn’t mind. I sipped a glass of juice and trailed around behind Dean, as he introduced me to the other members of his team. Blue watch, as they referred to it.
I tried to remember who was who. Cory, Aaron, and Paul. Tim was in charge of the fire station as a whole. I paid particular attention to Aaron, as it was his wife who talked to Lou about Dean.
Aaron didn’t say much. He sat on a folding garden chair and drank from a long-necked bottle of light beer. Paul was quiet too, and scrolled through something on his phone while Dean tried to make conversation with them.
If any of them smelled of trouble, it was Cory. As soon as Dean and I walked up to him, he made an excuse and went to speak to someone else.
Dean shrugged. “He’s an asshole. Don’t take it personally.”
Before I could reply, Leanne claimed me. “The blue watch wives are keen to meet you. Come on over.”
“I’ll grab us some food while you talk,” said Dean.
This was my chance to meet Susannah and see just how bitchy she was. I straightened my spine and braced for conflict.
“This is Steph,” announced Leeane, and then disappeared into the crowd again.
“Hi,” I said, while checking them out. Two looked frumpy, while the third one wore tight white jeans and a clingy silk shirt.
“You’re Dean’s girlfriend?” Ms. White Jeans had a voice as sharp as her dress sense.
Was I? I’d no idea. “Pleased to meet you.” Ducking the question, I held out a hand, but she ignored it.
“He’s either a fast worker, or you came down from Auckland with him. I’m Mona, by the way. Cory’s wife.”
I was instantly on my guard. “I only met Dean recently.”
“You don’t know about his history, do you?” she asked.
“What history?” I pretended to be curious.
“Let’s just say he has a temper. And when he’s angry, he gets rough. He put another fire fighter in hospital, after picking a fight with him.”
My instincts were right. This was where the gossip started, and I had a chance to make it stop here too. “I heard that, too. I also heard it was bullshit.”
“You poor thing.” Mona put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed me tight. “How sweet of you to take his side. It was my cousin Richie he beat up, which is how I know so much about it. Two broken ribs, a concussion, and damage to his spleen. It wasn’t bullshit in the slightest.”
Oh. The wind was well and truly taken out of my sails. “There must have been a reason for it.”
“None that Richie knew about. And if you need more, there was the awful way he treated his girlfriend, Belle. His old station wanted him kicked out of the service, but somehow, he managed to wangle a temporary transfer down here. When the results of the inquiry come in, he’ll probably be given his cards.”
I had to know. “What happened with his girlfriend?”