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“Oh my God, that looks divine! Maybe we'll have to 'lose' it, so we can eat it all to ourselves. The boys won't notice. They've got plenty of beer.”
Allee laughed, relaxing in Tania's down-to-earth presence.
“I brought some wine, I didn't know if you drink white or red, so I bought one of each.”
“Ooh, thank you for that, we pretty much drink anything, so it won't go to waste.”
The two women chatted happily as they walked out to the back of the house, where Darryl sat with Noah and Andre, the men drinking stubbies of beer. Darryl had his feet resting on a large dog, its fur a golden-red colour, with a black face. It turned to look at Allee, made a low, gruff woof in greeting, then laid its head back on the ground, content to be used as a footrest. The men looked around at Allee's entrance, both welcoming her with a smile.
“Hey, you came! Glad to see it,” said Darryl.
“How's your weekend been so far?” asked Noah her.
Andre just smiled and nodded at her.
“Hi guys, thanks for the invite, Darryl, and my weekend has been alright so far thanks, Noah,” Allee replied, smiling back at Andre.
Darryl gestured for Allee to take a seat while Tania asked her what she'd like to drink. Allee sat in a chair while responding, “Just a glass of water, please,” to Tania.
“Water? No, not water. Do you drink beer? It's okay, they're lights,” interrupted Darryl. Allee acquiesced, thanking Tania quietly when she was presented with a bottle. She took a sip and swallowed. It had been several years since Allee last had a beer. It tasted even better than she remembered, and she wasn’t sure if the company or her memories were responsible for the difference.
“Did you bring your togs?” Darryl gestured towards the large pool shaded by a large sail and surrounded by deck chairs. “It's a beautiful day, and we'll probably hit the pool before it gets too dark.”
“Um, I don't have any bathers.”
“You mean you forgot them?”
“No, I mean, I don't own any.” Allee felt embarrassed all of a sudden, as though she lacked a fundamental aspect of everyday life.
“Can you swim?” asked Tania carefully, trying not to imply any lapse on Allee's part.
“Oh, yes, I can. I just don't own a swimsuit. I haven't been swimming in years.”
“Well, you can always borrow one of my old ones if you'd like. I have this problem, you see; every year, I end up buying new swimwear, so I've got loads.”
“I don't want to put you to any trouble-”
“Nope, no trouble at all. Trust me, it's better to be in a pair of bathers when these guys are in the pool than stuck out here. They muck around so much that you'll end up soaked, whether you jump in or not.”
“In that case then, I will, thank you.”
They all lapsed back into easy conversation for a while until a banging and yelling at the front door stopped their chatter.
“Hey, you gonna let us in back there? We come bearing gifts of food and booze!”
Allee recognised Sammy's voice, but he was not alone when Tania came back from the door. One of the artists and one of the QA team accompanied him, and they seemed just as surprised to see Allee there as she was to see them.
“Allee, you remember Beth and Mark Talbot from the office, right?” Darryl asked, breaking the silence.
Allee smiled at the two, only realising now that they shared the same surname.
“Hi Beth, hi Mark. Hi Sammy. How are you all today?” she asked.
Once again, the conversation flowed, with Tania acting as hostess and ensuring that everyone had enough to drink. She soon brought out a couple of bowls of chips and pretzels, as well as a platter of cheese, dips and crackers.
Before long, Darryl announced that he was going for a dip and entreated the group to join him. Tania beckoned Allee to follow her into the house to the master bedroom, pulled a couple of drawers out of her dresser, motioning for Allee to see what she liked, before walking into the en suite with her own swimsuit in hand.
Allee felt a little awkward pawing through another person's clothing, and she saw that most of the swimwear consisted of bikinis. Allee felt self-conscious about her body, knowing that her curves were more than was fashionable. Part of the reason Allee didn't own a swimsuit was due to Stuart. He had commented on several occasions about the 'ample' size of her thighs, hips, belly and buttocks, and how her breasts would look ridiculous in a pair of bathers. She managed to find a two-piece that wasn't overly revealing, the top designed to end just above the navel and bottoms with a fuller-sized brief. They were also a gorgeous sea-green, the colour fading as it went up until the top straps were a pale pastel green.
