Page 27 of The House on Sunset Lake

‘Tell me,’ said Jennifer slowly.

‘You’re back in Savannah. I’m looking for a flatmate. It’s a small room and the walls are thin, but I can provide earplugs for when I’m entertaining, and I get a twenty-five per cent discount on groceries from the Seven Eleven.’

‘An offer I can’t refuse, then,’ Jennifer grinned as both girls dissolved into laughter.

‘What’s so funny?’ said Connor returning from the bar with two bottles of beer. Some foamy liquid had spilt on his chinos and he didn’t look amused.

‘Sex,’ said Jeanne, pulling her straightest of faces.

‘I turn my back for a second and the dirty talk begins, huh?’ he said, wiping the beer off his pants.

‘Actually we were talking about the labour market and the employability of our peers in a recession,’ said Jennifer, giving him a playful smile.

‘Oh yeah?’

‘We were.’

‘I think you’ll find we have been out of recession for six economic quarters now,’ said Connor, perching on a bar stool. ‘The people who haven’t got jobs simply don’t want to work. There are plenty of opportunities around for graduates if you’ve got a decent resumé.’

‘Tell that to my mom, who’s wondering why I have twenty thousand dollars’ worth of debt only to be dishing out Twinkies to truckers.’

‘I didn’t mean you,’ said Connor unconvincingly. ‘Jen says you were valedictorian of . . . where was it you went? Maybe you can get to an Ivy League for a masters.’

‘And who’s going to pay for that? The Seven Eleven?’

‘You’ll find a great job soon, I promise,’ said Jennifer, putting a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder.

‘And can you magic up a hot guy while you’re at it? The only reason I had a frigging party was to try and score,’ Jeanne said, putting another straw into a second cup of beer and drinking through both.

‘Some British guy has moved in next door to Jennifer,’ suggested Connor after a moment. ‘Maybe she could introduce you. He seems like your type.’

‘Is he cute?’ asked Jeanne.

‘He’s got the pretty poet vibe going on.’

‘A sexy slacker,’ said Jeanne, clasping her hands together. ‘I like nothing better than a man with no purpose other than to pleasure me in bed.’

‘I thought slackers, you know, were all on heroin,’ said Connor with a frown.

‘Some of the rock lot might dabble, but generally their drug of choice is weed. I find it makes men compliant to my demands,’ said Jeanne theatrically.

‘Do you think your neighbour is on heroin?’ asked Connor, turning to Jennifer. ‘He told my mother he was in a band.’

Jennifer laughed, but found herself annoyed at his bigotry. ‘That doesn’t mean he’s on drugs, Connor.’

‘How do you know? Never trust a man with facial hair, that’s what I say. You know he’s trying to hide something.’

‘On that note, I’m telling the DJ to change the music,’ said Jeanne, jumping off her stool. ‘I want Nirvana, I want something nihilistic,’ she declared.

‘What are we doing here?’ said Connor as soon as she’d gone.

‘Celebrating graduation,’ sighed Jennifer, still irritated with him.

He looked at her disapprovingly. ‘You know, I’m surprised you’re still friends with the likes of Jeanne,’ he said finally.

‘Why?’ she said, taken aback.

‘Come on, Jen. You have nothing in common. Look around. There are only a few people here from school; the rest, I’ve no idea who these people are. Nor do I want to. I feel like I’m in the mosh pit. I feel unclean.’