By the end of the week Hannah was starting too look frazzled and Sacha was feeling bone-weary. The first week back at work in the new year was the hardest. Nonetheless, on Friday Sacha stayed late at work and when she got home Hannah was sitting on the sofa out the front of the house, enjoying the breeze even though it was a warm northerly, and drinking a glass of white wine. Sacha wasn't surprised. She could see the glass sweating in Hannah's hand.

"You're late home" Hannah observed, even though there was still light in the sky.

"Work has air-conditioning" Sacha explained. She laid her hand on the door-handle.

"It's horrible in there" Hannah warned her. "The house's warmed up. I've opened all the doors and windows. I mean it's the same temperature outside as it is inside but at least the air out here's fresh. Sort of. Do you want a glass of wine?"

"No thanks" Sacha said, then, "actually, yeah. Sure." She could feel the heat coming out of the house. "Let me get changed out of these clothes first" she said.

"God, please do. You look like one of those colonial photos, where there's a bunch of guys all standing around in the bush in summer all in their suits." She blanched as she realised what she'd said. "Not that I mean you look like a guy -"

"I know what you meant" Sacha assured her. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "Do we have any ice-cream?"

"Nope."

"Want me to go get some?"

"Would you?"

"Where's Shelly?" Sacha asked before she went inside.

"She had to work or something" Hannah said vaguely. "I dunno. Or her housemate's having a birthday party, something weird like that."

"Oh" Sacha blinked, declining to comment. If Hannah didn't want to make a big deal out of it then she wouldn't, either. "Okay."