A Home Like Ours Fiona Lowe (good novels to read .txt) 📖

‘What?!’ Vivian plucked the letter out of Bob’s hand before he could read it.

‘It says the cottage is uninhabitable. It’s in better condition than when I moved in!’

‘This is outrageous,’ Vivian said. ‘Especially the paragraph about your caretaker role.’

‘What?’ Helen’s panic swam to the surface. ‘I didn’t read past vacate the property within seven days.’

Vivian’s fuchsia nail pointed to the third paragraph. ‘It says there’s no longer a need for a caretaker and funds are being redirected.’

‘But that’s crazy! Especially given the vandalism. It would have been worse if I hadn’t interrupted them.’ Helen’s mind raced. ‘Shouldn’t something like this be discussed at a council meeting?’

‘Exactly. Mind you, every department’s been asked to find areas where costs can be cut, but this looks like someone in Parks has gone overboard.’

‘It has to be a misunderstanding. I’ll go and talk to—who signed the letter? Linda?’ Helen asked.

Vivian checked the page. ‘Elise Toonie.’

‘I’ve never dealt with her. Who is she?’

‘Not the person to yell at. She’s too far down the food chain.’ Vivian tucked the letter in her handbag. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll do some sniffing about, find out who the moron is behind it and get it sorted. Meanwhile, promise me you won’t worry. Remember, the people who count know you’re far too valuable an asset to lose.’

Relief steadied Helen. ‘Thanks, Vivian.’

‘Any time. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something. Nice to meet you, Bob. Let’s have coffee soon.’

‘Lovely,’ Bob said genially.

As they watched Vivian walk towards the gate, Helen couldn’t stop herself. ‘You and Vivian met over conservative politics?’

‘I’ve never met her before in my life.’

‘But you just agreed to coffee.’

‘She’s convinced we’ve met. Seemed rude to correct her.’

Helen snorted at his default to manners. ‘You sure you’re not losing your memory?’

He jammed his hat back on his head looking decidedly—and unusually—grumpy. ‘You don’t believe in stroking a bloke’s ego, do you?’

Something about the way he said it made her revisit what Vivian had said to her about Geoff Rayson. ‘Apparently, it’s an area where I could improve. In that vein, why are you looking like you stepped out of an RM catalogue?’

A teasing smile crinkled his face. ‘You think I look like a model, eh?’

‘I’m pretty sure they’re a lot younger.’ But unsettling warmth was dancing deep in her belly, trying to fan faded memories of desire. ‘Why are you so dressed up?’

‘Whose memory is in question now? It’s the excursion to the Australian Botanic Gardens in Shep.’

‘What? Tell me you’re not going on that!’

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. ‘I paid for it before all the brouhaha. Besides, you’re always on at me about not wasting money so—’

‘This isn’t funny. You do realise Judith’s probably behind me losing the caretaker’s job?’

‘Come on, Helen. Judith might like to think she wields power in the garden, but as we’ve proven, it doesn’t extend much past the cyclone fence.’

‘I’m not so sure.’

‘Well, I am. Just like I’m sure I’m not a traitor to the cause.’

‘How do you figure that?’

‘I’m a spy.’ He shot her a wink. ‘I plan to sit up the back of the bus and look like I’m asleep. That’s when you hear all the best gossip.’

Her laugh surprised her, lightening the tension that had gripped her since she’d read the word vacate. ‘I’m holding you to that, Agent 86.’

‘Good one, 99. I’ll report in as soon as I step off the bus.’

‘Jade!’

It was Lachlan, pushing a wheelbarrow towards her, his work shirt creased and stained with what looked like tomato sauce. Jade immediately felt better about her own clothes and the dribble patch Milo had left on her shoulder. Not that she should care about her appearance for Lachlan.

‘Hi,’ she said.

‘Hey, squirt.’ Lachlan held up his hand to Milo who swatted at it with his dimpled fingers. ‘Did you just wake up?’

Milo buried his head in Jade’s shoulder, suddenly shy. When Lachlan didn’t say anything, Milo lifted his head, said ‘Boo!’ and laughed before hiding again.

Jade stared. ‘Did he just say boo?’

‘Sounded like it.’ Lachlan grinned. ‘I was playing peek-a-boo with him at your party.’

Nothing about Lachlan looked embarrassed that he’d just admitted to playing with a baby. ‘Peek-a-boo?’

‘You don’t know it?’ When she shook her head, Lachlan covered his eyes with his hand and said, ‘Milo. Ahhhh, boo!’ He dropped his hand. Milo squealed.

Disbelief clung to Jade’s delight. ‘He’s playing with you. That’s awesome.’

‘I’m a sucker for a baby.’

‘You can hold him if you want.’ She thrust Milo at him, glad to give her back and hips a break from his weight.

Lachlan hoisted Milo up on his shoulders, then pointed to the plants in the wheelbarrow. ‘Uncle Bob told me about the morons who wrecked your garden. I was grabbing a pie from the nursery café when I saw these. There’s just enough time to get them established before the summer heat hits.’

‘You bought me zinnias and alstroemerias?’ She lurched between stunned surprise at Lachlan’s thoughtfulness, and anger and regret that it wasn’t Corey playing with Milo and being kind.

‘I guessed at what you like, so don’t feel you have to keep them. I get it. Flowers are personal. Emotional too.’

Emotional? Jade was wrestling with her own swinging emotions. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Lilacs make my grandmother happy, because when my grandfather proposed to her, he gave her a bunch. Dad loved roses. He grew over a hundred and fifty of them and between September and May there were always blooms in the house.’ He grimaced. ‘When Dad died, Mum suddenly hated roses. She’d burst into tears whenever she saw them. She asked me to dig them up and I did it, but I cried the whole time. It felt like Dad was dying all over again.’

‘Sorry.’ God, that sounded so lame.

‘Thanks.’

A heavy silence settled between them so she said the first thing that came into her head. ‘I wonder what flowers did to Helen? She hates all of them.’

‘Apparently, there’s some ancient language of