Chapter Seven

Although still voicing doubts about their shift, Johnny had been forced to agree the little flat was in much better condition than the dive his sister and nephew had been living in.

Considering his reservations, she’d been surprised how long he’d stayed to help. Shannon smiled as she set up the apartment and made it hers.

He’d rallied Thomas and coerced him into lending a hand as they unpacked carton after carton.

She loved having the opportunity to hang some photos on the available hooks on the walls. She dug out scatter cushions and furnishings she hadn’t unboxed at their previous place. By the time Johnny left late in the afternoon, Shannon sat back in amazement at what they’d achieved.

With a coffee clutched in her hands she gazed around, contentment and a return of confidence warming her. They were feelings she hadn’t known for practically a year.

“We’ll be much happier here, Tommy.”

His disgusted grunt couldn’t deflate her euphoria. Her back stiffened. “Well, I’m going to be much happier here. At least we’ll be warm.” The heat pump blasted out hot air as the sun dipped behind the hills.

She finished her drink and stood, staring him straight in the eye. “You know what, boy? I’m not going to let you spoil this for me. You can mope around and be sour and angry for as long as you want.” She shrugged and put her mug into the sink. “I think I’m going to love living on a farm for a while.”

She began preparing their first meal in their new home. It had been kind of Luke to invite them for dinner, but she intended to keep their life here well-separated from his family. She was an employee, not a family friend—nor did she intend to become one.

“And you’d better believe this is the last tin of baked beans I’m ever going to buy. We’re eating it right now and then I don’t want to see a baked bean ever again.”

Thomas opened the front door.

“I know you must want to explore but it’s getting dark. You’ll have all day tomorrow. Don’t go too far, dinner won’t take long.”

There wasn’t even a grunt to acknowledge her words, but she suspected his stomach would keep him close enough to hear her call when the meal was ready.

****

Thomas kicked repeatedly at a rock protruding from the edge of the driveway. He was probably ruining his shoes but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore.

He looked around at nothing—grass and paddocks and stupid farm buildings filled with dirty, broken-down tractors and stuff. This was even worse than Riversleigh. He’d have bet there wasn’t any Internet out here, but when he’d switched on his tablet earlier there had been a Wi-Fi connection. Whether that Luke-bloke would be willing to share the password was another thing though. Thank God his cell phone worked. At least he could still text his mates in Auckland, and tell them he’d be home again soon.

He didn’t understand his mum. About a month after they’d learned of his dad’s death she’d suddenly gone kinda crazy. She’d sold everything—their cars, their home, the furniture, even their clothes. Oh, she hadn’t taken anything of his, but everything of his dad’s had been hocked off. She had no right to get rid of Dad’s stuff.

He kicked at the rock some more, ignoring the pain shooting up through his toes. She had no right to drag me down here either. Coach told me with a couple more years I’d be good enough to go to Nationals. If I’d kept working hard I could be looking at the Olympics in a few years. He gave the rock a particularly vicious kick, numbing his toes in the process. Stuck down here, I can’t.

Sometimes the anger got so strong he was scared his head might burst.

“Whacha doing?”

Thomas jerked. He hadn’t heard anyone approach. He definitely hadn’t been aware of the horse now standing next to the fence with a young boy on its back.

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” Thomas snarled before controlling his bad mood.

The boy slid off the horse’s bare back and bent to study the rock. “I don’t think that rock’s gonna come out of there any time soon.” He looked up at Thomas, a frown furrowing his brow. “You need a pick or a crow bar. Want me to get one from the shed?”

Heat burned Thomas’s face.

“We could dig it out with some tools. I could help you.”

Thomas shook his head, ashamed the boy had witnessed his rotten mood. “Do you live here?”

The boy nodded. “I’m Jake. What’s your name?”

“Thomas.”

“You’ve come to live in Gran’s flat with your mum, haven’t you?” When Jake took the horse’s bridle and began walking, Thomas automatically fell in beside him. “Did you live in a city?”

Thomas nodded, his mind picturing Auckland.

“I’ve never been to a big city.” The boy’s voice was full of awe. “Invercargill’s pretty big, but Uncle Lindsay says Dunedin is much bigger. Maybe we’ll get to go to Dunedin this year.”

While difficult, Thomas managed to swallow his scoff. Dunedin hadn’t appeared big. They’d driven through it on their way to Riversleigh. You sure couldn’t compare Dunedin to Auckland. Auckland is the best.

“I come from Auckland.”

“Wow.” Round eyes settled on his face. “That’s way up in the North Island. How come you’re down here?”

That was Thomas’s problem. He had no clue why they were here. Why they’d had to leave Auckland and his friends. Why he’d had to give up his sailing.

Thomas turned away and glared at the flat where they were to live—where his mum was cooking tea and pretending life was suddenly wonderful.

“I guess Mum decided it would be easier to live down here. She’s going to work for your dad.”

“My dad is dead. My mum, too.” The boy bit his lip, his voice wobbled a bit. “We were in a car accident before Christmas. Our Uncle Luke lives with me and Amy now.”

Thomas glanced back at his companion in time to see him gnawing at his bottom lip.

“I think he wishes he was living in Auckland, too. Or some other place. He hates being here.” The boy yanked open a gate. Taking off the bridle he gave the animal a hug, and then a couple of pats before it trotted off to join some other horses in the paddock.

“What’s so special about the city anyway?” The boy’s voice still wobbled a bit. “I bet I couldn’t have my horse live right next to me in a city.”

Thomas dipped his head, recognizing fear as acute as his own. While he was desperate to return to the city, here was someone who was just as desperate to stay right here on this farm. Thomas swiped a kick at a tuft of grass. But Jake was the lucky one. He was only scared of the possibility of being taken from his home. Thomas already had been.

A loud clang sounded. Thomas looked around, trying to identify the noise.

“That’s Aunt Marcia. I have to go in now.” Jake had already started back toward the house. Thomas raised his arm in farewell, relieved a few moments talking with this kid had lifted the darkness always with him now.

“I’ll show you around tomorrow, if you want,” Jake yelled over his shoulder as he ran to the house.

Thomas stayed where he was until the boy disappeared inside. While he doubted there would be much of interest on this farm, the kid had seemed okay. For a kid that is. And being with Jake would sure beat being with his mother.

****

Monday dawned wet and blustery. Hurrying Thomas to be ready for school an hour earlier than had been necessary in Riversleigh wasn’t easy. His grumbling and moaning tightened Shannon’s already-tense nerves as she worried about her first day of work with Luke.

“Hurry up, Thomas,” she yelled up the steps. “Luke said the bus comes at eight.” She slammed her hand against the steps. He couldn’t miss the bus, not today. Not on her first day of work.

A horn tooted outside. Rushing across their living area she threw open the door to see Luke leaning out the window of an old farm truck, his nephew bouncing beside him.

“One of us always drives Jake down if it’s raining.”

Jake’s head squeezed through the window beside his uncle. “C’mon Thomas. We don’t want to miss the bus.”

Shannon smiled at Luke’s wince as the yelled words penetrated his ear from a mere centimeter or two.

Thundering footsteps rattled down the steps and Thomas propelled past her. He paused for a moment near the vehicle, eyeballing Luke, but at Jake’s insistence soon clamored into the front seat alongside the boy.

Shannon waved, though she didn’t expect any return acknowledgement from her son. He’d barely spoken to her all weekend, something she had become accustomed to. However he had spent considerable time with Luke’s nephew and niece as they dragged him all around yesterday.

The children hung on his every word. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Thomas had changed since his father died. He used to be kind and considerate. She bit her lip as she slowly closed the door. She prayed he would show due consideration toward these children.

She returned to the breakfast table and her coffee, sitting down in the hope of calming her nerves. With a deep sigh she thrust her concern for Thomas to the back of her mind. It was time to concentrate on herself and how to approach this job. She couldn’t afford any mistakes or clashes with her new boss.

At precisely two minutes before eight-thirty Shannon unlocked the connecting door between the flat and the main house. With a steadying deep breath, she walked along the hallway toward the office area where she would be working. She ignored the family sounds from further into the house and entered.

Surprise stilled her entry. The room was no longer the spotless, well-organized office space Luke had previously shown her. Books and papers were scattered everywhere. The desk which Luke had indicated would be hers was covered with drawings and plans. Shannon sighed. This chaos reminds me of any time Eric had been home.

Her throat thickened as it struck her yet again. Eric wasn’t coming home. Angry and confused by the state he’d left behind, she still missed him. She ran fingers through her hair. She doubted their marriage could have survived much longer, but she had loved the selfish bastard. Long ago she’d thought the sun and the moon had shone out of him.

With a determined shake of her head, Shannon marched toward her desk. She couldn’t work in this chaos.

Uncertain of the need for everything scattered around, Shannon had placed the papers and books in neat piles on her desk by the time Luke wandered in with a coffee mug in his hand.

“Good morning.” He sounded rather sheepish. “You didn’t need to tidy up my mess.”

If you want me to do any work I did, she almost replied but luckily her brain switched into gear quickly enough to stop the criticism from sounding.

Luke dragged an armchair across into the center of the room before slouching into it. Shannon pursed her lips as his stocking feet hitched up onto the edge of her desk.

“How do you want to play this?”

Surprise weakened Shannon’s knees and she dropped into the chair behind the desk, her back stiff. “You’re the boss,” she croaked.

Luke threw back his head and laughed.

Laughed!

He has a pleasant laugh, she decided, quite infectious.

“Would you be very surprised if I told you I haven’t been a boss before?” His eyes twinkled across the desk at her.

Shannon shook her head. “You’d better watch out you’re not taken advantage of by your employees then.”

“I wouldn’t mind you taking advantage of me, Shannon.” Luke grinned, his voice lowering. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

Heat swamped through her, momentarily robbing her of the ability to speak. He’s flirting with me.

Her hands clenched the edge of the desk. She daren’t allow any familiarity to enter this relationship. She couldn’t afford to lose the job, and their new living space.

He was her boss, nothing more. He’d never be anything more. “I’m here to work, Luke, not play. Find a playmate elsewhere.”

Apart from a quirked eyebrow and a lazy half-smile, Luke showed no reaction to her words. At the pointed glare she gave them, his feet dropped from her desk.

“You’re ready to work, then?”

Shannon nodded and waited. When no instructions were forthcoming, her own eyebrows rose.

Luke slammed his mug down on the desk as he leapt to his feet. “I have no idea what you should do.”

He paced across the little room, shoving the chair he’d just vacated out of his way. “Jase McEwan’s wife seems to think I have to have a business plan and discuss my ideas with an accountant before I do anything else.”

He swung around to glare at her, as if the advice had come from her. “I talked to my accountant yesterday. She confirmed my suspicion on how little a bean counter knows about building an adventure park.”

Shannon leaned back in her chair with a smile. “Possibly, but I bet she would know about making it a going concern,” Shannon dared to point out. “I guess you have to decide whether you’re going to build a playground for your family or an adventure park.”

Luke frowned. “I know exactly what I’m going to build, and it’s not any kids’ playground.”

“Then we need to start by checking with the council—”

“The council?” Luke’s frown deepened. “What’s it got to do with the council? I’m building this on my own land.”

“You can’t have been away from New Zealand for so long you don’t know how tight the councils have become on environmental issues.” Shannon kept a straight face as Luke’s consternation grew.

“It doesn’t matter that it’s on your own land, a wealth of rules exist that you’ll need to follow. You’re going to have to show you’re not destroying any waterways or trees, or endangering any native wildlife. You need to visit the council and find someone sympathetic to deal with. And hope they’ll give you resource consent to go ahead.”

Shannon wasn’t surprised by the strength of Luke’s frustrated pounding on the wall. She managed a weak smile. He had no idea of the obstacles he’d have to scale before he could even break ground. The abhorred business plan was the least of his worries.