“On the other hand.” Ben flashed her an easy grin, “I’m flexible.”
Ally gave him a strained smile. “Have a look and then decide. I can take you there now.”
“Great. I’ll just let Gord know I’m going.” Ben slid off the stool and headed for the kitchen, untying his apron as he went.
Ally picked up the broken pieces of the swizzle stick and found a rubbish bin on the other side of the bar to dispose of them. Behind the counter little metal containers of green olives, cocktail onions and maraschino cherries were neatly lined up in the drink mixing area. The olives were just a touch out of alignment so she nudged the container into place.
Hearing footsteps behind her she turned. Ben was back with Danny in tow. The boy regarded her warily. She guessed she couldn’t blame him. “Hi, Danny.”
Danny said nothing until Ben nudged him. “Hi.”
She wanted to tell him she wasn’t really a dipsomaniac but felt it beneath her dignity to explain herself to a twelve-year-old. Besides, if they moved in with her the boy would soon see how upright and responsible she was.
Ben followed her in his battered blue utility truck and parked behind her in the driveway. He got out and turned slowly, taking in the view of the town and the distant hills. “This is fantastic.”
Ally was used to it but she knew what he meant. His prediction about the clouds burning off had come true. The rain had washed the air clean and every leaf and blade of grass was etched against the brilliant blue. The air was fragrant with jasmine growing over the back fence.
She hurried him inside before the wind changed and he got a whiff of the farm on the other side of the hill. She didn’t mind the smell of cows and horses but Ben was from Melbourne and if she’d learned anything from renting out cottages, it was that most city people could only handle the country in small, sanitized doses.
“Nice house,” Ben said, gazing around at the saffron walls with the triptych of moody clouds-at-sunset photos, the overstuffed maroon sofa covered in pink and persimmon silk cushions and the orange tulips in a glass vase on the walnut coffee table. Ally especially loved this room at the end of the day when it glowed with the sinking sun.
“The bedrooms are this way,” she said, leading them down the hall. Every room had a different theme color, tied together by glossy white trim. Ben’s room, painted a warm cobalt-blue, contained a double bed and not much else besides a chest of drawers and a chair. Ally threw the curtains back on the north-facing window and the room was flooded with natural light.
“I like this,” Ben said, nodding.
“Danny can sleep in here,” she said, leading them across the hall to the study. It was the most utilitarian room in the house because she’d shared it with George. She was annoyed to see that although her ex was gone his things weren’t. “There’s a single bed under all those binders and the rest of this will go,” she said waving at the filing cabinets and bookshelves. “Well, the computer is mine but I can put it in my room.”
“I don’t mind if you leave it here,” Danny piped up.
“Why would you want it?” Ben said. “You’ve got one.”
“I can network the two and play games against myself.” Danny’s bright blue eyes glazed over at the thought. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“We’re not talking chess, are we?” Ben asked.
“Search and Destroy,” Danny said enthusiastically. “Command and Conquer. Gory and Gorier.”
“I’ll move the computer into my room,” Ally said, settling the matter. “Excuse me a moment. I need to make a phone call.”
While Ben and Danny moved on to the bathroom Ally called George’s mobile and got his message bank. “I’m renting the spare bedrooms so you need to move your things out,” she said. “Today.”
She snapped the phone shut with a smile. That felt good. Draconian but good. Exhilarating, even.
When she got back to the others she found Ben inspecting the plastic trays in which she stored her bits and pieces, each neatly labeled; first aid, hair accessories, makeup, etceteras.
“Very organized,” Ben observed.
“I have more of these trays,” Ally told him. “You and Danny can have your own.”
Ben exchanged a glance with his son then smiled at Ally. “That won’t be necessary.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” she assured him.
“Can we see the backyard?” Ben asked.
She’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask that but she headed down the hall to the kitchen and the sliding doors that led onto the back deck. “Right this way.”
Put mildly, the yard was a shambles. Oh, it was big enough, huge, in fact. There was a large grassy area, some shade trees, an old veggie garden she’d never gotten around to cultivating and a tumbled-down shed. The lawn hadn’t been mowed in weeks—okay, months. The weeds were waist-high and just thinking about what might be lurking in the heap of rusted metal and wood scraps tossed in one of the back corners made her shudder.
Ben was entranced. He didn’t even seem to mind the barnyard odors now wafting their way. He strode over every inch of turf making excited noises. Ally followed, treading heavily to frighten away snakes.
“You could grow anything in this soil—herbs, veggies, anything.” He dug into the dirt and watched it sift through his long fingers like gold dust. Shaking off the remaining particles he strode over to the derelict shed. Ally had stored gardening tools there until she’d encountered a redback spider. After that she’d erected a new prefab shed.
Ben seemed to think the old shed was still good for something. “With a little work we could convert this to a chicken coop.”
“Chickens?” Ally said dubiously.
“Fresh free-range eggs,” Ben said, already in chef nirvana. “What do you think, Danny? Shall we live here?”
Danny shrugged. “It beats the apartment.”
“We’ll move in today,” Ben said to Ally. “If you’re sure you want us, that is. Maybe you’ll reconcile with your fiancé.”
“No chance,” she said firmly. “Today, it is.”
Ben and Danny went away and returned that afternoon, the back of the ute loaded with suitcases and boxes. The furniture belonged to the apartment, which was just as well since Ally didn’t have room for it. What Ben did have a lot of was kitchen gadgets.
There was a pasta maker, espresso machine, commercial juicer, industrial-strength electric mixer and what looked like a nuclear-powered food processor. Then there were copper-bottom saucepans, heavy-gauge roasting pans, Italian casserole dishes, French cast-iron grill pans, stainless-steel mixing bowls—the largest of which Ally swore she could have taken a bath in.
While they were unloading the ute George showed up. He didn’t look happy when he saw Ben and Danny. Ally wasn’t happy that George hadn’t brought a truck. She met him on the veranda. “You’re supposed to be moving your stuff out.”
Ignoring her, George jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Who are they?”
“My new tenants, Ben and Danny.” Ally shifted impatiently. “I need you to move those filing cabinets.”
“I’m not moving the cabinets,” George said, his jaw jutting forward.
She used to think his stubbornness showed strength of character but now she saw he was merely inflexible. “Then why are you here?”
“Excuse me.” Ben edged past them up the steps, carrying two heavy suitcases in each hand. Ally’s gaze followed him. All that whipping and beating certainly put muscles on a man.
“Yesterday morning you wanted to talk,” George said, forcing her attention back to him. “I’m here to talk.”
Ally stared. He was serious. “It’s an expression, George. It means, I’m breaking up with you.”
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