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She held up one palm. ‘In fairness to me I wasn’t aware of that arrangement. Mac didn’t reveal there was any interest in the property so how could I have known? Plus, let’s be honest. No seller is going to wait around for possibilities when there is a ready, willing and able buyer, prepared to meet the asking price. It’s commercial reality, I’m afraid. I’m sure there are other houses.’
A headache pulsed at his temples. Bloody city folk. Yeah, other houses. Yep, there were loads of old traditional Queenslander houses on large acres of land for sale near the town centre of Bellethorpe. Why hadn’t Mac had his back? But she was right. Money talked and unfortunately, Bellethorpe was becoming more like the city. Everyone was hurting and he couldn’t really blame the owner, could he? The house had been vacant for years. Okay, it wasn’t the owner’s fault, and Mac was acting on instructions. And to his own stupidity, Noah honestly thought no one would ever show interest in the old girl. Wrong, he was very wrong. If it just could have been anyone other than a city girl fleeing to the country.
But really, what did it matter. His dream died the moment his wife left.
‘We look out for each other in Bellethorpe and care about our own.’ Noah studied her face, resisting the urge to drop his eyes lower and consider the rest of her. ‘What do you do for work?’
She straightened to her full height and squared her shoulders. ‘I’m an archaeologist.’
The laugh rolled out of him before he could stop it. ‘An archaeologist! Impressive. Can’t say I’ve seen too many old dead things around these parts recently.’ He wasn’t usually a smartarse. If his daughter had behaved in this manner, he would have pulled her into line swiftly.
And yet…did archaeology pay well enough to renovate a house almost beyond repair? He didn’t know, but it didn’t quite add up.
The boy was getting restless and swung his arms to and fro; Noah was too. Out of awkwardness, he started lifting the items in their trolley.
‘What are you doing with this stuff?’
‘Fixing up as much as I can myself.’
A flicker of admiration passed through him. He admired guts. ‘What’s this for?’ He held up a lock.
She glared daggers at him with a look that could have pinned him to the nearby wall. She tried to swipe back the packet but being childish, he moved it out of her grip.
‘It’s for the front gate. There’s a lock there currently but I want something more secure.’
‘Why do you need to lock the gate from the inside?’
Her eyes darted left and right. ‘Well, that’s obvious, to keep people out. It’s a secluded property and I don’t want strangers entering without my knowledge … that’s all.’
Odd. Noah wasn’t sure what to make of that. He checked out the other stuff, all bits and bobs: some seedlings for a garden, a couple of small indoor plants, tins of sample paint.
‘This one won’t work. Follow me.’
The boy obeyed and skipped behind him. If not for her son, would she have followed?
At the lock section, he held out a more sturdy, appropriate mechanism that she glared at for a few moments before accepting.
Why was he helping her?
‘Thank you.’ He advised how to secure it, providing way too much detail but his words were getting away with him. Eventually she moved towards the check-out. Reaching behind him to grab the first item he saw, a toilet plunger of all things, he carried it and followed. At the register he stood by while she loaded her items onto the counter. The old lock remained and he went to remove it.
Ava gripped it. ‘I’ll keep it just in case.’ And she stared at him, challenge in her eyes.
‘You look familiar, love,’ Trevor Fletcher said ringing up her goods.
There was no imagining the firm set to her jaw. So, Ava newcomer to town, had a bit of bluster. Impressive.
A sad, slow smile formed on her lips, only reaching the corners. ‘Oh, really? I don’t think so, we’ve just arrived in town.’
‘Familiar I said, not that I know you. You look like a woman who used to live here many years ago and ran the clothing store. I remember because my wife used to spend a lot of her time and our money in there, you know, being the only women’s shop in town. And the lady who ran it used to ship in fancy-types of clothes, like, and the ladies around here loved them.’
Ava’s features softened and the smile lifted. ‘Jane is my mother.’ Noah craned to hear. ‘My mother loved that store. It brought her a lot of joy over the years. She was devastated when we moved.’
Huh?
‘I knew it!’ Trevor beamed. ‘Never forget a face.’ He tapped his temple.
‘I lived here when I was young. My father taught at the high school but he was transferred south when I was thirteen.’
