by Anne Ashby
Robby’s growing animation thrilled Leath.
“Would that be stupid?” Leath couldn’t stand still. She bounced across the sand, her gaze dancing from the property to the beach to the sea and to the outlying islands on the horizon. “It’s the most beautiful setting I’ve ever seen. And it’s all ours.”
She looked up at her brother. “Rob, tell me. We could do this, couldn’t we? Have something belonging to us again, and even make a bit of money?”
Was Robby as caught up with the idea as she was? How could she convince him they could do this? They should do this?
“But what about your job?” Robby queried. “Do you reckon on shifting up here?”
“No, of course not,” she scoffed. She was warmed by the concern in his voice. “We could never live on whatever we could get for renting this. But if it paid for rates and insurance and stuff...don’t you see? Then keeping it wouldn’t be a financial drain on us.”
“But you’re not shifting up here to live?”
Leath pulled her thoughts away from her dreams. She grimaced as Robby’s taut shoulders relaxed. Quick to reassure him, she added with a grin, “No. Maybe in ten or twenty years, but definitely not now. It’d be a great place to come for breaks though, don’t you think?”
She thought for a moment. “I could try to change to permanent nights and cut down to four shifts. With penal rates that’d mean I’d still earn about what I make now. Then I could drive up here and start tidying it up.”
“On your own?”
“Well, you could come up at the weekends, couldn’t you?” She grinned as the idea grew. “Carrie might lend a hand if we offered her free weekends with her boyfriend once we have the place sorted. We have lots of friends, like you say, so we’ll plan a huge barbeque and see what happens.”
A sly smile replaced the frown on her brother’s face. As if the idea had just struck him, he wriggled his eyebrows. “Hey, I’ve just had another idea. If we keep it, I’ll have somewhere to bring girls—somewhere I can keep them away from you. Yeah, right, now I’m dead sure! We’re keeping the place.”
After swiping a punch at Robby’s shoulder, Leath wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed hard. This was the right thing to do. It would give them the financial stability they’d lost when their father’s debts took everything they owned.
It would also give them both a focus in life. Ideas bounded inside Leath’s head. With a willingness to work hard, who knew what they might be able to achieve?
This could be their utopia.
Chapter Two
“I haven’t brow-beaten you, have I?” Leath asked Robby as they got into her car for the drive back to Auckland.
“No more than you usually do.” He grinned.
“Robby, be serious, are you okay with this?”
“You really want to keep the place, don’t you?”
Leath nodded. During the weekend, her dismay at the neglect had dwindled and been replaced by enthusiasm. “But half of it belongs to you. If you wanted to accept that guy’s offer, now you’ve seen how much work the place needs...”
“What would I do with so much money?” he scoffed as they took one last look around the place before heading home. “Probably waste it all.” He grinned again. “This way you’re making me into a responsible adult.” He clutched at his stomach, pretended to gag.
Leath burst out laughing as she headed the car down the driveway.
Their drive back to the city was filled with excited planning, just as the whole weekend had been. They’d found a block of three more units nestled next to a stream further back from the beach. That made seven. They’d decided to concentrate on the beachfront units for now.
The list of things they needed was growing by the hour. The first and most important was to arrange for the power to be reconnected before their next visit. They’d laughed at their stupidity when they’d realised driving to the nearest town was their only option for food. They mightn’t need hot food, but Leath couldn’t function without her obligatory caffeine fixes. Their thoughtlessness had cost them extra hours away from their new property.
****
“Windows were open at Penny Maguire’s place when I drove by this morning.”
Kirk slammed back his chair and leapt to his feet. He scowled at his sister leaning against the doorpost of his office. “Why didn’t you call me? You know—”
“I didn’t have any credit on my phone and anyway, I was carpooling Sophie’s team to netball.” Jenny’s careless shrug deepened Kirk’s frown. “Whoever the new owners are, they’ll take one look and run a mile. You’ll be hearing from them. They’ll be champing at the bit to take your idiot offer.”
Kirk turned away. His sister had made very clear her opinion of his determination to buy Penny’s place.
“I’ll pay anything for Dad’s peace of mind—”
She grabbed his arm and whirled him around to face her. “When are you going to wake up and smell the roses, Kirk? Dad no longer has a mind!” She flung his arm from her grasp and stormed from the room, muttering about idiots and their money.
Kirk’s shoulders slumped. Using his money to make things safer for his father seemed to be the only thing he could do. But Jenny was right. His father wouldn’t even know if he bought the Maguire place or not. It wasn’t Dad’s peace of mind driving him. It was his own guilt.
Busy setting up his software design business after lucrative years overseas, Kirk had been oblivious to the onset of his father’s illness. While his family had coped, he’d been making a name for himself, and more money than he’d ever need. Marching to the window he stared out at the garden.
His brother’s accusation of selfishness had brought Kirk home. Reluctantly reorganising his company and returning to the farm, he hadn’t initially comprehended the extent of his father’s disability.
Clenching his fists inside his jeans pockets, he cursed under his breath. Guilt gnawed at him. Guilt that he’d spent so long away and missed his father’s last good years. Guilt that he sometimes thought it would be better for everyone if his father was...
Thumping his fist against the windowsill, Kirk hung his head. He hated watching his boyhood hero being treated like a baby. Could he stand seeing the same treatment day in and day out for the rest of the old man’s life?
He swore viciously and jerked his head up, thumping the sill again before sucking in a deep breath and stiffening his back. Buying Penny’s place might not be much, but he’d spend whatever it took. Somehow he was getting that property.
Striding into the kitchen, ignoring his sister’s smirk as he plucked his keys from the hook by the door, Kirk brusquely told his mother, “I’m going down to Penny’s.”
His heart pumped as he drove into Penny’s driveway. Determined to force the sale by whatever means necessary, his tense body slumped as he drove between the overgrown hedges and sighted the house. The place was deserted.
The ache in his jaw eased as he released the pressure on his clenched teeth. Climbing out of the truck, the echo from his slammed door did little to dispel his frustration.
Although flattened grass was evidence a vehicle had been there, all the windows were now closed and the house looked as sad and abandoned as it had since he’d returned to the district.
If he’d known of their presence immediately...he slammed his fist into his hand as he paced the flattened grass in front of the house, wondering if he should hang around. Had they just slipped into town? Or had a quick look been enough to send them scurrying back to the city?
Damn them for their stubbornness. He’d offered far more than the place was worth.
Looking about in disgust at the neglect, he knew what he’d be doing once he got hold of it. He’d flatten the whole place, except for the house. That’s where his father had been born and spent his formative years. He’d leave that standing until Terry died.
He cursed again, knowing he had to stop thinking about his father’s death and how far away it might be. He v
aulted onto the verandah, avoiding some rotten boards and thumped on the front door, more out of frustration than any expectation of a response.
Striding along the verandah, his glances through the salt-encrusted windows revealed nothing. He paused, relaxing as Jenny’s words came back to him. Could she be right? Now they’d seen the place, would these people realize what a dump it was and be chasing him to accept his money?
A faint smile grew as he contemplated the exchange. Perhaps he’d lower his offer substantially, punish them for the extra heartache their initial refusal had caused his mother.
Even as the thought took hold, he knew he’d never risk that in case it evoked another refusal. Getting Dad’s old home back was what mattered. No amount of money could help restore his health, but Kirk intended doing this one last thing for him.
****
Three weeks passed before Leath could return to Greene Valley for a couple of days. Since her days off fell during the week, Robby couldn’t accompany her.
Soon the new roster at work would come into effect and she’d be working permanent nights at Starship Children’s Hospital. Then she’d be able to come up for decent intervals and start making some headway.
She couldn’t wait to see the place again, to convince herself it wasn’t all a wonderful dream. The journey wouldn’t be wasted, she promised herself. Who knew what she might be able to achieve in these two days? Even planning and dreaming of the future would be a worthwhile use of her time.
She’d promised Robby she’d start clearing some of the vegetation. The boot and back seat of her car was full to overflowing with tools for this mammoth task.
They’d prioritised. First renovate one complete unit. Already, Robby was scouting second-hand yards and renovation centres, confident he’d score some kitchen units and bathroom fixtures for reasonable prices. Leath had so many ideas for decorating the units but would have to restrain her impatience until Robby stripped and rebuilt their interiors.
Singing along with the radio as she drove, Leath was glad of the opportunity to visit alone. Robby wouldn’t be there to stop her fantasising about their benefactor.
She’d promised she wouldn’t waste the daylight. Unless it rained—she so hoped it would rain, then she could forget that promise and search for clues to their mystery. Looking for some clouds in the bright blue sky, Leath grimaced. It didn’t look much like rain.
But as soon as darkness closed in, she was going to start looking through the cartons they’d found as well as search for the missing desk key. It must be somewhere, and Leath just knew there’d be answers inside.
Questioning whether, for some reason, her parents might have lied about their maternal grandmother had sent her—on advice from their flatmate’s mother—to the Register of Deaths, Births and Marriages.
She’d been told her mother’s mother had died in the South Island before Leath was born. Finding a death entry around the date she’d given had destroyed her suspicion Penelope could be an estranged grandmother.
Their paternal grandmother had played a significant part of their lives until her passing just after Leath’s graduation from college. With both grandmothers definitely out of the equation, the mystery dogged Leath.
Perhaps this Penelope was an aunt or something. Or maybe she wasn’t even a relation. Could she have been a lifelong friend of the family in some way? But then Leath would have heard of her.
As she turned into the driveway—their driveway—Leath smiled with the resurrected pride of ownership.
There were two mysteries she had to solve. First, who had this woman been? And then to somehow understand why she’d leave them everything she owned when she’d never been part of their lives.
Unlocking the door, Leath was again swamped by the same weird feeling. It was strange, indescribable. But it existed. Clenching her eyes she tried to remember, to dredge up some image from her past which would include this house, but nothing surfaced.
Dropping her overnight bag onto the floor, she told herself to stop being so silly. This is excitement, that’s all. Thinking it was something else was just her imagination taking control. She giggled. Of course I’ve never been in this house. She was as sure of that as she was sure her parents had never spoken of Penelope Grace Maguire.
Walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, Leath passed the half open toilet door and a sledgehammer bludgeoned into her stomach. The figures on the wallpaper laughed at her as her knees almost buckled. Leaning against the wall, she dragged in several shallow breaths before reaching out and slamming the door, obliterating their supercilious sneers.
That wallpaper was going. Today. She didn’t think she could stand them mocking her every time she needed to use the small room.
Remembering she’d promised Robby to work outside, she shook a fist at the closed door and stalked into the kitchen. She mustn’t get tied up about the house or that woman. She mustn’t allow her plans for this visit to be sidetracked. With renewed determination Leath drove those dancing devils out of her mind and reached for the closest light switch.
She breathed a sigh of relief when the unadorned lamp above the sink burst into light. A burnt smell soon filled the room as the layers of dust heated. Switching it off, she noted the need to wipe all the fittings before nightfall. Otherwise their “new” home could end up as ashes.
Coffee, she needed coffee. Grinning with the sheer joy of being here, she reached into a cupboard for the electric jug. Until she could check the water tank and investigate its safety, she’d just be careful with boiling it. But first things first. A caffeine fix to get her motor going.
****
Although it wasn’t a particularly warm day, Leath slipped into a pair of Lycra shorts and an old tee-shirt of Robby’s. Hard work would soon heat her up. With her long, fair hair drawn through the back of a black cap jammed onto her head and worn hiking boots making up the remainder of her ensemble, she was ready to attack the jungle surrounding their house.
Before they could renovate, let alone lease a unit, they first needed to ensure it was actually visible. She squinted through the trees toward the filthy moss-plastered, once-white wall of the first unit.
The area surrounding it needed replanting soon if there was any chance of it looking cared for by the time they finished the renovations. The ambiance of the outside was just as important as the plans they had for the interiors. Thank goodness spring was almost upon them. She was almost certain spring was the right time to seed new plants in a garden.
Hiking up her motivation as she looked across at what little she could see of their land, the enormity of her task was daunting. The mass of vegetation had overtaken the man-made structures years ago. It was purely supposition on her part this jungle might once have been a garden.
Knowing she’d get a better idea of the job ahead if she was elevated, Leath climbed onto the rail around the verandah, but abandoned her perch when it began an ominous creaking protest. She hadn’t been able to see above the tangle of vegetation anyway.
Remembering a rickety staircase in the barn, she dashed through the waist-high grass—confident no rocks or tree branches lay hidden in her path—and dragged one of the droopy double doors open far enough to squeeze through. Adjusting her gaze to the dim interior, she slipped around the antique tractor and other old pieces of machinery to where a stairway led upwards.
Very gingerly climbing what was little more than a ladder, Leath took care to test each step before putting any weight on it. Edging across the loft, testing the boards under her feet and waving her arms to dislodge the mass of cobwebs, Leath sneezed continuously. When she reached the window on the far wall, she rubbed a clear circle on the glass and looked out.
Her eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. A suffocating sensation tightened her throat. Perhaps it was just the dust inside the barn causing her headiness. Closing her eyes and slowly counting to ten she dared to look again, but the sight remained.
Leath’s breath caught before whooshing from her
lungs. Seeing the area from this elevated position had solved one mystery. Dazedly shaking her head, Leath guessed she was looking at the missing ten acres of their land. The garden-covered ten acres!
She hated gardening.
She shuddered, her mouth as dry and dusty as the barn. What were they going to do now? They couldn’t have a ten acre garden. No-one in their right mind had a ten acre garden. Ten acre gardens were restricted to municipal parks, not someone’s back yard. Definitely not our back yard.
Forcing down her panic, Leath looked out again. Many of the trees further away were taller than those close to the house. Had the ones near the buildings been kept topped?
Knowing next to nothing about trees, she could only identify a couple of kauris and knew the masses of yellow flowers dotted around belonged to kowhai trees. The trees lining the beach were definitely pohutakawas—they were around most beaches in Auckland so she recognised them. A row of ribbonwood trees were familiar because there’d been one in their garden when they were kids. But all the others were a mystery.
Slumped against the wall, Leath guessed there’d been a mass of native trees planted here. Forcing herself upright to look dispassionately at the area she could see a general layout of what the place must have looked like before it had been abandoned.
She reckoned the areas under the trees and between the hedges probably hid overgrown lawns and flowerbeds. A poignant ache filled her chest. She hoped Penelope had never known what a mess her garden had become.
With a sharp shake of her head and a bewildering sigh, Leath headed back outside. They’d never have the incentive to restore this whole area. Neither she nor Robby had the passionate love for gardening such an undertaking would need. If only Dad was still here. He’d have loved getting his hands on such a garden.
Leath’s shoulders slumped as she trudged back to the house. Knowing the extent of the garden and guessing its previous magnificence had increased the burden. A one-hour crash course in garden maintenance with their flatmate’s father had done little to prepare her for this.
