Page 1 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

Chapter One

Liv

March 2021

“That one’s troubled,” Principal Gareth Young says. “I taught him as a teenager.”

I flinch as the loud dinging of metal on metal reverberates in my ears. The object of my attention has been making a hell of a racket all morning.

He’s far from a teenager now...

A pair of eyes drill into me from across the playground as if sensing my gaze.Busted.The man reaches down for a metal spike and moves along a metre or so before lifting a tool with handles above his head. He was working on the new fence when I arrived this morning.

“Sorry, who?” I feign ignorance.

I swallow hard as the muscles of his arms roll and flex when he drives that metal stake into the ground. A deep ache centres in my lower belly.To have those strong arms wrapped around me.

“That young buck over there. Bit of advice?” Gareth says.

Be professional. Don’t ogle the tradesman.

I mentally shake off thoughts of muscles and strength, then turn to face my boss. “Sure?”

His grey brows bunch. “You’re new to town. He has a reputation of sorts.”

I nod and follow his lead as he meanders towards the basketball courts. Reputation or not, I’m not looking for anything. Settling in and getting a grip on my first year of teaching is what I need to focus on.

We cross the bitumen to the shaded area where children snack. Ants swarm a dropped muesli bar, taking the chance to eat despite the chaos of bouncing balls around them.

“You’re fitting in well, Liv. Sugarloaf is happy to have you.”

I still have to pinch myself each morning. I’m so grateful to have a job teaching, and the move to the country was exactly what I needed. I just hope the days get easier.

“Thank you, Principal Young. I’m really grateful for the support everyone’s given me.”Well, nearly everyone.

Most teachers are older than me and some have taken me under their wing as if I was a daughter to them. It’s certainly made the transition easier having been on my own for a while. I keep waiting for the day that one of them will tell me I have no idea what I’m doing.

“It’s Gareth, please.”

Something tugs at the side of my long skirt. I swing around to find Georgie wearing an almighty frown.

“Miss Rosehill. Can I, um, ask you something?” She toes the ground with her worn Mary-Janes.

I glance at Principal Young then lean down and smile at the girl in pigtails. “Of course.”

“So, um, Tiana said you have a different pair of sunglasses for every colour in the rainbow. Is that true?”

A beaming smile bursts onto my face. Is this what the girls talk about on the playground?

“I wish, Georgie. Just pink, green, yellow, and blue.” Some pairs are old, but I can’t bear to get rid of them. I’m a sentimental creature. They help me remember happier times, which seem so long ago.

“Why do you have so many?”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

She leans in closer. “Yup.”

“Because a world without colour would be a tragedy.” My heart pangs at the thought of my grandmother and her love of colour. My fascination with everything bright and bold is thanks to her.

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