Page 24 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

“In the last year. Bought some land.” I did that. Took a leap, although I have no idea what I’m doing. “Trying my hand at farmin’ after years of runnin’ my own fencing business.”

Her hair spills over her shoulder as she tilts her head. “You don’t like fencing anymore?”

“It pays the bills, but I got sick of travellin’. Figured it was time to grow some roots. Grow up and all that.”

She laughs. “I’m not sure I’ll ever grow up. Adulting is hard.”

Damn straight.

“When did you decide you wanted to be a teacher?”

“I guess about four years ago. After changing jobs every few months for years, I finally committed to studying. I like working with kids but didn’t want to work in childcare. When I finished my degree, I promised my mother I’d see it through. No matter how hard it turned out to be.”

The other day she talked about feeling lost when she was trying to find a career that fit. For the longest time I was a failure, unable to stick at anything long term. I shouldn’t have been so hard on myself. If only I had someone like Liv back then to talk to, someone who was going through the same thing.

“How’s it going so far?”

She sighs, a warm smile spreading across her lips. “I love it, but it definitely has its challenges. Some days almost get the better of me, and then I remember that promise and work at getting on with it.”

Pride stirs in my chest. I barely know Liv and yet I admire her strength and determination. I want to ask about the rest of her family, to understand who’s supported her through her grief, but I can’t do it. It’s a line I won’t cross until she’s ready. I won’t push when I have the same struggles talking about family.

“She’d be proud of you for sure.”

She shrugs one shoulder. “I hope so.”

“Well, I am. I wouldn’t know the first thing about containing twenty-odd little kids, let alone teaching them stuff. I’d imagine it’d be like herding feral cats into the classroom.”

Liv laughs and flattens her hand against her chest. “Some days it’s exactly like that.” She sips her coffee. “Tell me about your farm. Have you got cattle? Sheep?”

“In time. Once I’ve done some clearing, I’ll put some sheep on. But the main thing I’m trying to do is restore it to its former glory. It was an old lavender farm. Needs a lot of work.”And time. And money.I need to hurry up and rent out a room. Anything to keep the money flowing because I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I was tired of being the one in the family people expected the least from. I wasn’t the easiest kid to handle, certainly not after discovering the truth. It’s so fucking hard when your brother is the one your parents turn to. It’s not his fault though. He’s blood. I’m not. I take it out on his arse, and it makes it that much harder to take his offers of support. He wants to help me make a go of the place, but he already has his hands full with the station. I can’t burden him with this too. It has to be me. I have to do this for myself, for my future. If only I knew how.

Liv finishes a mouthful of food, holding her hand in front of her mouth as if she doesn’t want me to watch her eat. Girls are weird like that. “I adore lavender. There’s the most beautiful farm down on the Mornington Peninsula that I remember going to as a child.”

I lean in closer to the table. “Maybe I should ring for some pointers.” I wink.

“It’s not a bad idea,” she says and smiles. “It’s a pretty unique thing to farm.”

Unique and a money pit.

“Yeah. Maybe.” How much help would they be to a complete stranger? “Trying not to use chemicals has been the biggest challenge.” I shake my head. If I go down that conversation path, I’ll bore the poor woman to death. “Anyway, I’m sure there’s more interesting things to talk about. How’d you go with the whole manipulating thing?”

Liv dabs the corner of her mouth with a napkin and straightens her spine. “Worked pretty well, actually.”

I listen in awe as Liv tells me about the interesting characters in her class.

Emily appears beside me and places her hand on my shoulder. “Can I get you two lovebirds anything else?”

Jesus Christ. She couldn’t help herself, could she?

“I’m good, thanks,Em,” I say, resisting the urge to growl my response. Liv’s cheeks grow a deep shade of pink. “Do you want anything else?”

She shakes her head and smiles. “No thanks. That was delicious.”

Emily tears off a slip from her notepad and places it in front of me. “Pay up the front when you’re done.”

Liv reaches for the paper, but I snatch it up before she gets the chance. “Not quick enough this time.”

She laughs and folds her arms, drawing my eyes to the swell of her tits.Goddamn. What I wouldn’t give to motorboat those beauties...

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