The Boy In the Olive Grove by Fleur Beale

Author:Fleur Beale [Beale, Fleur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781869799878
Publisher: Random House New Zealand
Published: 2012-09-06T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

AT BREAKFAST next morning Mum didn’t respond to my four attempts at conversation. I left for work as soon as I could and let myself into a factory that was tidy, ship-shape and not in need of any input from me.

Outside, Lisette had her caravan set up beside the fence so that customers could stand on the footpath to order their drinks. There was gravel under it, and grass seed sown on the land behind it. I introduced myself to her barista nephew.

‘Kent Brand,’ he said, shaking my hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, Bess. Have a coffee on the house. We set all this up over the weekend. It’ll take a while for people to know we’re here, I guess. But we’ve got plans for the lawn to bring in the punters. Tables. A putting green. A few croquet hoops too could be fun. And a big sandpit for the kids.’

‘Sounds exciting. It could be good for the factory too. Great coffee, by the way.’

Kent Brand. Friendly, not exactly a babe magnet, but not bad. Could he be the olive grove boy? He sort of fitted, except that I hadn’t known him since I was ten. Oh, for heaven’s sake — was I going to go around for the rest of my life trying to make every man I met fit the slot of OG boy? Pathetic.

I used the couple of minutes before the men arrived to morph myself into Bess, Competent Factory Boss. I fired up the computer to check the bidding on the table: $599. Close, but no sale. The slacker could come up with the last dollar or forget it. Then, as I watched, the bid changed to $600. I left it. Let them sweat.

Clint was the first one in, and stopped by the office to fill me in with more Jason details. ‘Bernie and he have arranged it between them. He’ll do this week for work-experience wages. Same hours as Bernie. Friday afternoon’s decision time. You’re going to have to decide if you want to hire him.’ He looked worried, and this time I didn’t blame him.

‘Dad’s going to come in and do that. I’ll keep right out of the way. Come to think of it, I won’t be around on Friday anyway.’

Clint nodded. ‘Good thinking, boss. Dunno why, but you’re not in the kid’s fan club.’

‘Should I buy lunch for him again today?’

‘No. You’re paying him. Don’t overdo it. He needs to be one of the men. We sort our own lunches. He’s got to do the same.’

‘Clint,’ I said, ‘you are one wise man. That’s a very valuable lesson in boy-brain.’ He didn’t reply to that, just went off to start his day looking chuffed. He’d be an expert on boy-brain, thanks to Nick. He’d been such a ghastly kid, and now— Stop it. Do not go there.

Eddy, thank god, provided me with something else to focus on. ‘Morning, Bess. Come and have a gander at this.’

He sounded excited, and led me over

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