A Home Like Ours by Fiona Lowe (inspirational books for students .txt) 📗

But Jade didn’t reply, her attention taken by Milo who was squealing and pointing to the stage. The Boolanga Blokes had joined the Wacky Warblers and were singing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’.

Tara smiled at Lachlan McKenzie. She got a kick out of the fact he was an agronomist during the week and a children’s entertainer on the weekends. Today his face was intricately painted with lion markings and his costume came complete with a mane and a tail. He was lying down, pretending to be asleep, then he yawned, sat up and, using his fist, pretended to clean his ears and eyes. The other performers encouraged the children to call out, ‘Go to sleep,’ and Lachlan did a vaudeville act of wilfully misunderstanding. The glorious sound of children giggling filled the air.

Lachlan jumped to his feet and leaped across the stage as if he was in the cast of Cats. The music changed and Milo clapped his hands in delight.

Tara laughed. ‘Lachlan grabs any excuse to put on a costume and a show.’

‘That’s weird, right?’ Jade said.

‘No, that’s finding joy in the little things. I’m a bit late to the party, but I’m learning if we can’t do that, we’re sunk.’

She picked out Jon’s height in the crowd and saw that he and Clementine were following Lachlan’s dance moves. Clementine’s movements were smooth while Jon’s weren’t quite so fluid and his kicks were smaller, but they were both grinning. Tara caught the indecision on Flynn’s face—that moment of wondering if he was too old for such public foolishness but still wanting to take part. Her heart rolled.

‘Embrace the moment, Jade, and dance with your little boy. I’m off to dance with mine while he still tolerates it.’

She elbowed her way through the crowd and hip-bumped Flynn before touching her knee with her elbow and singing along with the crowd.

He grinned, kicked and joined in.

Together they yelled, ‘Nutbush City limits!’

Jade didn’t know what to make of Tara Hooper. The first time she’d met her at the garden, she’d written her off as yet another cool and standoffish woman with a poker up her arse. With her big flashy engagement ring, family-tree necklace and clothes that definitely didn’t come from Kmart or Best & Less, she looked exactly like the ice-queen bitches from mothers’ group. But lately, Jade was picking up a different vibe and it wasn’t just that Tara’s hair was longer than the average yummy mummy or she mostly wore the Hoopers Hardware and Timber uniform of black drill pants and a blue polo shirt. Instead of being all self-involved, she seemed interested in people—like she gave a shit. Maybe all those weeks ago she’d been having a crap day and Jade had judged her too quickly.

Tara was dancing with her family. Jade had seen photos of her and her husband in some of the back issues of The Standard. Back in the day, her husband had been an ace cricketer and footballer, but he sure wasn’t a dancer. He stepped left instead of right, bumping into Tara, then sagging against her for a moment. She slid her arm around his waist and gave him a look that made Jade feel lonelier than she had in a long time. The next minute they were laughing so hard, as if him being unco was the funniest thing ever.

Dance with your little boy.

Jade felt stupid doing the Nutbush on her own, but she did a version holding Milo between her feet and lifting his legs. He giggled and she laughed too, right up until the moment she turned to tell Helen or Bob and Lach—

Her thoughts veered away fast. She’d been trying not to look at Lachlan on stage, but it was hard not to. He danced like he didn’t have a care in the world—like he hadn’t even noticed they were no longer hanging out.

He hadn’t even come to hear Bob’s bombshell about the Tesla—that it had been leased for Craig Dangerfield by a company that was a subsidiary of Sino-Austral Investments. The whole deal looked and stank of bribery. Jade had wanted to post the information onto the Facebook page straight away, but although Helen and Bob couldn’t agree on the best way to use the information, they both agreed Facebook wasn’t it. Jade wished Lachlan had been there to give another opinion.

She missed their easy months of friendship. The way they rolled their eyes together at the things the boomers said, but at the same time shared a deep affection for Helen and Bob. How Lachlan called Milo ‘squirt’ and took the time to say hello to him and play with him even though he could only say nine words. How he gazed at her as if she wasn’t only pretty but the only person in the room who mattered. How his eyes had darkened just before he’d kissed her.

She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted the metallic tang of blood. Why had she fallen for romantic bullshit when she knew it didn’t exist in real life? And why had Lachlan organised that Harry Potter party date and told her he wanted to take the next step if he was going to get all bent out of shape about Corey in two seconds flat? She wished they’d stayed in the friend zone. At least then he’d still be around, helping to find information about dodgy councillors, and she’d have a mate who was younger than sixty.

When the music finished, the mayor walked up onto the stage wearing his ceremonial robes, the gold of the mayoral medallion glinting like a sun flare and dazzling the crowd. Vivian Leppart followed him, standing off to the side.

‘Now wasn’t that something?’ the mayor said.

Jade was surprised his voice sounded a bit squeaky instead of deep and commanding.

‘The shire’s thrilled to be working alongside the Chamber of Commerce to bring you this wonderful family day. Yes, community’s