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

the success of the garden. Show how it’s not only benefitting the community but meeting the garden’s objectives. Tara Hooper’s putting photos up on the hardware store’s page too, which will—what do you call it?—“extend our reach”?’

‘Yeah, that’s good because it’s different people. I could write something about how the garden brings women together. I mean, I didn’t even know where Afghanistan was before I met Aima and I’d never eaten bolanis. Now I love them.’

‘That’s a great idea, but I doubt The Standard will print it.’

Jade waved her hand. ‘I’m thinking a lot bigger than the scummy Standard. Mrs Kastrati was always banging on about the power of the word. If we got some attention about our garden in Shepparton or in Melbourne, or in online spaces like Medium and Mamamia, then if that old witch Judith tries to shut us down we’ll have way more support than her poxy committee.’

‘You’re starting to think like a lobbyist.’

‘Is that good?’

‘It is for the garden. It’d be great if you could mention the tiny houses project in your article.’

‘Yeah, okay.’ Jade still thought Helen should broaden the scope of her project and open it up to single mothers.

Helen adjusted her glasses and returned her gaze to the screen, and Jade typed some points on her phone for the article.

‘Well, hello,’ Helen said.

‘Have you found something?’

‘Maybe. Can you google Andrew Tucker.’

Jade typed in the name. ‘It says he’s a property developer. There’s pictures of paddocks and then houses and factories. A diversified business with successful industrial and residential development in Melbourne’s south-east.’

‘What else?’

Jade clicked back to the search page. ‘There’s a few mentions of Sino-Austral Investments.’

‘Is there a website for that?’

Jade typed in the company name and waited for the page to load. Images of emerald green golf courses slid across the screen. ‘There’s a hotel and golf course in Queensland and a resort on the Mornington Peninsula.’

Helen glanced at the screen and pointed to the logo of the company. ‘Do Sino and Austral mean anything to you?’

Jade remembered Mrs Kastrati talking about root and stem words. ‘Austral is probably something to do with Australia. All I can think for sino is it’s connected to sinuses, which are holes in your skull. But that doesn’t make sense here.’

‘Sino is a very old name for China. It either comes from ancient Greek or Sanskrit.’

‘Cool.’ Jade loved a fun fact and she filed it away to tell Lachlan. ‘So you reckon Sino-Austral Investments is an Australian company doing deals with China?’

‘I’m wondering. The golf courses and resorts are a big flag.’ Helen sat forward. ‘Let’s see who Andrew Tucker hangs out with when he’s not in Boolanga.’

Jade clicked on images and a raft of photos appeared. Andrew Tucker dressed in a morning suit at the Melbourne Cup. Another with him standing next to a silver and black Ferrari outside Crown Casino, and one in front of a helicopter with four men with Asian features.

‘Holy sh—wow! He owns a helicopter!’ She looked at Helen. ‘Why would he bother slumming it in Boolanga?’

‘Exactly!’ Helen consulted her notepad. ‘He’s been here four times this year. He was at the business awards, at the golf tournament, the polo match and the rowing regatta. What do they all have in common?’

Jade took a punt. ‘The sleazy mayor?’

‘Absolutely. And there’s photos of Tucker with Geoff Rayson, Aki Rehn, Craig Dangerfield and Don DeLuca.’

Jade was now up to speed on all the councillors. ‘Are there any photos of him with the female councillors?’

‘There’s a group photo at the business awards. Messina’s standing next to him, but there’s a wide gap between them. Her body language says she doesn’t like him.’

‘You should ask her about him.’

‘I think you’re right.’

Jade returned to the tab she’d been on before Helen had interrupted. When the photo loaded, she was looking at a picture of a group of men. The caption read: The a cappella group The Boolanga Blokes, singing for their supper at the Beyond Blue fundraiser.

Lachlan’s choir. Except they didn’t look anything like Jade had pictured them in her head—no robes and no one was holding music. She zoomed in on Lachlan for a closer look. He was wearing black leather pants, a black T-shirt, black jacket and a black hat—he looked like a cross between a bikie and an opera singer. A tingle shot through her and she pressed her legs together, savouring the twitching sensation.

‘What are you grinning at?’ Helen asked.

‘Nothing.’

But Helen was already leaning over her shoulder. ‘Ah.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means if I was your age I’d be grinning like a fool too. Looks like Lachlan’s put sexy into choir.’

Jade’s skin prickled with a mix of delight and disgust. ‘Gross, Helen! You could be his grandmother.’

Helen laughed and pointed to an older man standing next to Lachlan. ‘So you were grinning like a fool at this one, were you?’

‘Eeeuw! No way! You can have him. I don’t do old or nerdy guys.’

‘I’m not sure singing makes Lachlan a nerd.’ Helen took off her glasses. ‘It’s okay to like him.’

Her complicated knot of feelings for Lachlan tightened. ‘No, it’s not.’

‘Why?’

‘Lots of reasons. There’s Corey for a start.’

Helen’s mouth tightened. ‘I wouldn’t be starting with the man who left town without telling you where he was going and doesn’t give you any money to help with the care of his child.’

Jade was used to people criticising Corey and always rushed to defend him. But as the familiar words formed in her head—Corey works hard; Corey needs space—all she heard were excuses for his abandonment of her and Milo. Anger and pain twirled on a helix, ringed by confusion. She wanted to yell ‘You don’t know anything!’ except Helen knew stuff.

‘Corey knows what it’s like when your family doesn’t love you,’ she finally said.

Helen’s hand rested briefly on her shoulder. Jade knew she should have shaken it off, but the warmth and gentle pressure felt so good.

‘I’m sorry you and Corey have got that in common. But it’s not a basis for a