Ella opened her mouth to answer, but Jake said, ‘Got a long way to go yet. It’s all got to get through council first.’
Abe’s foot ticked side to side where he had it up on the seat, reminding Ella of a cat’s tail when the cat got grumpy.
‘Yeah, I get that, but it still has to be a good thing for the sale of Nanna’s house, right? How’s things going with that buyer anyway? That Graham guy? Did he come back?’
‘Yeah. A couple of times last week,’ Jake said.
Interest sparked all over Abe’s face. ‘Went higher, did he?’
‘Yep.’
‘How much higher?’
This time, Abe directed the question to Ella. His eyes, a paler blue than Jake’s, caught hers and she felt her face flush. ‘Well—’
‘His best offer was $519,000,’ Jake cut over her.
Abe’s hand whacked the armrest of his chair. ‘That’s fucking brilliant. Well done, Ella. I wasn’t sure when Jake wanted to sell Nanna’s house through you, I’ve got to be honest. When Jake said he wanted to give the listing to the rookie rep in town, I thought he had rocks in his head and he should have gone with Bob Begg. Bob could sell ice to Eskimos.’
‘Abe.’ Jake growled a warning, but Ella didn’t think his brother even heard.
‘Cool. Oh, man, that’s such great news.’ All the tics and bounces and twitches drained away and Abe smiled in relief, and when he smiled, Ella saw a whole new guy under that mountain of stress.
But there was one little problem.
‘Jake didn’t accept Henry’s offer, Abe,’ Ella said quietly because it wasn’t fair for him not to know.
Behind Abe’s head, Jake’s gaze snared Ella’s. He shook his head. Too late.
‘Shit! You think he’ll pay more than that even, Jake? I dunno, man. Bird in the hand … I’d be happy with my share of that. I’m not greedy. I reckon just take it.’
Jake sighed, lifted his feet from where he’d had them up on the recliner and put them flat on the gazebo timbers, elbows on his knees, leaning forward.
‘What?’ Abe glanced from Jake to Ella, back to his brother, and Ella felt sick.
‘I didn’t accept Henry Graham’s offer. He isn’t going higher,’ Jake said.
‘He might. Ella, you went back to him, yeah?’
‘He wasn’t going any higher,’ Ella confirmed. ‘He bought something else.’
‘Ah. Bugger.’ Abe jogged his heel against the floor. ‘But you got other prospects? Something in the pipeline?’
It was Ella’s turn to lift her feet off the recliner and sit up straight, like the boys. She didn’t know what game Jake and Abe were playing, but she was tired of being Nancy-Know-Nothing.
‘Abe, I told Jake what I thought your nan’s house was worth. Henry was offering what I thought was a reasonable price even before all this news about the water ski park and the upgrade to the road, and after that he upped it. I thought Jake should have accepted his offer. It was a good offer.’ Her eyes sought Jake’s, and found his steely and unreadable in the shade of the gazebo.
‘When Jake told me he wouldn’t negotiate, I went to see another owner on Chalk Hill Bridge Road. They agreed to sell, and yesterday they agreed on a price.’
‘So that’s it. He’s gone. Fuck, Jake. You screwed that up, mate. Or someone has.’ His gaze moved to Ella.
‘How about you tell me why it’s so important we sell Nanna’s house?’ Jake said, voice low, cut with lead. ‘You know Brix doesn’t care, and I never wanted to sell, so you tell me? Why do you want the place sold so much?’
Abe’s face shut like a bank’s front door at closing time on Friday. No amount of begging or knocking would get that door to slide.
Ella pushed off her chair and stood, bringing both men’s eyes to her movement. ‘You know, Jake? I think I might get Sam and go. You two have things to discuss.’
A muscle bunched in Jake’s jaw. A mix of impatience, annoyance maybe? Ella didn’t know. And was it directed at her, or his brother?
Follow my lead, he’d said out in the water, but what did that mean? Follow where? Follow what? There was so much between these two that she needed one of those lifejackets the kids were wearing to stay afloat.
Ella moved out along the jetty and called for Sam to come in. He didn’t like it—she could tell from his face—but he started rowing towards her across the dam.
She stooped near the jetty’s edge to collect her clothes and bunched them under her arm. She’d wash Jake’s t-shirt and his mother’s sarong and get them back to him another time.
‘Do we have to go, Mum?’ Sam said, edging the kayak up the bank near the gazebo.
‘Yes. We do.’
‘Why?’ His chin got that stubborn slant.
‘Because I said.’
‘Because isn’t a reason.’
‘Can’t he stay a bit longer?’ Ollie asked, glancing at Jake for support. Jake didn’t say anything.
‘Not today, mate. Another time, maybe, okay? Come on, Sam,’ Ella said.
‘Can we at least ride up on the four-wheeler?’ Sam pleaded.
‘Yes, you can. Remember your manners to Jake, and say thanks to Ollie’s nan for lunch. I’ll meet you up at the house.’
‘Cool. Thanks, Jake.’ The two boys raced away.
Ella glanced at the brothers in the gazebo. The shade under there did nothing to hide the intensity on both faces. She’d been on the verge of pulling Sam up, because Jake hadn’t heard him say thanks and Ella always said it was important for Sam to wait and make eye contact before he thanked a person.
Today, she shoved those courtesies under her arm along with her clothes, and went back to make her own thanks and goodbyes.
‘It was nice to meet you, Abe,’ she said, extending one hand to shake his, tucking her bundle of shorts, bra, knickers and shirt hard into her ribs with the other arm, ‘and thanks for having us out here, Jake.’
‘Our pleasure. No
