Chapter 34
ONE HOUR
On Nev’s request, the lawyer arrived first, parking under the Moreton Bay fig tree in the gravel carpark between Stone House and the horse barn.
Maude’s terms included a one-hour supervised workplace visit, for which Nev paid the lawyer, holding out a check-sized envelope the moment the woman from Mareeba stepped out of her Toyota Camry.
The tweed skirt suit and high heels looked out of place on the farm.
“Make sure it’s enough.”
“I’m sure it is.” The lawyer shook Nev’s outstretched hand. She had a light grip, soft hands, and was over-dressed. “Ms. Bickerman, I presume. Call me Karen.”
“Nev.”
“What’s that short for?” the woman asked.
“Niamh.” Neeve.
“That’s a pretty name. Irish?” The lawyer surveyed the farmyard as she chatted, no doubt filing observations for later. “Are you Irish? You look like you could be. Is that a sunburn, or does your skin always look like that?”
Nev hated this already. Internally, she was debating with herself if there was an upper limit to what she was willing to do to help Ron get parental rights back.
“I have barn boots you can borrow.” It was likely murder, the upper limit.
She couldn’t see herself committing murder for this project. She still had morals. That felt good.
The woman smiled. “Brought my own, thanks.” She took muck boots out of the trunk of her Camry and changed. “My uncle has a farm out in Chillagoe.”
“Not much water there. Bit dry.” Closer to the Outback, dusty roads, desert. Red dirt.
“Your grandfather had a tin mine. What town?”
“Ravenshoe. Forty-five minutes south of here.” Nev jammed her hands in her jeans pockets. Had debated dressing up for this meeting, had decided not to. “Everyone’s coming?”
The woman nodded. “Except Ronnie, who wasn’t invited.”
Good. This would be harder if Ron were here. Without her, nothing could go wrong.
“Thanks for arranging this, Karen.”
“No worries.” The woman checked the contents of her purse before closing the Camry door.
A custom pink Chevy Silverado turned off Boar Pocket Road and rolled up the long gravel drive towards them.
Nev felt like she might throw up. Easy… She gentled herself in the same voice she reassured the horses she trained. She could do anything for one hour.
“That must be Maude,” the lawyer said.
Nev nodded. They watched the obnoxiously-bright truck approach.
The lawyer scribbled something on a legal pad. “You’ve never met her before.”
“Nope.”
Nev’s heart raced like before a gunfight. She would be the sound of one hand clapping. She could be the perfect host.
The lawyer turned to her with a frown. “Before she gets here, I want to say how much I respect you for doing this.”
Nev blinked. “Least I can do.” The gravel had worn thin in places, she realized. She scuffed the dirt with the sole of her boot.
The lawyer lowered her voice. “If she starts acting erratic, I’ll wrap things up early and get her out of here. If you can’t stand her, don’t say anything to her, catch my eye and tap the top of your head. I’ll make up an excuse to end the meeting early and she won’t know it was your idea.”
Nev was impressed. “You’ve done this before.”
Karen unbuttoned the top button of Nev’s shirt and fluffed up the front of her hair. “There, much better. Hands out of your pockets. Don’t slouch. Everything will be fine.”
A boxy white Kia parked next to the pink truck and two middle-aged people who must be Maude’s parents got out. From the pink truck emerged a pretty young woman with heat-straightened hair and Rainbow.
Nev’s heart skipped a beat. “Is she supposed to be here?”
“Yes. The social worker is here to observe how Rainbow acts.”
At first glance, Maude looked like a teenaged babysitter. Long, straight, auburn hair too perfect to be real. Maybe it was a wig.
“You must be Nev.” Urban accent, upper class, almost British, vowels breathy and open. Fringe that draped stylishly on either side of wide, startlingly green eyes. Mesmerizing. Pouty pink lips, plump face, slender limbs, like a doll.
Jesus Christ…
Maude was not what she expected. How the hell had Ron bagged this ten when she was fourteen?
Nev shook the limp outstretched hand the same size as her own. The two of them were the same height. Maude knew she didn’t need to introduce herself. Her last name was Green, the lawyer had told Nev over the phone.
Rainbow hugged Nev around the waist. “Hi Nev! The turtle I found last week laid an egg!”
“That’s exciting. You got to let it go.”
“The dog ate it.”
“What, the egg?”
“No, the turtle.”
“Whoops. Well, maybe look up how to incubate a turtle egg. Probably too late now, though.”
Maude’s parents stood behind Rainbow. Nev extended her hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Green? I’m Nev. Welcome to Upsend Downs.”
Maude’s father had hot hands, and her mother had cold ones. The woman smiled anemically. “Thanks for letting us drop by.”
“No worries.”
“We’re waiting for the social worker,” the lawyer said. “That must be her now.”
A green minivan pulled up the drive and parked beside the Kia. A woman with braids and carrying a sparkly clipboard stepped out of the car.
Rainbow’s eyes shot to the clipboard. Sparkles were like crack for kids. She went over to the social worker and touched the polymer clipboard. “This is cool. Where did you get this?”
When the social worker hugged the girl against her blouse Rainbow sank into the woman’s soft body.
“Rainbow girl! Long time no see, darling! Like it? There’s a new art supplies store in Atherton.
I bought one in every color. How are the hermit crabs?
” This must be a social worker who had worked with Rainbow before.
Why the hell did Rainbow need a social worker before? What happened? No one tells Ron anything. I get fifty percent of that, if I’m lucky.
“They’re all dead,” Rainbow said.
Nev frowned.
The social worker looked unconcerned. “I’m so sorry to hear that, darling. Hermit crabs don’t live very long.”
“I left the cage in the shade in the greenhouse, but then the sun moved, and they cooked. At least I think they cooked. It could have been dehydration that killed them.”
Morbid, much?
“Oh, what a shame,” the social worker said. “I’m so sorry. Tell me more about it after, darling. I’d love to hear about it after the meeting.” Her voice was deep and warm. “Is this your friend, Mrs. Bickerman?”
Rainbow hugged Nev around the waist again. Nev reached as far as she could to shake the social worker’s outstretched hand. “You can call me Nev.”
The woman held up a phone. “Mind if I take pictures?”
“Go ahead.”
When the woman pointed the phone at her, Nev schooled her expression to look approachable and law-abiding.
The lawyer stepped forward. “Thank you all for coming. You all know why we’re here.
The Green family is excited to finally meet you and is looking forward to seeing the farm where Rainbow has spent so much of her childhood since she was four.
” The lawyer consulted her notes. “Approximately one day every other week.”
“Since she was two,” Nev corrected automatically. She hoped that wasn’t a secret. She didn’t tell them that Rainbow had been here in utero because they didn’t need to know that.
The lawyer and the social worker scribbled notes on clipboards.
She hoped she wouldn’t accidentally say something that would get Ron in trouble.
Rainbow led the farm tour. Nev was only along for the ride, which in this case, was exactly what she wanted.
Less pressure on her to entertain. They could have done the tour without her.
The lawyer led the group from building to building, while Rainbow told random anecdotes about things they lingered next to, or saw, and the social worker dictated into her phone everything the girl said only slightly wrong.
Rainbow’s lack of filter was like a truth serum.
In the barn: “This is where I brush Brighty, my pony.”
Smiling, sidelong glances among the adults.
In the house, more specifically the kitchen: “This is where we eat dinner and where Nev helps me with my homework.”
Approving nods from Maude’s parents.
In the family room, Rainbow pointed to Nev’s guitar case and Ron’s drum set in the corner. “This is where we jam.”
Maude glanced at the hall where the bedrooms were. “Do you ever sleep here?”
Rainbow nodded cheerfully. “Yeah. Heaps.”
“Where?” Maude asked.
Rainbow led the group down the hall into the guest bedroom. Nev followed the others. The social worker took pictures of the bed and the bathroom, which thankfully Nev had cleaned last night in a fit of paranoia. The social worker wrote on her clipboard. “How many times have you slept here?”
“At least a million.”
“Where do your mum and Nev sleep?” the social worker asked.
Of course, this whole thing was a setup to eviscerate her. Here it comes… Nev held her breath and jammed her hands in her pockets.
Rainbow looked around the guest bedroom, then pointed to the bed. “Mum sleeps here with me. Nev sleeps in her room.”
Nev exhaled, unable to believe she would be so lucky as to dodge that one.
“They don’t sleep together when I’m here.”
Rainbow was only trying to do her a solid, to protect her.
Heart racing, she walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with water from the fridge.
This had been a terrible idea. Why had she thought it would be all right?
Why did humiliation still sting? She leaned on the counter.
They had come here to gather evidence against her.
Well, everyone except Rainbow. And Karen.
The lawyer peeked into the kitchen. “Everything all right?”
“Peachy.” Sarcasm was creeping back. Not good.
“They’re not going in your bedroom.”
Nev finished the water and set the empty cup in the dishwasher.
The lawyer looked sympathetic. “Let’s continue on, shall we?”
The next stop on the tour was the sheep barn that they used for lambing, which was empty now. Maude walked alongside her. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you.”
“Not embarrassed,” Nev lied.
Rainbow wanted to ride Brighty so they all walked back to the horse barn. The spring sun was hot, but inside the barn was cooler from fans whirring overhead. Rainbow showed off how she could saddle and tack Brighty, which made Nev unreasonably proud.
“What do you like about horses?” the social worker asked Rainbow.
“Nev’s going to be my mum someday,” the ten-year-old announced.
In other circumstances, Rainbow’s prediction would have made Nev feel pretty good. Nev half-turned her back on the others and lowered her voice. “You are so sweet.”
The girl hugged Nev around the waist, asking to be picked up, which seemed babyish for her, so Nev ignored her.
The girl was persistent, continuing to try to climb Nev like a tree, as if it was a game.
The other adults politely acted like nothing was happening.
Maude covered a smile. Eventually Nev couldn’t take it anymore, so she picked her up.
“Do you feel like a parental figure?” the social worker asked.
“I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t have anything to compare this to.”
“Are you in love with my mum?”
The girl was on a streak.
“Everyone’s in love with your mum.”
The social worker said, “Awww…” in a high voice.
Maude cleared her throat. “I’m not.”
Maude’s mother chimed in. “You’re so good with her, Nev, helping her with her homework.
Rainbow adores you. Will you be a stable part of her life?
It sounds like you don’t know what’s going to happen with Ronnie, which, to be fair, no one ever knows what’s going to happen with Ronnie, but we need to know that Rainbow will be safe here. You don’t drink or do drugs?”
“Um,” Nev said. “Not in front of her.”
Maude frowned. “Do you mind if we run a background check?”
“Go ahead.” There was nothing in her record but a few old DUIs.
Maude snapped pictures of Rainbow with Brighty. “We want what’s best for Rainbow.”
Maude’s dad agreed. “You’ve built a nice place here.”
“I don’t take any credit. All I do is try to stop it from falling down.”
Maude’s mother touched Nev’s arm. “She’s lucky to have you. If you and Ronnie break up, we hope you’ll stay in touch. Rainbow cares about you and she loves coming over to ride the horses.”
Nev felt strange. She swallowed. “Rainbow is always welcome.” She licked her lips. “She always will be.”
“Don’t say that unless you mean it,” Maude warned.
Nev still held Rainbow, who was getting heavy. She tried to think of something nice to say to the woman she considered her arch nemesis. Thank you for helping Ron. No, she couldn’t say that, it would sound forgiving, permissive.
“I’ve been wondering, what do they do for you?” Maude asked. “You cook for them, do laundry for them, help with the schoolwork, entertain them, you do everything for them, and what do you get out of it? What do they do for you?”
Nev blinked. Maybe Maude had never loved anyone other than herself.
She ran her tongue along her lower lip. “They don’t have to.
That’s the point.” She didn’t understand why they thought there was anything unusual going on.
“There’s no greater privilege than to take care of other living things.
The farm is…” What was she trying to say here? “The farm is its own reward.”
“I’m not talking about the farm.”
Nev shrugged. “It’s not different.”
“For what it’s worth, you probably deserve parental rights more than she does,” Maude said.
“You’re in the most vulnerable position, and you’re not asking for anything.
You can’t ask for anything. When Ronnie breaks your heart, don’t disappear.
You have our contact information. We like you, and we think you’re a good influence for Rainbow.
We haven’t decided what we’re going to call you, but you’re something. ”
Nev swallowed. “Right.”
“You have permission for whatever this is.”
Maude’s mother chimed in. “We agree with everything she said. This is unexpectedly wholesome.”
“Bit early to jump to that conclusion, love. I don’t need your permission to—”
“Well! Look at that! That’s time!” the lawyer interrupted, tapping her watch. It had been an hour. “Isn’t this a little slice of heaven?”
Maude pulled her aside, out of Rainbow’s earshot. “I mean this in a respectful way, so don’t be offended, but are you on the spectrum?”
“Not as far as I know. Do you want me to be?”
“I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re not her usual type. She’s dated some real assholes. You’re the safest person she’s shown interest in.”
“She did date you, after all. We’re not... But thank you for bringing all these people into my house to laugh at my friendship with your daughter, to try to put a box around it, to make it something they can understand.”
“Be careful,” Maude warned. “I’m not the one who’s going to hurt you.”