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I faced Amanda with a nervous smile. “Welcome back, big sis.”
Amanda pulled me in for a quick hug.
“You’re a day early,” Mum squealed as she barrelled into the room, with Ryan close behind.
“They didn’t want to delay another day,” Ryan yawned, “so we packed up the car this morning and drove all day.”
Ryan cracked his neck and came to an abrupt halt, noticing the room. “This is amazing.”
He then spotted Harry, and Harry’s friends, and then frowned at the record player. “What’s going on?” he asked with a chin tip to Harry.
Harry ignored him, turning his attention to Stuart and Amanda. “I’m Harry Cain, Stacey’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you both, and these are my mates from Brisbane for the weekend. Mel, Steve and Andy.”
Harry shook hands with Amanda and Stuart as everyone said hellos.
Amanda looked me up and down, taking in my jumpsuit and Ariats. “We heard about the boyfriend. Ryan got a notification from the community group.”
“Yes,” I squeaked. “It’s new.”
Harry slipped a hand around my waist, squeezing slightly, and I relaxed a little.
“Seriously the parlour looks amazing,” Ryan repeated, taking a closer look at the drapes and then the paintwork.
“Mum helped me hang the curtains last night.”
“Who did you get to do the work?” Amanda asked.
“It was me.” Amanda stared again, so I added, “I did it.”
The only other sounds were the crackle of the fire and KISS playing in the background declaring they were going to rock and roll all night.
“What, like the painting? And the repairs?” Amanda frowned, taking in the details of the stencil border around the ceiling. “That must have been so difficult to do.”
“Yes. I just couldn’t hang the drapes on my own.”
Perhaps my big sister coming home from her successful career as an accountant in London was the push I needed to tell everyone about my course, my business. My dream.
I inhaled a deep breath. “I did an online course in interior design, focussing on restoring heritage homes faithfully to their original period whilst balancing the needs for modern life. I just wanted this room to be finished before you came home, Amanda.”
Tom grinned. Mum smiled, looking so content and happy. Ryan stared with his mouth hanging open.
“You did this for me?” Amanda breathed.
I nodded. “Yes, and … for Dad. He wanted to do this ten years ago and I made it happen, finally.”
Amanda threw her arms around me, squeezing tight.
“I love it, thank you.” She let go just as quickly.
“With Tom now in the shearer’s quarters, I’ve painted your old bedroom too, and moved the old brass bed in there now. Going to do a bedroom a week or so. Outside needs doing too …”
“Stacey, it’s great.” Amanda beamed, proud of me. She’d never looked at me like that before.
Mum came up to my side and gripped my shoulder, her eyes glassy.
I nodded, cheeks red. Harry squeezed my hip.
“Want a drink?” Harry asked the newcomers. “We visited several cellar doors today and have a couple of bottles open.”
