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Neri rolled her eyes, blew me another kiss, then pinned her attention on her father. “So...what did you do, Dad? Are you going to tell us or make us guess?” Rolling onto her back, she fanned her delicious chocolate hair all over the rug. The sunshine had been particularly sneaky with her strands, thanks to all the swimming and sunbathing we’d done while on holiday. Instead of one depth of colour, Neri’s hair now mimicked an earthy rainbow of cinnamons, coppers, and even a few shades of gold.
“Here.” Jack grinned and tossed her the paperwork. “See for yourself.”
Sitting upright, Neri’s blanket fell away, revealing a dark purple dress she bought last time we were in town together. “What is it?” She scanned the document, flicking to the next page as her eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“What?” I bent forward, doing my best to see what had made her shoot to her knees and clutch the paper as if it’d solved world peace. “What is it?”
“Read for yourself.” She waddled toward me on her knees and passed over the document. Resting against my legs, she didn’t move away as I read quickly.
“A rental agreement?” I frowned, locking eyes with Jack. “To where?”
“To a two-bedroom apartment in Townsville.” Jack grinned smugly, snaking his arm around his wife. “Don’t worry, it’s close enough to James Cook University but not on campus. The bus system is good there. It’s in a quiet six-floor high rise with a total of twenty-four apartments. No pool but...it does have a bath, which not many places do.”
“Where did you find the listing?” Neri asked, peering at the weekly rent. “And how on earth did you find a two-bedroom place for only three hundred and sixty dollars a week?”
“Serendipitous really.”
“How?” I let Neri have the contract back as she skimmed the fine print.
“Well, you know we were in New Zealand. Another group of biologists were there, doing their own data gathering and we got talking. Turns out this guy, Griffen Yule, is a lecturer at James Cook. I said how my daughter is following in the family footsteps and he said you’d left it a bit late to find anything decent to rent. He’s been savvy with investing and owns that apartment complex. He’s been holding on to the last apartment as it needs a refresh, but he hasn’t gotten around to it. He gave me his card.”
“A total stranger offered you an apartment for less than market value?” Neri asked suspiciously.
“He wasn’t a stranger by the end of two weeks, let me tell you that.” Anna laughed. “The amount of beer your father and Griffen drank almost put the cubic litres in the ocean to shame.”
“Hey!” Jack chuckled. “We had to celebrate. That orca invited us to eat with them! She dropped that mangled manta ray right in our faces and hung around as if inviting us to tea. She posed for photos, for goodness’ sake. I mean...I swear she even smiled!”
“Anyway...” Anna chuckled. “Griffen showed us photos of the place. It’s very airy and bright. It does need a bit of a renovation, like Jack said. The walls need a fresh coat of paint, the kitchen is outdated, and the bathroom is frankly stuck in the eighties, but...” She flicked me a glance. “We mentioned that you’re skilled at almost everything, Aslan. That you’re a number whizz and know almost as many languages as I do at this point. He knows that you’ll be unemployed most of the time Neri is studying, and...he, eh...” Anna glanced at Jack, pursing her lips as if not quite sure how to announce the rest.
Jack took over. “He mentioned he needed a handyman. Someone who lives on-site. Someone who isn’t afraid of hard work. I personally vouched for you, mate. Gave you a glowing recommendation. He’s willing to reduce the rent in return for you taking care of things for him. You’ll spruce up the place you’ll be living in and do the odd maintenance jobs around the complex.”
I went still as Neri shot me a worried glance.
“I can’t work, Jack,” I said quietly. “Remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. He’s happy to pay you under the table. No questions asked. You’ll have the same gig as you do with us. Cash in hand every week.”
“Why would he do that?” Neri asked. “Why not hire someone else? Someone with a tax number?”
“Because hiring people to look after your investments when you’re too busy to oversee them yourself is always a risk. We got friendly. He gave me his trust. And I convinced him that Aslan is the man for him.” Jack pouted dramatically. “Even though I’m now down the best employee I’ve ever had and have no idea how I’ll survive without your help.”
I gave him a tight smile. “I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch.”
