The Taming of the Bastard by Lindy Dale Page A

said, dawdling off in the direction
of the kitchen. “But next time ask him to dress in something a
little more ‘out there’. If that Jennings cow is going to tell the
town about me, it might as well be something juicy.”
    I watched her
walk away. Now I was totally confused.
    *****
     
    A letter
arrived the next day, its windowed front and blue crest announcing
it was from the bank, its bold address letting me know it was for
me.
    Dear Ms
McIntryre, it read
    We are pleased
to inform you that your pre-approval application for a mortgage has
been accepted. Based upon the figures you have provided and your
current account balance, an amount of up to thirty thousand dollars
will be made available to you for the purchase of property. We also
remind you that you are eligible for the first homebuyers grant to
subsidise the amount, increasing the effective amount that you will
be able to spend on your property.
    I look forward
to dealing with you in the purchase of your new home.
     
    Anthony
Barry.
    Loans
Manager
     
    Oh. My. God. It
was real. I now had enough funds to make an offer on a property. I
was going to change my life. But what about Sam?

 11 
    Before I could
say ‘clown’, Sam and I became a couple. There was no way to
describe this turn of events but everything seemed to fall into
place, as naturally as me tripping over the carpet rug in the hall.
One minute I’d been experiencing a man drought; next I couldn’t get
rid of him. Everywhere I went he was there. And even more
curiously, every time I requested a roster swap or a night off, my
needs were met in an instant. I knew he had a certain allure, which
compelled people to love him and do as he wished, yet it was very
strange.
    We’d been
seeing each other for a few weeks when Adele stopped me at the
bottom of the stairs late one afternoon. I was on my way for a date
with Sam, and running late at that.
    “Ah, Millie…?”
she began, as if undecided whether or not to continue.
    This wasn’t
good. She was looking me up and down, her face a mixture of
perplexed and cross. I hoped she hadn’t changed her mind about
another afternoon-slash-evening off. She was quite changeable when
she was at her ‘womanly time’ and the memory of last month’s day
spa incident was still fresh in my mind. Shrinking into the
banister, I didn’t know whether to pretend I hadn’t heard her or
stop and listen.
    “Don’t you
think that’s a bit dressy for the movies?” she asked, her eyes
scanning my outfit critically, her lips puckering as they reached
my boots.
    Probably, I
thought, but after spending the other Saturday in the company of
Kirby and Co, I was feeling a teensy bit inadequate about the way I
looked. Never one to compete with other women before, I felt the
sudden urge to lift my game for I had a notion that Sam might be
more comfortable with a city type of girl. My casual attire of
peasant tops, denim shorts and silver glitter sandals didn’t seem
to fit the bill.
    “We’re going to
a restaurant afterwards,” I said, by way of explanation. I didn’t
want her to think I had no taste at all. “I want to look nice.”
    “ Hmm ,”
she mumbled, frowning again, “Well, that outfit ought to do the
trick,” and wandered off into the conservatory.
    I stood
listening to the click clack of her heels down the hall. What in
heaven’s name was she on about? What trick? Sometimes I wondered
what was in those pills she spent hundreds on at the naturopath.
Shaking my head, I took a final check in the mirror and tucked my
hair back behind my ears. I looked smart and sexy. Those other
girls had nothing on me.
    Yeah.
Right.
    *****
     
    “Glad you
didn’t have to work?” Sam winked at me, as he opened the car door
for me to get in.
    “Yeah,” I said.
“It was funny though, I was all set with my uniform on and then Bob
rang and said there’d been an urgent roster change. It’s never
happened before. I can’t understand it. And Adele didn’t seem to
mind