She blew out a breath and hoped her blood pressure stopped rising. "I see."
"Do you want to know what they are paying me? Just in case you want to employ another sucker." He glared at her. "The salary is ten times what you pay me." He could feel his temper rise. It had been simmering for several hours. "Ten bloody times more than what you pay me." When he'd heard about the disparity he'd thought he'd misunderstood. She took advantage of his family. Exploited. Again. "And you get my grandfather working for you for nothing. You want to ask me again if I think you are taking advantage?" The anger in his words roused her from the depression that was about to take hold.
"I see." She rubbed at her temples. "As I explained I also house you, and provide board."
"Yeah, house and board. Really? You pay me the minimum wage and his casuals get housing and board." He saw that she was aware of that. Furious he added. "At Mr Richard's place, even a casual labourer earns more than me working for you."
"I see."
"Mr Richards explained that there is a huge difference between managers and casual labourers."
"I see."
"Even the casuals get more than the minimum wage!" He watched her face, wanting to see whether she had deliberately avoided paying him for the job he was doing.
"I see."
"My next job includes a rent-free bungalow on the site."
Like a stuck record, she said, "I see."
"You didn't think I'd find out you paid me a fraction of what I am entitled to be paid for the job I am doing for you." He accused.
"I paid what I could afford." Regan stated quietly wishing she didn't sound so plaintive.
"Sure." He glanced at her clothes with clear derision. Obviously once she'd deducted what she needed for her wardrobe, then, and only then she think about what he was entitled to earn and what the farm needed to operate. "Four weeks notice."
And as the implications of his exit sunk in, her head begin to hurt. How the hell was she supposed to manage an animal stocked farm? She couldn't afford to pay a manager, and she now has a loan to service. "Four weeks." She mumbled to herself. She'd manage temporarily until she figured out what the best option was. But she'd need to learn to manage what to do here, now, quickly. "On one condition." She said quietly.
"What?" He sounded affronted. "A condition? You have a bloody nerve!" She had a nerve, he thought as he waited her out.
She gulped. "One condition." Though how she was going to fit this in, she didn't know.
He firmed his lips and grated, "I don't think you are in a position to stipulate any conditions."
"One condition. Just one. It's nothing major"
He threw his hands in the air, in utter bemusement. "After everything, you ripped off my family, I resurrected your farm with no resources, no help from you, and you have the bloody nerve to ask me. Fuck off! I do not owe you anything, and you have no right to..."
She interrupted softly, watching his eyes sparks with fury. "Just one condition" She rubbed her nose, but kept her eyes trained on him She rubbed her nose, but kept her eyes trained on him " I follow you." She said coolly, her eyes challenging him to take her on. "You show me what you do, on a daily basis over the next few weeks."
"You are joking? You finally want to see what goes on?" Her request astonished him. He'd been here for months and she'd barely taken an interest in the day to day running of the place, and now that he was going, she suddenly wanted to know about it all.
She folded her arms, hunched her shoulder and said quietly, "I need to know what you do..."
"What?" He started laughing with cynicism. "You think you can take over? You have the skills?" The sound of his laugh grated on her nerves. "You?" He laughed again. He looked at her, noticed that she was serious and couldn't help but roar with laughter. "You are kidding, right? I think I could pay to watch that. You farming. What a joke. You think you have the gumption to run this farm? You barely kept this farm afloat. And now you want to take over? You are joking, right? Just a practical joke?"
"No. You show me what you do on daily basis." She said quietly.
He looked her up and down, laughed and clutched at his side as a stitch kicked in, "You haven't bothered to show your face in the last few weeks. But you think you can run the place without me? That you can take over? You are definitely kidding me. "
Regan decided not to trade insults. "It is a simply request." She lifted her chin and ignored the laughter in his eyes, "I simply want you to show me what you do on a daily basis." Her voice did not show her feelings. She kept her tone neutral, "Is that something you can manage?"
He reigned in his laughter and smirked. "Fine. I could do with a laugh."
"Fine. Good."
He shook his head. "Although, it would be more humane if I shot the animals and put them out of their misery rather than leave them to your ignorant care!"
She ignored his inflammatory remark. "You can start, this week, by showing me what you do first thing in the mornings." She wasn't due at the centre until 9am this week, and she knew he was up and about around 6, so if she followed him in the mornings this week she'd learn what is necessary for the mornings at the farm. And she could stop her locum the following week, and take on early shifts, that would allow her to follow him in the evening.
"You want to follow me in the morning?"
"Yes." She nodded licked her dry lips and bit her lower lip between her teeth and watched his reaction.
He narrowed his eyes. "I am up at 5am!" Issued as a challenged.
She nodded. "Ok, mornings this week."
"You can learn everything in a week?"
"No, just the morning routine this week. Next week, the evenings." She said and he laughed again.
He ran his fingers through his hair and said with barely restrained laughter, "And you think you can learn everything in two weeks?"
"No. I just want you to show me what you do in the morning and evening." She maintained her position despite the fact he was laughing at her. She knew this was a long shot but the only way she could save her farm.
"Ok. If you want to ruin your farm, that is your problem." He finally agreed, then added as an afterthought, "I have some terms and conditions too."
"Oh?"
"Yes." He waited a beat, waited for her to make eye contact, "The place we are moving to isn't furnished. I'd like to take the furniture and linen we got for our rooms on your farm."
"The furniture?"
"Yes. Payment in kind, for granddad's work. Remember you did not pay him. Consider the furniture a contribution to his salary."
She nodded.
He added, "Also, I'd like to take the things Lore got. Her efforts. She took your rooms from the drab shabby states to liveable bedrooms and she should have been paid as a decorator!"
"Well, I..." Drab, shabby, yes, she knew that, she was still living in rooms like that.
"Consider it our bonus. Basically, Granddad's outstanding salary, his wages and payment for Lore's skills and creativity for the decorating. " He told her with defiance.
"What exactly do you want, when you say furniture, are you talking just your bedroom...."
He snorted. "Yes, we'll restrict ourselves to the bedroom furniture, some other minor bits and pieces. I'll give you an inventory."
"I see."
"So we are in agreement. We take that as payment due?"
Tiredly Regan nodded. It wouldn't matter if she didn't have furniture in those rooms. Though she guessed she could have used those rooms, and the new linen and she could sell the new furniture or she would have moved from her wing into the rooms with the new décor.
One day later, Gray and Caro were walking along the banks of the stream when they came across Regan.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to disturb you."
Regan brushed quickly at her cheeks as she made a pretence about struggling to her feet.
"You aren't." She said as she stood, glanced at her watch, and added, "I need to get back anyway." She smiled with her lips but not her eyes. She had no intention of staying to make small talk. "Nice seeing you Ms Hanley. Mr Cardozo."
When she was well out of earshot, Caro turned to Gray, "She calls you Mr Cardozo?"
He nodded. Not sure he liked the way his heart had cramped when he'd seen Regan in tears. He did not care for her, his brain told him, he really didn't. Remember she took advantage. He just didn't understand why his heart hadn't registered that fact as yet. And he couldn't understand his lust for her given he knew she paid him a pittance, took advantage of his grandfather.
"And she looked like she'd been crying." Caro sounded surprised. Yeah, he'd thought that too. It disturbed him to see her upset.
When they got back to the house, and after Caro had left he went in search of Regan. But instead he'd found Sam.
"We bumped into Regan by the stream." Gray told his grandfather. He was sure that his grandfather would know if there was something wrong. Regan and Sam seemed to have the kind of relationship Gray wanted with her. They spoke. Laughed. Comforted.
"Yes. She said."
"Did she tell you she was in tears?"
"No, but I imagine that's why she goes there."
"What? To cry?"
"Maybe."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It is probably where she goes to shed a tear in private without anyone being the wiser."
"You think she's upset because we are leaving?"
"She probably is." Sam hesitated, wondering whether to tell his grandson about what he knew about Regan. He looked over at Gray, wondered when his grandson would realise that he was dating the wrong woman, "But that wasn't it." Sam sighed quietly.
"She told you?"
Sam nodded. "She's too sensitive to be a doctor."
"Someone died?"
"Close. She had to tell a young woman that her breast cancer has metastasised, and she had inoperable and untreatable cancer. A tumour in the brain. Three to six months to live."
"Oh." Gray took a chair. No wonder she looked so sad. "So where is Regan now?"
"Gone out."
"Oh. I guess she had to cheer herself up." Gray looked at his father, hoping he'd tell him what he wanted to know. But Sam said nothing. "On a date?" Gray asked and felt the hit of jealousy even as the words emerged.
"No." Sam frowned. "No. I think the last time she went on a date was months ago. That guy in that flash ute, hasn't been back since."