Farm Stay

Chapter 5

Hannah's POV

The sun seems to wake up an hour earlier the next morning. I hop out of bed and land in the patch of sunlight shining through the lounge room window, falling onto double mattress I share with Jack.

Looking into the mirror, I almost laugh. Hair sticks out in all directions, eyes are droopy and caked with sleep, face has creases in it from sleeping on a pillow (go figure). I tidy up a little, quickly giving my teeth and hair a brush and washing my face with cold water. It takes a while, but I finally look satisfying enough.

"Morning, Honey," Mrs Dashton greets me as I enter the kitchen. She thinks the name Honey suits me better, so that's what she calls me now.

"Hey, Mrs Dashton," I say. Henry pokes his head through the doorway, sending me a smug grin.

"Hannah, come look at this!" he calls me over.

It turns out him and Ethan have been busy making some sort of a structure with bits and pieces of timber out the back near the shed. I can't quite make out what it is.

"What the heck is that?"

"See, I told you it doesn't look like one," Ethan tells a stressed Henry.

"No, she just doesn't know what one looks like to start with."

"Guys, I'm right here, you know." The boys both turn to look at me, and I roll my eyes at them. "Just tell me what it is, then you can ramble on about who thinks it looks like what."

"Okay," Henry sighs. "It's a varandah porch swing, whatever you call it."

"Mind elaborating?"

"You know, one of those seats that sits out the front of the house and swings," Ethan speaks up.

I look shocked. "So the monster does speak!" Ethan looks to the ground, and Henry laughs a little.

"It's okay, man. Don't crawl back in your shell again. You were just starting to warm up!" Henry tries but fails to comfort him. Ethan just glares at him while I cover up my laugh with a cough.

An awkward silence takes control as I keep looking between Ethan and Henry. Ethan doesn't look too happy, but Henry has this certain sparkle in his eyes that I haven't seen before. Like he's in his element.

"So is there something else we can do that's a little more fun than hammering nails into wood?" I ask.

Both of them look at each other, then smirk back at me. "Of course," they say simultaneously.

And I suddenly regret asking that question.

•••••

Ethan's POV.

"So this is what you call fun?" Hannah asks, eyes wide with fear as she stares at the filthy river with a tarzan rope hanging over it.

Henry chuckles a little. "Honey, maybe bringing a bikini wasn't such a great idea."

She looks down at her bright yellow bikini with pink polkadots - which happens to look amazing on her - and sighs. "Well, you said to bring bathers, so I did."

Henry looks to me and we exchange knowing looks. It always seems to be like this with girls from the city - we've had a few come and stay, but all they seem good for is painting their face with make up and tanning in our back yard. Didn't know a single thing about running a farm, wasn't willing to learn. Said it was pointless or something.

"And I desperately need a new tan," she adds, and Henry and I can't help but laugh. "What?"

She looks to us for an explanation. "That's what all the city girls say," I inform her.