Money’s the only issue. I’m still gonna need some upfront. Unfortunately we’re not ina position where I can just pass it over for you to pay me back sometime down the track.’
‘Yeah, I guessed as much. I’ll see what I can do, but I’m just glad you’re even open to the idea.’
‘Mate, it’s a brilliant idea! I just wish I could offer her to you in a better state.’ But he wasn’t past trying and knew he’d get it all back. His luck was about to turn.
‘Yeah, I know she’s got some debt – what farm doesn’t? But you’ve been trying hard, bringing the sheep back. You can’t predict the weather, Noah. Farming’s a gamble. Anyway we’ll sort out the details later. It might not even be possible, but I really want this.’
The desperation in his voice was genuine, and Noah hoped Jack would be able to pull together the money he’d need. ‘Okay, we’ll talk. See what we can sort out.’
Jack’s eyes swam with hope as he gripped Noah’s shoulder. ‘Cheers, mate.’
‘I can hear the crew pulling up. I’d better go check the pens are full. You want all the tough ones?’
Jack threw him a warning glance. ‘Bloody do not! Give them to Dero. He thinks he’s hot shit.’
Noah laughed. His day was looking so much better.
Click, click, click.
Lara fiddled with her pen. Only ten minutes to go until her meeting with the boss about the senior position she’d been working towards. It hadn’t been easy the last few years, with the way the share market had fallen. The stocks and funds that had been considered the safest prior to the global financial crisishad lost the most. But it hadn’t slowed Lara. She’d had to change her investment style. The market was now in high-volatility mode, so she’d reduced her clients’ managed funds and invested more into the share market, having to do her own top-down research. She liked to focus on the mining shares, especially since Western Australia was mining central. With her contacts in the mining industry, she’d been able to get her clients shares in a new float in a company exploring down south, and after six months they had already proven very fruitful. She’d invested her own money along the way too, and had a nice nest egg building up. But there was always room for improvement.
She glanced at her mobile, which sat quietly beside her. She’d had so many missed calls and texts from Nic that she’d barred his number, without reading or listening to any of his messages. She and her phone were now at peace.
Instead of starting work on her Tyrrell portfolio that day, she’d decided to work on her save-the-farm plan. On the desk in front of her was her note pad, with ‘Erindale’ written at the top and some bullet points underneath, among lots of doodles and swirls. She had ‘books’ listed as the first bullet point. If she had access to the books, then she’d have a better understanding of where they stood money-wise. She was a financial planner, and a darn good one, so she should start by looking over the farm’s financials – providing Noah had kept the books up to date, of course. She wrote down ‘Call Noah re: books’ under a new subheading, ‘Action’.
She was still doodling when her phone buzzed.
‘Graham’s ready to see you, Lara,’ came Amber’s voice.
Adjusting her cream jacket, straightening her matching pencilskirt and checking her hair, Lara left her office and walked through the cubicles. Amber smiled up from her desk and gave her two thumbs up.
Her knuckles wrapped against the large jarrah door on the boss’s huge office and a gruff ‘come in’ sent her nerves into a spasm.
‘Morning, Mr Lent.’
Graham Lent sat behind his huge desk. He was dressed in a black suit and his grey hair was trimmed short, emphasising his large cauliflower nose. Always so immaculate. She’d never really got on too well with Graham, as he was quite stiff and blunt. But there was no doubting he knew his stuff and for that she’d give
‘Yeah, I guessed as much. I’ll see what I can do, but I’m just glad you’re even open to the idea.’
‘Mate, it’s a brilliant idea! I just wish I could offer her to you in a better state.’ But he wasn’t past trying and knew he’d get it all back. His luck was about to turn.
‘Yeah, I know she’s got some debt – what farm doesn’t? But you’ve been trying hard, bringing the sheep back. You can’t predict the weather, Noah. Farming’s a gamble. Anyway we’ll sort out the details later. It might not even be possible, but I really want this.’
The desperation in his voice was genuine, and Noah hoped Jack would be able to pull together the money he’d need. ‘Okay, we’ll talk. See what we can sort out.’
Jack’s eyes swam with hope as he gripped Noah’s shoulder. ‘Cheers, mate.’
‘I can hear the crew pulling up. I’d better go check the pens are full. You want all the tough ones?’
Jack threw him a warning glance. ‘Bloody do not! Give them to Dero. He thinks he’s hot shit.’
Noah laughed. His day was looking so much better.
Click, click, click.
Lara fiddled with her pen. Only ten minutes to go until her meeting with the boss about the senior position she’d been working towards. It hadn’t been easy the last few years, with the way the share market had fallen. The stocks and funds that had been considered the safest prior to the global financial crisishad lost the most. But it hadn’t slowed Lara. She’d had to change her investment style. The market was now in high-volatility mode, so she’d reduced her clients’ managed funds and invested more into the share market, having to do her own top-down research. She liked to focus on the mining shares, especially since Western Australia was mining central. With her contacts in the mining industry, she’d been able to get her clients shares in a new float in a company exploring down south, and after six months they had already proven very fruitful. She’d invested her own money along the way too, and had a nice nest egg building up. But there was always room for improvement.
She glanced at her mobile, which sat quietly beside her. She’d had so many missed calls and texts from Nic that she’d barred his number, without reading or listening to any of his messages. She and her phone were now at peace.
Instead of starting work on her Tyrrell portfolio that day, she’d decided to work on her save-the-farm plan. On the desk in front of her was her note pad, with ‘Erindale’ written at the top and some bullet points underneath, among lots of doodles and swirls. She had ‘books’ listed as the first bullet point. If she had access to the books, then she’d have a better understanding of where they stood money-wise. She was a financial planner, and a darn good one, so she should start by looking over the farm’s financials – providing Noah had kept the books up to date, of course. She wrote down ‘Call Noah re: books’ under a new subheading, ‘Action’.
She was still doodling when her phone buzzed.
‘Graham’s ready to see you, Lara,’ came Amber’s voice.
Adjusting her cream jacket, straightening her matching pencilskirt and checking her hair, Lara left her office and walked through the cubicles. Amber smiled up from her desk and gave her two thumbs up.
Her knuckles wrapped against the large jarrah door on the boss’s huge office and a gruff ‘come in’ sent her nerves into a spasm.
‘Morning, Mr Lent.’
Graham Lent sat behind his huge desk. He was dressed in a black suit and his grey hair was trimmed short, emphasising his large cauliflower nose. Always so immaculate. She’d never really got on too well with Graham, as he was quite stiff and blunt. But there was no doubting he knew his stuff and for that she’d give
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