All This Could End (22 page)

She grins. ‘Those will come in very handy, I’m sure. How do you know you’re pronouncing them right?’

‘I don’t. Unfortunately they don’t come in handy when it comes to schoolwork. If they had a subject where you had to memorise weird words my marks would be a lot better.’

‘I’m sorry I’m leaving again.’

‘It’s okay. We did have a nice hour in the bank.’

‘Minus the yelling and shooting and cowering,’ observes Nina.

‘It was the most exciting Monday morning of my life.’

Nina shakes her head. ‘No, I mean it. I wish I could stay.’

‘Come back for uni. We’ll go together. The more I deal with humans, the more I want to work with animals, too. All this bank-robbing and shooting. It’s downright dangerous. Cats don’t do that stuff. They’re way above it.’

She smiles. ‘Maybe everything will work out, hey?’

‘Nina, we’re the good guys. How could it not work out for us?’

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With thanks to my agent, Ginger Clark, and my editor, Penny Hueston, and all the other lovely folk at Text Publishing.

Mum: I don't even need to say that all my novels would remain unfinished without you to talk them through with. Thank you most of all.

Nan and Pop, thank you for being the first readers of this novel (and all the others), and for letting me hold your computer hostage, and for all of your excellent ideas.

Thanks to Aunty Pat, DD, Carol, Susan, Grandma, Grandpa, and Peter and Carol, for their love and support. And thanks to Sara and Ashleigh for their input on early drafts.

Rhiannon! I love you infinitely. Thanks also to Robbie and Elaine.

And thank you to all of the brilliant readers, students and other writers I've met through being a writer. It's been surreal and wonderful. I am the luckiest.