Michelle Vernal Box Set

by Michelle Vernal

  She came back in the house and texted Carl back to tell him she would take him up on his offer of accommodation and be round shortly. She thought that they would be living in each other’s pockets soon enough anyway, so she supposed they might as well get used to it. Besides, there was no way she could face the Spanish Inquisition her parents would subject her to, were she to show up there tonight with her bag in hand. She chucked one last pair of knickers onto the bed before she grabbed a bag to stuff everything into from the bottom of the wardrobe. Oh hell, she still had them to face yet.

  As she made her way through to the bathroom, she swept her toothbrush and moisturiser into her toilet bag; her shampoo and conditioner could stay put. Carl used a pricier brand than she did—she’d use his.

  Satisfied she had packed life’s bare necessities, Annie zipped the hold-all up and glanced around the bedroom at all the things she’d accumulated over the years. They were just things—they didn’t really matter. Tony could keep all the sundry household items that make a home function because she didn’t plan to cart a toaster, kettle, or a microwave—even if she had paid for half of them—with her on her travels. Once she told Attila what she could do with her job tomorrow, she’d be a free agent until she got on the plane and it seemed kinder to come back to pack up the bits of herself that would remind Tony of her when he was at work. Besides, she had no desire to run into Ngaire when she took it upon herself to come round and comfort her son. As it was, she knew she wouldn’t get away scot-free: she was sure to get a mouthful down the phone between now and when she left.

  The thought of Ngaire no longer being a part of her life perked her up. She allowed her eyes to sweep over the room and pushed the sadness that came with this unexpected ending to one side as her eyes settled on what had set the wheels of change in motion in the first place. Unhooking the Santorini print carefully from where it had lived for the past six years, she tucked it under her arm. With her bag behind her, she walked out the front door.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Carl had insisted she ring her parents as soon as she’d arrived on his doorstep that evening. She’d been looking a sorry state with her bag at her feet and the print tucked under her arm when he opened the door, but at least her shoes had been a matching pair.

  “Good grief, girl, your eyes look like two wee-wee holes in the snow. Cold tea will fix that. I’ll sort a pair of old bags out for you while you give Mum and Dad a call. You don’t want them hearing what you’ve been up to second-hand— that wouldn’t be fair.” He ushered her inside before he picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Here, give me that.” He took the print from her and held it out in front of him for a moment. “Cheesy but at the same time magnificent. Hard to imagine we’ll be looking at a view like that in a couple of weeks.”

  “I know. I can’t quite believe we are both going. I don’t think any of this will feel real until we are actually on the plane cruising down the runway.”

  “Well, it has all been rather sudden but I have to say now that we are all booked, I for one can’t wait. I’ll put these in your room. Go on through—you know where the phone is.”

  Annie wasn’t sure that letting her parents know her plans over the telephone was the right thing to do but as she heard her mother’s voice, she was glad she hadn’t gone round there to tell them in person. She could not have faced their fully justified astonishment and she knew they were going to need a night to mull everything she’d just told them to get their heads around her abrupt change of direction. Tomorrow they could sit down and talk through her plans properly.

  “Where’s all this coming from, Annie?” her mother had asked bewilderedly as Annie had shifted from foot to foot in Carl’s living room, willing the conversation to end.

  She knew, though, that once they got over their initial shock, they would realise that had they had a choice in the matter, Tony was not who they would have picked out of a line-up for their future son-in-law. They would probably be left with a feeling of relief the pair had gone their separate ways. It was the news of the trip that had thrown them the most. The fact she wouldn’t be a few blocks away when they wanted to see her which was something they did more and more of lately having need of a post-quake stress, sounding board.

  “I understand you’re upset that your cat died, dear, I really do, but breaking it off with your fiancé and flying to Greece is rather an extreme reaction, don’t you think?”

  Annie could picture her mother’s puzzled, tired green eyes—mirrors of her own in years to come—looking over at her father, who would look back at her equally baffled. Their need for her to be readily available to them was at times hard to take because when she had needed them most they had been too absorbed in their own private loss to let her in. She had kept how isolated she had felt when Roz died from everyone. It had felt disloyal to share her feelings of having been let down by her parents with anyone including Carl or Kas because she knew it wasn’t their fault. Grief didn’t come with a text book and they had done what they had to do to survive it.

  “Oh Mum.” She’d sighed. “It’s not just Jasper—it’s everything. Truly, it’s not as out of the blue as it seems and I promise I’ll explain it all properly to you, just not tonight. It’s been such a huge day.”

  “Roz always wanted to go to Greece.” There were traces of sadness in her mother’s tone as she changed tack. “She had a real thing about the place.”

  “I know,” Annie answered simply. She did not want to open old wounds by telling them that it was Roz who was the main instigator of her upcoming trip. “She’d approve of what Carl and I are doing, Mum.”

  “And you’ve bought your tickets, you say?” Her voice had taken on the distracted tone of someone lost in memories.

  “Yes, we leave a week tomorrow. It’s a direct flight, apart from a couple of hours in Singapore and Heathrow. Then it’s straight through to Athens.”

  “All that way.” Her mother sighed as she tried to get her head around the distance. “Well, at least Carl’s going with you—that’s something, I suppose—and if it doesn’t go well, you can always come home. Your room is always here for you. You know that, don’t you, Annie?”

  “Thanks Mum.” Annie didn’t like to correct her assumption that she had purchased a return ticket.

  “And you’ll be with Kassia.”

  “Yes, we’ll be with Kas.”

  “So you two girls will finally get to meet after all these years of writing to each other.”

  “Yes.” She didn’t tell her mother Kas was still in the dark as to her and Carl’s impending arrival.

  Annie rang off after receiving a summons for the pair of them to come to dinner the next night. As she placed the phone back on its charger, she gratefully accepted the large glass of wine Carl proffered. She needed it.

  “Sit back and put your feet up,” he ordered. When she had kicked her shoes off and stretched out, he scurried back into the kitchen and reappeared with two tea bags in a saucer. “I’ve had these chilling in the fridge. Close your eyes.”

  She did so and had to admit as Carl placed the cool bags on her swollen lids that they felt wonderful. He sat down on the other end of the couch and lifted her legs up so her feet rested on his lap. She raised her glass tentatively and tried to find her mouth. It wasn’t that easy with a pair of teabags blocking her vision but like a homing pigeon, the glass found its way and she took a sip. The wine was cold and crisp and she savoured the sharp bite of the Sauvignon grapes for a moment. She could always rely on Carl to buy a good wine. Mind you, he wasn’t price driven like she was, she mused as she felt a surge of gratitude to her friend. “Thank you, Carl.”

  He gave her sock-clad foot a squeeze. “You might not feel like it right at this moment but you and me, sweetheart—we are going to have a blast.”

  “I hope so,” Annie murmured.

  “Well, I know so. Are you hungry?”

  “Not really. You go ahead and have your dinner. I’ll be fine.”r />
  “No, I’m not hungry either, and this is going down rather nicely on its own at the moment.” He raised his glass to inspect its contents. “I’ll fix us something later if we feel like it.”

  The something to eat didn’t eventuate as Carl kept their glasses full while he flicked through his newly purchased guide book. After they’d booked their tickets that afternoon, he insisted they find the nearest bookshop. Hotfooting it into the nearby mall like a child heading for his presents under the tree on Christmas morning, he’d spied what he was looking for and homed in on the bookshop’s travel section. Snatching up the Lonely Planet’s latest edition of the Greek Islands off the shelf, he’d hugged it to his chest as though someone was about to try to take it off him. Then, as he banged the book down on the counter a moment later, he had announced in an overly loud voice that he was going to the Greek islands in a couple of weeks. The disinterested young girl serving smiled at him politely as she zapped his card, bagged the book and looked behind him to the next customer.

  “I don’t know, Annie—you can’t get good staff these days.” Carl huffed as they left the shop. “She could have had a companion sale there without even trying. I gave her the opener by telling her about the trip so she should have had the nous to offer me one of those leather passport holders. They were on the rack by the travel section. Selling is not rocket science,” he muttered as he stalked back through the heaving mall. Annie didn’t care; she just wanted to get back to her car and away from the bemused stares her mismatched shoes were garnering.

  Now, lying on the couch, she felt her eyes well up again beneath the tea bags. The realisation that her life as she’d known it for the last six years was over snowballed with having lost Jazz. It was a double whammy and she was glad she was here now with Carl. Despite his idiosyncrasies, he was an amazing friend to have, especially when she was ill or down or just not having a very good day. He could always make her smile and she really would be lost without him, she thought as she tried to blink. It was impossible, so she removed the bags and plopped them in the saucer on the side table. She batted her damp lashes a couple of times. As her vision cleared, she saw that Carl sat on the floor. His back leaned up against the couch and his fringe had flopped into his eyes as he pored over the book. Feeling a rush of affection, Annie leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of his head. He looked up at her in surprise and grinned. “What was that for?”

  “For being you.” Annie picked up her glass and held it aloft. “A toast.”

  “Oh goodie, I like toasts.” Carl picked up his glass and swivelled round to face her.

  “To you, Carl Everton, for being the most amazing friend a girl could have.”

  “I’ll drink to that—to me!” He giggled as he stretched over and clinked her glass.

  As she took a sip of her drink, Annie spotted the framed picture on the mantel of David and Carl’s grinning faces. It was a selfie by the looks of it and she felt a stab of guilt at how happy they looked. She had been so caught up in what was going on with her that she hadn’t spared a thought for how Carl must have been feeling of late. She knew despite the way he made light of the breakup, it had to have knocked him. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you doing okay?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I know it can’t have been easy for you breaking up with David, and I have been so caught up in my own drama that I haven’t really been there for you.”

  Annie watched as Carl’s eyes wandered over to the frame on the mantel. “Don’t be silly, sweetie. I love a good drama, you know that, and I wouldn’t have missed yours for the world. I am fine. David is history. He can sweat it out at the gym while I”—Carl flicked through to the photo pages of his book—“sun myself here.”

  Annie squinted and focused on the picture Carl’s finger pointed to. An azure inlet curved like an arm around a tiny whitewashed fishing village. Excitement pushed past the heavy, flat feeling the day had wrought. She was doing the right thing; she knew she was. All the horribleness of this moment right now, it would fade into the background once she plonked her bum down on a deck chair on a pebbly beach in the sun. “It’s going to be good, isn’t it, Carl?”

  “Of course it is, babe. Of course it is.”

  BY THE TIME SHE OPENED the laptop and sat down to type to Kassia, she had polished off the best part of a bottle of wine and eaten two pieces of peanut butter toast. Carl had taken himself off to bed. With her vision ever so slightly impaired, she decided the best course of action was to take a feather out of her friend’s cap and keep her message short and straight to the point.

  To: Kassia Bikakis

  From: Annie Rivers

  Subject: Hello!

  Hi Kas:

  So much has happened in the last couple of days since you told me to follow my heart. My lovely cat Jazz was run over, after which I decided to leave Tony and head to Greece. Are you still breathing? I hope so because on the 16th of June, Carl and I will arrive in Athens. We haven’t had a chance to make any plans other than a spot of island hopping down to Crete and the only definite on our itinerary to your part of the world is that we will visit Santorini (remember Roz’s print that I told you about?). It’s all happened so fast and I will explain everything to you properly when we meet. WHEN WE MEET! Can you believe it? It hasn’t sunk in properly that I am actually going to meet you after all these years. Please don’t panic, though; we know this is incredibly short notice and don’t expect you to put us up, especially with it being peak season and you no doubt being fully booked but if you could keep an ear out for any work or accommodation around your way that would be wonderful.

  Lots of love and kisses to you and all the Bikakis family.

  Annie and Carl

  xox

  THE REPLY SAT THERE blinking out at Annie from the laptop the next morning as, huddled in her dressing gown, she sipped tentatively at a glass of fizzy orange vitamin B. She’d slept soundly, too soundly thanks to all the wine, and now she needed a serious dose of motivation, which she hoped the vitamin drink would provide her with quick smart. Her eyes flitted over the message and she beamed at the effusiveness of Kas’s reply when Carl mooched through. He was wrapped in his black kimono style silk gown; his nose twitched as he sniffed the air in the hope that she had put a pot of coffee on. Annie tapped the screen. “See, oh ye of little faith?”

  He leaned over her shoulder to read the message as Annie said, “I told you she’d be excited. She can’t wait for us to come and we are more than welcome to stay with them. We’re family.” She downed what was left in her glass, wiped the bubbles away from under her nose and made to shut the laptop down and caught sight of the time displayed in the corner of the screen as she did so.

  “Oh crap!” She jumped out of her seat as though someone had put a Whoopee cushion on it and pointed in the direction of the front door. “I’m going to be late if I don’t get myself out that door in the next fifteen minutes.”

  Carl’s hand flew to his head. “Do you mind not shouting? I’m feeling a bit delicate this morning and besides, what is the big deal? It’s not as though you are going to be there much longer anyway. Who cares if you are late?” He headed through to the kitchen with a swish of silk. “What are they going to do? Sack you?” She heard a cupboard door open as she stamped down the hall to the bathroom. “Annie! Where did you put those god awful vitamin B thingies that always turn your pee yellow? They certainly put a rocket up you.”

  She didn’t hear him; she was too busy stripping off and willing the shower to warm up.

  WHEW! MADE IT AND WITH two minutes to spare. Annie pushed open the door and stepped forward, placing one sensibly heeled foot inside the foyer of the Albrecht building. With the other foot following suit, she strode over to the lift and realised this was the last time her work shoes would trot this familiar path. In a week’s time, her footwear of choice for the foreseeable future would be flip-flops. As she pushed the Up button, an involuntary smile twitched at the corner
of her mouth. This was one part of the build-up to D-Day—as she and Carl were now referring to their departure date—that she was actually going to relish. Telling Attila that she would no longer be her lackey and that she could shove her job would be very satisfying. “Oh yes, very satisfying indeed.” She didn’t realise she’d said the words aloud until she caught sight of Pervy Justin’s startled face behind her in the reflection of the lift’s doors. The lift pinged its arrival and as the doors slid opened, she stepped inside, expecting him to follow. As she turned, she saw that he still stood outside and looked antsy. “Are you coming?” She held the door open with one hand for him.

  “Um, actually, no. I might take the stairs. It’s, uh, it’s a good way to keep fit.”

  “I know much more fun ways of keeping fit,” she said with what she hoped was a leer and felt a stab of pleasure at the look of terror that flashed across his weasel-like features before he darted off towards the smoke stop door and the safety of the stairwell. As the lift doors slid shut, Annie burst out laughing. There was something to be said for being thought of a sexual deviant. It served him jolly well right. She punched the button that would take her to the fourth floor victoriously.

  As she sailed past Tammy with a genuinely cheery good morning, Annie didn’t pause to see whether the receptionist would look up from her iPhone. Today she didn’t give a toss whether she acknowledged her greeting or not, and it felt good. Heading towards her desk, she noticed that Sue’s head was down and she typed in earnest. For once, the woman being consistently early despite there being no monetary benefit in it for her didn’t annoy her. Annie sang out a bright and breezy hello and draped her coat on the back of her chair. Then, after she’d shoved her handbag under her desk, she looked up to see that Sue had paused with her fingers hovered in midair over the keyboard to gawp over at her. Annie gave her a little wave; Sue blinked twice at her before she resumed her typing, more furiously than before. Annie smiled as she sat and switched her computer on before she turned her attention to clearing her in-tray.