Call On Me

by Angela Verdenius

  Vic simply disappeared into his office, his choked guffaws sounding quite clearly before he shut the door.

  Taking a deep breath, Ali smoothed her hand down the front of her blouse and took a seat. Her hands shook, admittedly, and a strange urge to giggle hysterically came over her, but when the door opened again to show a bemused couple walk inside with their two kids in tow, she managed to muster a professional smile. “Good morning. How can I help you?”

  “Ah…” The man glanced at his wife.

  “We’re looking for a family room,” she stated. “Two adults, two children.”

  “No problem.” Smile firmly in place, Ali entered the details on the computer, more than aware of the couple’s perusal. There was no doubt they’d seen everything outside, but at least they hadn’t heard all of it.

  Unlike her workmates. The gossip line would be going ape shit. Damn small towns.

  The man herded his kids out while his wife took the key card.

  Ali continued smiling, even when the woman suddenly leaned over the desk to whisper seriously, “I saw it all. Congratulations. You can’t let men think they can get away with shit.”

  “Well, thank you,” Ali replied politely.

  The woman nodded and left the reception.

  Only then did Ali let her forehead thunk down onto the message pad in front of the computer. This could not be happening. It had happened. Why her? Why was the universe suddenly set on turning her world upside down and dragging her through the wringer of life? Why now?

  “So.” Vic cleared his throat. “Last night? The manhandling and police…?” His voice trailed away as Ali simply stabbed her finger in his direction without lifting her head from the message pad. “Okay.” The door shut again.

  Seconds later she heard his voice muttering behind the glass door and seeing as no one else was in the office with him, there was no doubt he was on the phone sharing her woes to all and sundry.

  With a groan, Ali lifted her head. The paperclip stuck to her forehead fell off to bounce on the message pad.

  “Great. Just great.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, she inhaled deeply.

  Time to calm down, focus, just do the job and go home. No more. She could take no more of this whole fiasco. No freakin’ more.

  The phone rang and she picked it up. “Good morning, Peeron Motel, Ali speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Is it true?” Mrs Swanson demanded. “Did Chris Smith try to give you flowers, beg your forgiveness, and you spurned and threatened him?”

  “What?”

  “And you slapped him? Ali, that’s assault. You could be arrested.”

  Pulling the receiver away, Ali stared at it for several long seconds before quietly replacing it on the hook and standing up. Walking to the manager’s office, she knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Vic called.

  Opening the door, she looked at him.

  Warily he looked back, the damning phone receiver in his hand.

  “I’m going out for a little while,” Ali informed him calmly.

  He blinked. “Uh – okay.”

  “I’m going to check the mail.”

  “Sure.” He didn’t say a word about the mail being delivered daily directly to the motel.

  “Be back in about an hour.”

  “Fine, fine. I’ll watch the reception.”

  Retrieving her handbag from the little cupboard, she walked out of the motel and with head held high and thoughts deliberately blanked from her mind, she went to the car, unlocked it and got in. Pulling out of the staff park, she turned the steering wheel and headed out of town.

  Flicking on the CD player, she turned the music right up and just drove, houses giving way to country. At exactly ten minutes past the time she’d left, she pulled onto the side of the road and just sat.

  And swore, pounded the steering wheel, and cursed Chris Smith and every gossip in town. Fuming, she glared out at the empty road, daring anyone – any car, any truck – to stop and see if she was all right. Because she was far from it, waaaay far from it.

  Luckily the road remained empty.

  Taking huge, deep breaths, she slowly calmed down. It was all right, everything was all right. It would blow over. It was over.

  And if Adam was there to arrest her for assault when she got back to the motel she’d kill him first, followed by Chris and Ghost.

  Right now, men was spelled m-u-d.

  Resting her head back on the headrest, she closed her eyes and allowed the soft music currently playing to ease into her, relaxing her jangled nerves and snappy temper.

  “This,” she told herself sourly, “is what happens when normal things go arse up.”

  This was what happened when best friends stepped over boundaries.

  This was what happened when you lived in a small town with people you’d known your whole life.

  The only thing that remained a secret was exactly what had happened between Ghost and herself.

  Returning to the motel, she found Vic wisely keeping his mouth shut and Cheryl, God bless her, actually made her an iced coffee with a scoop of ice cream in it. Someone was on her side.

  The day managed to pass without further fiascos and when she finally drove into the garage at her home it was with a sigh of relief. That lasted until she got into the house to find her sister already out of bed and sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Hi,” Lori said.

  “Hey,” Ali responded tiredly, dropping her handbag on the kitchen bench.

  “I think it’s time we talked, don’t you?”

  Kicking off her high heels, Ali padded in stockinged feet across the floor to fill the kettle, plugging it into the power socket. “Yeah, I think it’s time.”

  “Because I’ve been hearing some things.” Lori took a sip of Diet Coke. “Really disturbing things.”

  Turning around, Ali eyed her wryly. “Trust me, nothing as disturbing as you’re going to hear.”

  Chapter 7

  Matt choked on his light beer. “You and Ali did what?”

  Sitting in the backyard on the swing seat, Ghost took a sip of beer while watching Max swatting at the dangling fronds of a nearby fern. “We had sex.”

  “You and Ali?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Matt waved his glass around. “But aren’t you and Ali friends?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I didn’t think friends had sex.”

  “So we’re more than friends now.” Geez, what was it with this friends business? Moodily, Ghost took another sip of beer before discarding it on the side table in disgust. Hell, even the ice cold light beer tasted like sand tonight.

  Abraham’s nose appeared over the side of the table as he took a fascinated sniff of the cold glass. Not finding it to his liking, he reached out with one big paw and patted at it.

  Ghost tapped his paw and watched it retreat hastily.

  “Okay,” Matt finally said. “So you’re what? Lovers?”

  “Yep.” He thought a moment. “Nope.”

  “Ah.” Matt sat back in the lawn chair.

  In the gloom of the night Ghost couldn’t see Matt’s expression clearly but he heard the distinct ring of amusement in his voice. “What’s that?”

  “What’s what?”

  “That ‘ah’ business. What’s that?”

  Matt laughed quietly.

  “No, come on,” Ghost insisted irritably. “What the hell is that ‘ah’?”

  Matt took a leisurely sip of beer before dropping his hand to dangle the glass over the side of the chair. Mauve, who was sitting beneath his chair, looked at the glass suspiciously before turning her head to watch Abraham slink towards it.

  Not bothering to warn Matt of the impending possible attack, Ghost looked at him. “Something amusing?”

  “You obviously have no idea where you stand with her,” Matt replied.

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “You just said
it.” Ghost watched Abraham cautiously dip the tip of his paw into Matt’s glass before yanking his paw back and shaking it vigorously.

  “Right.” Matt twirled the glass around, causing Mauve to twitch her ears and take off to the flower garden along the side of the house. “So now what?”

  “You think I’m going to lay my plans out for you?”

  “I’m thinking you’re full of shit and have no plans.”

  “That’s where you’d be wrong.”

  “Do tell.”

  Dropping his head back on the swing seat, Ghost sighed and looked up at the cloudless sky. “Women.”

  “And there it is in its whole entirety.” Matt nodded sagely. “What happened?”

  “I can’t believe I’m going to actually tell you.”

  “Trust me.”

  Ghost snorted.

  “No, really. As an ambo, I’m sworn to secrecy.”

  “This isn’t exactly a medical condition.”

  “It will be if she succeeds in driving you nuts.”

  Even Ghost couldn’t help but grin at that. “You’ve got a point.”

  Ghost had only known Matt for a few months, but they’d become close friends and he instinctively knew he could trust him. Matt was that kind of bloke.

  They were silent as the night closed in around them. Sitting there in his garden with the cats taking advantage of their freedom in the garden during the evening –an unexpected pleasure they only had when Ghost decided to sit outside at night – and a good friend nearby, Ghost should have been happy. Hell, he would’ve been not long ago, but now…well, now he also craved Ali sitting beside him. Ali laughing, holding his hand, sharing his contentment and a whole lot more. A lot hotter more. He sighed.

  Abraham dipped his paw into Matt’s glass again, the light coming from the veranda behind them allowing Ghost to see his antics. “You might want to put your glass on the table.”

  “Nah, she’s right,” Matt replied. “Quite comfortable like I am.”

  Indeed, Matt looked exceedingly comfortable, his long legs sprawled in front of him, his sneakered feet kicked out sideways and his body slouched back in the chair. Glass of beer dangling down for Abraham to play in.

  “The cats might play with it,” Ghost felt compelled to warn lazily.

  “Nah, cats don’t like beer.”

  “Is that a fact?” Ghost raised one brow.

  “That’s what my sister says. She should know. She breeds chinchillas.”

  “That makes it all true, then.” She obviously had no idea cats like Abraham lurked around to shatter theories.

  “Besides,” Matt added, “After what I’ve seen on the ambulances, what’s a cat’s whisker in your beer?” He laughed.

  Amused, Ghost laughed right along with him. Riiiight. Figuring he’d done his friendly warning bit, he proceeded to lapse into thoughtful silence, a certain rubenesque babe next door being the sole occupant of his thoughts.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Matt offered.

  “Exactly how much have you heard on the gossip line?” Ghost queried.

  “Enough to know that it’s all about shame and scandal.”

  “Huh. Mrs Hubble has been busy.”

  “Yep.” Taking another sip of beer, Matt grimaced and picked something off his tongue. Holding it up, he obviously couldn’t see it properly because he just grunted and wiped his finger off on his shorts before dangling the glass back down.

  Eyeing off the glass, Abraham skulked around the other side of the chair.

  “So what’s the whole deal with this Chris bloke?” Matt asked.

  Immediately, Ghost tensed. “He’s an arsehole.”

  “So I gather.”

  “Can you believe he actually offered to help Ali lose weight?” Ghost snorted. “As if she needs to.” Ali was perfect just the way she was, all soft and curvaceous and tartly witty.

  “Huh.” Matt looked thoughtfully at Max where he sat with a flower at his paws. “Not nice.”

  “Yeah. I mean, Ali is perfect just the way she is, you know? Bloke’s a total dickhead.” Ghost scowled.

  “But that isn’t why you ended up – you know,” Matt probed.

  “It sort of is.” Ghost ran one hand down his face. “I heard what happened and I went looking for her, knowing she’d be upset. I only meant to comfort her but it kinda snowballed.”

  Matt nodded.

  “It…I was comforting her, gave her a little kiss, you know…” Ghost paused, remembering. “Gave her another kiss, it sort of all got out of control and before you know it…” He had her bent over her car bonnet and was having the hottest intimate encounter of his life. “We made…”

  “Love?” Matt finished.

  “Yeah.”

  “So now what?”

  “Isn’t that the million dollar question?”

  “Okay, so how do you feel?”

  Under the protective cover of darkness, Ghost studied the outline of the man sitting opposite him. He knew Matt couldn’t see his expression and heaven knew he needed to talk to another man, especially one who wouldn’t go off half-cocked and bleat his personal business to all and sundry. He needed to tell someone who could keep their mouth shut and not judge. That was Matt. “Sure you’re ready to play agony aunt?”

  “I prefer agony uncle, but let’s not quibble when it comes to matters of the heart.”

  Whoa. “Well, shit, I don’t know if it’s exactly a matter of the heart.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before Matt drawled, “So what is it a matter of?”

  That was more like it. Relaxing, Ghost again dropped his head back against the backrest to gaze up at the stars twinkling in the sky. “Ali says we can’t be lovers ‘cause we’re friends.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I say we can be friends and lovers.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I mean, we were already friends and then we became lovers.”

  “Once. You made love once. That doesn’t make you lovers.”

  “Really, man?” Ghost squinted up at the sky.

  “I thought you wanted an opinion.”

  “Yeah, one that agrees with my own.”

  “Sorry. My mistake. What is your opinion?”

  “My opinion is that it’s already too late. Ali’s scared of change but things have changed already. It’s too late now to pretend nothing happened.”

  “I agree.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Ghost brooded for a few minutes.

  Mauve jumped up onto his lap and he stroked her gently. She gave his hand a lick and settled down, her purr comfortably filling the silence.

  “So how do I get Ali to see that things have changed?” he asked.

  “She knows things have changed,” Matt answered. “She’s not stupid.”

  “So why can’t she go with it? Why can’t she acknowledge it, just enjoy it?”

  “What did she tell you?”

  Closing his eyes, Ghost thought back to the conversation. “She got teary.”

  “Ah.”

  “Don’t you start with that ‘ah’ shit again.”

  “Sorry.”

  Opening his eyelids a little, Ghost looked down his nose to where Matt sat, wishing for once he could see his friend’s face. “What was that ‘ah’ shit, anyway?”

  “Just thinking.”

  “Don’t hold back.”

  “This is your therapy session, not mine.”

  “I need advice.”

  “In matters of the flesh?”

  “Jesus, don’t let Ali hear you say that or you’ll be on her shit list as well.”

  “I only have one chance left, too.”

  “What did you do?”

  “More to the point, what are you going to do?”

  “If I had my way I’d march over there right now and kiss the living daylights out of her.”

  “And what do you think her reaction would be?”

  “Before o
r after she knocked me senseless?”

  “You reckon she would?”

  “What do you think?”

  “You know her better than me. You’ve been friends since school.”

  “She’d knock me senseless,” Ghost stated confidently.

  “Really?” Matt didn’t sound convinced.

  “Yeah, she’d have knocked me senseless if I’d kissed her before, given her some tongue.”

  “And you’re a writer.” Matt shook his head. “Can’t you do something about that description? Because I couldn’t blame Ali for knocking you senseless. I would too if I heard that.”

  “Fine. If I’d dared to kiss her, deeply and thoroughly, ravished her as it were-”

  Matt held up one hand. “I get the picture.”

  “Make up your mind, mate. I don’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities.”

  Matt motioned with his hand. “Just go on.”

  Abraham stuck his paw back into Matt’s glass, which Ghost chose to ignore. “She’d have hit me.”

  “And now?”

  “Now what?”

  “What would she do now if you kissed her deeply?”

  About to reply off the cuff, Ghost opened his mouth, only to slowly close it as he considered the answer. No, she wouldn’t knock him senseless. She hadn’t the previous night, no matter how angry she’d been, but she had cried.

  “Ah shit,” he muttered.

  “What?” Matt angled his head curiously.

  “When I fronted her up, told her things had changed, she cried.” Uncomfortably, Ghost shifted in the seat, setting the swing chair rocking gently. “Hell, Matt, she’s worried that if we take this further and we break up at some point we’ll lose what we had. That’s ridiculous.”

  “Why? It happens.”

  “Because this is Ali. I would never break up with her.”

  “Really.”

  “Yes, really.”

  “You’ve dated other women and broken up with them,” Matt pointed out.

  “But other women are not Ali, are they?”

  “No, there’s only one Ali Mackay, that’s for sure.” Matt added under his breath something that sounded like, “And only one Lori Mackay.”