Shiver Sweet

by H Elliston

  “I’d say it’s pretty damn h-hot in here already,” Nicola mused, her voice tinged with a chuckle.

  After driving off up the street, he fiddled with the heater, but it was evident he’d heard Nicola’s comment, for he gave us both a sideways glance. “It’s no problem. Oh, nice make-up job, Nicola,” he joked, being equally sharp but playful with her.

  I sighed at their exchange, fed my hand around the back of my seat and poked her leg.

  “Ouch,” she yelped.

  “As I was saying, Claire called,” Brian said. He glanced at me with bright blue eyes that reminded me of Sarah’s. “Her car’s stuck on Jackson street. Wheels spinning, churning up sludge but not getting anywhere. You were right.”

  “I was?”

  “Yes. Before heading over to your place, she planned to stop at the shops, but skidded into a ditch. She tried to get her car free so she wouldn’t have to tell me."

  "She’s probably cold and stressed," I said. "Don't worry about dropping us home. Go help her." Typical Brian. Forever the nice guy. His girlfriend was stuck in the snow and he still wanted to ensure we got home safely.

  Brian glanced my way, then surprised me by saying, "I wasn't planning on dropping you home... yet. I hoped you'd give me a hand towing her out. I think if you two would just spend a little time together, you’d start getting along.” Brian stopped at the red lights.

  Nicola leaned forward between the front seats. She set her hand on Brian’s shoulder and interrupted my mumbling excuse that Claire would not appreciate my unexpected appearance. “Christa would love to assist you.”

  I turned in my seat, ready to give her the ‘what the hell did you say that for?’ eye, when the back door clicked open.

  “But not me,” Nicola said, legs already dangling out of the car. “You two go. I’m not venturing anywhere else with green muck on my face. My street cred will be in tatters.”

  I twisted around, wanting to grab her by the sleeve to stop her. “N-no. No, Nicola.”

  She reached back into the car and clasped my shoulder. “Someone needs to play security guard at your house, right?”

  I crushed my bottom lip between my teeth, torn two ways. Sarah was, and always would be, my number one priority. The sooner we rescued Claire, the sooner Brian would return to Sarah. But in the meantime, I did not want my house to be a sitting duck to the underbelly of society, nor did I particularly want to see Claire. “But I don’t want you to be on your own in the house. It’s not safe.”

  “I’m a big girl. I’ll make it obvious the house is occupied; stick music on, open all the curtains and prance around in the nude like you do.”

  “You do what?” Brian turned to me, his voice sky high, eyes glittering.

  “Don’t listen to her.”

  “And an anonymous admirer mailed her more goodies this morning. She’ll not be single forever.”

  Limit reached. “Nicola. Shut up!” I snapped.

  “Okay, okay, I’m going.” She left the car with wicked satisfaction flashing across her face. “But if you two finally decide that you can’t be good... be careful.”

  “Jeez!” I said, but she slammed the door shut. Oh, God. Did she really say all that out loud? I shifted in my seat feeling awkward about how Brian might respond to her comments. Nicola always read our friendship so wrong and I feared it would one day cause an irreversible awkwardness. He drove off without saying anything. His expression unreadable. Is that good or bad?

  “Claire’s not gonna be happy about my being there,” I warned him.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve already told her you’re coming to help me.”

  Rather presumptuous. “Let’s just get this over with so we can all go home.”

  “Sorry your birthday celebrations didn’t pan out,” Brian said, steering around the corner.

  “Thanks.”

  He winked at me, then took a right. “And just for the record, you’re wrong about Claire. She does like you.”

  I shook my head. Impossible.

  He glanced my way. “I'm serious. She told me so.”

  Then she lied. “Really? How nice.”

  He winked again. “What’s not to like?”

  I settled into my seat and buckled up. Why was Brian so blind to Claire’s dark way of thinking? Or maybe my intuition was off, and she was indeed the sweet person he made her out to be. If so, why couldn’t I see her light through the dark?

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Secret admirer, huh?”

  I bit my lip.

  We approached the main road that led to town.

  “Oh! Don’t go this way.” I waved my hand in a fluster.

  “Why?”

  “Because...”

  Too late. He swung onto it. “They grit the main roads first. It’s our safest bet.”

  I pointed ahead. “Except there’s a crash in town. Didn’t you hear?”

  Brian shook his head. “They’ve diverted traffic because of the snow, that’s all. My friend Marcus works for the highways.”

  “You’re wrong. A guy just told me about the crash.”

  “Then he lied to you.”

  CHAPTER 5

  CHRISTA

  It really wasn’t a choice at all. We had to get to Sarah. Brian’s sister had just phoned and said her car still refused to start, and Sarah was not answering our calls.

  “Relax,” Brian said. “She knows she’s not allowed out at dark.”

  “I can’t believe you’re being so lighthearted about this.”

  “I’d ask my mum to nip round but, well... after the cancer scare she’s a bit fragile. Brought memories back.”

  I understood. “I’m so glad she got the all clear.”

  “Thanks. Anyway, Sarah will be listening to her iPod,” Brian said as I dialed her again. “That’s why she can’t hear the phone ring.”

  I did not for one minute believe that, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it right now.

  “This diversion has made traffic worse, not better. See. I told you there wasn’t a crash.”

  Having been wedged in barely-moving traffic for what seemed like half an hour already, my patience was spent. I shook a hand in the air. “She’s sneaked out to meet her friends. I just know it. I’ll ground her for... until she’s eighteen.” I loved Sarah so much and hated not knowing her whereabouts.

  Brian gave a light laugh. "Eighteen? That's a bit harsh." His eyes searched mine. “Is there something else worrying you?”

  I shook my head. "It wouldn't be the first time she's sneaked out or stayed out later than agreed. She’s been rebelling since John and I split up. I just want her to be safe, that’s all."

  “Yes. But all teens go through a rebellious stage,” Brian countered.

  While Brian was dependable, caring and honest, he also occasionally played with danger. At times he needed a nudge to realise that Sarah might have a little of his family’s wildness in her blood too. I gave him a knowing look. “Did you listen to your parents when you were a teenager? I didn’t.”

  Brian's smirk fell away and his hand shot up to rub his temple. “Ground her 'til she's twenty-five and not a day earlier.”

  I nodded my approval. "And we'll tag her with a GPS."

  "Deal." Brian turned his head to the long line of stationary traffic ahead, and sighed.

  We were prisoners to ice. “What are we going to do? I don’t want to sit here all night while my daughter swans around in the dark with... Oh, God. She'll probably hang out with a bunch of hormone-ridden boys.”

  Brian clenched his jaw.

  I knew all about randy boys. I'd lived through the stigma of being a teen mum myself. It seemed all my friends were at it, and so I took the plunge. Slept with two boys and ended up with child at the age of seventeen. The shock and disappointment on my family’s faces remained buried in my mind since that day. I saw those expressions many times over the years; struggling with childcare, losing jobs, and now my failing marriage. I did not wish my beautiful, future-boy-ma
gnet daughter to start sliding down the road to that same lost childhood trap and experience the hardship and judgemental looks that I’d endured.

  Perhaps I was overly worried about Sarah, but still... I wriggled in my seat. To add to my frustration, I needed to pee.

  He tapped the steering wheel. “Okay. Let's get out of here and find Sarah. Claire will have to wait. I’ll phone her in a minute and tell her what’s happening.”

  “We could go back the way we came and drive around the outskirts of town,” I suggested.

  He shook his head. “Last time it snowed, that was the first road to get blocked.”

  Some idiot behind us honked. I failed to see the point.

  Brian studied the next turning, about five cars ahead on the right. “That street leads to Bear Hill. If we can make it up there we can drive around the back lanes, get to my place from the North side.”

  I glanced ahead. The thought of driving up Bear Hill in such weather unnerved me. “Don’t be ridiculous. If it was safe then all these cars would be doing the same.”

  “But they don’t all have four wheel drive. Let’s take a look.” Brian edged past the cars in front and nipped up the side road. Apart from a couple of abandoned vehicles and a man in a long coat being led by his excited Jack Russell, the street was void of activity.

  Brian slowed on the flat stretch at the foot of Bear hill. “I’m going for it. If any car’s gonna make that climb, it’s this baby.”

  I studied the angle of the slope. The snow sparkled in the sparse lighting. “I’m not sure, Brian.”

  “It’s only twenty metres in length."

  "We'll not make it. It's more like thirty and it's steep."

  "It looks longer than it is."

  "Men are terrible with measurements," I muttered. I held my hand out, stretched my fingers apart and indicated the distance between my thumb and tip of my little finger. "They seem to think that this is eight inches."

  He tried to keep a straight face, then laughed and changed the subject. "If I drive up it diagonally, stay out of tyre tracks, I'll get more traction. Mmm... What do you say?”

  “But what if another car...” I stopped and studied him. Brian might be a tad wild at times, but he was not a lunatic. "Okay."

  The car edged forward then picked up speed. The headlights lit up the snow-thick slope. I ground my teeth together as the front wheels mounted the incline with a little bump. Half way up the slope, the tyres hit a patch of ice and sent us veering left toward a massive concrete retaining wall.

  “Oh, crap,” I said.

  The engine revved. “The tyres are spinning.” He fought to keep control of our angle, until finally, we levelled out at the top.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” I said, rolling my eyes, not really meaning the words.

  He turned left and drove down the gentler winding tree-lined roads that would take us north towards Brian’s neighbourhood.

  I turned to stare at Bear Hill. “I can’t believe you actually drove up that. You are one crazy...”

  “Guess it was a bit.”

  Our gazes met and, a beat later, laughter burst out of us both.

  “Can you see now why I worry about Sarah? If she's got your family's crazy genes then..."

  He nodded, still laughing.

  "Do you think you’re a stuntman or something?” I asked, grinning while exasperated.

  His eyes brightened. “What? Like in... Die Hard? Or The Fast and Furious, or...”

  I burst out into laughter again. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. You could have killed us.”

  Brian followed the road to the right. “No more stunts, I promise.”

  I turned away and looked out of my side window. Brian could be such a kid at times but, deep down, I had to admit I secretly enjoyed that side of him. I glanced at him and mumbled, “Dukes of Hazard if you must know.”

  He chuckled and gave my thigh a little tap. “That’ll do.” Then, on rounding the next bend, a couple of hooded youths ran out in front, carrying a massive TV and other goods. Looters.

  I threw a hand forward. “Watch out!”

  Brian stomped on the brake. We slid down the road.

  Jesus... holy... crap! I gripped the dashboard and braced.

  “Hold on! Shit!”

  The car skated sideways across the ice and we slammed into a tree.

  CHAPTER 6

  NICOLA

  Once back home, Nicola locked and bolted the front door. She pulled off her snow-covered boots and cold socks, and padded up the stair carpet to wash the green mask away and retrieve the birthday cake she’d hidden. It wasn’t Christa’s birthday until the stroke of midnight, but the cake - meant to be eaten after the restaurant when they brought the celebrations back to Christa's house - would be a nice surprise for when she returned now their restaurant reservations had been cancelled.

  Nicola walked down to the kitchen where she poured herself a large glass of red wine and removed the cake from its packaging. There were no signs of a second break-in. Christa just worried too much.

  She counted out thirty-one multi-coloured candles and pushed them into the soft icing. Once done, she slipped an Adele CD into the player, finished her wine and dashed upstairs to run a bath. Hopefully, Christa would smile at being fussed over.

  Nicola pranced around the bathroom, merry from wine and singing along to the blasting music while the bath filled with hot water beneath a layer of lavender-scented bubbles. She lined the edge of the tub with tea lights then stepped back to admire her handy work. “Perfect. She deserves a treat.”

  While leaving the bath running, Nicola darted back downstairs to search for a box of matches. Trying to hit a high note in the song, she turned into the spacious kitchen, then jerked to a stop at a bang from outside. “Oh, crap. Not another one.” She unlocked the patio doors and leaned out into the falling snow to assess the damage. Yes, yet another roof slate had fallen off and shattered on the patio. Once the snow melted, the kitchen roof was sure to leak. They’d have to get it fixed. If she could sort it out, that would be one less thing for Christa to worry about.

  An idea sparked. She grabbed her mobile and phoned her latest squeeze – the guy she’d been out on a date with last weekend and had taken quite a shine to. He was a builder, and this was the perfect excuse to phone him without looking too keen, seeing as he hadn’t phoned her yet. “Hey, Dave. It’s me. How’s everything?”

  “Great. I'm glad you phoned, but I can barely hear you. Where are you?”

  Nicola raised her voice over the music and hung out of the patio doors. “In the King's arms in town," she lied, not wanting him to think she had no social life. "I'm phoning for a favour. Some roof tiles have fallen off my friend's house and I wondered if you’d be able to fix it? Mate's rates.”

  “I’d have to take a look. If the snow eases off tomorrow, I’ll pop over after work around six. No charge.”

  Nicola smiled and wound her hair around her finger while picturing his handsome face. “I'll text you her address tomorrow. You’re a star.”

  "What was that?"

  She raised her voice again. "I said, you're a star!"

  "Thanks. I was going to phone you soon anyway.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Still hanging off the door frame, she outstretched her leg and made a dint in the snow with her bare toes, enjoying the tingle.

  “How are you fixed for a meal out one day this week? My shout.”

  Nicola smiled. She closed her eyes, imagining his lips on hers again in that delicious end of evening kiss, but tried to act cool. “I’ll have to check my diary. What day do you have in...” Nicola paused and opened her eyes on hearing a crunching sound in the garden, not far away. She turned and scanned, her eyes struggling to penetrate the near pitch black shrubbery.

  “Nicola?” Dave said.

  “Just a minute.” She spotted a pair of shoes beneath a stool, slipped them on and stepped out into the snow to investigate. “I swear I just...”

  Snowflakes. />
  Darkness beyond.

  “Forget it. Just some drunken guys messing around outside the bar," she said, keeping up the pretence. Something else has probably dropped off this cranky old house. She frowned up at it. "What were you saying, Dave?” She turned to step inside the warmth of the house, but something made her glance back for a second look.

  A dark figure crept out of the bushes by the fence two metres away, something flat, book-sized, in his hand. By his unhurried pace, Nicola had the impression he thought he’d gone unseen.

  "Oi! Who are you?” The words rolled off her tipsy tongue before she could stop them.

  "Damn," he muttered, straightened and turned, revealing a one-hole ski mask over his head.

  Nicola's heart rammed against her ribs. Stunned, she froze. Through the hole in his black mask, Nicola saw his eyes enlarge. For a second, he seemed as startled as she.

  Then he rushed forward.

  “Oh, shit!” Nicola turned to race back inside. A scream tore out of her throat.

  “Nic? Nic? What’s going on?” Dave hollered through the phone.

  Fingers scratched her lower back and hooked her belt. “Help me!” She slipped off the step, grabbed the door for support, and then back-kicked the guy’s kneecap with all her might.

  “You little bitch.” He let out a howl of pain, and then yanked her back out of the patio doors, one-handed.

  “What the hell's happening in that pub?” Dave shouted. “Nicola! Shout for the doorman!”

  “I’m at home!”

  The man spun her around to face him. The phone flew out of her shaking hand and smashed apart on the kitchen tiles.

  He had plasters wrapped around his fingertips. Anger bunched his eyes, illuminated by the light from the kitchen. He dug his fingers into the flesh of her arm then stamped on her foot.

  Anger, fear and pain mushroomed in Nicola. She jerked, surprising herself when her arm came free of his grasp. She tried to close and lock the back doors, but he pushed them open.

  “Get back here,” the masked man grunted, making a grab for her again.

  Heart pounding so fast it became difficult to breathe, Nicola sobbed and raced for safety. She banged against walls while sprinting through the kitchen, and then down the small corridor at the back of the house. “Help!” she screeched, hoping her cries would echo through to the neighbouring house. She hurriedly slapped across the tiles to the utility room, screaming over the loud music. Breathing hard and heavy, she spun on her shoes and slammed the door with both hands to close it.