Call On Me (21 page)

There was only
one thing for it. Lifting up the bunch of flowers, she smacked him
smartly across the cheek with it, watching in satisfaction as
petals exploded in a shower of colour.

Okay, maybe she
had slapped him a little harder than she’d thought,
but…whatever.

While Chris
just stood there gaping at her, she unzipped his overalls and
proceeded to smartly stuff the cluster of stems and now bedraggled
flowers down the front before turning around and walking back into
the motel.

Cheryl and Vic
jumped back just as she slammed the glass door open, Cheryl taking
one look at her face and turning tail to scamper back into the
restaurant, no doubt with the days entertainment ringing in her
head to unfurl from her mouth to the other staff members as soon as
she could get to them.

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?”