“Make it fast,” Ted barked.
“Hi to you, too.”
“Who is this?”
“Bree Ford. Do you have David’s phone number?”
“David? He’s right here. You want to speak to him?”
Relief swept through Bree. “Good, he and Charlotte gave up. No, don’t worry.”
“
Charlotte? That crazy old biddy isn’t here.”
“She’s gone home?”
“Look, if this is about that stupid UFO watch, I stopped David as soon as I saw the storm brewing. Now look, I gotta go. It’s dangerous being on phones during storms.” The line went dead.
D
id Charlotte go home? Bree checked the phone book, got Charlotte’s number, and steeled herself for a possible fatal zap by being dumb enough to use the phone once more on a stormy night.
Charlotte
’s phone rang several times before the answering machine kicked in. “
You’ve reached Charlotte Burguny. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”
Shit, shit and double shit. Cursing, Bree stomped out of the lounge room to the bedroom. Looked like her lazy night in the warmth was shot right out the window.
Trying to spot
Charlotte’s old car, Bree peered out into the driving rain. Nothing but rain. Through the slap of the windscreen wipers the guideposts on the sides of the road were visible, the lines in the middle of the road, and nothing else but darkness and driving rain surrounding it.
She drove out a good ten miles on her side of town, before cutting back to the other side. Still no sign.
Oh, this was not good.
Then she spotted something, and carefully she approached, breathing a sigh of relief when saw that it was
Charlotte’s car, the front angled into a ditch.
“Oh crap.” Pulling in behind the car, she kept her headlights on high to see through the pouring rain, and taking a deep breath, she flipped the hood of her coat over her head and opened the door, dashing out into the rain.
Slipping and sliding, she came up to Charlotte’s door, peering in and reaching for the door handle.
Near on shit herself, too, when
Charlotte’s head popped up, her pale face staring at Bree through the rain-streaked window.
Yanking the door open, Bree yelled above the pouring rain, “Are you all right?”
“Car went into a ditch, dear.” Decidedly pale, Charlotte struggled out of the car.
“Are you hurt?”
“Just a little shaken, nothing more. Can you help me push it out?”
“Not happening. This thing needs a tow truck.”
“But what am I going to do?”
“I’ll take you home.” Bree ushered her over to the van, opening the door and
practically shoving the woman inside before they both drowned in the teeming rain. Running back around the van, she got into the driver’s seat and pushed back the hood of her raincoat. “Crikey, Charlotte, how long have you been there?”
Looking decidedly pale,
Charlotte wiped her face with a hanky she’d pulled from somewhere on her person. “About an hour.”
“Why didn’t you phone someone for help?’
“One must never use a phone when there’s a storm, dear. You could be struck by lightening travelling down the lines. Don’t you know that?”
“I know.”
“So why would I phone someone?”
“Because you ended up in a ditch?”
“And I’m very lucky you happened to come along.” Charlotte tucked her hanky into a pocket. “So, you changed your mind and decided to catch me up.”
“Yeah, about that. Did you really decide to do this watch on your own?”
“Well, you do.”
“But I’m experienced, I’ve done it heaps of times.”
“And you’re unscathed.”
“I never drove my car into a ditch on a stormy night, either.”
“Are we back to that? The weather is atrocious.”
“That’s why you don’t drive in weather like this, you park and wait it out.”
Muttering to herself, Charlotte folded her arms and looked out the side window.
Feeling a bit mean, Bree broke the silence after several minutes. “Look, I understand that you want to see a UFO, but you need to learn the rules.”
“You can teach me.”
“Oh no. My dedicated UFO days are behind me. Now it’s just a hobby.” Pausing, Bree glanced at
Charlotte’s crestfallen face. “Look, I
could
take you out if I ever go, but,” she added, upon seeing Charlotte’s eager face, “I pick my times. I don’t go all the time, I choose the times, the places, and when to come back home. I don’t want to be stuck on a schedule. I sometimes don’t go out for several weeks at a time, or unless I think it’s worth it.” Cruel though it sounded, when she did go on a hunt, she didn’t want to get stuck with someone who wanted to sit on a blanket and sip tea, or chat until her ears ached. Experience had taught her that Charlotte could talk the hind leg off a donkey. Or drive herself into a ditch, apparently. Which reminded her… “Besides, what about your UFO group? Aren’t you supposed to be going out with them?”
Charlotte
sniffed. “They didn’t want to go out tonight, said with a storm coming it was too dangerous, can you believe it?”
“I totally agree.”
“But
you
went out in a storm.”
“I parked in a safe place.”
Charlotte humphed. “So, if you didn’t come out to join me, why are you on the road in a storm? Huh?” Her head swung around sharply. “Wait a minute. You know something! You know something is out there and-”
“I came looking for you.” Seeing the blurry image of the town lights, Bree drew a silent
breath of relief.
“To join me, right? I knew it
.”
“No, because I found out that
David had stayed home and when you didn’t answer your phone, I knew you were out here somewhere.”
Charlotte
was silent, her mouth hanging open a little.
Bree turned into a street. “I was worried. Apparently, I was right to
be.” She pulled to a stop.
Charlotte
peered out at the hospital sign. “What are we doing here?”
“You’re having a check up.”
“I don’t need one. I’m fine.”
“You drove into a ditch.”
“But I didn’t hurt myself.”
“Look, you’re seventy years old. That’s not
ancient, granted, but your bones are possibly more brittle.”
“Nothing hurts.”
“Then just humour me.”
Charlotte
’s expression was mulish. Great.
Bree leaned on the steering wheel, trying to be reasonable. “Look, a quick check and I’ll take you home.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“No, you sitting here like a stuffed chook when someone is trying to help you is ridiculous.”
Charlotte sniffed indignantly.
Bree
had a pretty good feeling the woman might be starting to feel a little foolish but not yet going to admit it. Time to do something for the greater good. “Every decent alien watcher gets checked out after an accident, no matter how small.”
“That’s a lie, Bree Mason. I didn’t come down in the last shower.”
Tiredly, Bree rubbed her eyes. “Okay, I lied. But
please
come in and get checked out.”
“I don’t see why.”
“Holy crap, Charlotte!” Bree lost her patience. “Twice I risked getting fried by using the phone, then I go out into a bloody stormy night to find you, and when I try to do the right thing you get all bloody stubborn. Sheesh!”
Charlotte
stared at her for a few second before opening the door and stepping out with her chin high. “No need for dramatics, Bree.”
For one satisfying second Bree imagined a bolt of lightening frying Charlotte’s arse, but pushing the thought away, she followed her into the hospital. Twenty minutes later, she followed her back out to the van.
Charlotte got in and folded her arms. “Told you so,” she sniffed when Bree got into the driver’s seat.
“All right, all ready.”
“Said I was fine, didn’t I? But would you believe me?”
Maybe she should have left
Charlotte in her ditched car. It was a relief when her house came into sight, the front light on, all warm and beckoning.
Charlotte
got out. “Want something to drink to warm you up?”
Surprised
, Bree looked at her. “Thanks, but no.”
“Seems like the least I can do, considering.”
Charlotte frowned.
Amusement
spiked through Bree, wiping away her annoyance. “No worries. Just go inside, get warm, okay? It’s been quite an evening.”
“You sure
you don’t want to come in?” Charlotte looked up at the lightly sprinkling rain.
“I’m good to go while the rain holds up
Just remember, UFO hunters don’t go out alone.”
“You did.”
“Let’s not go there again.” Reversing out of the driveway, Bree made one last stop at the police station to inform them that Charlotte’s car was in a ditch, the driver was fine and safe at home.
After getting a few details, Dan, the constable, told her he’d get in touch with
Charlotte the next morning and meanwhile he’d check the car to make certain it was safe for other drivers to go past.
By the time she pulled into
her own driveway, Bree looked at her watch and sighed. It was late. No sooner had she gotten out of the car than the heavens let loose another torrent, and she sprang up the steps into the shelter of the veranda, toeing off her muddied sneakers while swearing beneath her breath.
Once inside, she got back into her flannel nightie, made a hot Milo and went to bed with a book. So much for her restful evening. At least Charlotte was safe in her own home, though, and David was under the watchful eye of his father. She had to be grateful for small mercies.
~*~
Obviously Charlotte had learned a lesson of sorts, because a bouquet of flowers arrived at the hairdresser from Charlotte, with a little note that read,
‘Thank you for helping me. Sorry I’m such a silly old duffer.’
“From Nick?” Bella
sniffed the bouquet. “Nice.”
Not about to dob
on Charlotte, Bree just smiled and tucked the card into her pocket. Going into the back room, she picked up the phone and dialled Charlotte’s number.
“Hi,” she said as soon as
Charlotte picked up. “Thanks for the flowers.”
Charlotte
sighed. “I’m sorry, dear. I thought about what you said, about what happened. And then Dan gave me a lecture followed by Alfred, our SOW leader, taking me to task. Now I, well, I realise how silly I was. I acted without really thinking or being prepared.”
“Don’
t worry. We all go there many, many times.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“It just means we’re human. But learn from this experience. Stick with your SOW group, they seem to have good thinking.”
“As opposed to me,”
Charlotte said dryly.
“Safety in numbers.”
“Yet you went alone.”
“Here’s the thing. I did go alone, true, but Nick made me promise not to go hunting without him now, so that means I don’t go alone anymore.”
“Oh.” Charlotte sounded genuinely surprised, then approval crept into her voice. “That boy is such a gentleman. They’re few and far between these days. You keep a hold of him, Bree.”
“I intend to.”
Hearing the shop door, she peeked into the reception area. “Got a customer, Charlotte. I’ll catch you later.”
The rest of the morning went quietly, and Bree was able to knock off for lunch earlier. Picking up the salad rolls from the café, she drove out to Harly’s place. Parking in front of the house, she went up the steps and toed off her shoes, leaving her feet in socks.
Before she could knock on the door, it swung open to reveal Nick.
“Hi.” She smiled up at him, went on tip-toe to give him a quick kiss.
Placing one hand at her back, he ushered her past him.
“So, you enjoying playing lord of the manor, master of the keep?”
Hmmm?” He followed her into the kitchen.
“With Harly and Alex away
, you have the house to yourself.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’ve done it before.”
“Last couple of times you came?” Bree placed the rolls on the table.
“Yep.”
Catching something in his tone, she turned to face him. One look at his bland expression and she just knew something was up. “What’s wrong?”
“How was your quiet evening last night?”
“Ah. Someone’s been telling tales.”
“Is there a tale?”
“Are you going to get bent out of shape if I say yes?”
He just looked at her.
With a sigh, she leaned back against the table. “Point form. Charlotte wanted me to go on a watch, I declined, she took off with David, I got worried when the weather got bad, found out Ted had made David stay home, found out Charlotte hadn’t gotten home, and I went looking for her. Found her in a ditch, took her to hospital for a check-up, took her home, stopped off at the cop shop to let them know what happened and came home. See? Nothing.”
“Nothing,” he echoed.
“I told you you’d get bent out of shape if I said yes.”
“You think I’m bent out of shape?”
Bree eyed him consideringly. “You’re not calm.”
“I don’t look calm?”
“I know you enough that a bland face doesn’t mean you’re calm.”
“Honey, I’m calm. I’m just…”
“Happy?”
There went that look again. Man, he had a look that could make a grown wom
an fidget, and not in a good way.