Fly with Me

By Angela Verdenius

When the local fire fighter of a small town falls out of a tree to land at her feet, Elissa didn’t expect it to be the same sweet man who’d sat with her while she cried on his hotel balcony.

Simon had never forgotten the woman who had fled into the rainy city night, now here she was for a wedding. Hurt and betrayed, she’s looking for a new life. Can he convince her to make him a part of it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angela Verdenius
• Release date: May 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311541444

Angela Verdenius

Angela lives in Australia, where she is happily ruled by her cats. When not reading, at work as a nurse, or watching horror movies, she can usually be found at her trusty computer...procrastinating by cruising the internet looking for funny cat clips and upcoming spooky movies.Angela has written sci-fi romances, BBW contemporary romances, 2 novellas, and several short stories, one of which is a zombie story she had great fun writing (because zombies rule and are the coolest of the monsters).

Book preview

Fly with Me

By

Angela Verdenius

(a Gully’s Fall novel #4)

(BBW Romance)

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015 Angela Verdenius

All Rights Reserved

Cover by Book Cover Zone

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

With Thanks

With thanks once again to Murray Smith, a Bushie fighting for the Bushfire Brigade, for his help and information in regards to fire fighters. All mistakes are my own. I admit to having taken some liberties with the information to suit my storyline, but I’ve tried to keep the authenticity intact.

We remember all those who risk their lives every day to keep us safe from fires, and we remember all those who have lost their lives to save ours. Our gratitude can never be put into words.

Table of Contents

*

Glossary

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

Bio

Other Books by this Author

Glossary

*

I found that some overseas readers were having difficulty with the Australian slang, so I thought a list of the slang I’ve used will help while reading the following story. Also, you’ll find some of our Aussie words have different spelling to the US. Interestingly enough, as I’ve grown (gracefully) older, I find a lot of our slang is bypassing the younger generation, so if a young Aussie says they’ve never heard a certain word, don’t be surprised! But trust me, I’ve used these words all my life growing up, and so have a lot of my family and friends. Does that make me an older Aussie? Heck yes! LOL

Cheers,

Angela

Australian Names/Terms/Slang

AFP - Australian Federal Police

Ambos - ambulance officers

Arvo - afternoon

Barbie - BBQ

Beaut - beautiful, awesome, great, wonderful

Berko - berserk

Bewdy - as in ‘awesome, great’

Biccies - biscuits. The same as cookies

Bikie - biker, person who rides motorcycles.

Bloke/s - man/men

Bloody - a swear word ‘no bloody good’, in place of ‘no damned good’

Boofhead - idiot, simpleton, etc. It’s an insult, though sometimes we use it as a term of affection. It depends on how it is said and meant.

Boot (of a car) - trunk

Brown nose - currying favour, sucking up. Has a cruder description, but let’s not go into that here. Means the same thing!

Budgie smugglers - men’s bathers, small, brief and tight-fitting

Buggered - many Aussie use it as a slang word for ‘broken’ (it’s buggered), ‘tired (I’m buggered), and ‘no way’ (I’m buggered if I’m going to do that). Just some examples

Bung/Bunging - as in ‘bunging onto something’, putting on something (bung veggies on a plate, putting veggies on a plate), usually in a careless or ‘easy’ manner.

Bush rangers - outlaws/thieves/robbers.

Caramel Crowns - one of Arnott’s totally awesome chocolate and caramel biscuit. Gooey yumminess!

Cark/carked - die, died.

Chips - in Australia we have cold crunchy chips from a packet, or hot chips known in some countries as French Fries

Chippie - carpenter

Crash cart - resuscitation trolley in a hospital or medical setting - used for life threatening situations such as cardiac arrest

Dander – temper

Dial - face

Dill - silly, idiot

Dogs - (as in attached to a truck) - trailers, enclosed or not, that carry goods or are empty.

Doona - like a padded quilt that fits inside a cover and lies on the bed. Can have the warmth of two, three or four blankets, etc.

Donger - penis. Also another meaning is a place people sometimes sleep in, such as ‘dongers’ on mine sites.

Dunny - toilet. When used in the terms ‘built like a brick dunny’, it refers to something built solid, unmoveable.

Fire bug - arsonist

Firies - fire fighters

Garbo/s - the person/s who drive and/or load garbage onto the garbage truck.

Gee-gees - horses

Giggle-box - TV, television

Gob - mouth

Got his/her/their goat – annoyed him/her/them

Hoon/s - person/people who indulge in antisocial behaviour. Great explanation in Wikipedia

Iced Coffee/chocolate - a milk drink flavoured with chocolate or coffee

Jumper - sweater

Kick up a stink - make a fuss, get angry

Local rag - local newspaper

Lolly - sweetie, candy

Loo - toilet

Lug - face

Milo - chocolate malt drink. Can have it hot or cold. Yummy!

Moosh - slang for face/mouth

Mobile phone - cell phone

Mozzie - mosquito

NAD - No Abnormalities Detected

Nong - idiot

Nooky - sex

Paddy wagon - four wheel drive police vehicle carries four police in the double cab and has a filled-in imprisonment section in the back to place prisoners.

Panadol - paracetamol, similar to Tylenol in the US

Pav/s - Pavlova/Pavlovas - best dessert ever!

PCYC - Police and Citizens Youth Club

Pedal Pushers - three quarter pants/knickerbockers

Porking - having sex

Primapore - sticky patch with a pad in it, a medical dressing

Pub – hotel

Quack – derogatory term for a doctor

RAC - Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia. Covers insurance, holidays, loans, etc

Red backs - poisonous spider, black in colour with a red stripe on its back.

Root - sex

Rotty – Rottweiler breed of dog.

Rubbers – condoms

Sack - bed - as ‘in the sack’ meaning ‘in bed’

Servo - service station

Shag - sex

Sheila – female

Slab – carton of beer.

Smoko - morning tea and afternoon tea break

Snaggers - sausages

Soft drink - soda, fizzy drink

Sparkie - electrician

Spider (drink) - soft drink of choice with a scoop of ice cream in it

Stiffy - erection, boner

Subbies - sub contractors

Tea - some people call the evening meal dinner. In my family, we’ve always called it tea, as in breaky, dinner and tea, or breaky, lunch and tea.

Thongs - worn on the feet, same as ‘flip flops’

Tickled pink - delighted

Tim Tams - a brand of Arnott’s Biscuits. Yummy!

TLC - Tender Loving Care

Togs - bathers, swim suit

Torch - flashlight

Toot - toilet

Tradies - tradesmen

Tucker – food

Twistie – a brand of cheese-flavoured snack food. Yummy!

Ute - small truck

Vegemite - most Aussies find this spread yummy, many non-Aussies find it too salty. Here’s the hint - if you ever have Vegemite, use it spread thinly, never thickly!

Vollie - volunteers

Wacky baccy - marijuana

Wanger - penis

Waterworks - crying

Whopper - a lie

Yamaha & Suzuki - ‘brands’ of motorcycles.

You wally - silly

Prologue

*

Sitting at the bar, Simon sipped on a light beer and nibbled on peanuts while watching the woman on the small stage.

For a small bar it was rather warm and welcoming. Not like the pub back home in Gully’s Fall, but okay. It’d do to unwind in while he was staying in the city doing the course for his job.

The evening crowd was filled with after-workers, young ones on dates, pretty much anyone who was old enough to enter and have a few drinks. And some, he suspected, a little younger than the legal age, but that was the barman’s job to sort, not his.

But it was the woman on the stage who held his attention right now. Man, she was enough to make his blood quicken in his veins. That softly rounded body poured into jeans and tantalisingly covered by a pale pink cotton blouse set off her rubenesque figure to perfection. The blouse wasn’t loose, not by any means. Rather than hide her generous breasts and hips, it clung lovingly to them, even dipping in at the waist which gave her a generous hour-glass look. High-heeled sandals completed her outfit.

Appreciatively, Simon’s gaze lingered on her. He did like a woman with curves, and this one had them in abundance.

The fact that she was pretty was icing on the cake. Fair hair tumbled over her shoulders in a wild disarray of curls to sweep across her breasts. The heat of the lights on the stage had pinkened those apple cheeks, and her eyes - well hell, he didn’t know the colour, but he could see that they were outlined darkly. Mascara, eye liner, her own lashes? Who knew? Whatever, it lent them a slightly mysterious appearance. But those lush lips, man, they drew his gaze, just as they probably drew every red-blooded man’s gaze. Soft, plump, and plain kissable.

If that wasn’t enough to catch his attention, the voice of the woman sure as heck did - clear, seductive, filling the room as she swayed that luscious body in time to the song she sung, one foot tapping in time to the drum behind her.

He’d been spell-bound from the moment she’d stepped up onto the stage accompanied by a whole lot of cheers and hooting. She probably sung here often, was employed to keep the drinkers entertained. They sure got their money’s worth.

Sitting sideways on the bar stool, Simon took another sip, feeling himself relax as the song changed from a fast beat to a softer, slower, and infinitely sadder tune. The woman’s voice held everyone spellbound as she sang, the music a perfect blend to her tone which swelled out to touch almost every person in the bar.

More people came in, a crowd forming, and Simon couldn’t blame them. No one in their right mind could possibly walk past the door and not enter to listen.

Song after song passed, alternating between fast, happy, sad, slow, mostly popular songs that had the crowd swaying to the tune or simply bopping along. It wasn’t only the crowd who enjoyed the singing, it was the woman herself. Simon might not be able to tell the colour of her eyes from the distance separating them, but he could see the happiness, the glow of someone who loved what she was doing. Her voice told the story of the song and that lush body did the same, dipping and swaying, strutting, provocative one song, gently moving with another song.

Christ, the woman could sing, that’s all Simon could think, and she could move. Why hadn’t he heard of her? She had to have music out on CDs somewhere.

He glanced at the barman. What’s her name?

Know what you’re thinking, mate. The barman chuckled. You won’t find her music in a CD shop.

Then where?

She doesn’t do this professionally. The barman nodded towards the empty glass. Refill?

No, thanks. Simon glanced back at the woman, watched as she shoved one hand through her hair to push it back from her face. I can’t believe she’s not some big star.

Definitely wouldn’t be singing here then, would she?

Guess not. But then the entertainment industry wasn’t easy to get into, so maybe- His gaze flashed back to her face as the music died away.

That’s it, folks! she called out. Thanks for a great time!

There were hollers of disappointment, pleadings to do another song, but with a laugh and shake of her head, the woman disappeared through a door in the side of the stage.

The band started playing again but without her dulcet tones it was definitely missing something for Simon. He glanced around the bar, watching for her appearance.

No use looking. The barman appeared as if by magic. Lis doesn’t come out into the bar after she sings.

Where does she go?

The barman tapped his finger against the side of his nose.

Great, she wouldn’t be appearing. Feeling as though he’d lost something he’d never even known about, Simon stood and stretched. Well, if that voice of an angel isn’t going to come on again tonight, then I’m going to bed. He glanced at the barman. Is she coming back out again?

Nope. When she says ‘that’s it’, that’s it.

Damn. With a mental shrug, Simon walked through the crowd and out onto the street. He couldn’t help glancing around but there was no sign of the woman, or if there was, she was lost in the crowd of people who spilled out to stand in groups talking, walking away, a couple getting a little antsy with each other and shoving.

Definitely time to leave, he wasn’t interested in getting involved in a drunken brawl.

Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, he walked along the balcony until he came to his room. Everything was deserted, no signs of life. This particular section of the hotel was empty, the rooms being redecorated. His had already been done and he didn’t mind being on his own on this side of the fourth floor, so the hotel had happily rented him the room. Personally he liked the silence after the roar and bustle of the city, the intensity of the course he attended during the day, and the crowd below in the bar.

Simon showered before flopping onto the bed, slipping on his reading glasses while simultaneously picking up his book and the remote control to flick on the TV. If it wasn’t for the weather forecast telling him it was raining outside right now he wouldn’t have known. Back home he’d have heard it clearly on the tin roof.

Now that made him a little homesick. Still, he only had a couple more days to go before he headed for home.

He read some of the book before removing his glasses and setting them on the bedside chest of drawers to watch a popular cop show on TV while munching on an apple. When he finally turned everything off and went to sleep, his dreams were filled with a sparkling smile and a lush body that swayed seductively enough to have him waking less than two hours later with heat in his groin and his pulse thumping a little heavier.

Yep, the woman had definitely affected him. That hadn’t happened in awhile.

Switching on the bedside lamp, he got up, grabbed a bottle of water from the little ‘fridge and crossed to the window, pushing it open the small amount it allowed to let in the rain-washed air, breathing deeply, only to grimace a little as the smell of exhaust fumes carried along with it.

Man, he missed home. There the wind-washed rain would carry the scent of the bush.

Looking out at the lights of cars thickly dotting the highway, he wondered if the mysterious woman drove one of them, had her own driver, or even had a boyfriend or husband who took her home.

Taking a sip of water, he stared out at the lights for a long time.

Slowly he became aware of something else, a soft sound at first, growing steadily before drifting off and restarting.

Someone was crying.

He looked at the door of his room. Whoever was crying was doing it on the balcony, and whoever it was, was crying like their heart would break.

It wasn’t his business, people cried for all kinds of reasons, but what worried him was that no one apart from him was supposed to be up in this section of the hotel…and the fact that the balcony opened into the night air.

Crossing to the door, he placed his ear to it and listened.

Yep, definitely someone sobbing, and that someone sounded female. He listened for other voices, a male voice of a reassuring boyfriend maybe, or a female friend. Sister. Husband. Anything, really, that proclaimed the crier as not being alone.

There was nothing but the lone crying.

Shit.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. Nope, he couldn’t just go back to bed. Not without taking a peek to see if the crier was okay and not in danger of maybe flinging herself off the balcony. God knew what was making her cry.

Opening the door a fraction, he peeked through to see a figure sitting on the balcony floor, her back against the wall, the rail well above her. Her elbows were propped on her drawn-up knees, her forehead resting in her hands, head down as she just cried her eyes out.

Bugger.

Closing the door quietly, Simon took a mouthful of water, set the bottle on the little bench, crossed to the small table in the corner where his discarded jeans lay and pulled them on. Padding barefoot to the fridge, he retrieved another bottle of water, picked up his bottle and moved to the door. Opening it, he stepped out onto the balcony.

The woman - girl, for all he knew - just kept crying like her heart was breaking. Was he coming across a broken heart? Wounded heart? Despair?

He glanced around. Nope, no one lurked nearby, the dimly-lit balcony with the rooms running down one side and the waist high wall with a rail atop it on the other side, was entirely deserted except for himself and the crier.

Moving across to stand beside her, he studied her. No smell of alcohol. Fair hair pulled into a thick, tight bun at the back of her head. In the dimness her blouse was pale, and he could see a pair of shapely feet in strappy gold sandals, neat little toes with the short nails painted some kind of pearly colour.

Coming down onto one knee beside her, but not too close, he asked quietly, Ma’am, are you all right?

The woman froze, but the sobs didn’t. They still shook her even as she visibly tried to hold them back.

Ma’am, it’s all right, Simon continued soothingly. I’m here alone, there’s no one else with me. You’re safe, I won’t hurt you.

She shifted her knees closer to her. Unfortunately, because of her sweetly rounded figure, she couldn’t press her knees flat to her chest. Not to mention she had an impressive bosom that also made it impossible. Slowly she lowered her hands from he forehead and tilted her head back to look up at him.

Here’s some water. Simon held it out to her. Can I call someone for you?

Her face appeared out of the shadows, relief filling him when her eyes appeared normal, no pin-prick of narcotics, but then he registered her features and could only lift his eyebrows in surprise. Holy cow, it was the singer from the bar.

Her pretty face no longer shone with happiness, her lips no longer formed words that flowed so passionately. Instead those lush pillows trembled, her tip-tilted nose was pink at the tip, and her cheeks were wet with tears.

He was still looking at her in surprise when she answered in a shaky voice, I’m fine. Thank you.

Realising that he was probably unnerving her, a woman by herself in a deserted corridor with a strange man, Simon gave the bottle of water a little shake. Ma’am, this bottle hasn’t been opened, it’s sealed and clean. I reckon a drink might be what you need right now.

Placing her hands by her sides, she looked from him to the bottle, another sob almost breaking free even as she finally whispered, Thanks and took it from him with trembling hands.

He watched her struggle with the cap for several seconds, saw the tear slip down her cheek and shook his head. Reaching out, he gently brushed her fingers aside from the cap and twisted it open himself, cracking the seal easily before withdrawing his hand and watching her take a small sip.

Dealing with weepy women was something he’d had experience with, being a fire fighter meant being around some heartbroken and distraught people a lot of times. Patiently he waited while she took another sip, giving her time to gather her composure.

She shifted her legs down a little, taking a hiccuping breath before placing the water bottle by her side and plucking a tissue from her pocket. Giving her nose a hearty blow that left the tip shinier than ever, she cleared her throat and finally looked up at him out of big, brown, sad eyes. Thank you.

You’re welcome. He held out his hand. I’m Simon.

She stared at his hand for several seconds before placing her much smaller one in his. Lis.

Pleased to meet you, Lis. He gave her hand a gentle, brief shake before resting his palm on his knee.

I’m sorry I disturbed you. She wiped her eyes with her arm, using her sleeve to smooth the tears away.

That was kind of adorable, in a sad way.

It’s okay.

Her laugh was small, unexpected, a little broken. Gallant knight.

Pardon?

It’s one in the morning. Being disturbed isn’t okay.

Well now. He smiled easily. Depends on your perception.

Questioningly, she looked at him.

I was up having a drink while looking out the window at the view.

Ah. She took another mouthful of water.

Silence fell between them for several minutes.

Are you sure there isn’t anyone I can call for you, Ma’am? Simon asked.

No, it’s all good. And please call me Lis.

Lis. His wrist resting on his raised knee, he dangled his water bottle by a loose grip on the top. You’re staying in one of these rooms?

What? No. She shook her head. I just came up here for some peace and quiet. In fact, I thought this floor was deserted.

This section is, but I needed a room and this one was the only one vacant. Luckily for me it was also finished being redecorated, so the management put me in here. He flashed her a smile. I got the brand new room. New bed, new TV, new everything.

Her answering smile was watery but it was there, for which he was grateful.

So, Lis. Turning himself, he sat down beside her, leaning back against the wall. The cold of the cement against his bare skin wasn’t exactly nice, but he ignored it. Just as he ignored the way she started in surprise, stiffening as he settled beside her. Want to talk about it? He took a mouthful of water more to show her that he wasn’t planning anything but sitting, than because he needed it.

The way he was drinking this water he’d be busting for a leak soon, but what the hell, he couldn’t just leave her.

Leaning his head back against the wall, Simon waited quietly. In his peripheral vision he could see her studying him. He didn’t move, just reclined against the wall, hid the shiver that went through him, waited patiently.

Okay, he had to admit to being curious, too, but first of all he had to win her trust, even if it was just a little bit.

Lis shifted, looking down at the bottle in her hands, picking at the label with her fingers. No, I don’t want to talk about it.

Okay.

More silence. She sighed, rested her head back against the wall, still picked at the label, carefully peeling it off in tiny strips.

Time stretched between them. Now he could smell her scent, light and floral, the warmth of her body even though there was at least fifteen inches between them. He had to fight the surprising urge to slip his arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side, tell her to rest her head against his shoulder and tell him all about it.

Jesus, the lateness of the night - or earliness of the morning, take your pick - must be messing with his head. Probably still had the remnants of her singing soothing his brain and making him a bit mushy.

There was a conversation starter. Heard you in the pub earlier.

Is that why you’re out here?

Startled, he glanced sideways at her. What?

You looked out, saw who I was? Now she was looking directly at him, her chin raised a little defensively.

Oh, this was not happening. Turning his head fully, Simon looked her right in the eyes. I looked out, you had your face hidden, I came anyway. I came out because there was a woman alone, crying, and I thought she might need some help.

She glared at him.

He kept his gaze steady, honest.

Suddenly her cheeks flushed. I’m sorry. Shit. Slumping back against the wall, Lis rolled the cold water bottle across her forehead as she closed her eyes. I’m so sorry.

It’s okay.

"No. I’m such a bitch at times. There was a definite wobble in her voice. I’m so sorry, Simon, that was lousy of me."

Rather than try to excuse it, he replied, Rough night, huh?

He could actually hear her swallow. Yeah.

You looked happy in the bar.

I like to sing.

I could tell. You’ve got a beautiful voice.

Thanks. Her grip on the water bottle tightened, the plastic bending a little. I do like to sing.

Something wasn’t right. Turning his head, he looked fully at her. But?

What makes you think there’s a ‘but’?

You were happy tonight, you sing like an angel, and just a couple of hours later you’re sitting in front of my door crying. Boyfriend trouble?

The twist of her lips was a little bitter. No.

Husband trouble?

Her head jerked up, her gaze shooting to his. Are you fishing to find out if I’m single?

Nope. Just fishing to find out what the problem is.

It’s my business.

Okay, he replied easily.

She stared at him. That’s it?

Yep.

You’re not even curious?

I am, won’t lie. But you’re right, it is your business. I’m a stranger, why would you tell me? I don’t need to know.

Oh. Seemingly lost for words, Lis looked at him for several seconds, a myriad of emotions flickering in her eyes.

Those beautiful, light brown eyes that were so expressive.

Man, those brown eyes just did something to him, touched him down deep. And if she knew she’d probably run a mile, so he simply smiled at her and took another mouthful of water. At this rate his kidneys would soon start floating.

Sometimes… Lis hesitated, started again. Do you ever feel like it’s all too much?

Depends.

I don’t mean… Sometimes it’s like everyone wants something from you. No, not sometimes, she added almost fiercely, always. Always someone at you, picking and picking.

Okay, she’d had a really rough day.

It’s like I can’t do anything without someone wanting more. A long strip of label came off the bottle, she screwed it up and dropped it onto the floor beside her hip. "In fact, I can’t do anything for myself without someone wanting more."

That’d be hard, Simon said quietly.

It’s like everyone is pecking at me, taking little pecks, whittling away at me, trying to take what’s me away and replace it with what they want.

Looking at the bottle he held in his hand, he nodded.

They think I should be something else, do something else, be more, do more. There came a crackle as her hand clenched tighter around the bottle. Be someone else. They’ll do anything to make me someone else.

You can only be you.

I want to be me. Need to be me. I keep telling myself to be strong, to do what I want to do, but there’re these expectations, you know?

He nodded.

People feel that… Her voice trailed away and when he glanced at her, she muttered, They just do.

Okay, now he was getting a gist of her problems.

But when you owe people… She stared miserably at the bottle.

Okay, maybe not quite the gist. Maybe he’d been barking up the wrong tree. But still, he could give her a little bit of advice. Lis?

Yeah?

Are you in trouble?

Am I? Her laugh was short and despondent. Some would think so. Some would think not.

What do you think?

I think I’m in a personal shit-load.

Have you gone to the police?

She stared at him for several seconds before smiling grimly. Not that kind of trouble, Simon.

So when you say you owe people…?

Not money. Nothing like that. Well, maybe like that, but… Her head dropped forward again as she resumed picking at the now-tattered label. But I guess everyone owes someone something, don’t they? It’s just how much we owe them, how we repay them. And worse, the deceit that changes so much.

Taking another thoughtful pull at the water, Simon turned her words over in his mind. This was one unhappy woman, a woman with a heap of talent and a whole lot of pressure. Never a good mix. Maybe you need to get away from everyone for awhile.

Maybe. She nodded. I am. I mean, I am getting away for awhile.

Then maybe you need to take that time to think about what you want, what you owe, who you owe and why.

Easier said than done.

He remained silent.

Tonight I was happy, but then there was the phone call and… With a sigh, Lis tipped her head back to gaze up at the dimly lit floor of the balcony above them.