comfort from the fact there was another home not too far away.
As it turned out, the owners of the main house lived in Singapore and were very rarely in residence. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen lights shining from its windows, yet according to the police, they were one of the few houses in her street that hadn’t been burgled.
“So much for neighbors,” she mumbled.
She continued along the driveway, past the silent mansion that stood in front of her cottage. The closer she came to the Pacific Highway, the harder her heart thumped. It was one thing to be brave in the safety of her home, when the strange vehicle was fifty yards away, but now, when she was so close she could almost read the license plate, her courage faltered.
Slowing her pace, she forced her feet forward until she was able to make out the figures. Too late, she realized she’d come out without a pen and a piece of paper and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Swallowing a groan, she did her best to commit the plate to memory.
“CHT 157, CHT 157, cat, hat, tat 157,” she repeated, hoping she wouldn’t forget it by the time she returned home. She was less than thirty feet away from the rear of the vehicle and could clearly make out the man’s form in the driver’s seat. His dark hair was cut short and she spied the collar of a white business shirt. A fair portion of his head was above the headrest.
The window was wound down and the man’s arm rested on the door. His hand tapped to a beat she couldn’t hear and she saw ear buds in his ears. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing his arms. They were covered in a light scattering of dark hair.
The familiar silver Toyota badge on the back of the car boosted her confidence. At least she was right about the make of it. Gazing across the trunk, she caught the words “Camry” on the left hand side, right above the brake light.
With adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she ducked behind a sprawling jacaranda tree and debated about whether to confront him. It was the easiest way to get it sorted out, and hadn’t that been her plan? She shouldn’t have to rely on the police or waste time wishing there was a man in her life to do it for her. She was Cally Savage. If she wanted something done, she darn well did it herself. It had been that way for a decade.
Taking a deep breath, she thrust back her shoulders and moved out from behind the tree. With narrow-eyed purpose, she strode toward the vehicle.
The car’s ignition turned over. She gaped in surprise and pulled up short. With a squeal of tires, the dark blue sedan pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the throng of traffic.
Cally blinked and her shoulders slumped, deflated. In a daze, she returned to the house. After hurriedly taking down the license plate number, she sank down onto one of the pine chairs at the kitchen table and let her pulse rate return to normal.
Her sleepless nights, coupled with her concerns about Jack, and now another curious appearance of the blue Toyota, overwhelmed her. All at once, she wanted to lay her head down on the table and have a good cry. It was times like this she really missed her friend Kate. They’d been as close as sisters when they were younger.
With a surge of determination, Cally pushed back her chair and strode to the phone. She dialed Kate’s number from memory and smiled with relief when it was answered on the first ring.
“Hi, stranger. You must have been standing right by the phone.”
“Cally! What a surprise! I thought you were Riley. Daisy’s sick with the flu and I need to take her to the doctor. I’m waiting for Riley to call me and confirm he’s on his way home. He’s going to look after Rosie for me while I’m out. She hasn’t caught it yet, thank goodness and I’m trying to keep her quarantined. The bugs that are going around at the moment… I can only imagine how many of them are floating around the doctor’s waiting
As it turned out, the owners of the main house lived in Singapore and were very rarely in residence. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen lights shining from its windows, yet according to the police, they were one of the few houses in her street that hadn’t been burgled.
“So much for neighbors,” she mumbled.
She continued along the driveway, past the silent mansion that stood in front of her cottage. The closer she came to the Pacific Highway, the harder her heart thumped. It was one thing to be brave in the safety of her home, when the strange vehicle was fifty yards away, but now, when she was so close she could almost read the license plate, her courage faltered.
Slowing her pace, she forced her feet forward until she was able to make out the figures. Too late, she realized she’d come out without a pen and a piece of paper and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Swallowing a groan, she did her best to commit the plate to memory.
“CHT 157, CHT 157, cat, hat, tat 157,” she repeated, hoping she wouldn’t forget it by the time she returned home. She was less than thirty feet away from the rear of the vehicle and could clearly make out the man’s form in the driver’s seat. His dark hair was cut short and she spied the collar of a white business shirt. A fair portion of his head was above the headrest.
The window was wound down and the man’s arm rested on the door. His hand tapped to a beat she couldn’t hear and she saw ear buds in his ears. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing his arms. They were covered in a light scattering of dark hair.
The familiar silver Toyota badge on the back of the car boosted her confidence. At least she was right about the make of it. Gazing across the trunk, she caught the words “Camry” on the left hand side, right above the brake light.
With adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she ducked behind a sprawling jacaranda tree and debated about whether to confront him. It was the easiest way to get it sorted out, and hadn’t that been her plan? She shouldn’t have to rely on the police or waste time wishing there was a man in her life to do it for her. She was Cally Savage. If she wanted something done, she darn well did it herself. It had been that way for a decade.
Taking a deep breath, she thrust back her shoulders and moved out from behind the tree. With narrow-eyed purpose, she strode toward the vehicle.
The car’s ignition turned over. She gaped in surprise and pulled up short. With a squeal of tires, the dark blue sedan pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the throng of traffic.
Cally blinked and her shoulders slumped, deflated. In a daze, she returned to the house. After hurriedly taking down the license plate number, she sank down onto one of the pine chairs at the kitchen table and let her pulse rate return to normal.
Her sleepless nights, coupled with her concerns about Jack, and now another curious appearance of the blue Toyota, overwhelmed her. All at once, she wanted to lay her head down on the table and have a good cry. It was times like this she really missed her friend Kate. They’d been as close as sisters when they were younger.
With a surge of determination, Cally pushed back her chair and strode to the phone. She dialed Kate’s number from memory and smiled with relief when it was answered on the first ring.
“Hi, stranger. You must have been standing right by the phone.”
“Cally! What a surprise! I thought you were Riley. Daisy’s sick with the flu and I need to take her to the doctor. I’m waiting for Riley to call me and confirm he’s on his way home. He’s going to look after Rosie for me while I’m out. She hasn’t caught it yet, thank goodness and I’m trying to keep her quarantined. The bugs that are going around at the moment… I can only imagine how many of them are floating around the doctor’s waiting
Similar Books
