Jetting Away

by Teri Heyer

  Okay, so she'd sit down with her boss tomorrow and see when they'd let her go and for how long. She'd need a few weeks off to travel through the Outback, because she wanted to experience the heart of Australia, not the big cities. She lived in a city. San Francisco was considered one of the most beautiful cities in the country. People came from all over the world to vacation here. And she wanted to vacation somewhere else? Go figure.

  As she savored one delicious bite of her sundae after another, she mentally ticked off all the places in Australia that she wanted to see: Port Campbell, the wine country of Barossa Valley, Ayers Rock/Uluru, Alice Springs, Darwin and Kakadu. She wanted to see kangaroos, crocodiles, koala bears, and kookaburras, anything that was different from her city life in San Francisco

  Crocodile Dundee? Now where did that thought come from? Yep, she'd wanted to see the Australian Outback ever since she saw the movie back in her teens. Wasn't he just a to-die-for hunk?

  She shook her head, trying to rid it of this latest fantasy. Guys like that didn't really exist. Or did they?

  Priscilla slowly relished the last bite of her sundae. Yes, this was pure ecstasy!

  She gathered up her purse and magazine and headed outside. In the courtyard she pulled out her iPhone and called the office.

  "Darcy here." His voice sounded a bit clipped. "Where are you?"

  "At Ghirardelli Square," she ventured. "I…um…"

  Darcy chuckled. "You don't have to tell me, girlfriend. I hear you." He paused. "You're taking the rest of the day off, aren't you?"

  "Um…yes." Wasn't that what he'd suggested earlier?

  "We're good, we're good," he assured her. "We'll cover for you. I'll cover for you."

  "Thanks, Darcy." She ended the call before Darcy could say something that would make her feel guilty and she'd head right back to the office.

  She had an agenda. And it didn't include going back to the office.

  Chapter Six

  First off, she stopped by one of her favorite shoe stores and bought a pair of black leather, lace-up hiking boots. She resisted the urge to change her foot-ware and walk out of the store with her boots on.

  Next stop was a department store where she picked out the perfect luggage set, two medium sized duffle suitcases on rollers and a matching carry-on bag. She was on a roll and wasn't about to stop. Thank goodness for credit cards, because she was putting all of her charges on plastic.

  She picked out a couple more pairs of designer jeans, both on sale; some comfy boot socks; an assortment of colorful t-shirts, all on sale; and some new undies, including a luscious set in silky peach and lace. Yep, this vacation idea was sounding better by the minute.

  After making arrangements for her purchases to be delivered to her condo the next day, she headed back out to the street. The fog had long since burned off and a bright sun now peeked through a smattering of clouds. The temp was perfect too, not too hot for an almost-summer, June day in San Francisco.

  She mused about San Francisco being on the top of the world and Australia being on the bottom. Here she was, just days away from summer, and Australia was just days away from winter. According to the article, the Australian winter was the best time to visit. It would be cold in the south when she started the journey. And once she left Ayers Rock and crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, the weather would heat up. So she'd need clothing for both cold and hot weather. Which reminded her that she'd better buy some walking shorts and light-weight, short-sleeved t-shirts for the hot part of her trip. She'd buy a new pair of tennis shoes too, ones good for hiking, though she'd read that hiking-boots were actually the best for the Outback. So she'd take both with her. After all, she planned to do a lot of hiking during her travels.

  A little voice in her head reminded her. You've got a lot of calories to burn off after those two donuts and the hot fudge sundae. Hmm! Well, she'd worry about that later.

  She hopped a cable car which took her close to her condo. Then she only had a few blocks to walk in her heels. Sheesh! She reminded herself never to leave her office again without taking her tennies with her. After all this walking her feet were killing her.

  As she entered her condo, her mom looked up in surprise.

  "Why sweetie, is everything okay?" Her mom, Brenda, always fussed over her only daughter. "Are you sick? Is something wrong?"

  Priscilla kicked off her heels and sank into the nearest chair, rattan with fluffy cushions in a tropical floral print. She looked around her living room at the other pieces of rattan furniture, a matching set of two chairs with ottomans, a small couch, a coffee table and one small end-table between the two chairs. She'd painted the walls of her condo in the softest tropical shades: blue in the living room and hallway and a buttery yellow in the miniscule kitchen and breakfast, dining area. Her bedroom was in pale green and the guest room, where her mother had taken up residence, was baby pink.

  Of course, the murals she'd painted on some of the walls added bolder colors. Carter told her the condo gave him a headache and that's why he rarely came to visit. Priscilla wondered if that was true, or just one of Carter's excuses for being anti-social.

  Her mom puttered around in the kitchen, putting together a Caesar salad and toasted San Francisco sourdough bread with melted jack cheese. Yum!

  They sat at the table sipping sparkling water and enjoying their repast. Between bites, Priscilla described the morning meeting that had ended in disaster, the trip to the salon, the travel magazine, the new purchases, everything.

  "Honey, are you sure you're up to a trip to Australia?" Her mother's brow furrowed. "Couldn't you just go to Arizona or New Mexico instead? Maybe I could come along if you did that?"

  Priscilla hated to disappoint her mother. She loved her dearly, but living together these last couple of months had been a trying experience at best. Brenda hovered and Priscilla tried to be polite. She reached across the table and patted the back of her mother's now age-spotted hand.

  "Mom, this is something I need to do by myself. I just need to get away. Alone. To sort things out."

  Brenda nodded in agreement. "I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't get away for any length of time anyway. I have those court dates. You know … your father is determined to follow through with this divorce thing."

  "Oh, Mom!" For a moment, Priscilla was almost ready to invite her mom along on her Outback holiday, but she didn't give in. "Mom, what do you think about a few days in Sedona or Santa Fe when I get back? Wouldn't that be fun?"

  Brenda brightened immediately. "Yes, that would be just lovely, dear."

  Priscilla felt relieved. She hadn't been to Sedona in so long. So it would be fun to take her mom there. Wouldn't it?

  After dinner they sat side by side at the table with Priscilla's laptop, reviewing various Australian travel sites on the Internet.

  "What about that place called Mataranka?" Brenda asked. "That sounds so exotic. You'll have to stop there at least for a night or two. Just think, hot springs in the middle of the Outback?

  Priscilla had to admit that sounded like paradise. Then she mentally added another item to her list, a new bathing suit.

  Later, as she lay in bed, Priscilla reviewed her upcoming trip to Australia. She'd already checked on the cost of plane tickets. And much to her surprise, she could buy a used conversion van in Melbourne for as low as $2,000. Yep, she could do this. And all on her own too.

  Her dreams were filled with that to-die-for hunk she'd envisioned earlier in the day. His heated kisses took her breath away.

  Chapter Seven

  The next two weeks raced past. Much to Priscilla's surprise, her boss had been more than willing to let her take off on a four week holiday to Australia.

  "Only one thing, Priscilla. You'll have to bring back a pair of opal earrings for me. Australia is known for their opals. I'd just love to have some. Of course, I'll give you the money to buy them."

  Priscilla readily agreed. Jean Palmer was an okay boss most of the time. Since she was now
agreeing to let her take off for a four week vacation, Jean was now a great boss. Yeah, right!

  The plane tickets were already purchased. And at a bargain price too. She just didn't want to think about that really long flight to Australia. Thirteen and a half hours, all told, with a two hour lay-over in Honolulu. Of course, she wouldn't be able to go into Honolulu to look around. There wouldn't be enough time for that. But maybe she could step outside and breathe in some of that fragrant air?

  She'd already bought all of the items on her list, including the recommended sleeping bag.

  A sleeping bag? She hadn't slept in one of those since she went to summer camp when she was twelve. That had been a grueling experience, rooming with five other girls in a tiny lake-front cabin at Tahoe. She shook her head. No, she didn't want to think about that experience.

  Friday night and her going-away party arrived in short order. Priscilla wore one of her floral dresses, something she would never have considered wearing to an office function. But she felt festive and wanted to wear something that matched her mood.

  Her best friend, Jennifer, leaned into her and whispered into her ear. "You look like dynamite, kiddo."

  Priscilla couldn't help but ask. "Is that good or bad?"

  "Good, dummy. Really good."

  She'd told Jennifer about the dreams she'd been having. Dreams about that gorgeous hunk, cute little koala bears, kangaroos, crocodiles, exotic birds and flowers she's never seen or smelled before.

  "I can't wait to hear all about your Crocodile Man."

  "Jen, he's just a figment of my imagination." Though a part of her hoped he really existed. It would make her trip much more interesting. Wouldn't it? On the other hand, she really didn't want to meet any guy, hunk or otherwise. She'd broken off her whatever-it-was relationship with ego-maniac, Dave Charleston, months ago. Her limited time dating Dave was enough to make her swear off men, forever.

  "Come on, Priscilla." Jennifer nudged her shoulder. "You know you want to meet that hunk."

  Arrgghh!!! "How many times do I have to tell you, Jen? That hunk doesn't exist."

  "Hey, let a girl dream now and then." Jennifer shrugged. "I'm sure he's out there. You just have to find him.

  Priscilla refused to even comment on that.

  The party was fun. Yummy foods, champagne and lots of good cheer. She received a few going away gifts. A favorite was the straw hat with a floral hat band. She wouldn't be able to pack it in her luggage, but she guessed it wouldn't be too difficult to carry it onboard the plane. Another gift was a small briefcase filled with miniature liquor bottles and two shot glasses.

  "Come on, guys, you know I don't drink."

  Darcy laughed. "Haven't you seen Girls Gone Wild?" He winked at her. "You've got to live a little, girlfriend."

  The party broke up fairly early so Priscilla could finish packing and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow she was going to jet away to the other side of the planet. Reluctantly she had to admit, sometimes escape was the only option.

  Chapter Eight

  Standing in line in the San Francisco International Airport, Priscilla's heart raced. What was she doing? For a moment she contemplated dropping everything and running back to her condo. She could hide there for a month. Couldn't she?

  Then she thought of her mom, hovering, coddling, questioning her every action. Okay, she could do this!

  She went through the security check with no problem. Thank goodness. She'd worried that some security agent would tell her to step into some little room and strip to her undies. But that didn't happen. Instead, she was told, "Have a nice trip!" Yes, she would have a nice trip.

  At least, it would be nice after she got off the plane. She was a white-knuckled flyer and worried that she might be clutching the arm-rests the whole flight. Jetting away, anywhere, just wasn't her thing.

  Darcy's and Jen's words came back to her. "Remember, have a few drinks and you won't even care that you're in the air." Yeah, right! She couldn't imagine not knowing or caring where she was. She didn't fly. Not anywhere. But how else was she going to get to Australia and the Outback?

  The steward and stewardesses welcomed her aboard the plane. She put her carry-on bag, sun-hat and denim coat in the overhead storage bin. Then she pulled out the magazine for one last perusal of the article. Mentally she checked off all the places she intended to visit. This would be an experience she would always remember. After all, she was about to embark on the greatest adventure of her life.

  Once again, she reminded herself that she needed this time away from all the stress at her work, her parents' pending divorce, her life. She realized that sometimes things have to change, sometimes escape is the only option.

  (Priscilla's story continues in Outback Love, a contemporary romance novel set in the Australian Outback, where Priscilla meets Ian MacAlister. Sparks fly as they travel through the Outback. Has Priscilla found her Mr. Right, but in the wrong place?)