by Cari Hunter
Hugging her rucksack to her chest, Sanne rested her chin on it and tried to look on the bright side—two weeks of sea and sunshine, with a list of gay-friendly bars and restaurants that Meg had downloaded for her. As the people in the priority boarding group began to form an orderly line, she buried her face in her bag and wondered what the hell she had been thinking when she’d booked this holiday. She had never been on a plane before, she’d never even left the country before, and she didn’t speak a word of Greek.
On the verge of turning around and fleeing back through Duty Free, she remembered the twenty Euro note tucked into her wallet, and the panicky sensation eased a little. Her mum had given her the money yesterday afternoon, a gift she must have rushed out to arrange the instant she heard about Sanne’s last-minute deal. All she’d wanted in return was a postcard and plenty of photographs.
A woman with a fake tan to match the airline’s bright orange uniform announced the second boarding group. Sanne checked her ticket, even though she knew she should be joining the queue. The budget airline allocated its seats on a first come, first served basis. If she didn’t move soon, she’d end up squashed in the middle of a row. She inched to the edge of her seat but got no farther.
“Are you going to sit here all day, or are you getting on the bloody plane?”
The familiar voice made Sanne snap her head up. At first she thought she’d been mistaken. All she saw was a wide-brimmed straw hat and a pair of legs sticking out of rain-dampened shorts, but then Meg laughed and plonked down in the seat beside her.
“What on earth are you doing here?” Sanne said. It came out more abrupt than she intended, but the last she’d heard, Meg’s request for leave had been denied.
Meg proudly displayed her boarding pass. “Well, after I did all that research for you, I got to thinking that two weeks wearing my skimpies and drinking cocktails in the sunshine sounded like a lot of fun. I did a few swaps, called in a bunch of favours, and just finished”—she paused to do the calculation—“fifty or so hours of shifts. I’m quite tired. Could do with a holiday.” The toothy grin fell from her face as Sanne continued to gape at her. “Fucking shit. You’d rather go on your own, wouldn’t you? I’m going to be a complete cramper of your style. Bollocks.”
Sanne shook her head so vigorously that her hair slapped in her eyes. “No! I just…” She paused and smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” She looked at the dwindling number of passengers in the line. “Shall we continue this conversation on the plane?”
The flight was almost full, but they found a row at the back with two spare seats, one of which came with a window. Sanne cinched her seatbelt, unconvinced that it would do her any good in a catastrophe, but bound by the rules regardless. She squeaked as the plane began to taxi. “Shit, shit, shit.”
Meg grabbed her hand. “Squeeze tight if you want to.”
“I might.” Rain sluiced down Sanne’s tiny window. On the tarmac, she saw a man wearing headphones, guiding the plane toward the runway. “I phoned Josie yesterday,” she said, attempting to distract herself. “After the news broke.”
“How was she?”
Sanne hesitated, as a smiling flight attendant stopped to check their bags were correctly stowed. “Relieved,” she said, once the attendant had moved on down the aisle and they were assured of privacy. “I didn’t stay on long, but they’re doing better now they’re back in Edinburgh. We have an open invitation to visit.”
Meg nodded. “Maybe give them a while, eh?”
“I can’t imagine I’ll ever go. I’d only remind them of what happened.” Sanne rubbed her neck, trying to relax her muscles. The case felt like a constant weight, pressing down on her, no matter what. She didn’t want to keep thinking about it, but it always seemed to lurk in the background, and she’d been suffering nightmares for weeks.
“San?”
“Mmhm?”
Meg waited until Sanne looked at her. “We’re on holiday. Leave it behind, okay?”
“Okay.”
The plane came to a sudden stop, and Sanne could see the runway stretching ahead of them. She clamped down on Meg’s hand and shut her eyes as the engines roared and the force of the plane’s acceleration pushed her back in her seat. Seconds later, a weird, floating thump in her chest told her they were airborne.
“San, look.”
Sanne shook her head, willing the plane to keep climbing.
“You’re missing it all!”
Steeling herself, Sanne peeked out of the window. Below them, the redbrick sprawl of Manchester’s suburbs and the plains of Cheshire spread almost to the horizon, the hills of the Peak District and Saddleworth rising gracefully beyond. The plane began to shudder as it rose into the thick cloud blanketing the region, and a grey shroud distorted and then obliterated the view.
Meg interlaced their fingers, holding on to Sanne through the turbulence. “There you go,” she said softly, nudging Sanne toward the window again.
“Oh.” Sanne caught her breath. Brilliant blue sky now surrounded them, and the clouds formed a pristine carpet of white.
“Didn’t you know, San? It’s always sunny up here.”
Sanne smiled, tracing her fingertips across the ice crystals forming on the glass. “No one ever told me that.”
“It’s pretty, but it’s not as pretty as me in my new bikini.” Meg waggled her eyebrows.
Sanne elbowed her in the ribs. “Do you mind? I’m trying to have a moment here.”
“It’s red and black, and very flattering.” Meg shaped curves with her hands, making the man across the aisle cough and turn scarlet.
Feigning a sudden interest in the inflight magazine, Sanne used it to hide her face. “I can’t take you anywhere.”
“Apparently, you’re taking me to your Grecian villa.”
The magazine pages rustled as Sanne started to laugh. “I might just leave you at the airport. You’d get into far less trouble there.”
“You don’t mean that. You’d miss me.”
“Maybe,” Sanne conceded. “A little.”
The flight attendant paused at their row, and Meg ordered two teas and a KitKat. She broke the chocolate bar in half and raised her plastic cup. “Here’s to getting away from it all.”
Sanne tapped her cup against Meg’s. “That sounds bloody lovely.”
The End
About the Author
Cari Hunter lives in the northwest of England with her wife, two cats, and a pond full of frogs. She works full-time as a paramedic and dreams up stories in her spare time.
Cari enjoys long, windswept, muddy walks in her beloved Peak District and forces herself to go jogging regularly. In the summer she can usually be found sitting in the garden with her feet up, scribbling in her writing pad. Although she doesn’t like to boast, she will admit that she makes a very fine Bakewell Tart.
Her first novel, Snowbound, received an Alice B. Lavender Certificate for outstanding début. Her second novel, Desolation Point, was shortlisted for a Goldie award and a runner-up in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, and its sequel, Tumbledown, was a runner-up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards.
Cari can be contacted at: [email protected].
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Death’s Doorway by Crin Claxton. Helping the dead can be deadly: Tony may be listening to the dead, but she needs to learn to listen to the living. (978-1-62639-354-7)
Hardwired by C.P. Rowlands. Award-winning teacher Clary Stone, and Leefe Ellis, manager of the homeless shelter for small children, stand together in a part of Clary’s hometown that she never knew existed. (978-1-62639-351-6)
No Good Reason by Cari Hunter. A violent kidnapping in a Peak District village pushes Detective Sanne Jensen and lifelong friend Dr. Meg Fielding closer, just as it threatens to tear everything apart. (978-1-62639-352-3)
Romance by the Book by Jo Victor. If Cam didn’t keep disrupting her life, maybe Alex could uncover
the secret of a century-old love story, and solve the greatest mystery of all—her own heart. (978-1-62639-353-0)
Searching for Celia by Elizabeth Ridley. As American spy novelist Dayle Salvesen investigates the mysterious disappearance of her ex-lover, Celia, in London, she begins questioning how well she knew Celia—and how well she knows herself. (978-1-62639-356-1)
The 45th Parallel by Lisa Girolami. Burying her mother isn’t the worst thing that can happen to Val Montague when she returns to the woodsy but peculiar town of Hemlock, Oregon. (978-1-62639-342-4)
A Royal Romance by Jenny Frame. In a country where class still divides, can love topple the last social taboo and allow Queen Georgina and Beatrice Elliot, a working class girl, their happy ever after? (978-1-62639-360-8)
Bouncing by Jaime Maddox. Basketball Coach Alex Dalton has been bouncing from woman to woman, because no one ever held her interest, until she meets her new assistant, Britain Dodge. (978-1-62639-344-8)
Same Time Next Week by Emily Smith. A chance encounter between Alex Harris and the beautiful Michelle Masters leads to a whirlwind friendship, and causes Alex to question everything she’s ever known—including her own marriage. (978-1-62639-345-5)
All Things Rise by Missouri Vaun. Cole rescues a striking pilot who crash-lands near her family’s farm, setting in motion a chain of events that will forever alter the course of her life. (978-1-62639-346-2)
Riding Passion by D. Jackson Leigh. Mount up for the ride through a sizzling anthology of chance encounters, buried desires, romantic surprises, and blazing passion. (978-1-62639-349-3)
Love’s Bounty by Yolanda Wallace. Lobster boat captain Jake Myers stopped living the day she cheated death, but meeting greenhorn Shy Silva stirs her back to life. (978-1-62639-334-9)
Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden. Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect. Accountant Samantha Ennis has her ordered life disrupted when heartbreaker Hunter Blair moves into her trendy Soho loft. (978-1-62639-335-6)
Lay Down the Law by Carsen Taite. Attorney Peyton Davis returns to her Texas roots to take on big oil and the Mexican Mafia, but will her investigation thwart her chance at true love? (978-1-62639-336-3)
Playing in Shadow by Lesley Davis. Survivor’s guilt threatens to keep Bryce trapped in her nightmare world unless Scarlet’s love can pull her out of the darkness back into the light. (978-1-62639-337-0)
Soul Selecta by Gill McKnight. Soul mates are hell to work with. (978-1-62639-338-7)
The Revelation of Beatrice Darby by Jean Copeland. Adolescence is complicated, but Beatrice Darby is about to discover how impossible it can seem to a lesbian coming of age in conservative 1950s New England. (978-1-62639-339-4)
Twice Lucky by Mardi Alexander. For firefighter Mackenzie James and Dr. Sarah Macarthur, there’s suddenly a whole lot more in life to understand, to consider, to risk…someone will need to fight for her life. (978-1-62639-325-7)
Shadow Hunt by L.L. Raand. With young to raise and her Pack under attack, Sylvan, Alpha of the wolf Weres, takes on her greatest challenge when she determines to uncover the faceless enemies known as the Shadow Lords. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-326-4)
Heart of the Game by Rachel Spangler. A baseball writer falls for a single mom, but can she ever love anything as much as she loves the game? (978-1-62639-327-1)
Getting Lost by Michelle Grubb. Twenty-eight days, thirteen European countries, a tour manager fighting attraction, and an accused murderer: Stella and Phoebe’s journey of a lifetime begins here. (978-1-62639-328-8)
Prayer of the Handmaiden by Merry Shannon. Celibate priestess Kadrian must defend the kingdom of Ithyria from a dangerous enemy and ultimately choose between her duty to the Goddess and the love of her childhood sweetheart, Erinda. (978-1-62639-329-5)
The Witch of Stalingrad by Justine Saracen. A Soviet “night witch” pilot and American journalist meet on the Eastern Front in WW II and struggle through carnage, conflicting politics, and the deadly Russian winter. (978-1-62639-330-1)
Pedal to the Metal by Jesse J. Thoma. When unreformed thief Dubs Williams is released from prison to help Max Winters bust a car theft ring, Max learns that to catch a thief, get in bed with one. (978-1-62639-239-7)
Dragon Horse War by D. Jackson Leigh. A priestess of peace and a fiery warrior must defeat a vicious uprising that entwines their destinies and ultimately their hearts. (978-1-62639-240-3)
For the Love of Cake by Erin Dutton. When everything is on the line, and one taste can break a heart, will pastry chefs Maya and Shannon take a chance on reality? (978-1-62639-241-0)
Betting on Love by Alyssa Linn Palmer. A quiet country-girl-at-heart and a live-life-to-the-fullest biker take a risk at offering each other their hearts. (978-1-62639-242-7)
The Deadening by Yvonne Heidt. The lines between good and evil, right and wrong, have always been blurry for Shade. When Raven’s actions force her to choose, which side will she come out on? (978-1-62639-243-4)
Ordinary Mayhem by Victoria A. Brownworth. Faye Blakemore has been taking photographs since she was ten, but those same photographs threaten to destroy everything she knows and everything she loves. (978-1-62639-315-8)
One Last Thing by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou. Blood is thicker than pride. The final book in the Elite Operative Series brings together foes, family, and friends to start a new order. (978-1-62639-230-4)
Songs Unfinished by Holly Stratimore. Two aspiring rock stars learn that falling in love while pursuing their dreams can be harmonious—if they can only keep their pasts from throwing them out of tune. (978-1-62639-231-1)
Beyond the Ridge by L.T. Marie. Will a contractor and a horse rancher overcome their family differences and find common ground to build a life together? (978-1-62639-232-8)
Swordfish by Andrea Bramhall. Four women battle the demons from their pasts. Will they learn to let go, or will happiness be forever beyond their grasp? (978-1-62639-233-5)
The Fiend Queen by Barbara Ann Wright. Princess Katya and her consort Starbride must turn evil against evil in order to banish Fiendish power from their kingdom, and only love will pull them back from the brink. (978-1-62639-234-2)
Up the Ante by PJ Trebelhorn. When Jordan Stryker and Ashley Noble meet again fifteen years after a short-lived affair, are either of them prepared to gamble on a chance at love? (978-1-62639-237-3)
Speakeasy by MJ Williamz. When mob leader Helen Byrne sets her sights on the girlfriend of Al Capone’s right-hand man, passion and tempers flare on the streets of Chicago. (978-1-62639-238-0)
Venus in Love by Tina Michele. Morgan Blake can’t afford any distractions and Ainsley Dencourt can’t afford to lose control—but the beauty of life and art usually lies in the unpredictable strokes of the artist’s brush. (978-1-62639-220-5)
Rules of Revenge by AJ Quinn. When a lethal operative on a collision course with her past agrees to help a CIA analyst on a critical assignment, the encounter proves explosive in ways neither woman anticipated. (978-1-62639-221-2)
The Romance Vote by Ali Vali. Chili Alexander is a sought-after campaign consultant who isn’t prepared when her boss’s daughter, Samantha Pellegrin, comes to work at the firm and shakes up Chili’s life from the first day. (978-1-62639-222-9)
Advance: Exodus Book One by Gun Brooke. Admiral Dael Caydoc’s mission to find a new homeworld for the Oconodian people is hazardous, but working with the infuriating Commander Aniwyn “Spinner” Seclan endangers her heart and soul. (978-1-62639-224-3)
UnCatholic Conduct by Stevie Mikayne. Jil Kidd goes undercover to investigate fraud at St. Marguerite’s Catholic School, but life gets complicated when her student is killed—and she begins to fall for her prime target. (978-1-62639-304-2)
Season’s Meetings by Amy Dunne. Catherine Birch reluctantly ventures on the festive road trip from hell with beautiful stranger Holly Daniels only to discover the road to true love has its own obstacles to maneuver. (978-1-62639-227-4)
Myth and Magic: Queer Fairy Tales edited by
Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman. Myth, magic, and monsters—the stuff of childhood dreams (or nightmares) and adult fantasies. (978-1-62639-225-0)
Nine Nights on the Windy Tree by Martha Miller. Recovering drug addict, Bertha Brannon, is an attorney who is trying to stay clean when a murder sends her back to the bad end of town. (978-1-62639-179-6)
Driving Lessons by Annameekee Hesik. Dive into Abbey Brooks’s sophomore year as she attempts to figure out the amazing, but sometimes complicated, life of a you-know-who girl at Gila High School. (978-1-62639-228-1)
Asher’s Shot by Elizabeth Wheeler. Asher Price’s candid photographs capture the truth, but when his success requires exposing an enemy, Asher discovers his only shot at happiness involves revealing secrets of his own. (978-1-62639-229-8)
Courtship by Carsen Taite. Love and justice—a lethal mix or a perfect match? (978-1-62639-210-6)
Against Doctor’s Orders by Radclyffe. Corporate financier Presley Worth wants to shut down Argyle Community Hospital, but Dr. Harper Rivers will fight her every step of the way, if she can also fight their growing attraction. (978-1-62639-211-3)
