Authors: Angela Verdenius

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General

The Goodbye Girl (41 page)

BOOK: The Goodbye Girl

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For a second Nick thought the teenager would retort angrily, but then the boy’s face cleared and he grinned. “Yeah, the clowns
and
the dumb arses.”

“Right on.” She smiled widely. “The truth
really is out there, David.”

“I’m not going to stop looking,” he stated, full of
renewed vigour.

“Bloody hell,” Ted muttered, looking from his son to Bree and back.

Alfred came up beside David. “I know our group is for seniors, but son, you’re welcome to attend our UFO watches. Be like an honorary member.”

“Be good to have a young set of legs to do any running,”
Charlotte agreed.

“Yeah,”
David said. “I can do that.”

“You can do your bloody homework and the farm chores
first.” Ted stomped past him and off up the track.

David, Charlotte and Alfred fell in be
hind him, discussing the next SOW meeting.

Nick looked
down to where the top of Bree’s head was level with his shoulder. “Nice one, hunter. You helped David save face and still believe.”

“Why
, thank you, soldier boy.”

“And after all these pranks, you still believe.”

“The truth is out there, Nick, the truth is out there.”

Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently. “For your sake, I
certainly hope it’s true.”

“And if you stumbled across covert government information, you’d share it with me, right?”

He winked. “What makes you think I don’t already know?”

“Because you’d have given it up to me already.”

“Is that right?”

“Uh huh.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Because I’ve learned a few things these last few weeks.”

“Such as?”

She winked back.
“One blow job and you’ll tell me anything.”

Nick almost tripped over a branch, righting himself at the last second while Bree laughed her pretty head off.

Damn woman would be the death of him.

But h
e’d sure die a happy man.

Chapter 12

Australian Army Base

Afghanistan

“Hey, Jonesy.”

The soldier looked up. “Yeah?”

The corporal handed him a letter. “Congrats. This is from The Goodbye Girl.”

Eagerly, Jonesy grabbed the letter.
Ever since Sergeant Nick Mason had left, he’d been waiting, hoping he'd be The Goodbye Girl’s next chosen soldier boy. He’d heard on the grapevine that Nick had mentioned him before he’d left.

Retreating to the shade of the big stone wall, Jonesy ripped open the letter, intrigued when a smaller envelope fell out as well. Tucking the
smaller pink envelope behind the bigger one, he unfolded the single sheet of blue paper and started reading.

Hi Jonesy

I’m really glad you were chosen to
receive some news from home. I was looking forward to writing to you, but you see, I’ve found love with a certain soldier-boy you know as Nick Mason. So I’m writing solely to him now, because that seems only right for a fiancée to do, right?

Jonesy blinked. What the hell…? Nick was engaged to The Goodbye Girl?

So I guess I really am saying goodbye for real, for good, forever.

Bloody hell, talk about a Dear John letter. He couldn’t believe it. He forced himself to read on.

However, this isn’t the end of the letters from home. I’ve found some single girls who are happy to share news with our lonely soldiers, and so saying, I’m including the letter from Marcia, a lovely girl who is more than happy to be your contact from home while you’re away from Australia.

Jonesy, I wish you happiness, but most of all, safety. And if you see any UFOs, please get a photo and post it to
Marcia for me.

Toodles!

Bree

aka
The Goodbye Girl.

Feeling both bewildered and disappointed, Jonesy pulled out the pink envelope and looked at it. It had a butterfly on the front engraved into the paper, and his name written in flowery script. Well, he didn’t really have anything to lose, did he? You had to have something first to lose it.

Curiously
, he ripped the envelope open. The scent of roses filled the air, and he sniffed in appreciation. Okay, this mightn’t be so bad, if nothing else he could dream of sweet-smelling women from back home.

Unfolding
the delicate paper, he started reading.

Hi Jonesy

So, I’m Marcia. I work at the local hospital as a ward clerk. I live in Whicha, a little place you probably haven’t heard of it. I tell you, it might be small but life is never dull. Before I begin, I always think it’s nice to know who you’re writing to, so I’ve included a photo.

A photo? Eagerly, Jonesy fished again in the envelope, pulling out a photo. Flipping it over, his eyes widened. Holy cow, he was writing to what looked like a younger version of Dolly Parton. A pretty, blue-eyed blonde with a bust bigger than her hips, wearing a uniform of some kind, a hospital behind her. She was laughing, blue eyes happy.

And she looked like Dolly Parton’s younger twin.

Yes! He’d scored!

~*~

City
Airport

Australia

Six Months Later

Bouncing on tip toe, Bree watched the jet pull in on the runway. It had been a long time, a long wait. Biting her lip, she watched the jet approach, moving slowly up the runway and turn in towards the airport, moving along to where the connection tunnels waited.

Looking up, Bree reassured herself that yes, the jet she was waiting for, had been waiting for, for so long, was finally here.
Finally
here.

For the hundredth time she smoothed back the
stray wisps of hair that insisted on escaping her ponytail to dance around her cheeks. Straightened the skirt of her dress, adjusted the bodice which revealed a little bit too much cleavage.

Waiting was agony. Along with everyone else waiting, she watched the doorway through which the travellers would come through.

After about ten minutes, the first passenger appeared, and then another, then more coming faster as the plane emptied.

Maybe he missed the flight. Maybe he didn’t get on it. Maybe I’m still dreaming
. Maybe-
and then he was there.

Tall,
broad shouldered, stride strong and confident, calmness radiating from him.

While she danced on the spot, ready to dart forward as soon as he came
through the glass door.

Brilliant
green eyes searched ahead of him, his gaze roving over the crowd before coming to a stop on her face, a smile breaking out on the handsome face.

“Nick!” Bree screamed his name and ran forward, throwing herself at him.

Nick dropped his hand luggage to the floor just in time to catch her, brawny arms wrapping around her to crush her to him in a hug so fierce, so full of longing. Dropping his head forward, he leaned down and kissed her, long and deep, filling her with his familiar flavour. Clean male, toothpaste, and Nick all rolled into one heady taste.

When he lifted his head, she could only see his face through a blur of tears. “I’m not crying
.” She sniffed.

“I know.” Happiness shone on his face.

“I can’t believe you’re really here. You’re really back.” For the life of her, Bree couldn’t let him go.

“Honey.” Another soft kiss before he leaned his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her eyes with so much love a tear slipped free even as she smiled up at him. “My Goodbye Girl, I’ve come home for good.”

####

After Word

So, a heroine who believes in extraterrestrials,
aliens, little green men, greys, whatever you have heard them called. Unbelievable, right?

Wrong.

I believe. No, I’ve never gone on a UFO hunt. I’ve watched programs on abductees, watched films based on true stories, read stories in books on the unexplained, and yes, I do enjoy a good sci-fi movie. (Along with supernatural horror movies, of course, because zombies rule!).

Living in the Outback as a child with my family, we saw some strange things, strange lights in the night sky included. Have I personally seen an alien? No. Do I still believe? Yes. Am I obsessed? No. Frankly, I don’t mind either way, I don’t argue about it, I don’t get into slanging matches about it. I just believe. It’s up to other people if they believe or not. Just because you don’t believe
in it or don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

So, for me to have a heroine who believes in aliens is no big deal. In fact, I think it makes her way more interesting, and certainly sets her up to have interesting interactions with other people.

So, remember, for people like me and Bree and thousands of others – the truth is definitely out there. It just has to be revealed!

LOL

Angela Verdenius

2014

###

BIO

Angela Verdenius lives in Australia, where she is ruled by her cats, adores reading, and thinks a perfect day is writing and drinking Diet Coke, followed by reading or a good horror movie.

To date, she has written numerous novels in sci-fi romance series and BBW contemporary romances, 2 novellas, and several short stories, one of which is a zombie story she had great fun writing. Her books have won many reviewers’ awards, as well as having been on the Fictionwise best-seller list and winning the Golden Rose Award.

For more information about Angela’s books, visit:

Visit her website at
http://www.angelaverdenius.com/

The lighter side of life on her blog
http://angelaverdenius.blogspot.com
/

And her Author Page at
Amazon.com

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