Page 7 of In the Grey of Dawn

“You’ll do it or I’ll tie you up in my basement and I have a lot more tools I can use on you than that guy did,” he says sternly, trying not to smile.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I can’t help but laugh, returning to place the last few butterfly stitches across his wound, grateful that I got to have this moment with him before I move away.

Chapter 3 - Charlie

Driving up the mountain pass to Hidden Valley, I say a silent prayer to Dimi for forcing me to take his large SUV. There is no way in hell my shitty sedan would have made it this far with all the fresh snow that has fallen.

Mila emailed me a few days ago, and after talking with her friend, Nova, they decided it would be better for me to stay in the apartment Nova has above her coffee shop, Beans. Explaining that it would give me a bit of separation from feeling like I had to be in work mode all of the time. I appreciate the thought they put into it because a lot of people don’t understand how exhausting it can be just caring for someone. The emotional strain of not being able to switch your brain off can sometimes be harder to deal with than the physical task of actually doing the job. So the oasis she said Nova created for me sounds like an absolute dream.

With the sun setting behind the mountain peaks and instructions in hand, I pull into the rear entrance of Beans and see the covered stairwell leading up to my new home. I wasn’t sure what time I would arrive today so I told Mila and Nova I’d go straight to the apartment and drive out to see her first thing in the morning.

I’ll then be able to look over the medical supplies I ordered, establish a plan of attack for her and try to calm Dante’s nerves. Grabbing my coat from the passenger seat, I quickly head up the stairs and hurriedly retrieve the key that was left for me under the doormat.

I can’t help but shake my head at the frivolous notion of leaving a key under the mat. There’s no way you could do that in the city. You would come home to an empty house or apartment and have no one to blame but yourself. This is probably one thing in a long line of things that I’m going to have to learn during my stay. Trust is something that happens here I guess, and even though it makes me uncomfortable I’m sure I can adapt eventually.

Opening the front door, I'm greeted with a rush of warm air from the small fireplace I can see in the corner, the flames causing an orange glow to that side of the room. Nova must have been coming up to feed it wood every so often.

She is so incredibly kind and thoughtful, I'm excited to get to know her better. I love her bold attitude toward everything but also feel special when she shares her softer side. It's like a little reward when the cracks in her exterior slip and she gets a little vulnerable. We became fast friends over the week I stayed with Mila for her wedding but it will be nice to have a more in depth friendship that doesn’t need Mila as the go between.

Taking a quick tour, I’m happy that it has everything I need to be comfortable with almost every creature comfort I can think of. From the front door, you step into an almost Scandinavian style open-plan space. A white kitchen with a wooden benchtop covering the whole side of the wall. A small table and chairs are pressed against the back of a couch in the centre of the room, and a T.V. is hung on the opposite wall.There are two rooms off this main space, the bedroom and the bathroom. Both invite me to use them after a long day’s travel.

It’s at this time my stomach reminds me that my road trip diet of energy drinks and potato chips was probably not the best thing to have eaten all day instead of a proper meal. Opening the fridge, I see it’s fully stocked and there are several Tupperware containers front and centre, aneat me firstlabel written on the top one. Quickly opening the container, I discover Mila has probably told Nova that lasagna is my favourite meal and I can’t help but drool over the fact one of them made it for me. Talk about a perfect welcome to Hidden Valley. Turning the oven on, ready to reheat my luscious lasagna, I decide to get the rest of my bags now and not first thing in the morning when the cold chill of the mountain air will no doubt be at its worst.

???

Pulling up to Ace’s farmhouse on the outskirts of town, I'm greeted by a mountain of a man, who is as wide as he is tall. The usual scowl on his face replaced by a frown of worry.

“Charlie,” Dante nods in my direction as he walks down the front steps and pulls me into a short but tight hug. He’s tense all over and I already get the sense he's not going to relax until the baby is born. I don’t think he realises he’ll have a whole new worry to deal with, for at least the next eighteen years or so.

“Hey. Don’t look so worried, okay? Both of you will get through this.”

I try to empathise with him but kids are something that are not part of my story. I feel like there should be some huge underlying reason as to why I don’t want them but there’s really no magical moment this decision cemented itself for me. I’ve just never wanted them so I’m not planning on having them.

Simple really. I think one of the hardest things I deal with is people thinking I don’t like kids when the reality is, I love them. I love holding them as sleeping babies all wrapped up in their little blankets. I love the toddler diet stage, where everything can be solved by basically bribing them with chicken nuggets. And I love the teenage years when you see them grow into adults, where they explore their identities and passions.

But I also love giving them back at the end of a visit. I love my solitude, my space and my freedom. Every now and then, when things are going well on a date, or at some point during a situationship, the moment arises and the topic of kids comes up. There was only one guy who didn’t seem to take issue with it, which I later found out was poking holes in the condoms. That is one of many reasons why I take my contraceptive health seriously. I take the pill, they wear a condom, we both get regular tests andvoila, we both get orgasms.

Opening the back of the SUV I move to grab my medical bag and several extras for my bestie but Dante takes everything before I can get to it, gesturing for me to head inside.

“Hey there, Mama,” I say crossing the living room to where Mila is curled up on the couch. Ragnar is sitting next to her, always vigilant and on alert. The best guard dog a girl could want. She sits up from where she's lying down and immediately bursts into tears as I pull her into a hug, trying to soothe her as she sobs into my shoulder.

???

My eyes are heavy as I sit on the couch in my apartment, the heat from the fire impressive, considering its small size. It was a long day setting Mila up with everything. In the end, and after speaking with her Doctor, I gave her intravenous fluidsbecause she hadn’t kept anything down for days and you could see how sluggish the dehydration was making her.

Finally getting the motivation to throw one of the meals left for me in the oven, a knock at the door takes me by surprise and I can’t help but reach for my pepper spray as I call out asking who’s there. You can take the girl out of the city but you definitely cannottake the pepper spray out of her handbag. Standing on the other side of the door, Nova’s muffled voice calls out.

“Open up Charlie, it’s me. I’m not here to kill you … or am I, mwahaha.”

Opening the door, her smiling face greets me as the setting sun catches her almost white blonde hair, making her glow.

“I swear every time I see you you’re like an angel coming to grant me wishes or something. You have this air about you that makes me want to steal you away and keep you for myself,” I deadpan.

I’m almost positive I see a shudder run through her but she just smiles brightly, pulling me into a quick hug.

“I just closed up downstairs but I wanted to check in with you that everything is okay and you got the meals Porter left for you?”

“The meals thatPorterleft for me?” I practically sputter out.

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