Page 3 of The Meaning Of You

The Holden’s grille was coming up fast for another go, and all thoughts of calling the police evaporated in a desperate need to hear Nick’s voice. “Hey, Siri, call Nick.” The dial tone filled the car just as the Holden edged alongside my BMW and the driver glared sideways at me. I slammed my foot on the accelerator andpulled in front, but I was going too fast and almost didn’t make the next corner.

“Pick up. Pick up,” I screamed at the phone as it continued to ring. “Goddammit, Nick. Don’t get pissy with me now. Pick up!”

Another corner with the Holden right on my tail.

“Nick, come on!”

The main road into Clevedon appeared in the distance, snaking its way through the vibrant green hills. Almost there. Almost there.

But in my haste, I took the next corner way too fast. The back spun out and the whole car seemed to float in mid-air for a few seconds as it crossed the centreline and careered out of control toward a five-wire fence.

“Davis?” Nick’s beautiful, irritated voice flooded my brain at the very moment the BMW ploughed through the fence at a hundred kilometres an hour, ripping the anchoring posts from the ground, and flying off into mid-air. “If you’re gonna be late again, I swear I’ll?—”

I missed the rest, a strange sense of calm rolling through my body as the BMW pitched down, hovering for just a second above the rocky ravine before dropping like a stone.

“I love you,” I whisper-shouted against the G-forces holding me in place. “Forgive me.”

“Davis? Where?—”

Thunder filled my ears and the world went black.

CHAPTER ONE

18 months later

Nick

The automatic doors slid open,and I grinned at the red-faced receptionist/day-shift manager/superhero in a neon green dress who almost spilled her ginormous mug of coffee, trying to hide the tabloid magazine she’d been reading.

When she saw it was me, Jerry huffed. “Jesus, Nick, warn a girl next time.”

“Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.” I side-eyed the wide shock of platinum blond hair that graced the woman’s pitch-black bangs.Thatwas new. “Thisisthe main entrance. You want me to knock or something?”

“Smart-arse.” She grabbed a paper towel and began dabbing at the splashes of coffee that now adorned her dress.

I took a bow. “At your service. But my lips are sealed, you know that. This place wouldn’t run if it weren’t for all that caffeine you pour into your system like lolly water, not to mention no one, and I repeatno oneknows what goes on inthis place better than you. I ain’t about to rock the boat, and if anyone gives you a hard time, they’ll have me to answer to.”

And I meant it. If it hadn’t been for Jerry, I wasn’t sure I’d have made it through the last year. She’d had my back from day one. No question too small. No hour too late to call. No temper tantrum too much. No depression too deep for her to reach down a hand and simply hold on. She’d been my angel through it all, the highs and the lows, but especially the lows, since, to be fair, I couldn’t remember any highs and I loved her to bits.

Jerry returned the magazine to her desk. “You smooth talker you.” She grabbed her mug of coffee and walked across to plant a kiss on my cheek. “If you weren’t gay as a daffodil, I’d be tempted to bend you over my desk and have my wicked way with you.”

I barked out a laugh. “Is it weird that I almost want to turn straight just to see how that plays out? And also, a Freddy Mercury quote? I’m impressed.”

Jerry clipped me up the back of my head. “Yes, to the first question, super weird. As for the second, my mother was a huge Freddy fan. I cut my musical teeth on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’”

I chuckled, not about to enquire how old Jerry actually was because I preferred my balls remained exactly where they were. I was guessing late forties—but I wouldn’t have bet on it. According to Jerry herself, she’d lived acolourfullife. The small amount of information Ihadmanaged to glean about her past included a generous amount of travel, an equally generous number of drugs back in the day, and two never-to-be-named husbands who she’d kicked to the kerb in proceedings that lacked a significant amount of detail. Enough said.

“I’m still older and therefore wiser than you,” I solemnly replied.

“Oh, honey—” She looked me up and down with a wicked glint in her eye. “—my last husband was your age when I got ridof his sorry arse just like that.” She clicked her fingers. “You’re definitely a lightweight in comparison.”

I opted for the safety of silence.Refer to above note about incidents lacking in detail.

Jerry continued. “That man was a demon in the bedroom which was all fine and dandy in the beginning. But there wasn’t much going on between the ears, if you catch my drift. A woman can’t live on orgasms alone.”

I almost choked, wishing I could rewind the last few seconds so I could purge those images from my brain. “I... guess not,” I finally sputtered, my cheeks blowing hot—something very few people had managed to accomplish.

Jerry smirked and patted my hand. “Don’t be shocked. The majority of people under forty already think people over forty don’t have sex. Our job is to remind them that they’re wrong in as many embarrassing ways as possible.”

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