Secrets (Hope Bay)
Secrets
a Hope Bay novel
by
Angela Verdenius
(BBW Romance)
Copyright 2018 Angela Verdenius
All Rights Reserved
Cover images courtesy of © Loredana | Dreamstime.com,
© Ryhor Bruyeu | Dreamstime.com , © GlobalStock | istock.com,
© yavuzunlu | Shutterstock.com, © Seregraff | istock.com ,
© Anna_Om | istock.com
Cover by Angela Verdenius
License Statement
No part of this book may be reproduced, resold, copied or given away in any form without prior consent of the author & publisher.
All characters, places and happenings are figments of the author’s imagination and bear no resemblance to any person living or deceased.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Glossary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Bio
Other Books by this Author
Foreword
This is a romance, and I did not want to get bogged down in legal issues and drawn-out battles, so for the sake of the story I have skimmed over legalities and taken some liberty in regards to:
1) The law to do with evidence, and the laying and withdrawing of charges.
2) Hospital policies & procedures on theft and accusations.
There are policies and procedures in place at every hospital for legal issues that arise.
The law has policies and procedures in place for laying charges and withdrawing charges.
Enjoy the romance and the HEA!
Cheers
Ang
Glossary
I found that some overseas readers were having difficulty with the Australian slang, so I thought a list of the slang I’ve used will help while reading the following story. If I’ve forgotten any, I do apologise! Also, you’ll find some of our Aussie words have different spelling to the US. Interestingly enough, as I’ve grown (gracefully) older, I find a lot of our slang is bypassing the younger generation, so if a young Aussie says they have never heard a certain word, don’t be surprised! But trust me, I’ve used these words all my life growing up, and so have a lot of my family and friends. Does that make me an older Aussie? Heck yes! LOL
Cheers,
Angela
Australian Names/Terms/Slang
AFP - Australian Federal Police
Ambos - ambulance officers
Arse-End Arnold - usually the soldier guarding the rear of a platoon when in the field.
Arvo - afternoon
Barbie - BBQ
Beaut - beautiful, awesome, great, wonderful
Berko - berserk
Bewdy - as in ‘awesome, great’
Biccies - biscuits. The same as cookies
Bikie - biker, person who rides motorcycles.
Bloke/s - man/men
Bloody - a swear word ‘no bloody good’, in place of ‘no damned good’
Blowies - blow flies
Blue - fight, argument - as in ‘they’re having a blue’
Boofhead - idiot, simpleton, etc. It’s an insult, though sometimes we use it as a term of affection. It depends on how it is said and meant.
Boot (of a car) - trunk
Brown nose - currying favour, sucking up. Has a cruder description, but let’s not go into that here. Means the same thing!
Budgie smugglers - men’s bathers, small, brief and tight-fitting
Buggered - many Aussie use it as a slang word for ‘broken’ (it’s buggered), ‘tired (I’m buggered), and ‘no way’ (I’m buggered if I’m going to do that). Just some examples
Bung/Bunging - as in ‘bunging onto something’, putting on something (bung veggies on a plate, putting veggies on a plate), usually in a careless or ‘easy’ manner.
Bush rangers - outlaws/thieves/robbers.
Caramel Crowns - one of Arnott’s totally awesome chocolate and caramel biscuit. Gooey yumminess!
Cark/carked - die, died.
Chips - in Australia we have cold crunchy chips from a packet, or hot chips known in some countries as French Fries
Chippie - carpenter
Crash cart - resuscitation trolley in a hospital or medical setting - used for life threatening situations such as cardiac arrest
Dander – temper
Dial - face
Digger - Australian soldier.
Dill - silly, idiot
Dogs - (as in attached to a truck) - trailers, enclosed or not, that carry goods or are empty.
Dooks - hands
Doona - like a padded quilt that fits inside a cover and lies on the bed. Can have the warmth of two, three or four blankets, etc.
Donger - penis. Also another meaning is a place people sometimes sleep in, such as ‘dongers’ on mine sites.
Dunny - toilet. When used in the terms ‘built like a brick dunny’, it refers to something built solid, unmoveable.
Fire bug - arsonist
Firies - fire fighters
Garbo/s - the person/s who drive and/or load garbage onto the garbage truck.
Gee-gees - horses
Giggle-box - TV, television
Gob - mouth
Got his/her/their goat – annoyed him/her/them
Hardifence - corrugated fibre cement sheets
Hoon/s - person/people who indulge in antisocial behaviour. Great explanation in Wikipedia
Iced Coffee/chocolate - a milk drink flavoured with chocolate or coffee
Jarmies - pyjamas
Jumper - sweater
Kick up a stink - make a fuss, get angry
Local rag - local newspaper
Lolly - sweetie, candy
Loo - toilet
Lug - face
Marie biscuits - Arnott brand of plain sweet biscuit - delicious.
Milo - chocolate malt drink. Can have it hot or cold. Yummy!
Moosh - slang for face/mouth
Mobile phone - cell phone
Mozzie - mosquito
NAD - No Abnormalities Detected
Nong - idiot
Nooky - sex
Paddy wagon - four wheel drive police vehicle carries four police in the double cab and has a filled-in imprisonment section in the back to place prisoners.
Panadol - paracetamol, similar to Tylenol in the US
Pav/s - Pavlova/Pavlovas - best dessert ever!
PCYC - Police and Citizens Youth Club
Pedal Pushers - three quarter pants/knickerbockers
Porking - having sex
Primapore - sticky patch with a pad in it, a medical dressing
Pub – hotel
Quack – derogatory term for a doctor
RAC - Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia. Covers insurance, holidays, loans, etc
Red backs - poisonous spider, black in colour with a red stripe on its back.
Root - sex
Rotty – Rottweiler breed of dog.
Rubbers – condoms
Sack - bed - as ‘in the sack’ meaning ‘in bed’
Sandgroper - slang for a West Australian
Servo - service station
Shag - sex
Sheila – female
Slab – carton of beer.
Smoko - morning tea and afternoon tea break
Snaggers - sausages
Soft drink - soda, fizzy drink
Sparkie - electrician
Spider (drink) - soft drink of choice
with a scoop of ice cream in it
Spunk - good-looking man
Stiffy - erection, boner
Subbies - sub contractors
Tea - some people call the evening meal dinner. In my family, we’ve always called it tea, as in breaky, dinner and tea, or breaky, lunch and tea.
Thongs - worn on the feet, same as ‘flip flops’
Tickled pink - delighted
Tim Tams - a brand of Arnott’s Biscuits. Yummy!
TLC - Tender Loving Care
Togs - bathers, swim suit
Torch - flashlight
Toot - toilet
Tradies - tradesmen
Trots - diarrhoea
Tucker – food
Twistie – a brand of cheese-flavoured snack food. Yummy!
Ute - small truck
Vegemite - most Aussies find this spread yummy, many non-Aussies find it too salty. Here’s the hint - if you ever have Vegemite, use it spread thinly, never thickly!
Vollie - volunteers
Wacky baccy - marijuana
Wanger - penis
Waterworks - crying
Whopper - a lie
Yamaha & Suzuki - ‘brands’ of motorcycles.
You wally - silly
Chapter 1
“No. I didn’t do it.”
“You did! How could you?”
“I swear.” She was getting desperate. “I swear, I didn’t do it!”
“You did it! I’ll have your job for this! You lying piece of trash!”
“Please.” Throat choked, tears filling her eyes, heart hammering. “Please, I’m telling the truth. Please, just listen to me, I couldn’t have-”
“No, you listen. I’ll have your job, your reputation, and you’ll have a black mark on your record. You’ll never work in this field again!”
Her heart thumped heavily, her stomach pitched sickeningly. This was fast becoming a nightmare, a nightmare.
A nightmare.
A NIGHTMARE!
**
Jerking awake, Emma sat bolt upright in bed, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. For several seconds the world pitched in front of her eyes before she slowly came to her senses, came awake to the gratifying realisation that it was just another dream. Another nightmare.
“It’s okay.” Flopping back onto the bed, she stared up at the ceiling. “It’s over. It’s all over.” A wet nose poked her cheek and she turned her head to meet the gold eyes staring back at her. “Just a nightmare, CK.”
The long, lanky ginger cat stepped up onto Emma’s belly and sat there looking down at her.
“You’re hungry.” Glad for the normalcy, she fondled CK’s ears, the rich purring breaking out into the room a comforting and reassuring sound. “I’ll get up and feed you, hey? Some fish?”
Forcing the nightmare to the back of her mind, to the dark recesses where it dwelt to erupt now and again just to remind her to remain on guard, Emma listened to the faint sound of the ocean crashing onto the shoreline a few streets away. Outside the window the sounds of birds calling in the wattles heralded a new day.
A new day in a small country town on the coast.
A small country town as far away as she could get from the city where -
“Not going to think about it.” Gently pushing CK off her belly, she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Got things to do.” She switched off the alarm clock that had yet to peel out a wake-up call. “A cat to feed, a walk to have, breaky, the usual.”
Crossing to the window, she pulled back the curtain and yanked up the blind to reveal the dawn. The sun was just spotting the horizon and it promised to be a beautiful day, warm and breezy.
Moving quickly, Emma fed CK, leaving her eating in the kitchen while she brushed her teeth, sprayed on deodorant, bundled her wavy hair into a ponytail, yanked on a pair of pedal-pushers and an old t-shirt, slid into a pair of thongs and left the house, locking the door behind her.
Walking down the pathway lined with daisy bushes never failed to delight her, even after living in the old house for the last six months. The little lawn each side of the pathway was green and springy, and the golden shower wattles that had also been planted in each corner of the front yard were glorious with their cascading wattle.
Shutting the little gate, she looked back at the house. With a red tin roof, a rose-strewn archway leading onto the bull-nose veranda, it was so delightfully old-fashioned and screamed home and sanctuary.
It had definitely been her sanctuary. That her boss had rented it to her at such a low cost still amazed her. Now all she had to do was talk him into letting her buy it, she loved it that much.
Walking the street towards the beach still made her feel as though she’d stepped back in time. Stone and brick houses, a mix of old styles, neatly tended gardens and a variety of fences. She felt as though she’d stepped back into the early 1900s. True, Hope Bay had streets of more modern homes, but the majority was still old style.
She hoped it stayed that way.
Reaching the beach within minutes, she kicked off her thongs and walked along the damp sand, letting the waves lap around her toes. Seagulls whirled overhead, and in the distance she could see the big hotel that was built near the beach, the dock going down to the ocean. No tourists stirred but the staff would already be at work, just as they were in the different areas of town - the newsagent, the little corner store, the local café, and the service station. The cop shop was manned at all times, as were the ambulance, fire station and the small hospital.
Tilting her head back, she inhaled deeply of the sea air, enjoying the solitude.
By the time she returned home, more walkers were out and about, along with several tourists riding push bikes while taking in the sights of the quaint old coastal town, their laughter and chatter filling the air.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, she was ready for work, this time with her hair pulled back in a claw grip and a light application of lipstick. Energized by the walk, the remnants of the nightmare erased by the tranquil air of the morning, she gave CK a quick smooch on top of her head and left her dozing on the windowsill in the sunshine.
The day was so promising, and she was in such a good mood that she decided to buy lunch. Humming, she turned the car in the direction of the café which, at this time of the morning, would smell of Daz’s famous hot coffee and delicious pastries. Pulling up in front of it, she turned off the car and reached for the strap of her handbag that was coiled around the gear stick, a habit she’d fallen into while living in the city and continued, as even country towns had crime.
Emma muttered a curse as she fumbled the strap and the handbag fell back to the floor. Leaning over to retrieve it, she straightened and shoved open the car door with her other hand.
There was a loud thump followed by the car rocking slightly as someone collided with the door.
Not to mention a particularly vile swear word.
Horrified, she swung around to find part of a bicycle showing under the car door, along with a pair of muscular legs encased in shorts and sneakers.
“Oh no!” Scrambling from the car, careful not to get tangled in the bike wheel, she slammed the door shut to look down at the man sprawled on the ground. “Are you all right?”
He glared up at her. “Didn’t you look before you opened the door?”
“I am so sorry!” Embarrassed, she crouched down beside him, her gaze running assessingly over him for injuries. “Are you hurt?”
He shoved the bike back off his leg. “No.”
Relieved, she offered her hand to assist him up, only to wither inside a little as he gave her hand one narrow-eyed look before pushing upright, leaving her standing with her hand still held out.
“I really am sorry.” Biting her lip, she dropped her hand and stood as well. “Is your bike okay?”
“It’s fine.” The reply was brusque.
Not quite knowing what to say, she watched him bend over and brush the dirt from his knees. He had s
ome grazes but nothing too bad. Of medium height, he was nevertheless taller than her by a head. His well-worn t-shirt hugged a well-built chest and a flat abdomen. Absentmindedly, she wondered if he sported a four or six pack beneath the t-shirt, assuring herself a little belatedly that she was medically assessing him, nothing more.
Right. It’s not those nicely flexing biceps and triceps doing anything for me. It’s not that light brown hair cut very short, the strong jaw line, that firm mouth or the laughter lines at the corners of those grey eyes.
She loved laughter lines, the indication of humour.
Unfortunately, his laughter lines were definitely not crinkling for her. That was evident when he glanced up. “You could have done some serious damage throwing open your door like that without checking.” His scowl had eased into annoyance.
“I normally do check.” She held her hands out, palms up. “Like I said, I’m so sorry. Can I offer you a ride to wherever it is you’re going?”
Straightening to his full height, the man frowned down at her.
Emma cleared her throat. “Really, I’m sorry.”
His frown didn’t fade.
Several cars passed on the quiet street, the drivers getting a good eyeful, and her embarrassment climbed a little higher, her cheeks going redder the longer he looked at her.
Finally, not knowing what else to do, she muttered, “If there are any damages to your bike, you can contact me on this number.” Leaning back into the car, she snagged her handbag and drew out a small pad and pen. Pulling back out of the car, she quickly scribbled down her phone number and handed it to him.
At first she thought he wasn’t going to take it, but then he slowly took the paper from her and studied the number.
“It’s my real number,” she assured him.
Those sharp grey eyes cut back to her.
Cheeks going a little redder - and she thought they couldn’t possibly get any hotter - Emma slid behind the wheel of her car, but before she could shut the door a masculine hand caught it and the man leaned down to study her through the open door.