Fresh Beginnings Read online

  Yes, she had lost. She had lost her dream to make something out of her life. The dream of a wonderful husband, a house full of children, a house with a small backyard, and a life of happiness. She'd been sick of her mom's constant struggle to find work, and sick of the lack of money. Only to find herself in the same situation. This was a bad dream and before it was about to turn into a nightmare, she had to get out. On her own.

  Ivy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye Dylan."

  Then she turned, walked out of the trailer, and away from what was supposed to be her dream. She didn't turn back, and she ignored his calls. It was only a few metres down the road that the first tears fell down on her cheeks. There was no regret, but there was a lot of fear. Fear of what lay ahead.

  Chapter Three

  Jared's day in Las Vegas was more or less uneventful. After breakfast and half an hour to get more acquainted with the motorhome, he strolled down the streets of Sin City. He wasn't overly excited about the place, but took in the bright colours and the constant stream of people moving past him. Here and there, he stopped to watch the world go by and, although he would've never admitted it, he got seriously lost in one of the big casinos. He knew there wasn't much for him in this town and decided to move on the next day.

  One lesson learnt. Hobart's amount of tourists was nothing compared to Las Vegas. Which made him chuckle at his own naïve knowledge of the world.

  Jared got back to the motorhome very late that afternoon when his phone rang. It surprised him. He usually had the phone switched on, but only to get a hang of the time difference and to check the time. The old wristwatch had landed in the drawer years and years ago when it was too inconvenient to wear while working outside. Picking up the phone, he checked the number.

  Australia.

  "Hello?"

  "Jared?"

  His eyebrows shot up. "Mia? What the—"

  "I need to make this quick, because I have no idea what this call will cost me."

  A thousand thoughts ran through Jared's mind. Accidents. Deaths. Chaos. His business.

  There was a hiccupping sob at the end of the other end of the line, and Jared needed to sit down. Needed to have something to hold on to as well as he prepared himself for the news.

  "What's wrong, mate?"

  Another sob. "Josh and I… I… we—"

  He waited her out, although he felt like screaming for her to just spit out the information.

  "We had a fight," she finally said.

  That all? Jared's rush of relief was so intense, he had to lean back to rest his head.

  "Jared?"

  "Still here, mate."

  "Mark said if it's okay with you, I can join you half-way."

  Mark agreed to what?

  And who had asked him? This was supposed to be his holiday. His break from years of hard work in the business and never having a break for more than a long weekend. As much as he felt for Mia, he assumed it was merely teenage hormones going wild and nothing a good talk wouldn't fix.

  Mark! Instead of dealing with it, he was sending Mia over.

  "Mate, what happened to talkin'? Isn't that what Soph always preaches?"

  He heard her sigh. "There's nothing to talk about. So, can I come?"

  "What happened?" he asked.

  One could've thought Josh had killed someone considering the sigh he heard through the phone, but he tried to be patient, remembering that he was talking to a teenage girl.

  She spoke quietly, and he assumed she tried her hardest to hold back yet another sob. "He… he… I'll tell you when I get there."

  "Mate, I don't even know where I'm going, so how are we going to meet half way?"

  "I'm flying out next Thursday and will arrive in Salt Lake City that same day in the afternoon."

  He cringed and raked a hand through his hair. "I suppose my plans have just been made?"

  "Please?" she begged.

  "Give me another call closer to the date and get Mark to call me as well."

  "Jared?"

  "Yes, mate?"

  "Thank you."

  He nodded and only a moment later realised that she wasn't able to see him. "I suppose I see ya in Salt Lake City."

  Jared hung up and replayed the conversation in his head again as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. Then he sat at the table, unfolded the map, and looked for his new destination. Salt Lake City. Utah.

  That wasn't anywhere near where he wanted to go. He banged his head on the table out of frustration that his first holiday in years had been hijacked within minutes by people on the other side of the world. If he knew the cost of a phone call, he'd call Mark and rip strips off his backside. His best buddy had lost best-buddy status and was dropped off the Christmas list for presents.

  After a quick dinner, Jared retrieved the map again and started planning and checking his travel guide for information along the way. His next stop was supposed to be a place near the Grand Canyon and then along Route 66 until he hit the east coast. That plan had been shot to pieces. Utah was north of Arizona and not even close to his original route. Jared let out a curse and cradled his head in his hands. How did this turn out to be about them and not him?

  ****

  Ivy stared after the green car she had exited in a hurry only seconds earlier. Creepy was a word that came to mind when she thought about the driver. Creepy, eerie, and all the other foul-language words under the sun. The old man had given her a lift into downtown Las Vegas and had offered her to take a bit further towards east. She had really appreciated his help. That was until his hand was on her leg. Persistently, even after she had nicely told him she wasn't that kind of girl. A shiver ran down her spine merely at the thought. She guessed he'd have been in his seventies.

  Leaving Dylan had been the easy part, but, with only a few dollars in her purse, getting to as far east as possible was the hard part. She assumed everyone who needed to run away in this country would move to California to make a fresh start in life. Ivy had looked at a map and considered… somewhere along the east coast would be perfect. She wasn't quite sure why, but it had a good sound to it. Her mother had told her once about a place in North Carolina, and that she'd lived there for a few years. Until her mother had met her father and followed him to Sacramento, then to a small place south of it and finally, when she'd had enough of Ivy's father, she'd moved to Salt Lake City.

  Ivy looked around. Nothing. Not even a small petrol station where she could wash her hands and use the toilet. She sighed, and although she felt like crying, she knew she started this, she needed to finish it and come out on top.

  She remembered they had gone past the Hoover Dam turnoff a little while ago. It'd be too far to walk back, so the only hope she had was for tourists to be kind enough to stop, or even a truckie. She grabbed a bottle of water out of her bag and had a small sip, aware that she had to ration her water in case there weren't any kind people out there that day. So she started to walk and held her thumb out whenever she saw a bigger car, truck or even an RV. But nobody stopped. Cursing, she kept on walking. Then she noticed that cursing wasn't good and wore her out, and she started singing. She loved singing.

  Back to the seasons of my youth, I recall a box of rags that someone gave us, And how my momma put the rags to use… she sang the old Dolly Parton song as she walked along the lonely road in Arizona. She had always sung songs with her mother, Rose. Those had been the happiest days in her life when Rose had made them lemonade and they'd sit on the old chairs outside and would sing. Her mother had loved country songs. And probably still did. She wasn't sure as she hadn't talked to her in years. An ache spread through her as she remembered the day she'd left.

  "I love you, mom," she had said that day.

  Tears had made a mess of her mother's make up. "I love you, too. But you don't have to leave."

  Ivy hadn't agreed. "I need to, mom." As she'd looked around the area where they'd lived the previous few years, she added, "It's time for me to stand on my own two feet a
nd figure out what I want from life."

  "Honey—"

  Ivy had shaken her head. "I'll call you as soon as I can."

  That'd been a few years back. In all fairness, she had called about six months later, but the line had been disconnected. Through friends of friends and gossip, Ivy had learned that Rose had met another man and had moved back to Salt Lake City. She'd rung a couple of times, but every time her mother had answered, her throat tightened and she'd quickly hung up. That had been shortly before she'd met Dylan.

  She kept on singing. It kept her sane. It kept her mind from thinking too much about the past or the future. Ivy thought of songs about North Carolina and remembered pictures she’d seen about the eastern state. Then she heard another RV approaching. Like she had most of the day, she turned, held out her thumb, walked backwards, and smiled.

  But the RV drove right past her as well. With a heavy sigh she turned and grabbed the water bottle out of her bag, when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the RV was pulling over in the distance. She tried to remind herself of the rules. The driver was not allowed to be creepy. Shouldn't be old. In theory shouldn't be a man… she sighed again. Yes, right. What would be her chances to get anywhere with that list?

  She looked again and nothing was happening. Carefully, she walked towards the RV and noticed the passenger side window moving down.

  On the tip of her toes, she looked in. "Hi there," she said hesitantly and, with all the strength she had, reminded herself that her feet were aching and the water was getting low as well.

  "G'day!" A nice, booming voice came from over the other side.

  She couldn't help but smile.

  Chapter Four

  Jared pushed the button to lower the passenger window.

  "Hi there," the woman outside said.

  She looked very tired, hot, and bothered. But there was something about this girl with the wild, curly, blonde hair and brown eyes. And her eyes! Even in this brief moment, he couldn't look past her chocolate brown eyes.

  He wasn't sure why he had stopped. It was supposed to be a holiday for him. A getaway from his work and people. He liked his job, especially the solitude that came with it most of the times. However, after spending a day in Sin City and exploring the Hoover Dam earlier that morning, he was actually looking forward to a little distraction from his own company. Who would have thought?

  "G'day!" He stared at her and for some reason something tugged at his heart. Not that he wanted that. He had no room for women, let alone American ones. They all were on earth to make life complicated. Mark was constantly running around for Sophie or Hope, even though Mark's wife was one in a million and little Hope was simply adorable, especially when she was asleep.

  "Ya know it's dangerous to hitch a ride," he finally said when she was still quiet.

  She stared at him for a moment, but then replied with the typical American twang in her voice. "I know you said something, but I have no idea what."

  He chuckled. "It is dangerous to hitchhike," he repeated with exaggerated pronunciation.

  The woman stepped a bit closer to the window. "Are you from Austria?"

  He laughed aloud.

  "Australia, I meant," she added, seemingly embarrassed by the mistake.

  "I am indeed." He watched her looking ahead towards the horizon. "So you wanna hitch a ride?"

  Jared had a feeling she didn't want to, but her current situation didn't give her many choices. There they were in the middle of nowhere, with the next place a fair few miles away.

  "Name's Jared," he said and then he opened the door and walked around the motorhome. Leaning against the vehicle, he looked at her. She was pretty. Thin, but pretty. When her brown eyes met his, he experienced another one of those heart tugs and wasn't impressed at all. He tried to look right past her. It wasn't happening though. They were like magnets.

  "Jared," he repeated and held out his hand.

  Her look went right past him into the distance, and he assumed she was fighting with herself, part of her wanting to get off the road, the other part being worried.

  "Anybody else travelling with you?" she asked quietly.

  He shook his head. "Nope."

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, after a brief moment, reached for his hand. "Nice meeting you."

  Acknowledging that she wasn't much into sharing details like her name, he opened the door for her. "Where are ya headin'?" he asked.

  A smile started in her eyes and played with the corner of her lips. He felt himself smiling back. There was an appreciation in her smile.

  "Could you drop me off at the next stop?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Most certainly, but where are ya headin?"

  She shrugged. "Kingman?"

  "Is that on this road?"

  Nodding, she said. "Yes, it is. It should be less than a hundred miles along this highway."

  "Then hop in."

  She turned to get into the motorhome, and he took in her small stature and the narrow shoulders which seemed even smaller in her tight, red T-shirt. Jared noticed her cargoes were just hanging onto her hips. A nice steak wouldn't go astray on these hips. Suddenly she stopped and moved to look at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

  "No worries mate."

  Jared held her gaze and wasn't quite sure what to say or do. She simply stood in front of him like frozen.

  "My name is Ivy," she said after a long moment.

  "Hedera. An evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plant in the family Araliaceae."

  With a frown, she stared at him. "I really didn't understand that one."

  He laughed. "Sorry, mate. I got carried away. I'm a landscaper. Ivy is a climbing plant." Scratching the back of his head, he added, slightly self-conscious, "And, of course, a beautiful name."

  There was a small laugh as she stepped into the motorhome. He went around and slid behind the wheel before driving back onto the road. There was a long silence, and Jared wasn't really sure what to do or say. Usually, he was good with silence. Actually, he loved it. But at that moment, the silence made him uncomfortable.

  "So, what brings ya out into the middle of the sticks?"

  When there was no reply, he turned and looked at her. There was a big frown on her face, and he sighed.

  "I thought you all speak English as well?"

  "We do," she said with a slight giggle. "But I'm not so sure about you Australians."

  With a grin he replied, "Now, don't be cheeky, Ivy."

  "Don't bite the hand that feeds you, my mom always said." She laughed. "No way would I make fun of you."

  "So, you're expectin' a meal as well?"

  There was a moment of silence again, and he glanced over. The smile was gone and panic was written all over her face.

  "I… I didn't—"

  Quickly he reached out for her hand. "I'm pulling your leg." And when she didn't reply again, he muttered, "This thing with you Americans not understanding English is turning into a problem. I was kiddin'."

  "Pulling your leg?" She shook her head. "Never heard of it."

  A bark of laughter filled the small space. "Anyway. Talkin' about food. There's a small place ahead. Want some lunch?"

  ****

  Lunch? Ivy was hungry, but wasn't sure how much she was able to spend on food in a diner.

  "I'm not that hungry. I will wait outside."

  As the words had left her lips, her stomach betrayed her by making a loud rumbling sound.

  Jared laughed. "Sure? Ya might have to confer with your body, mate."

  The heat in her cheeks made her uncomfortable, and she turned to watch nature go by. His curses made her look back at him, and she struggled to hold back a laugh as he switched on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker.

  "We might not be able to speak English in your sense, but at least we know how to drive."

  He shot her a look, and she momentarily worried that she had gone too far.

  "You think ya can drive better?"
<
br />   "Mate," she mocked his Australian accent. "Americans know how to drive!"

  He shook his head in laughter, parked, and opened the door. "C'mon Ivy. My treat. Ya need to silence this tummy of yours if you wanna drive me bus."

  An overwhelming feeling rushed through Ivy. So intense that it made her mouth dry and her heart rate soar. She watched him walk around the RV right next to her door. What was she supposed to do? There was no way she was able to go inside and afford anything. Her shoulders sagged as she slowly opened the door.

  "Jared—"

  "Yeah, I know, mate, but you need food. Don't need to give me details, but for heaven's sake, ya need to put some food into you before drivin'." Then he gently placed his hand under her elbow and led her towards the diner. "My treat."

  "I can't."

  "Yes, you can."

  She sighed, and his hand moved down her arm and held on to her hand. It felt nice, but also scary. She was holding hands with a strange man she hadn't even known three hours earlier.

  Lifting their hands up a notch, he said, "Just makin' sure you're not going to run."

  "You're one very stubborn man," she replied.

  He nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sophie and Mia keep tellin' me."

  And even though she hadn't known him, wasn't sure whether he'd be a serial killer or a fugitive, her heart momentarily ached at the mention of the two names.

  "Your girlfriends?"

  "What?" he said as he opened the door.

  Shaking her head, she said, "Never mind."

  "Soph and Mia?" he asked. "Nah, mate. They're friends. Soph is married to me best buddy, Mark, and Mia is her sister."

  The diner smelt of delicious foods. Ivy hadn't known how hungry she really was until she sat at the table and read the menu. She wanted to keep it as simple as possible. What if her Aussie man was a bank robber on the run, and she was spending illegal money? Her head was dizzy, and she suddenly remembered he said he was a landscaper. Well of course, he would. He obviously wouldn't admit to being a murderer or a bank robber. With all those thoughts running through her head, she suddenly felt queasy instead of hungry.