Cool air blasted in the airport as the red head made her way over to the luggage claim. Charming was hot in July and she was just happy to be away from the rain of Belfast for a bit. It had taken her a couple of months but she had finally been able to track him down. Last word on the streets was that Filip Telford was dead. Come to find out he was in Charming.
She knew he led a life that he never let her be a part of. He never spoke of what he did for a job or what he was doing when he wasn't with her. He mostly talked about how he missed his daughter and that he didn't know when his life had taken such a turn. She had asked him why he was in Ireland when his accent was clearly Scottish. He had responded by asking why she was in Ireland when she was clearly from America.
Bailey had left her hometown of Columbus, Ohio after she graduated from college and decided to see the world a bit. She had earned her degree to become a veterinary technician and had applied for a couple of jobs across seas. She had gotten a job in an animal hospital in Belfast and had first met Filip when he brought in a cat he had struck when backing up his motorcycle.
Bailey shook her head as she remembered their first meeting. Filip's eyes had almost been in tears as he held the poor cat in his arms. The whole time all he had said to her was that his daughter would be disappointed if she ever found out. It was this first meeting that had started the bud of friendship between the very unlikely pair.
When Filip had suddenly disappeared about a year ago Bailey spoke to everyone she could think of. Fiona never contacted her back and everyone else said that he was dead. Bailey sulked around her apartment for weeks at the thought of losing her friend. It was only a couple of weeks ago when a weird message on her cell gave way to his voice when it was played. With fresh hope Bailey hired a private investigator to find out where he was. In a matter of days Bailey had a location and about two weeks after that she had taken leave from work, packed her luggage, booked a one way flight, and was bound for Charming.
The feeling of eyes on her made Bailey look around. Everyone was looking at her as if she were crazy and it took her a moment to realize that while she had been there thinking to herself, about how she had ended up in Charming, she had actually stared off into space while the luggage claim had gone around a couple of times. She sighed to herself before locating her one bag and made her way towards the front of the airport.
The hot air of the July afternoon hit her like a brick wall when the doors at the front of the building opened and Bailey took her first step outside. She had contemplated calling the phone number that had left the message. The message itself had been short and sweet. "I'm alive." The only words he had spoken before he had hung up, not leaving a callback number, not saying why he left.
Bailey shook her head once more. She was upset and bringing back all the unpleasant memories of the past year when she had thought one of her good friends was dead was doing her no good at the moment. She needed to find a car so she could then find Filip. The P.I. had given her his address and she planned on surprising him. At this point she needed to see him. She had kept her feelings to herself because she knew how he still felt about Fiona, but when she had thought he were truly dead the force of those unspoken words had smacked her full force in the face.
Bailey walked down the sidewalk for a couple of miles before coming upon the car rental building. She walked inside and went to the free agent behind the counter.
"Good afternoon miss. I need to rent some sort of car."
"What kind were you looking for ma'am?" Bailey cringed slightly at being called ma'am. Sure she wasn't twenty- something anymore, but being in her early thirties wasn't exactly a bad age either. She didn't think of herself as being old even though she knew she probably looked it right now. The time difference sure was a bitch. It didn't help either that she had graduated college when she was twenty nine. She hadn't felt the need to go right after high school and instead had worked for thirteen years at a crappy diner in her hometown. When she had gotten her degree she quit her diner job, packed all the clothes she would need for the job interviews, and left. This was the first time she had been back in the states in five years.
"Ma'am?" Bailey quickly snapped her attention to the young woman behind the counter. Bailey had been spacing lately with all the thoughts running rampant in her brain.
"Sorry. It doesn't really matter, not too small though." The woman taped on some keys and then reached behind her for a key ring and a couple of different brochures.
"Well the only vehicle I have that isn't a sports car or a convertible is a Chevrolet Avalanche."
"That would be fine." She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. Bailey handed the sales clerk her I.D. and credit card before she could even prompt her to.
"What would you like to do about insurance ma'am?"
"Just give me the bare minimum." The woman nodded and Bailey took a couple moments to look at her phone. She scrolled through the missed calls list and stopped on his number. She fought with herself for a moment on whether or not to dial before her thoughts were interrupted.
"Okay, you're all set. The car is this way." Bailey followed the clerk outside and gave a polite smile when she was handed the keys. She took a moment to look over the car from the burnt orange paint on the outside to the black leather seats and grey trim on the inside. Bailey put her bag in the back and then climbed into the driver's seat. She put her phone on her lap and typed in the address on the phone's GPS before starting the truck and pulling out of the lot.
She barley heard the phone telling her the directions towards the house as she let her thoughts consume her once more. It wasn't until she had pulled into the drive and noticed a light on in the house that her heart had started to pound. She was about to see him again. After spending so long believing he was dead, she was now outside of his house. Bailey worked up the courage and got out of the truck. She made her way slowly to the front door and knocked a couple of times. Her smile grew wide when the door opened and she saw the familiar face staring back at her.
"Hello Filip."