A/N Standard disclaimer...it's fictional, original characters mine...not
affiliated with real people mentioned...all a figment of my overactive
imagination.
***Thank you to everyone that has reviewed!
Chapter Four
Encounters
Hortense wandered back to the beat up pick-up truck, slightly defeated. She hadn't seen Lisa since she had stalked off, and didn't really want to see her again. She felt amazingly similar to a repentant two-year-old. Uncle Willie ambled towards the truck, wet, with surfboard under arm.
"You missed all the action!" he exclaimed. Hortense arched an eyebrow.
"I find that hard to believe," she sighed, leaning against the truck.
"There were some amazing waves! It was great!" he called as he walked to the opposite side.
"I'm sure."
"Where's Lisa?"
"Probably getting raped by an egotistical British ass," Hortense answered with a frown.
"What?"
"Long story. Let's just say Lisa and some guy named Orlando wandered off together...I guess. I'm not really sure, actually, I left before they did."
"Getting *raped*??!!"
"No...well...maybe...no...no...we...probably not..."
"You know, Horty, you should give him a chance," Lisa called as her figure started towards the car. Hortense frowned again.
"A chance? Why?"
"Because he's a really great guy. Smart, cute, funny...talented..."
"An actor," Hortense added with a smirk. Lisa rolled her eyes.
"So what. Besides, we may get to be extras!" Lisa chirped.
"Extras? Oh no. No, no, no, nononononono! I'm not going to be living scenery in some movie that *he* is in!" Hortense exclaimed, pointing vaguely towards the beach.
"Maybe you two could get to know each other better...he really is a nice guy," Lisa said.
"Do you actually LIKE him?!" Hortense nearly screamed.
"Maybe...I mean...I dunno...he is British you know...foreign 'n all that," she said, absently fixing her bathing suit top.
"So! So, Does a funky accent make everything else ok? Have you fallen in love with a man or just an accent?!"
"Both! Hortense, calm down! Honestly, you'd think I was rushing off to the alter...just chill!"
"Fine," she pouted. She fell into the rickety back seat of the pick up (after vaulting herself over the front seat...the lever that collapsed the back of the front seat so people get walk over it had broken years ago).
"So, I hope everyone is hungry!" Uncle Willie exclaimed with a happy chuckle. Lisa blanched.
"Uncle Willie, you know I can't eat anything but carrots and apples for the next two days! You don't think they're going to want some fat cow auditioning for their movie, do you?" Lisa exclaimed indignantly.
"Well...then...I guess it's just Horty and me," Uncle Willie said with a shrug.
"Hm?" Hortense sighed from the back, having half dozed off against the window.
"We're going out to eat tonight," he called happily. Hortense nodded.
"Really? Where?"
"This great restaurant by the water...it's wonderful! You'll love it!"
"Is Lisa going?"
"No...she's fasting."
"Fasting? When did Lisa become so religious?"
"I'm not fasting! But I can only eat apples and carrots."
Hortense heaved a great sigh, then settled back, feeling amazingly horrible as the sand in her bathing suit rubbed against her stomach.
"So, Hortense, I was thinking of maybe going skydiving...or bungee jumping...or maybe cliff diving, if they have that sort of thing around her. What'dya say?" Lisa said, flipping the radio on and turning to face Hortense.
"What?"
"It would be great! Imagine the adrenaline rush!"
"I dunno...maybe...if you get me drunk enough," Hortense said with a wry smile. Lisa frowned.
"Again, I say, where *is* your sense of adventure?"
"Tahiti, getting married to my best friend's cousin."
"You're weird."
"So kind of you to notice...will you be broadcasting this to the rest of the world as you did this afternoon?"
"What?"
"Did you HAVE to tell *him* that I was a trekky?"
"I didn't think about it...sorry. It just sort of...came out," Lisa said apologetically.
"I know...I'm just being bitchy...ignore me. He just rubbed me the wrong way, I guess," Hortense sighed.
"Strange, he seemed rather charming to me," Lisa said, running a hand through her blond hair.
Hortense cast a sideways glance out the window.
____
That evening, Hortense found herself seated across from Uncle Willie in a small restaurant. Again, flowers were everywhere and the rhythmic pounding of the ocean waves worked to instantly relieve Hortense of all her tension.
"So, Hortense, how are you liking New Zealand?" Uncle Willie questioned.
"It's wonderful! Absolutely beautiful, a paradise...I just wish I could see more of it," she answered with a smile. Uncle Willie nodded.
"Yes, it's a great place. Great for business too," he answered.
"Do you think you'll have the Inn ready soon?"
"Oh, maybe in a few months. There's still so much to do," he said with a tired sigh.
"How long have you been working on it?"
"Oh, two years. It was in pretty bad shape when I found it."
"Do you know what happened to the previous owner?"
"Nope, I've heard a few stories...nothing believable."
"Like what?" Hortense questioned.
"Well, they say that the previous owners had been recently married when they started the place. They were supposedly deeply in love...soul mates, I guess you could say. Anyway, years later, the wife took sick and died. He died shortly afterwards...they left only one child. A girl, she left for Europe with her husband, and the Inn was left in ruins. It went bankrupt, then was ignored. People had expressed interest in buying it, but said that it was haunted...by the couple."
Hortense listened intently. Admittedly a hopeless romantic and a sucker for a sappy love story, she honestly wanted to believe that maybe it was true.
"Sounds intriguing to say the least. And what do you think? Is it haunted?"
"Not that I can tell," Uncle Willie answered with a good natured smile, "but enough about that. How's school?"
"Oh...fine. Horribly stressful...I'm very glad to be on summer vacation," Hortense said with a sigh.
"Really?"
"Oh yes...I don't know what I was thinking-"
At that moment, Uncle Willie's cell phone started to ring. He smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry...it'll only take a moment," he said, checking the caller ID.
"Oh, it's no problem...go ahead," she said with a smile. Uncle Willie got up and moved towards the opposite side of the room. It was late in the evening and people were starting to get loud as they drank more and more.
One table, in particular, was starting to get particularly raucous. Hortense looked towards the table and with mild disgust noted its occupants. Orlando was looking especially chipper, laughing and smoking, happily prattling on about something that was probably pointless.
She turned back to the window and contented herself with watching the water.
Moments later, she was roused out of her thoughts as she heard approaching footsteps.
"Imagine meeting you here," a voice she immediately recognized said behind her. She turned around with a frown and managed to dump water all over her lap. With a yelp she jumped to her feet, and started dabbing at her skirt.
"What do you want?" she all but spat, glaring.
"Just trying to be sociable," he said with a smirk.
"Well...fine...then...hello," she said, standing up straighter.
"Where's your friend?" he asked, with forced civility. Hortense smiled slightly.
"I think she had another engagement..."
"Oh really," he said with a casual shrug.
"Yes...she gets around guys, and suddenly she just can't control herself...it's strange."
"Really? So...she has a boyfriend?"
"A boyfriend? Oh no...not a boyfriend. But I think she's particularly interested in someone," Hortense said, happily watching him squirm.
"Well, then, good for her. I suppose I should get back to my table."
"Yes, I suppose you should," Hortense said, starting for the bathroom.
Serves him right, she thought, trying to ignore her guilty conscious. Yes, so it was only a slight stretch of the truth, Lisa really was boy crazy, but still...she felt guilty. She bit her lip and started poking at her skirt with a towel, annoyed at her guilt. She would set him straight the next time she saw him...really...she would.
____
R/R please! Pretty please?!
***Thank you to everyone that has reviewed!
Chapter Four
Encounters
Hortense wandered back to the beat up pick-up truck, slightly defeated. She hadn't seen Lisa since she had stalked off, and didn't really want to see her again. She felt amazingly similar to a repentant two-year-old. Uncle Willie ambled towards the truck, wet, with surfboard under arm.
"You missed all the action!" he exclaimed. Hortense arched an eyebrow.
"I find that hard to believe," she sighed, leaning against the truck.
"There were some amazing waves! It was great!" he called as he walked to the opposite side.
"I'm sure."
"Where's Lisa?"
"Probably getting raped by an egotistical British ass," Hortense answered with a frown.
"What?"
"Long story. Let's just say Lisa and some guy named Orlando wandered off together...I guess. I'm not really sure, actually, I left before they did."
"Getting *raped*??!!"
"No...well...maybe...no...no...we...probably not..."
"You know, Horty, you should give him a chance," Lisa called as her figure started towards the car. Hortense frowned again.
"A chance? Why?"
"Because he's a really great guy. Smart, cute, funny...talented..."
"An actor," Hortense added with a smirk. Lisa rolled her eyes.
"So what. Besides, we may get to be extras!" Lisa chirped.
"Extras? Oh no. No, no, no, nononononono! I'm not going to be living scenery in some movie that *he* is in!" Hortense exclaimed, pointing vaguely towards the beach.
"Maybe you two could get to know each other better...he really is a nice guy," Lisa said.
"Do you actually LIKE him?!" Hortense nearly screamed.
"Maybe...I mean...I dunno...he is British you know...foreign 'n all that," she said, absently fixing her bathing suit top.
"So! So, Does a funky accent make everything else ok? Have you fallen in love with a man or just an accent?!"
"Both! Hortense, calm down! Honestly, you'd think I was rushing off to the alter...just chill!"
"Fine," she pouted. She fell into the rickety back seat of the pick up (after vaulting herself over the front seat...the lever that collapsed the back of the front seat so people get walk over it had broken years ago).
"So, I hope everyone is hungry!" Uncle Willie exclaimed with a happy chuckle. Lisa blanched.
"Uncle Willie, you know I can't eat anything but carrots and apples for the next two days! You don't think they're going to want some fat cow auditioning for their movie, do you?" Lisa exclaimed indignantly.
"Well...then...I guess it's just Horty and me," Uncle Willie said with a shrug.
"Hm?" Hortense sighed from the back, having half dozed off against the window.
"We're going out to eat tonight," he called happily. Hortense nodded.
"Really? Where?"
"This great restaurant by the water...it's wonderful! You'll love it!"
"Is Lisa going?"
"No...she's fasting."
"Fasting? When did Lisa become so religious?"
"I'm not fasting! But I can only eat apples and carrots."
Hortense heaved a great sigh, then settled back, feeling amazingly horrible as the sand in her bathing suit rubbed against her stomach.
"So, Hortense, I was thinking of maybe going skydiving...or bungee jumping...or maybe cliff diving, if they have that sort of thing around her. What'dya say?" Lisa said, flipping the radio on and turning to face Hortense.
"What?"
"It would be great! Imagine the adrenaline rush!"
"I dunno...maybe...if you get me drunk enough," Hortense said with a wry smile. Lisa frowned.
"Again, I say, where *is* your sense of adventure?"
"Tahiti, getting married to my best friend's cousin."
"You're weird."
"So kind of you to notice...will you be broadcasting this to the rest of the world as you did this afternoon?"
"What?"
"Did you HAVE to tell *him* that I was a trekky?"
"I didn't think about it...sorry. It just sort of...came out," Lisa said apologetically.
"I know...I'm just being bitchy...ignore me. He just rubbed me the wrong way, I guess," Hortense sighed.
"Strange, he seemed rather charming to me," Lisa said, running a hand through her blond hair.
Hortense cast a sideways glance out the window.
____
That evening, Hortense found herself seated across from Uncle Willie in a small restaurant. Again, flowers were everywhere and the rhythmic pounding of the ocean waves worked to instantly relieve Hortense of all her tension.
"So, Hortense, how are you liking New Zealand?" Uncle Willie questioned.
"It's wonderful! Absolutely beautiful, a paradise...I just wish I could see more of it," she answered with a smile. Uncle Willie nodded.
"Yes, it's a great place. Great for business too," he answered.
"Do you think you'll have the Inn ready soon?"
"Oh, maybe in a few months. There's still so much to do," he said with a tired sigh.
"How long have you been working on it?"
"Oh, two years. It was in pretty bad shape when I found it."
"Do you know what happened to the previous owner?"
"Nope, I've heard a few stories...nothing believable."
"Like what?" Hortense questioned.
"Well, they say that the previous owners had been recently married when they started the place. They were supposedly deeply in love...soul mates, I guess you could say. Anyway, years later, the wife took sick and died. He died shortly afterwards...they left only one child. A girl, she left for Europe with her husband, and the Inn was left in ruins. It went bankrupt, then was ignored. People had expressed interest in buying it, but said that it was haunted...by the couple."
Hortense listened intently. Admittedly a hopeless romantic and a sucker for a sappy love story, she honestly wanted to believe that maybe it was true.
"Sounds intriguing to say the least. And what do you think? Is it haunted?"
"Not that I can tell," Uncle Willie answered with a good natured smile, "but enough about that. How's school?"
"Oh...fine. Horribly stressful...I'm very glad to be on summer vacation," Hortense said with a sigh.
"Really?"
"Oh yes...I don't know what I was thinking-"
At that moment, Uncle Willie's cell phone started to ring. He smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry...it'll only take a moment," he said, checking the caller ID.
"Oh, it's no problem...go ahead," she said with a smile. Uncle Willie got up and moved towards the opposite side of the room. It was late in the evening and people were starting to get loud as they drank more and more.
One table, in particular, was starting to get particularly raucous. Hortense looked towards the table and with mild disgust noted its occupants. Orlando was looking especially chipper, laughing and smoking, happily prattling on about something that was probably pointless.
She turned back to the window and contented herself with watching the water.
Moments later, she was roused out of her thoughts as she heard approaching footsteps.
"Imagine meeting you here," a voice she immediately recognized said behind her. She turned around with a frown and managed to dump water all over her lap. With a yelp she jumped to her feet, and started dabbing at her skirt.
"What do you want?" she all but spat, glaring.
"Just trying to be sociable," he said with a smirk.
"Well...fine...then...hello," she said, standing up straighter.
"Where's your friend?" he asked, with forced civility. Hortense smiled slightly.
"I think she had another engagement..."
"Oh really," he said with a casual shrug.
"Yes...she gets around guys, and suddenly she just can't control herself...it's strange."
"Really? So...she has a boyfriend?"
"A boyfriend? Oh no...not a boyfriend. But I think she's particularly interested in someone," Hortense said, happily watching him squirm.
"Well, then, good for her. I suppose I should get back to my table."
"Yes, I suppose you should," Hortense said, starting for the bathroom.
Serves him right, she thought, trying to ignore her guilty conscious. Yes, so it was only a slight stretch of the truth, Lisa really was boy crazy, but still...she felt guilty. She bit her lip and started poking at her skirt with a towel, annoyed at her guilt. She would set him straight the next time she saw him...really...she would.
____
R/R please! Pretty please?!