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Chapter 12

Mac was a little more astute when it came to fashion and she recognised at once that she hadn't seen the sunglasses before.

"Where did your glasses come from?" she asked. "I haven't seen those before." Mattie blew her hair out of her eyes with frustration. And here we go, she thought.

"I was saving them for the day time...didn't need them last night when it was dark."

"Hey! Watch the tone..." Harm felt like he should just have that recorded so he could save his voice. Mattie bit her lip...Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Enough!" Mac said. Look we were going to go downstairs for breakfast but I think we need to talk, so I've called room service. We're gonna have breakfast here and talk and then go to the beach."

"What are we gonna talk about?" Mattie asked.

"Stuff." Harm said seriously, which told Mattie the subject was going to wait.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Chloe walked over and put on the television and sat down with her legs curled beneath her. She nibbled at a finger nail nervously while the thumping music video washed right over her head...she couldn't have told anyone who was even in it, such was the panic that was rising into her throat. There was no way she was going to be able to swallow any food.

"Breakfast's here." Mac called.

"Not hungry." Chloe called back as she feigned interest in the TV show.

"Chloe...now." Mac said.

"I..."

"Come eat now." Chloe stood up and started to stomp over to the table.

"Turn off the set please." Mac could tell something was really wrong here, she just wasn't sure what. Chloe did as she was asked and then flopped down into a chair. The food smelled good but she still didn't think she was going to be able to swallow. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat twirling the glass in circles.

"Ok I'll start." Mac said. "Harm told me what you thought...that I'd had alcohol last night." Chloe shot Harm a look of betrayal. How could he tell Mac that. So she'd made a mistake, now Mac was going to think she didn't trust her.

"I …...I know I should have known you wouldn't do that..."

"Honey it's ok. You're a kid. We should have explained."

"I guess you should've at that." Chloe said with a big fake grin. If Mac wanted to exonerate her ...who was she to try and change her mind?

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Chloe said.

"And..." Harm said pointing at Chloe and then to Mac. "Don't you have anything to say...?"

"Oh yeah...I'm sorry too." she said sweetly. She kind of wished Mac would be more mad at her..the guilt was starting to seep in and she didn't like it. It was easier to stay fired up and justify what you'd done when people were yelling at you.

Chloe did feel a little better though, so much so that she drained her glass of juice and poured another before putting two pancakes on her plate and covering them with syrup. The first forkful was just tingling on her tongue when Harm spoke.

"The next thing...what do you girls know about the flowers that were sent to Mac?" Chloe choked on the pancake and started to cough violently. Mattie, who was sitting next to her was only too pleased to thump her on the back... to try and ease her coughing.

"I'm right now." Chloe said with a small splutter and a choke. Seemed to her that Mattie had enjoyed helping her just a little too much. But there was stuff to try and weasel out of here which was much more important.

"Um...they're roses?" Chloe said. Harm narrowed his eyes while Mattie dropped her head just a little.

"That's not what I meant..." Harm said.

"Oh?" Chloe said innocently. "I thought it was kind of like a science quiz...lucky it's not...science is not really my thing."

"Did...you...girls...send those flowers...as...a...prank?" Harm asked as directly as he possibly could. Mattie looked up, she wasn't going to lie but it wasn't a lie..it hadn't been a prank.

"No...hehe." she said with a giggle. Harm eyed her suspiciously ….and her accomplice who was stuffing mouthfuls of pancakes into her mouth without taking her eyes from her plate.

"You sure? Cos I WILL find out. If you know anything, you may as well fess up now."

"I'm sure..." Mattie said. I'm sure we're gonna get killed...and the trouble had been made even worse by Chloe...may as well enjoy the rest of the weekend she thought.

"Harm looked at Mac who's look told him to leave it...for now."

"Ok...lets hit the beach." Harm said. " But I WILL get to the bottom of this." Mattie scuttled off to the bedroom to get her stuff for the beach.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

They settled onto the pale yellow sand with all their stuff. Harm was busy unfolding the beach chairs while the girls got ready to lay on their towels. Ipods and beach towels a the ready they started to strip off. Harm had his back to them at first until he heard a sort of strangled choke come from Mac.

"You ok?" he said turning to see what the problem was...The problem didn't need to be explained. His eyes near popped right out of his head as he scurried around to find a towel to cover what he saw...and what he was determined to stop anyone else from seeing...especially on a public beach. To say the front of the suit was brief, was an understatement. The top revealed much more than the top of a young teenager should, as both Harm and Mac saw when she turned around. But the bottom had been the real problem. Mac's initial choke provoking view when she'd looked up had been of Chloe's bare butt cheeks. Well, not really bare...there had been a piece of what looked like dental floss joined to the piece of gold string that when she turned at Mac's shocked voice, they could see was holding up a minuscule scrap of gold material. Harm found the towel but fell over his feet in the sand in his efforts to cover the risque get up. Like a relay at the Olympics though, Mac took the baton as Harm picked sand out of his mouth and wrapped the towel securely around Chloe's waist.

"Put on a T shirt." she said.

"Why?" Chloe grouched. "This is the nicest bathing suit I've ever owned."

"Do it Chloe." Mac hissed. They were beginning to draw some curious onlookers.

Harm had recovered by now and was at Mac's side in a second.

"Put that on now! He said. "Before I put it on for you."

"No!" Chloe shouted. "This was going to be her moment in the sun...literally."

"Chloe!" Mac said into her ear.

"I don't wanna cover it up. Look around...this is what everyone's wearing." Harm didn't even have to look. He didn't care if the whole world was wearing stripper suits...his girls weren't."

"You're putting on a show here Chloe..." he whispered. "I wouldn't push it if I were you...you're the one wearing the perfect target." Chloe pouted.

"But it's beautiful!" she whined. It wasn't fair...when all this came out she'd be in so much trouble and if she didn't get to wear it it'd be all for nothing. She looked from one stern face to another...maybe she should make a run for it and lay around by the pool...nah that was just stupid.

Mac passed her the T Shirt and she snatched it and popped it over her head getting her new sunglasses caught in the process. These people were making it extremely hard for her to look cool.

"Thank you." Mac said. "Now march...back to the room."

"But I put on the T Shirt." Chloe said.

Harm's eyes drifted to the other teenager who was stretched out on a towel like nothing had happened. Nobody could be oblivious to a circus like this...unless they were trying to look like they didn't know anything...

"Mattie?" Harm called. Mattie put down her book and turned slowly towards Harms voice.

"Problem?" she asked nonchalantly. Her look told Harm that she knew plenty...

"Right...you too. Pack up we're leaving."

"Virginia?"

"No the beach."

"Where we going?"

"There's about to be a court marshall." he said as he folded the beach chairs back up again.

TBC