These Hills Called Home | ONC 2024

[5] The Late Shift

    The ID card was a sliver of lightweight plastic, yet its burden only expanded the longer Gemma possessed it. Her hand clasped itself around the pocket it lay within, and lifting its slender shape out sent tremors through her fingers. Close-cut teeth hidden along its thin edges pricked into her skin.

    Yet the layers of physical discomfort paled beside the struggle of seeing Jacob's face. From a thumbnail frame, he looked at Gemma not through the vanishing veil of his ghost that lingered just beyond her reach, but in real, bleeding-edge detail. His rich black hair – longer than she remembered – waved with the card's movements, the stubble along his jaw – another difference – chafed against her fingertips, and springs of newborn hope rose in his coffee-brown eyes. If she shut her eyes and squeezed the card, Gemma could swear the faintest echoes of a heartbeat passed through her palms.

    "Yikes. I promise Jake wasn't always so gross-looking." Landing beside Gemma on the low yard wall, Avery tilted the card towards her and scrunched her nose up. She drew her knee up to her chest and shifted close to Gemma, a starry twinkle in her eye. "He had a sweet smile, even when he was wasted. One time, he and Nate buddied up for Sweet Caroline, and we had to –"

    "You're never going to drop that, are you?" Nathan asked as he strolled to a halt with his hands on his hips. "Ignore her, Gem. That's all ancient history."

    Avery's bright grin energised the cool evening air. "Yeah, and it was adorable. You two were the cutest couple."

    Slipping the card into her pocket, Gemma rose from the wall and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks for coming, guys," she said as she peeked down the side street at the blue-accented walls of the Silverlake office building. "Though...I have no idea how to get in. Even at this hour, they have someone outside."

    A steel-toned SUV sat on the pavement outside the office, and its hulking frame deflected the falling streetlight away from the entrance. Nadine sat slouched in its driver's seat with an aluminium travel mug, moving only to take a slow sip and rub the tiredness from her eyes.

    "Is that all? Too easy." With a fiendish grin, Avery tapped Nathan on the back, raising an eyebrow when he remained still. "You're up, Nate."

    "What?" Nathan's confusion ebbed away until his eyes widened with clarity. "Oh no. No way."

    "Yes way, farm boy! You know how rough Nadine has it, being the local Silverlake suit and all." As she spoke, Avery urged Nathan forward with a string of tiny nudges to his back. "A shot of wholesome, outdoorsy sunshine is sure to brighten up her sucky late-night guard duty. Even if it doesn't, it'll distract her long enough to let us run inside."

    Exasperation rumbled at the limits of Nathan's face, yet he smoothed out the front of his shirt and locked eyes with the SUV. "I don't look too sketchy, right?" he asked, running a hand over his beard. "I don't want her thinking I'm about to stab her or sell her broadband or anything."

    Biting her gleeful tongue, Avery fiddled with her necklace's cord and smiled. "Please. Unless she's terrified of golden retrievers, you'll be fine," she said as she ruffled Nathan's hair. Without warning, she yanked him into the side street and waved him away. "Get over there and do your thing!"

    Nathan shuffled his way to Nadine's car, and a pit cracked open in Gemma's stomach. She kept her eyes fixed on her friend's progress as she and Avery entered the side street. "Do you really think this'll work?"

    "I think Nadine ticks me off," Avery chuckled, hiding her amused smile behind her hand. They ducked behind the building's far side, and she watched Nathan's awkward efforts to get Nadine's attention before feeling Gemma's unimpressed eyes on her. "And I believe Nate's got this. He's a people person!"