Chapter 8 Shannon #2
We both burst into laughter.
But then I remember. The way he stood there. The way he looked at me.
“Before you turned up and I got an eyeful,” I whisper, leaning in. “He didn’t move from the window. He just stared at me, for what felt like longer than acceptable.”
I bite my lip, eyes drifting towards the house.
Doesn’t matter what an arse he is, he’s still stupidly handsome.
“Maybe he likes to be watched,” Talia teases, sipping her wine like she’s just uncovered all his secrets.
“I think he was in shock… Do you think I should apologise?” Her face twists in disgust
“Absolutely not. Just try and forget about it.” Easy for her to say, she didn’t have long enough to admire the man who would be the perfect figure model for my eyes only… if only I could draw.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I wouldn’t want to make him uncomfortable or admit I liked the view.
“I can’t believe you live next door to him and had an interview with him.” She takes a sip of her drink. “All in one day,” she whispers, glancing over her shoulder, like Wesley is going to pop out from nowhere.
“I thought I’d save the surprise till now.” Talia shoves my arm, nearly knocking the wine out my plastic cup.
“I was surprised alright.” She let out a breathy laugh, fanning her forehead. “It’s not every day you see a naked man from your bedroom window.
“Can we please change the subject,” I say, squeezing the plastic cup between my fingers.
“Aren’t you supposed to be going out with Wesley’s mate?” I nudge her arm.
“It’s just a drink at the local, nothing serious.” I glance at my friend. She’s never been a fan of first dates, so I’m surprised she’s actually going through with it.
“When do you get the phone lines in?” she utters, eager to move on from the topic.
“Dad booked them in, they’re coming on Friday afternoon,” I say, already mentally listing everything I need to do this weekend.
“What are you going to do about finding another job?” Talia asks as she tops up our drinks.
“I don’t know…” She cuts in, tapping my arm. “Look at this, I found it online,” she says, holding her phone out to me. “You’ve done this before.” She taps the phone to open up the contact details.
After Dark
Looking for a part-time job working from home?
Do you enjoy chatting on the phone and have a bubbly personality?
Then call us now.
After Dark is looking for you to join our team of adult chatline operators.
Excellent rates of pay, so don’t delay.
Call today.
“Are you serious?” I frown, scrunching up my nose.
Even though she’s right, I have done this work before, but I was hoping to find something sociable.
Don’t get me wrong, my insurance job pays well and there's a decent performance bonus on top, but now I’ll be living on my own, it would be nice to get out there and meet new people.
“I think I’d like to get out more.” She eyes me suspiciously. “Ah, I see you, Shannon Newton.” Her finger makes a slow circle around my face. “You want to meet a man, don’t you?”
She’s hit the nail on the head.
Especially now I’ve got my own home to bring said man back to.
Yeah, slow your horses, Shan, you’ve not even met one yet!
“Yeah, and no man’s going to take me seriously when he finds out I work on sex chat.”
“Then don't tell him,” she says, leaning in closer. “Just say you work in insurance.” She glances around as if someone might overhear.
“Oh my God, no, what if he calls the chat line and recognises my voice?” My face pulls up, horrified by the idea.
“Okay,” she says, licking her lips. “Let's be honest here, if he’s calling sex chat lines, he’s hardly boyfriend material.” Fair enough, she’s got a point. But still… I’d be mortified if the man I was dating called me up just for a quick wank.
“I rang about a job at a farm shop, but the manager wasn’t around.” Reaching into the chair’s cup holder, I pull out my phone. “Here, look at this.” Logging into my savings app, I show Talia the balance. I trust her with everything. We opened our savings accounts at the same time.
“See? You’ve got more than enough to get the glamping site going, Shan.
” She’s right of course. But I still want the extra money; my parents won’t take more for rent, but I’d love to treat them to something for everything they’ve done for me.
I realise how lucky I am. They gave me a stepping stone towards my future.
I’d never have been able to do the things I wanted without them.
My glamping site idea would have been a no-go.
So of course, I want to give them something back they can’t say no to.
“I’m going to get Mum and Dad Leopard's season tickets.” Talia blows out a breath. “Shan, they’re not cheap, but I might be able to help. I’ve got a few connections through work.” The bonus of having a best friend who works in hospitality, perks of the job.
“Would you?” She slaps my arm, grinning. “Fuck, Shan, of course I will.” She tops up our drinks with a wink.
Standing up, I tap Talia’s arm. “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.
” She eases herself out of the chair, brushing down her leggings.
“You know I was happy just sitting there.” She grumbles, but I know she’s going to love this.
We wander round to the side of the house.
“I know it’s dark, but you’ll see what I mean,” I say, gripping her arm and helping her down the small steps and across the gravel, perfect for two or three cars.
“I’m not traipsing through the woods at this time of night.
” She freezes on the spot. Thankfully, the back porch light is bright enough to highlight the small archway between the hedgerows.
We head through, pulling our phones out since it’s darker behind the hedge.
“I know you can’t see much, but this is where my new glamping site will be,” I say, shining the phone torch around.
Talia spins in a slow circle, taking in as much as she can see.
“Shannon, it’s perfect.” She glances back at the house. “And it’s totally private.” I grin, knowing she’d get my vision, my biggest cheerleader, right up there with my parents.
“You can have a proper look tomorrow morning,” I chime, excited to get things rolling. I clap my hands together. “Come on, let’s check eBay out for some pods or yurts.” We head back to our chairs, flopping down into our seats. Talia tops up our plastic cups. We’re already feeling the buzz.
“The signal’s slightly better out here, but I’ve seen a few already,” I say, scrolling through the listings. “I want one with a solid frame and base.” Talia nods, scrolling through her own phone.
“Wait,” she shrieks, grabbing the back of my chair. “Look at this.” She shoves her phone right in front of my face. “What am I even looking at?” Talia taps the screen, zooming in on the photo.
“What the fuck? Where the hell am I supposed to stick that?” I snatch the phone off her, squinting at the image.
My head mixed with the buzz of the wine.
The buy it now button, flashing like some Vegas slot machine, begging to be pressed.
Ever heard of the saying ‘Don’t drink and text?
’ Well, this is a close second, don’t drink and buy.
Because yes, I’ve just bought a plane.
A fucking plane.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.