One Good Reason

One Good Reason

Nicole Salmond

One Good Reason

By Nicole Salmond

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Nicole Salmond

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews are permitted.

This is a work of fiction. The names, character, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Cover design by Kerry Ellis

Edited by Frankie Sutton

ISBN:

ISBN-13:

DEDICATION

My friends, family and fans- you make the dream a reality and let little people like me believe there is true and genuine people in the world that are always there when you need them.

I’ll never stop dreaming because of you xo

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A huge thank you to my beautiful friend, Jessi, who ALWAYS supports me and offers positive words of encouragement. She has always found the time to read my stories, even if it was just a paragraph, and I am forever thankful!

Thank you to my husband, Darby, who is always there for me through thick and thin. He continues to be my rock and the love of my life.

No thanks to my laptop for deciding to break ¾ of the way through my book-you made my life extremely difficult! LOL

Lastly, a huge thanks to my beautiful children. Evelyn- you are the apple of my eye and always find a way to make me appreciate being alive. Little Bub, still in my tummy- you continue to let me know when I’ve done too much and need to rest, and let me not feel guilty when I have chocolate- after all, you’re the one craving it, right? ;-)

PROLOGUE

Ava slid into the passenger’s seat of her mother’s car.

She held her graduation certificate tightly in her hand and looked over to her mum sitting in the driver’s seat. I can’t believe I finally graduated!

Her mum smiled at her, then turned the car on and set off out of the school’s carpark. All those late nights finally paid off, hey?

I thought it would never end! Ava laughed with her mum as they drove down the dark street.

So… her mum said with a cheeky grin. I noticed Ethan had eyes for you all night.

Ava rolled her eyes. Not going to happen, Mum.

But he’s such a nice boy.

I know he is. But he’s just…well… he’s just Ethan. When I’m with him there’s no spark. No passion. He’s a perfect guy to most girl’s but-

You’re not most girls, her mum interrupted.

Ava smiled.

There’s nothing wrong with being different and dreaming of big things. I’m sure you’ll meet lots of cute boys in the city.

Ava’s smile widened. It’s going to be amazing! No more small town country life where everyone knows everyone and there’s nothing ever to do. When I’m in the city every day, it will be like a new adventure and there will be soooo many hot guys!

Just as long as those ‘hot guys’ don’t become the only reason why you’re moving there. You’re there to further your education, remember? You can have fun and party, but don’t forget about your grades. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come now. You’re a fighter. Don’t ever give up, not even because of some boy.

Yes, Mum, Ava said mockingly with a smile.

Ava’s mum turned to smile at her. Ava poked her tongue out at her jokingly. Her mum rolled her eyes as Ava looked back towards the road.

It all happened so fast. One minute the dog wasn’t there, then it was. Right in front of their car.

Mum look out! Ava screamed, reaching out to grab her mum’s arm, but she’d already spotted it as well. She steered the car to the side off the road. Ava heard a loud sound like a bomb exploding as the car collided into the tree. Her body was flung forward as she crashed into darkness.

Ava woke with a gasp.

It took a moment for her to focus out of the dream like state and realise where she was, and it had only been a dream. But it wasn’t a dream. It was a memory. A memory of the night her mother had died. A night she hadn’t dreamt about in years.

She set the rifle down beside her and crawled over to the streams edge, splashing the water on her face. It cooled her skin and helped her try to focus.

She sat back on her knees, staring at the reflection of the girl she barely recognised in the stream. A girl who’d once lost everything and thought she’d lost it all over again only days ago.

1 TIME TO FLY

Seventeen Days Earlier

Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After years of feeling numb, confined, and misplaced in her small hometown, she was finally going to be free. It’s not that she resented her upbringing or wasn’t grateful for the life she had lived so far, it just wasn’t the life she had mapped out in her mind. Her life had changed courses and now she was determined to get it back onto the right one, and this trip would do exactly that.

After her high school graduation, Ava had dreamed about moving to the city and living the full university experience. There had always been something deep inside her that yearned for more, more to life than working at the local convenience store in a town of five hundred people. She wanted a life of adventure, a life of learning and experiencing new things. Never in her life though, did she ever consider those dreams could be shattered into a million pieces in one moment. A moment that changed her life in more ways than one.

Three years ago, on the night of Ava’s high school graduation, her mother was killed in a car accident.

Her mum had always supported her decision to move to the city and was so proud of her achievements. Ava was an only child, with her parents separating when Ava was ten years old. Her father tried keeping in contact with her, but like Ava, he had a passion for adventure. He travelled the world as a journalist, and gradually, the daily phone calls became weekly, then monthly, yearly, and eventually, he became non-existent in her life.

As much as Ava wanted to hate her father for his lack of involvement in her life, her mum wouldn’t allow it. She had told Ava that even though he didn’t keep his promise about being there for her always, he still loved her dearly. How her mum could even have the compassion to care about what Ava thought about her father was beyond her, but that’s the kind of woman she was. She was the most caring, kind, and loving person that Ava had ever known.

Ava never thought the happiest night of her life would turn into a night that would haunt her forever.  After her graduation, they were driving home late at night, excitement and laughter filling the air; talking about what life would be like in the city and any cute boys she might meet there. That excitement was quickly shattered when her mum swerved off the road, the car pounding into a tree, all to avoid hitting a stray dog that jumped out onto the road. Her mother was killed instantly. Ava walked away with barely a scratch. Police say the driver’s side took all of the impact.

Her father was off in some remote village in the Middle East at the time of the accident and didn’t find out about what happened until months later. By then, it was too little too late.

Ava refused to see her father and let him help her in any way. Although her mum had life insurance that helped pay for the funeral expenses and pay off the mortgage on their house, Ava couldn’t leave. She stopped dreaming and wanting to go to University, instead, she took up a fulltime job at the local convenience store. For three years, she became numb. Her friends and grandparents tried breaking her from the life she was living, telling her that there was more to life than what she was doing. Ava never listened; instead, she kept working day in and day out. She saved nearly every cent. All of her earnings going into the same bank account that her mother had her life savings transferred into. There was more than enough in there to pay for her whole university and even to buy a small unit in the city. Somehow, Ava couldn’t bring herself to leave the house she grew up in. It was only until one evening while Ava was going through all the old home videos did she find something unexpected: a video from her mum. She had filmed it on the morning of Ava’s graduation, telling Ava that she would be watching this in her new apartment in the city. Ava had cried a lifetime of tears listening as her mother told her how proud she was of her, and that she should never stop believing in her dreams. In that moment, Ava began to feel again. The numbness she had pushed herself into years ago, was now gone. Her dreams of another life of adventure came rushing back and she knew then and there, her mum wouldn’t have wanted this life for her.

Ava was going to take back her life. She was going to live again. There would be no more hiding behind her mother’s death as an excuse not to live life to the fullest. She would change; she had to change. She made a call to a friend, packed her bags, and now, here she was, standing in the middle of the departures terminal at the airport, ready for life.

Ava?

Yeah? Ava replied, her thoughts bringing her back to the present.

You ready?

Ava opened her eyes and looked up at the large departure sign above her. Her eyes followed the flashing words telling her that her long awaited flight to Phuket, Thailand, was now boarding, and there was no way in hell she was going to miss that flight.

The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile as she looked towards her lifelong best friend, Olivia.

Oh yeah. I’ve never been more ready, Ava said smiling and grabbing Olivia’s hand. This trip is going to be life changing, Liv, just you wait and see!

Olivia smiled back at Ava. No matter where Ava’s life would end up, she could always count on Olivia being there for her. Best friends since they were five, they had stuck by each other through thick and thin. Even when Olivia went off to university, she kept in constant contact with Ava. She was the one person that had stayed true and constant in her life, and now, they were about to start a whole new journey together. Although it was only a short two-week holiday to Thailand, as Olivia had to get back to university, it was the start of many journeys for Ava to come. Ava had the next two weeks planned out, the rest she would take as it came. This was her second chance at life. It was now or never.

***

How long until we land? Ava asked Olivia, leaning across Olivia’s body to get a better look outside the plane’s window.

Olivia groaned and pushed Ava off her body. Not for another two hours, Ava. Jeez, look at your watch next time. I happened to be having a nice nap before you elbowed me in the stomach.

 Sorry, it just feels like it’s been forever. Maybe they are taking us to the wrong place. Or maybe something’s wrong with the plane and they have to take us to another airport, Ava said, buckling her seat belt back up and tilting her head down the aisle looking for an airhostess.

Yep, something is definitely up. They haven’t walked down this way in a while, Ava said nodding to herself. Or maybe-

Or maybe, Olivia interrupted. You should just relax. I know this is your first ever plane flight, Ava, but you really need to relax. We are exactly where we need to be. See? Olivia said, grabbing the seat’s entertainment remote and changing the channel.

Ava looked at the screen imbedded in the back of the seats headrest in front of her. There she saw the plane flying across the ocean, telling her their height, distance, and time to go.

Ava breathed a sigh of relief.

Happy? Olivia laughed, switching her remote on and surfing the movie channels.

Ava grinned at her sheepishly. Very.

Good. Now that you know we still have a while to go, why don’t you go and entertain yourself?

Ava looked at her in confusion, and then followed her line of vision to the man in the row in front of them and across the aisle.

He was in his mid-twenties, young, surfing looking guy with tanned skin and shaggy blond hair. Judging by the group of five guy friends he was with, who all seemed to have the same look about them.

One of the guys managed to corner her earlier near the bathroom toilet, trying to-what she could only think was flirting-with her. Unfortunately, the lack of guys in her hometown meant that she was pretty much hopeless at talking to men. Every guy she had ever known, apart from Ethan, treated her just like any other bloke they knew. The occasional one would flirt with her, but other than that, she was just a friend to everyone. She couldn’t help but treat any man she met like a friend, never a romantic interest.

Olivia’s opinion, which she so opening gives, is that Ava gives off the wrong vibe to everyone. It is a vibe, which says ‘not interested in anything more than friends’ that Ava swears isn’t true. She just doesn’t know how to talk to guys. Flirting with men and having boyfriends never really happened in Ava’s life. The only experience she had with men sexually was with Ethan. He was one of the few guys decent enough to date in her town. She lost her virginity to him as a teen, and they hooked up every now and then when she felt that her loneliness had become too much.

Olivia nudged Ava’s side. Come on, Ava. Go talk to them, you’re a beautiful woman. You have the most gorgeous, long dark brown hair I’ve ever seen; a skin complexion that I would have to spend hours at the beach every day to accomplish and the greenest eyes. You’re a babe, and you know it. You’re not still hung up on Ethan, are you?

Ethan? God no! Ava replied, shaking her head. Ethan is…well…Ethan. He is a great guy and all. Nice body. But there’s nothing there you know? No spark or anything.

What’s the sex like? Olivia asked, a little louder than Ava was comfortable with.

Ava spun her head around to see if anyone had heard.

Olivia! Ava whisper shouted at her friend.

Olivia didn’t seem fazed by her question. She was still looking at Ava, waiting for an answer.

Ava shifted in her chair. It’s good, she said quietly.

Just good? Olivia questioned, raising her eyebrow.

Yeah, I mean…  It’s okay.

Oh man, we are so getting you some serious action when we get to Phuket.

What? Why?

Ava, are you serious? The only guy you’ve ever had sex with, and the sex is okay? That is not a good sign, especially since you have nothing to compare it too. Please tell me you’ve at least had an orgasm?

Laughter came from behind Ava. She quickly whipped her head around to see one of the surfer guys standing in the aisle behind her with a smug look on his face.

Ava’s face flamed in embarrassment, as she sunk lower in her chair, mortified he had just heard Olivia.

She watched him walk back to his seat, whisper to his friends, what she could only guess was what he had just overheard, and after a couple of seconds, they were all standing in their seats, turning to get a better look at Olivia and Ava.

I hate you, Ava grunted, pulling a pillow over her face. Olivia giggled next to her.

Ha. Ha. Ava thought to herself. Of course, Olivia wouldn’t think that was the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to her.  Olivia had a confidence that Ava was envious of. She had no trouble talking to guys and flirting with them. She had short blonde hair that hung just above her shoulders. Her skin was a soft fair complexion with blue eyes to match. She looked sweet and innocent, but had the confidence and self-assurance that was hard to rival. She wasn’t easily tricked into anything and was stubborn as a bull. She was still Ava’s best friend, and Ava looked up to her in so many ways. However, right now, Ava was going to jokingly hate her for the rest of the plane flight, and try her best to annoy the whispers and stares ahead.

***

Sir! I have some information you might find useful!

Stevenson’s head shot up at the sound of Riley’s voice.

Riley ran towards him with a pile of papers in his hands. When he got to Stevenson’s desk, he dropped the papers over Stevenson’s paperwork he was in the middle of signing.

Stevenson growled in frustration. This better be good, he said, looking at the papers in front of him.

Oh, it is, Riley replied happily.

Stevenson picked up the top piece of paper with a picture of a young woman on it.

It’s his daughter, Riley