watch. Luckily, Richard was a creature of habit in some regards. His intake of caffeine at 3 PM was one of them. Barry counted down, “five, four, three, two, one.” He stared at Richard's door. A few seconds later he appeared. After Barry's eyes had followed the man over to the coffee machine, he hurried across the room. “Hi, Richard.”
Richard placed a cup in the tray of the coffee dispenser, pressed a button to start the process and glanced at his colleague. “You look happy today.”
“Why wouldn't I be? Tomorrow you leave for Antarctica and for two months I'll be free of you. It's going to be like an extra holiday.”
Richard huffed. “I'll be free of you as well.”
Barry glanced at Richard's cup slowly filling with coffee. “With a bit of luck you'll be eaten by a polar bear.” He flashed Richard a hopeful grin.
“You are such a dumbass, Barry. There aren't any polar bears in the Antarctic.”
The cup was almost full.
Barry made a show of craning his head past Richard and let out a soft whistle. “Wow! Look at the tits on her.”
He knew it would be impossible for Richard to resist looking. The man did not disappoint. His head swivelled so fast it was almost a blur. Barry's hand darting out to tip the contents of the small, glass bottle into Richard's coffee was equally as quick.
“Where?” Richard's eyes desperately searched the room.
Barry slapped him softly on the back. “Too late, she's gone. You were too slow old man.” Whistling a merry tune, Barry walked away.
*****
The following day Jane boarded a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Christchurch, New Zealand. From there she would catch a military transport plane to Antarctica and then a C-130 would take her a further one thousand miles to the Byrd Ice Station. A small plane would take her on the final four hundred mile leg of her journey to the expedition's Ice Rift base camp on the Pine Valley Glacier ice shelf.
She settled back into the comfortable business class seat Richard had wrangled out of his future father in law. She found it hard to believe that tomorrow she would be in Antarctica. Though she assumed she had Barry to thank for her good fortune and Richard's mysterious attack of gut rot and diarrhoea, she also knew she was the better person for the job, even if the impossible happened and a meteorite was found. There were two geologists on the team far more experienced and capable than Richard, who in her experience, didn't know his arse from his elbow when it came to reading scientific data. How he'd achieved his degree was a mystery to more people than herself.
“Would you like a drink, Miss Harper?” enquired the stewardess, adding a bright smile.
With a fourteen hour flight ahead of her and to celebrate her good fortune, Jane smiled back at the flight attendant. “Yes, I think I will. Vodka and coke with ice, please.”
Four flights, thousands of miles and many hours later, Jane stared out the window of the small aircraft― owned by its pilot, Jack Hawkins― at the huge expanse of ice below.
Max Boyle, the only other passenger, stared at the woman who sat across the aisle. Her long brown hair framed her slightly full, but pretty, face. When he'd received the list of team members, which included photographs of them all, he'd detected sadness in her large, brown eyes. He broke his appreciative gaze and looked out of the window at the white wilderness. “It's an amazing sight.”
“It certainly is,” Jane replied.
“Is this your first time in Antarctica?”
Jane tore her eyes away from the amazing landscape to look at her fellow passenger. Max, forty-four years old, had a full head of dark, slightly unkempt hair and a face bursting with character that reminded her of Walter Matthau with a hint of Anthony Hopkins. “Yes, though I've been to the Arctic a few times.” A stab of sadness entered her heart when Kyle's face appeared in her thoughts. “You've been here before, I
Richard placed a cup in the tray of the coffee dispenser, pressed a button to start the process and glanced at his colleague. “You look happy today.”
“Why wouldn't I be? Tomorrow you leave for Antarctica and for two months I'll be free of you. It's going to be like an extra holiday.”
Richard huffed. “I'll be free of you as well.”
Barry glanced at Richard's cup slowly filling with coffee. “With a bit of luck you'll be eaten by a polar bear.” He flashed Richard a hopeful grin.
“You are such a dumbass, Barry. There aren't any polar bears in the Antarctic.”
The cup was almost full.
Barry made a show of craning his head past Richard and let out a soft whistle. “Wow! Look at the tits on her.”
He knew it would be impossible for Richard to resist looking. The man did not disappoint. His head swivelled so fast it was almost a blur. Barry's hand darting out to tip the contents of the small, glass bottle into Richard's coffee was equally as quick.
“Where?” Richard's eyes desperately searched the room.
Barry slapped him softly on the back. “Too late, she's gone. You were too slow old man.” Whistling a merry tune, Barry walked away.
*****
The following day Jane boarded a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Christchurch, New Zealand. From there she would catch a military transport plane to Antarctica and then a C-130 would take her a further one thousand miles to the Byrd Ice Station. A small plane would take her on the final four hundred mile leg of her journey to the expedition's Ice Rift base camp on the Pine Valley Glacier ice shelf.
She settled back into the comfortable business class seat Richard had wrangled out of his future father in law. She found it hard to believe that tomorrow she would be in Antarctica. Though she assumed she had Barry to thank for her good fortune and Richard's mysterious attack of gut rot and diarrhoea, she also knew she was the better person for the job, even if the impossible happened and a meteorite was found. There were two geologists on the team far more experienced and capable than Richard, who in her experience, didn't know his arse from his elbow when it came to reading scientific data. How he'd achieved his degree was a mystery to more people than herself.
“Would you like a drink, Miss Harper?” enquired the stewardess, adding a bright smile.
With a fourteen hour flight ahead of her and to celebrate her good fortune, Jane smiled back at the flight attendant. “Yes, I think I will. Vodka and coke with ice, please.”
Four flights, thousands of miles and many hours later, Jane stared out the window of the small aircraft― owned by its pilot, Jack Hawkins― at the huge expanse of ice below.
Max Boyle, the only other passenger, stared at the woman who sat across the aisle. Her long brown hair framed her slightly full, but pretty, face. When he'd received the list of team members, which included photographs of them all, he'd detected sadness in her large, brown eyes. He broke his appreciative gaze and looked out of the window at the white wilderness. “It's an amazing sight.”
“It certainly is,” Jane replied.
“Is this your first time in Antarctica?”
Jane tore her eyes away from the amazing landscape to look at her fellow passenger. Max, forty-four years old, had a full head of dark, slightly unkempt hair and a face bursting with character that reminded her of Walter Matthau with a hint of Anthony Hopkins. “Yes, though I've been to the Arctic a few times.” A stab of sadness entered her heart when Kyle's face appeared in her thoughts. “You've been here before, I
Similar Books
Dungeon Games
Lexi Blake
Beware
Richard Laymon
Seen and Not Heard
Anne Stuart
Rivulet
Jamie Magee
La Linea
Ann Jaramillo
Perception
Kim Harrington
Up in Flames
Trista Ann Michaels
The Promise of Provence (Love in Provence Book 1)
Patricia Sands
Golden Girl
Sarah Zettel
The Creeper
Tania Carver