Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer Book 5
In this week’s snippet, Carrie has gone to stay with Dave at his flat. She realises, for the first time, that he’s never invited her there before. She can’t figure out why.
This will probably be the final snippet from Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer Book 5, and hopefully the book will be published in a couple of weeks. For a new release special offer, I’m going to include A Very Carrie Christmas as limited edition bonus content!
By the way, what do you think of the updated cover for Mission Improbable?
Chapter Six
Toodles and Rogue were settling in nicely at Dave’s flat. Carrie couldn’t do much about the placktoid crisis until the new Transgalactic Council operative Errruorerrrrrhch had assigned to the case arrived, so she had made the most of her time by making sure her pets felt entirely at home.
“You know,” Carrie said to Dave as she arranged Toodles’ blanket from her carrier on top of a music centre in the corner of his living room—her cat preferred to sleep in high places, “I just realised that this is the first time I’ve been here. I’ve dropped you off here plenty of times, but in all the time we’ve known each other you’ve never invited me inside your flat. Isn’t that weird?”
Dave was sitting on his sofa, his hands on his knees. He’d been quiet while Carrie had been making her pets comfortable. A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Yeah. It’s weird.”
“And it’s such a great place,” Carrie went on. “I’m surprised you don’t want to show it off more. It’s so stylish and neat and tidy. I mean, look at this cream carpet, it’s immaculate. And your walls, there isn’t a mark on them. You’ve got a place for everything. Do you spend forever tidying up? Is that how you get it looking like this?”
“No. It’s quite simple really. I just put things away as soon as I’ve finished with them.”
Carrie nodded. “That’s a great idea. It must be hard to keep it up though, day after day, week after week, when you have more interesting or important things to do.”
“It’s not hard at all.” Dave was eyeing Toodles’ blanket. “Are you sure that’s a safe place for Toodles to sleep? What if she falls down?”
“Oh, she’ll be fine. Don’t worry about her.” Carrie loved how Dave was concerned about her pets.
“But how will she get up there?”
“She’ll find a way. She’s a cat.” Carrie swung around and pointed at Dave’s bookcase. “She’ll probably jump onto that, then the back of the armchair, then the TV. Or another route. Cats are clever like that.” She put her hands on her hips. “Can I borrow some old towels for a bed for Rogue? I left his old one at the house.”
“I don’t have any old towels,” said Dave.
“Blankets?”
“Nope.”
“An old duvet?”
“I don’t have an old anything,” said Dave. “I throw old things away, or put them in for recycling.”
“Hmmm. That’s a problem. Where’s Rogue going to sleep?”
“There’s a bigger problem. Where are you going to sleep? This is a one-bedroom flat.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I can sleep on the sofa.”
Dave, who had been strangely stiff and reserved up until then, softened a little. “Carrie, what did you bring with you from your house? What have you got in your car?”
“Nothing, unless you count some empty juice cartons, crisp packets and chocolate wrappers. Oh yes, I think I might have a first aid kit in the boot. Why?”
“Did you even manage to grab your handbag? Have you got your purse? Driving licence? Bank cards?”
Carrie was slowly shaking her head. “Nope. Nothing like that. I didn’t have time to get them. There was a placktoid after me and more arriving from the gateway in my kitchen. You know what it’s like. I grabbed Toodles and Rogue and bolted.”
“Aren’t you upset you’ve lost all your stuff? Nearly everything you have is gone.”
“Pfff.” Carrie waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve got everything I need right here in this room.” Rogue had been nuzzling her knee, begging for cuddles. She squatted down and ruffled his neck, screwing up her eyes as he reciprocated her love by licking her face.
Read Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer Book 5 Part III here.