“It’s nothing, it can wait.” Lisa didn’t want to mention Sandrine now as they were having such a good time. There was no rush. She’d waited for Sandrine to call her for months, and now it was Sandrine’s time to wait. It came as a surprise though as she’d never expected to hear from her again. Mentally calculating, she concluded it had been eight months since they’d last spoken. They weren’t friends or even remotely close anymore and frankly, she didn’t want to call her at all. Still, she was curious as to why she’d suddenly reached out. Handing her card to the waiter, she pushed the message to the back of her mind.Not tonight. And maybe not even tomorrow.
49
Lisa shot up at the knock on their door. She’d slept so deeply that she needed a moment to get her bearings. It must have been the effect of the mountain air, she thought as she put on her dressing gown and opened the door to find a member of staff with the breakfast tray they’d ordered for six am.
“Thank you so much,” she whispered, and smiled as she inhaled the scent of the fresh coffee. Her new job and her road trip with Stella had already done her the world of good, and she felt rejuvenated.
She placed a soft kiss on Stella’s temple and opened the curtains and the doors to the balcony. The breeze was cool and filled with the scent of pine, and the sound of birdsong and sheep bleating in the distance made her smile as she took in the view.
“Good morning, gorgeous woman.” Stella sat up and yawned.
She was adorable in her sleepy state, and if they hadn’t planned a hike, Lisa would have jumped right back in bed with her. “Good morning, hotness.” She placed a coffee on Stella’s bedside table and leaned in for another kiss that was met with a longing moan. Biting her lip, she suppressed a grin as she pulled away. This, the hotel with the perfect view, and Stella smiling at her felt like a dream, like it was almost too good to be true. “Do you want your breakfast in bed?”
Stella shook her head. “No, let’s go outside. We won’t get a morning like this again any time soon, right?” She wrapped a large towel around her chest and followed Lisa outside. “I thought you weren’t a morning person but you’re doing pretty well for the second day in a row.”
“And I thought youwerea morning person,” Lisa shot back at her, eyeing Stella as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
Stella chuckled through a long yawn, stretched again and sank into one of the deep, wooden chairs. “Hey, give me a break; you kept me up most of the night.” She patted her lap. “Come sit here with me. You’re too far away in that chair.”
Lisa gladly settled on Stella’s lap sideways and buried her face in her neck. Every moment with her was heavenly and now that they were getting to know each other better, she was starting to feel an intense, almost seamless connection to her. The need to be close to Stella came from deep within and it wasn’t just physical. No, it was way more than that, but she didn’t dare go there. Not yet. “Mmm… you smell nice.”
“I smell of sex.”
“You do. I like it.”
Stella laughed and snuck a hand into Lisa’s dressing gown to caress her breasts. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Same here.” Lisa moaned and arched her back, pushing herself into Stella’s touch. The first sunbeams were fighting their way over the mountain tops, casting a sensational play of light over the fields. Something was moving fast in the distance, making its way towards them. It looked like a cat, only much bigger, with long legs and a short tail. She narrowed her eyes, focusing as she pointed in the direction. “What’s that?”
Stella gasped as she spotted it too. “Oh, wow. It’s an Iberian lynx,” she whispered when it came closer. “Andalusians call it the Spanish tiger. They’re an endangered species and used to be extremely rare but the population is growing again.”
“It’s so beautiful.” Lisa’s breath caught as she eyed the heavily spotted creature with a bushy beard around its face and long tufts that rose from the tips of its ears. It stopped abruptly and looked up at them, suddenly aware it was being watched. For a moment, she was sure that it was looking right at her, and she kept still as to not scare it away. “It’s not going to go for the sheep, is it?” she whispered, noting the sheep were getting restless and moving closer to the farm.
“No, they mainly eat rabbits. I don’t know why it’s here; maybe it’s after the chickens.”
“Oh, God, are we going to have a blood bath? I’m sorry but I can’t let that happen.” Lisa slipped off Stella’s lap then and stood up, and the lynx disappeared as fast as it had come. “Sorry, I hated scaring it away but—”
“Yes, it’s for the best. There are plenty of rabbits out there and I don’t want it to get in trouble with the local farmers. We might see more of them on our hike.” Stella took a sip of her coffee and got up. “I’m going to have a quick shower before breakfast.”
Lisa laughed. “Okay, I’ll go after you; the shower isn’t big enough for two.” The ping of her phone drew her to her bedside table, and she sighed when she saw she had another message from Sandrine.‘Hey, Lisa, I didn’t hear from you, so I sent you an email. Please read it and get back to me asap.’She opened the email as she walked back to the balcony, irritated that Sandrine wouldn’t leave her alone for a couple of days.
Dear Lisa,
I’m not sure what your current situation is, but a vacancy became available in my department yesterday and I thought of you as you’d be perfect for it. Director of Marketing North America. The role is based in New York and the relocation package is very generous. You suggested perhaps looking for something in New York last year, so I know you’re not against moving here. It would be nice to have you close again, I miss you and looking back, I finally see that we were very good together. Please think about applying. I can put in a good word for you and get you on the candidate shortlist if you’re interested.
I’m sorry I hurt you and I’d like to make amends, perhaps see where we could go from here.
Love, Sandrine.
Lisa stared at the email for long moments, then read it again before she opened the attached job description. Truthfully, it was a dream job and a chance to re-establish herself in the industry without suffering from an enormous gap in her CV, and she felt a stir of excitement at the thought of being able to work for a big company again. Sure, she’d just signed a contract with the Calvo Group, but that was only for three months, and with relocation negotiations usually taking a while, it would probably line up nicely. With the job came Sandrine though, and Sandrine had hurt her. Why she wanted her back, Lisa had no idea. Now that she’d distanced herself from Sandrine it was clear that they were never actually that happy or even madly in love. She sighed, the dilemma already giving her a headache. And then there was Stella, of course. They’d promised each other that they’d still see each other when she moved back to London; that they would try to make this work from a distance. But New York was not London and flying to Spain every other weekend wasn’t an option if she moved there. They’d only be able to see each other every two months or so and not only with the challenge of distance, but also the different time zones, she knew more than anyone how hard it could be. Ignoring the stab of guilt she felt, she sent a quick reply to make sure Sandrine wouldn’t call her during their trip.
‘Thank you for your email. You and I are over, but I appreciate the thought considering the job. Let me think about it.’
50
Following the sound of water, Stella and Lisa reached the top of the gorge and looked down to find a waterfall behind it. It clattered down from where the two little streams that spiralled through the landscape came together, creating a mesmerising natural mountain pool. The water was azure blue, shimmering in the sun, and surrounded by the green vegetation it looked like a little piece of paradise. Apart from a handful of sheep that were lazily grazing on the hills and a lizard that slid past them and disappeared behind a rock, there wasn’t a soul in sight. It was an idyllic vantage point, and even Stella had never taken the effort to venture into the wilderness and appreciate the serenity of the mountains.
“Wow,” Stella whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace. Lisa nodded in agreement and leaned into her as she caught her breath. It had been a tough forty-minute hike but now that they were here, it was so worth it. Stella had never made it this far and she wished that they had more time as the higher they climbed, the more their surroundings changed and there were beautiful surprises everywhere. An open patch in the strip of pine forest they’d walked through was like a natural stage, where the upcoming sun hit the stream and the ferns around it, making the water glisten like diamonds and the vegetation glow like gold. They’d seen birds of prey, another Iberian lynx, lots of rabbits and ancient ruins that had once been a village.
