Nell inclined her head. “You’re close to him?”
“Bordering on hero worship, not that I’d admit it to his face. Older sibling rivalry and all that.” Mattie smiled. “He’s a perfect blend of the best parts of our parents. Their hard-working ethos, Mum’s caring nature, and Dad’s gentleness. I inherited the less attractive qualities.”
“Which are?”
“Self-destructive, mostly.” Now wasn’t the time or place to delve into how she’d neglected family, friends, and relationships, all in the name of her career. Or how she regularly substituted alcohol and junk food for regular meals. The list was endless. “Are your parents still around?”
“Both are, yes, albeit quite doddery now,” said Nell. “They still live in our family home and my three brothers and sister,Caroline, are close by to help out if needed. I’m the only one who fled to a different part of the country.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m also the only one who’s divorced and childless. Thankfully, between them, my siblings have produced enough grandchildren to forgive my sins. There are thirteen of them. That’s a Catholic upbringing for you. Kids everywhere.”
Divorced? That was news to her. From a man or woman? Mattie was eager to know but, having already crossed one red line, she wasn’t about to add another one to the list. “My mum got to spend time with Simon’s two kids before she passed away, and she said it was one of the pure joys of her life.”
“You talk about your parents a lot,” said Nell.
“I miss them all the time. They kept me grounded.” Mattie sighed. “Losing my dad in his early sixties hurt like hell. Mum made it to seventy-four, but that was far too early in our world.”
“I’m sorry.” Nell poured the remainder of the tea between their two cups. “Did your parents have hearing issues as well? If I’m not being too nosey by asking?”
“Asking questions is in my DNA as much as it is yours.” Mattie smiled wryly. “My parents had normal hearing, as do Simon’s kids. My niece and nephew know some basic BSL signs, but they’re not fluent. Julie, my sister-in-law, learned how to sign when she fell in love with Simon.”
“That’s so romantic.”
I’d do it for you. Mattie folded her paper napkin into a small rectangle as that thought hit home. A hollow ache settled in her chest. Why? Because nothing would ever come of her and Nell, and that’d always been the case. She forced herself to focus on the here and now, and talked about the boat ride up to Greenway and the birds she’d seen and heard. “I have no idea what birds they were, but they looked and sounded lovely.”
“I use an app called Merlin to identify them,” said Nell. “I’m able to recognise the more common bird songs now, like wrens, and robins, and chiffchaffs. I’ll show you.”
Heat suffused Mattie as Nell’s toned legs inadvertently brushed hers when she reached for her phone. Was Nell aware of what her proximity was doing to her? Mattie tried to focus as Nell showed her the app. “I’ll download it now so I can use it on my way back.”
Nell glanced at the time. “If you want a lift to Cove House with Angie then you’ll need to hit the trail soon. It took me a good couple of hours to walk it this morning.”
“I guess so.” Mattie could take the boat back if she wanted. Another trek on her own was suddenly unappealing. Unless... “Are you planning to take the same route back?”
“Yes. You go ahead, and I’ll leave in about half an hour. That way, you’ll get to enjoy some of your day without me intruding upon it.”
“That seems a little extreme.” Mattie busied herself with stacking their crockery and rubbish onto the tray. “Unless you’re desperate to be free of my company, I’m sure we can manage to walk together.”
Nell smiled. “I’d like that very much.”
Mattie’s treacherous heart leapt a mile high. That gave her another two hours of Nell’s company. She was going to treasure every minute of it. She packed up her things and checked out the route on her Ordnance Survey map while she waited for Nell. “Ready?”
“Ready.” Nell pointed to the right. “We need to head for those trees.”
“Lead the way.” Mattie followed Nell along the single file track into the heart of the bone-dry woodland. Her eyes clung to each clench of Nell’s glutes, hidden beneath the stretchy material of her khaki shorts. How would their shape feel, cuppedin Mattie’s hands? Strong, firm, warm, supple. All of those things.Enjoy the view but be on your best behaviour. Don’t give Nell another reason to question your integrity.
She kept up with Nell, who set a moderate pace and was clearly hiking-fit. Inwardly, she continued to swoon at Nell’s legs. Outwardly, she noticed iron tracks of the steam railway lower down to their right. The only sounds were occasional birdsong, their own footsteps, and the swish-swish of their clothing. It was simply joyous.
Further along, she stopped beside Nell at a gap in the trees. From there, it was possible to see the valley stretched out like a Constable painting, with the smooth green ribbon of the river curling its way towards the open sea, its banks flanked by a battalion of trees. “That’s stunning.”
“I never tire of it.” Nell tipped her head to one side. “Can you hear that bird song? It’s a chiffchaff. If you listen, you can hear it singingchiff-chaff,chiff-chaff.”
Mattie listened. “I can hear it, but I can’t see it.”
“Nor can I. They’re olive-coloured and tend to flit between trees and shrubs.”
The track widened, and Mattie walked alongside Nell with a spring in her step. This was lovely. No, it was much more than that. It was quietly companionable. Who would’ve guessed that she and Nell would be such compatible walking partners, content to listen, and watch, and savour unless they pointed out yet another picturesque view?
A mile or so later, the tree canopy thinned out, and Mattie squinted in the full glare of the sun. “I hadn’t realised how much the woodland was protecting us.”
“There isn’t so much shade on the next part of the walk, so we’ll have to take it easy,” said Nell.
