Jay gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘Stop beating yourselfup. That was literally a knee-jerk reaction. You couldn’t help it. He shouldn’t have been grabbing your leg, let alone free-climbing up there to do it. He was just showing off and it backfired.’
‘I keep seeing it happen. Him falling. My fingers gripping the rock.’ Nora wondered if her clinging to a rockface was a metaphor for her life, or perhaps it was the part where she kicked him away. She looked Jay in the eyes. ‘It’s me,’ she said.
‘What’s you?’
‘It’s always my fault. All the failed relationships. They are all down to me.’
As she had expected, Nora didn’t sleep well. Mainly because of her brain going over and over Trent’s fall but also because she was a bit distracted by thoughts of Jay– he’d been so kind, she didn’t know what she’d have done if he’d not been there. She decided to go back over her ex-boyfriends. Focusing on the 37 per cent rule would at least occupy her mind. However, she kept returning to her earlier epiphany that she had in some way caused the end of all her relationships, either by choice or by her actions. On top of that, she had the bunk below a pretty, petite young woman named Gabriella, who every time she turned over loudly broke wind– proving that nobody’s perfect.
The next morning Nora was nursing a foggy head, although she did have a renewed determination to focuson the 37 per cent rule because it now felt far more likely that ‘the one’ was in the pile somewhere, given her tendency to kick men out of her life. Breakfast was porridge or toast and most people seemed to be filling up on both, even though neither looked that appetizing. At least the coffee was drinkable.
A round of applause broke out as Trent entered the breakfast room like a returning war hero, switching between dramatic winces and humble waves to his adoring public.
‘It’s OK. It takes more than a fall off a forty-foot cliff to break me,’ he said with a sage expression on his face.
‘Forty feet?’ whispered Jay. ‘He’s at least six foot tall and his feet were barely ten feet up the cliff when he reached for you. And people say I exaggerate.’ He rolled his eyes.
‘You do,’ said Nora, and he playfully dug her in the ribs.
‘Nora!’ called Trent, frowning as he made his way in her direction.
Oh great, here we go, she thought. ‘Good to see you back on your feet again,’ she said.
Trent took both of her hands in his with a theatrical grimace. ‘I don’t want you to feel bad about hurting me because… I forgive you,’ he said without blinking, which was rather off-putting.
Part of Nora wanted to repeat what Jay had said, that it was all Trent’s fault for being a show-off, but deep down she did feel to blame.
‘That’s good. I’m sorry I kicked you and that you fell and hurt yourself.’ She squeezed his hands and he crumpled. ‘What?’
‘My broken finger,’ he squeaked.
‘Shit. I am so sorry.’
‘It’s OK,’ he said, his jaw tight as he walked away.
Jay grinned at her.
‘Stop it,’ she said. ‘That’s not helpful. As if the poor man wasn’t already in enough pain.’
‘He’s fine. Look at him.’ Jay tipped his head in Trent’s direction, where all the other women were fussing over him. ‘He’s milking it. He’ll probably get a BAFTA before I do.’
‘Hmm.’ It didn’t stop Nora feeling awful.
‘Apparently we’re climbing above a gorge today,’ said Jay, sitting down next to her. ‘And the forecast is dry.’
‘I don’t think I can do that,’ said Nora.
‘Sure you can. You are a way better climber than me. One of the climbing instructors said the views from the top are unreal.’
‘No, Jay, you don’t understand. After what happened yesterday, I can’t climb. The thought of it is making my neck prickle.’
He nodded his understanding and chewed his toast thoughtfully as they watched Trent lapping up all the praise and sympathy from others. ‘I get where you’re coming from but here’s the thing.’ He pointed at her with a piece of limp toast and marmalade. ‘If you don’t give it a try today it might grow into a phobia-type thingand you don’t want that. Plus, if you’re not climbing, you’re staying here and spending the day with Trent.’
What a choice.
*
Dixie had felt very proud of herself as she ate her foraged mushroom and garlic omelette. Granted, the eggs were from the farm shop, but she had, with the help of Ned, found the mushroom and the wild garlic herself. The mushroom was one of the ones growing on the side of a tree that Ned said were called chicken of the woods and were safe to eat. With his help she’d cut down one of the smaller ones and she still had loads left over. They had also found the mint so she could have fresh mint tea as well as some elderflower and wild strawberries, the latter of which were surprisingly tasty. It had made her feel like a proper adventurer, like she had in her grandparents’ orchard as a child.
