‘My uncle’s a vet, he’s got him,’ she was reassured by a member of the wedding party.
Seeing confusion etched on Nic’s face, she reached down and kissed his greying lips. Noticing his ashen skin, she checked his pulse. Rapid.
‘Be quick with that drink,’ she shouted. ‘We need to warm him from the inside.’ Turning back, she reached down and hugged him. ‘Cuddle into me and you’ll thaw quicker.’ Aria ignored her own wet clothes, listening to Nic trying to communicate with her. ‘Breath. Focus on your breath. The cold water pulled all the heat from your body. Your core temperature has dropped, and you need to stay calm to avoid hypothermia.’ She gulped and stroked his cheek. ‘Nic, I need you to be OK.’
60
‘That dog was definitely not made for swimming.’ Nic sat on a rock, wrapping the tin foil cape tighter around him. The vet had told them Tiger was making a good recovery, but he would take him in overnight just in case.
‘I could say the same about you,’ Aria murmured, digging into the sand with the heel of a shoe someone had returned to her. ‘After what happened out there, I can see why you always avoided taking a dip.’
Nic cursed inwardly. Not only had he failed to be Prince Charming, the wheels of the carriage fell off. He suddenly felt the need to share what happened with Theo, a secret he’d kept from her to avoid heaping more guilt and judgement on himself.
‘I’m actually quite a strong swimmer. Or at least I was. Aria, there’s something I need to tell you – about a serious incident last year.’ He noticed her eyes widen before she put a hand on his.
‘Later,’ she said softly. ‘Rest up for now. Concentrate on keeping warm like the paramedics said.’
‘I need you to know this.’ He paused, taking a breath. ‘It was supposed to be a fun afternoon. Theo and I were on a jet skiwe’d hired. He got dragged into the water and a stray rope attached to the equipment bit into his leg. The rope was like a guillotine, cutting through his skin. There was so much blood, and I froze. Literally sat there on the ski like a stone statue. There was another boat near us with a water skier behind it. The pilot dived in while I did nothing. Theo was rushed to hospital and his leg was later amputated. We were cleared of any liability. The company shouldn’t have hired out the equipment with a rope still attached. Theo is due compensation. But my father tore a strip off me, and my mother cold-shouldered me for months. My brother forgave me pretty much immediately, that’s the kind of person he is, but I never forgave myself. I believed I was as much a chicken as that toy is a duck. I was so ashamed that someone else had to jump in and rescue him.’ Aria took his hand, but Nic wasn’t letting himself off the hook. ‘He lost the lower part of his leg on my watch, and I’ve regretted that day every moment of my life since.’ In the silence that followed, Nic closed his eyes.
‘Nic, I’m so sorry this happened,’ Aria said, as he waited for words that never came. ‘It sounds like a horrendous accident.’ His head jerked up and, instead of disgust, he saw empathy. ‘But that’s what it was…an accident,’ she continued. ‘You need to forgive yourself. Look to the future and let go of the past. Given what happened today, you may not have been able to save him anyway. Cold water shock can happen at any time, even to the healthiest of people.’
Overcome by her kindness and acceptance, tears welled in his eyes.
Aria nodded to the breezeblock castle, where people were enjoying their meal now the show was over. ‘We should go inside and say our goodbyes.’
‘Can we take a minute?’ Nic flashed her a pleading smile, and to his relief she relented. ‘I feel like a turkey all foiled up and ready to go in the oven. Also, as I upstaged the bride during her first dance, I’m not rushing to see her.’
Aria smiled. ‘You really have no idea.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Let’s just say Lu-Lu had her cake and ate it.’
Nic frowned. ‘I realise today might have been difficult for you. Did you feel pushed out?’
‘By the happy couple? God no, they’re made for each other.’ She paused, running grains of damp sand through her fingers. ‘And let’s just say wading into the sea after you and Tiger made me reassess my priorities. I’m not upset, but I am seeing things differently.’
Hope washed through Nic. Despite the trauma of before, having Aria’s company once again gave him a fire in his belly. No one else could heat him up like this. And he was damn sure few would have pulled him out of the water without hesitation like that. But then again, no one was like her.
‘Thank you again for rescuing Tiger,’ she said, sincerity pouring from her.
He squeezed her fingers. ‘Thank you for rescuing me. In more ways than one. Aria, your precious hut…’
‘…was part of the past. I realise that now. You and Tiger are the future.’
61
Aria sat on the waffled quilt Nic had spread on the floor. Arriving back in the dark and agreeing to relax with him in the finished kit house, she’d collected clothes and bedding from his place. She rifled through the bathroom cabinet before leaving, spraying liberally and slipping something else into her pocket. Just in case.
Disturbing the peace they were creating, she spilled the glass of brandy he’d poured for her. Frustrated with herself, she huffed, ‘Damn it, sorry, Nic. I’m clumsy and it’s dark in here.’
He tossed her a hanky to mop up the brandy and illuminated the space with his phone light. ‘Relax, Aria, you definitely weren’t clumsy earlier. How did you know what to do?’
‘I’ve seen cold water shock before. Had it once myself. It can show up in different ways – it made me giggle uncontrollably. The worst manifestation is a heart attack, which I was afraid of when you were clutching your chest. The icy water drains the body of heat much faster than air can. You’d been drinking too which won’t have helped.’
‘Yeah, I knocked back a bit of champagne. Pre-wedding nerves.’
‘Except you weren’t the groom so I’m not sure what you were worried about?’
