Page 17
About five minutes from his hotel, at a red light, she shouted a set of instructions directing him to a parking lot. He was still no wiser about their plans when they pulled in because the lot was tucked away and surrounded by high buildings, scaffolding and bridges.
As he cut the engine and took off his helmet, Hannah peeled herself away from him and clambered off the motorcycle with a relieved sigh.
‘How was your first ride?’ he asked, part of him afraid she’d yell at him for overtaking that lorry on the corner.
Hannah removed her helmet and shook out her hair. Fascinated, he watched transfixed as the cloud of sunshine fluttered around her head.
She must have noticed him staring because she began to pat and shape it self-consciously. ‘It was…’ She released a huff of laughter as if surprised by her own pleasure. ‘Amazing! Although I did want to wring your neck for how you passed that lorry.’
He laughed. ‘There was plenty of time.’
They exchanged her helmet for her bag in the tail case, with Hannah giving him back his backpack to carry as well. There wasn’t room for his helmet, so he carried it with him. They headed out of the lot while Hannah paid for the parking on an app.
‘We could have parked nearer, but I thought I’d take you down the Argyle Cut. It’s worth seeing,’ Hannah said, adding, ‘It was first cut out of the sandstone by convicts in the 1800s with only hand chisels, to connect The Rocks with Millers Point.’
He chuckled. ‘Good to know.’
She made a disapproving snort but there was a hint of amusement tugging at her lips. ‘It is.’
They walked down a road with sandstone cliffs on either side of them, trees and greenery seeming to sprout from the rockface above, giving shade from the bright sun. Little birds were tweeting merrily as they flew from perch to perch.
First, they walked beneath the historic tunnel that had been cut into the surrounding sandstone, then through another man-made tunnel until they came to a stone archway that proclaimed, in ornate carved lettering, the ‘Argyle Stairs’. They climbed up the steps, passing pretty Victorian-style lampposts, until they reached another street above. It was unexpected and charming, something you might find down a side street in Paris. They passed a hotel and restaurants with outside seating and stopped in front of a building set into the gently sloping start of the huge Harbour Bridge.
‘Ta dah!’ cried Hannah, stretching out her arms towards the semi-circular wall of glass that proclaimed BridgeClimb Sydney.
Caleb grinned and Hannah shrugged. ‘I know it’s pretty tame considering your line of work. But I thought you might enjoy it, and seeing Sydney from above is meant to be spectacular.’
‘You’ve never done it?’
She shook her head. ‘No, it’s a first for both of us. I’ve been meaning to do more tourist stuff – but you kind of forget when you live here. Was it a good choice?’
She bit her bottom lip, and he tried not to stare – she had a habit of doing that when she was nervous and it always sent a shiver of awareness down his spine. Especially when he remembered the tight press of her body against his back. ‘It’s perfect, thank you.’
They went inside and checked in.
‘You’ve already paid?’ he asked, trying to sneak a peek at the price list, but he was quickly tugged away by Hannah.
‘Least I could do after yesterday. The job, the move and breakfast? It’s about time I paid you back.’
He frowned at her statement. He didn’t like the fact she’d kept a tally of everything, as if she expected him to bill her later – that’s not why he’d done it. ‘I don’t expect anything in return. Don’t pay for anything more for me, will you?’
She laughed, oblivious to his concern. ‘Alright, if you insist. Now come on. Everyone’s going into the safety briefing.’
They watched a short video and then were given lockers and a jumpsuit to change into. Their party consisted of eight people including the guide, and it wasn’t long until they began the slow progress up to the summit.
The wind and sun were whipping at Hannah’s face, and she pulled the hat off her head several times to fan herself. Thankfully, it was strapped to her suit so wasn’t able to fly away. He was impressed with the level of safety precautions, including ropes and clips that kept them attached to the bridge at all times.
‘It’s so annoying that we can’t bring our phones up here!’ grumbled one of the backpackers up front.
‘Don’t worry,’ said their cheerful guide, Victoria. ‘I’ll take any videos or pictures you want. We have to limit belongings, as we wouldn’t want to drop anything on the people below now, would we?’
They stopped regularly to catch their breath, or at least Hannah and the rest of the climbers did. Caleb considered it a pleasant stroll in comparison to his usual workouts.
Over an hour later, they’d reached the arched summit. The sun was shining brightly, and Sydney Harbour sprawled beneath them in a glittering carpet of sea, metal and glass. The skyscrapers twinkled, and the pale sandy beaches gleamed in the distance. It was a stunning view of a beautiful city.
‘Thank you,’ he said quietly to Hannah as they waited for Victoria to finish taking photos of the other people. ‘I was a little worried you might think me a stalker after the last couple of days.’
‘Why would I think that?’ she cried innocently, although there was a hint of amusement in her voice. ‘After you offered me a job on the spot, met me for breakfast the next day, insisted I sign a contract and show you where I lived, then took apart my furniture and helped me move out of my flat?’
