Chapter 17 Edith
EDITH
Standing at the edge of the rocky outcrop, Edith rubbed her clammy palms on the legs of the wetsuit.
This wasn’t her idea of a good time, but she’d been unable to be honest about that when she’d spoken to Wyatt.
She wanted to appear to be fearless, adventurous, and up for trying anything once.
Also, if Finn was prepared to go for it, then she didn’t want to be the one to wimp out.
The breeze was brisk, carrying the tang of the sea and the earthy flint of sun-warmed rocks.
Strands of her hair had escaped her ponytail and fluttered around her neck, trapped in place by the helmet.
The nerves in her stomach surged, as restless as the waves below.
She’d never tried coasteering, and the idea of leaping from land to sea and climbing back out again filled her with unease.
But she had made herself a promise recently, and that was to stop being afraid, to grab hold of life with both hands.
This was a chance for her to prove to herself that she could do exactly that.
‘You OK?’ Thora asked, standing next to her.
Edith swallowed down her nerves. ‘I guess so.’
‘I’m nervous as hell!’ Thora grimaced. ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’
‘You can do this,’ Edith said, taking Thora’s hand.
‘My kids will never forgive me if I don’t.’ Thora laughed.
‘Well, that’s a prospect even more terrifying than jumping off a cliff into the swirling sea,’ Edith said through gritted teeth.
‘That’s so true.’ Thora squeezed Edith’s hand.
Edith glanced over at Wyatt, who was about to go first. He had a determination in his expression, along with a shadow of vulnerability — and her heart tugged.
There was something he wasn’t telling her, that he had never told her, and while that hurt, she also felt for him.
It must be something utterly awful for him to keep it to himself.
He carried a burden he couldn’t share, and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Everyone carried something — grief, fear, a secret love or a burden of some kind.
Letting go completely was the hardest thing of all.
She watched as Wyatt flashed them all a grin and then he jumped, surrendering to the moment. As he disappeared beneath the surface of the water, her heart stopped, but then he bounced back up, water shooting off him as he grinned at them.
‘Come on in!’ he called. ‘The water’s lovely.’
The instructor called her forward, so she released Thora’s hand and took a deep breath. Her heart thudded in her ears; her legs had turned to rubber, but she knew she had to do this. Today was about facing her fears.
‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained!’
She jumped before she could change her mind, and then the water enveloped her in its icy embrace.
For a moment, the cold shocked the air from her lungs, and everything was muffled and cloudy. But then, the lifejacket did its job and propelled her upwards where she burst through the surface, scattering droplets of water all around.
Her friends waved from the rocks, and pride swelled in her chest. She had done it. Despite her fears and anxiety, she had done it, and it had been fun.
‘Well done, Edith!’ Wyatt said, treading water a few yards away. ‘You were amazing!’
He had waited in the water for her.
He had said she was amazing.
She smiled at him, her heart pounding with exhilaration and relief. She let herself float for a few moments, enjoying the sensation while her heart slowed down.
Wyatt swam closer while the others took their turns to jump. If he’d reached out, he could have touched her, and she was grateful for his proximity because even with the lifejacket and the instructor nearby, she still felt vulnerable in the sea.
‘You’re so much braver than you think, Edith,’ Wyatt said softly.
She met his eyes and saw something shift in their depths, making her think of the seabed being stirred by unseen tides, a silent struggle pulling him in two directions.
‘Maybe we all are,’ she said, lifting her gaze to the endless sky and feeling, for once, entirely unafraid.