Chapter Fifteen
Linc
I’m waiting outside the airport when Elora’s Uber turns up at five to ten.
Relieved, as I’d wondered whether she’d back out at the last minute, I retrieve her case from the boot of the car, then put my free arm around her and kiss her as she closes the door.
“Ooh!” she says. “Good morning.”
“Hello, you. Ready for a fun adventure?”
“Definitely.” Her eyes are sparkling and wide with excitement. Her hair is up in a bun, a little looser than before, so strands of her blonde hair curl around her face. She’s wearing jeans and Converses, and a bright pink tee that makes her look young and sexy.
Not for the first time, I feel a twinge of warning, deep down. I push it away, though, pick up my case as well, and gesture with my head for her to follow me into the airport. “Come on, gorgeous.”
I lead her to the quiet gate that services charter flights, we check in, and then we’re shown through to the plane that’s standing on the tarmac, waiting for us. I’m conscious that, despite her insistence that she doesn’t have claustrophobia, she might not enjoy flying, but she climbs the steps readily, and when the attendant shows us to the plush leather seats, she slides into them without any sign of concern.
We have a quick safety speech, and before long we’re in the air and on our way. The attendant makes us both a coffee and brings a plate of mini muffins and cookies with it, and we nibble the snacks while we sip our steaming-hot lattes.
“Let me know if you need the bathroom,” I say. “I’m happy to stand guard.”
She giggles and pushes my foot under the table. “Behave.”
I grin, happier than I have been for a long time. I’m excited, too, to meet my father and to spend some more time with her. Both things lift my heart in ways I hadn’t expected.
“So what time are we meeting Edmund?” she asks.
“Four p.m., after he finishes at school.”
“At his house?”
“Yeah. I guess his wife will be there.” I pull an eek face.
“He said she was all right about it, didn’t he?” she asks.
“Yeah, but I wonder how true that was? It can’t be much fun finding out that your husband has a twenty-eight-year-old son.”
She tips her head to the side, thinking about it. “I don’t know. He said she was terrific, and solid as a rock. It sounds as if she’s sensible—I like her already. Edmund’s probably anxious about meeting you, and he was certainly nervous about telling her. If it was me, and it happened before my husband and I met, I’d want to try and be supportive and encouraging. I’d be thinking of the young man who must have struggled at home if he had to go to Greenfield. They must have talked about that and what happened with Don.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Will you tell Edmund about him? Explain why you ended up at Greenfield?”
“Perhaps. I’ll wing it.”
Her expression turns wry. “Of course you will.”
“It’s the way I roll. I’m adaptable.”
“You mean disorganized.”
“Po-tay-to, po-tah-to…”
She laughs and looks out of the window for a moment. “I spoke to Fraser last night,” she admits.
“Yes, I know.”
Her eyebrows rise. “What do you mean?”
“I had a text from him.” My lips curve up. “It was like an essay. You know Fraser—lots of very polite bollocking. He wasn’t a happy bunny.”
Her eyes flash. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“Ah, no worries. I understand. He’s just looking out for you.”
“Even so… that was out of order. I am sorry. I am going to have to talk to him about it. He is a sweetheart, but I am twenty-four and able to make my own decisions now about who I spend my time with.”
“That’s what I told him. Anyway, I promised I’d take care of you while we were away, and he seemed happy with that.”
Actually, after the text essay, Fraser had called me, and we’d had a lengthy discussion about Elora. He’d been quite open with his fears for her, not just for her physical safety, but for her mental and emotional well-being too. I listened, because I respect him and his love for his sister, but when he asked me to promise that I wouldn’t make a move on her, I refused to comply.
“Not because I’m going to,” I told him. “But because it’s not your right to ask that.”
“You want me to tell her I need her to work?” he asked, his voice hard and very un-Fraser-like. It was like being bullied by a teddy bear. “Because I can do that.”
I hesitated. “I promise with all my heart that I won’t do anything to her that she doesn’t want done.”
“Fuck you. Maybe Dad was right about you.”
Ouch. That stung. I looked out of the hotel window. “Maybe.”
There was a moment of silence. Then he said, “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
I sighed.
“Just… take care of her,” he said roughly.
“That I can promise.”
He sighed as well and ended the call.
Now, Elora sulks a little at the thought of her brother interfering. “I hate them thinking I’m weak and feeble,” she says. “I hate it that men are stronger than me. I wish I was a guy.”
I give her an amused look. “Really?”
Her eyelids lower to half-mast as she studies me. I can’t tell if it’s a moody look or if she’s thinking about sex. “No,” she says after a few moments. She meets my eyes. She’s thinking about sex.
I wait for her to elaborate, but she looks away, out of the window, then says, “Ooh look, mountains!”
We’re flying down the spine of the Southern Alps, which still bear snow on the highest points, including Aoraki Mount Cook. The forked tongue of the Franz Joseph glacier is clearly visible and prompts lots of oohs and aahs from both of us. It’s not long before we see water below us, possibly Lake Hawea or Lake Wanaka, and then we’re flying along the valley of Lake Wakatipu, with the Remarkables mountain range to our right. A few minutes later, we land in Queenstown.
“I’ve hired a car,” I tell Elora as we say goodbye to the attendant and exit the plane.
“Oh, okay! Are we going straight to the hotel?” she asks.
“A bit early yet.” It’s not even midday. “I have something else planned.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there. Did you bring something warm to wear?”
“I have a sweater, yes. Are we going up the mountains?”
“Not quite.” Grinning as she glares at me, I collect the cases, then head off to the rental car stall.
I went for the top tier set of cars and discover we’ve been given a hybrid Lexus SUV. I sign all the paperwork and give the details of my British driving license, pick up the keys, and we head off to the car park.
The Lexus is a thing of beauty, black and sleek, silent as the grave.
“Very flash,” Elora says, buckling herself in. She gives me an amused look. “You like having money, don’t you?”
“I do, as it happens.” I reverse it out of the parking space and head toward the State Highway. “I think I appreciate it more because I didn’t have any when I was young.”
“That makes sense.” She watches the signposts flash past and obviously realizes we’re heading away from Queenstown town center. “So… can you tell me where we’re going now?”
I give her a mischievous grin. “Kawarau Gorge.”
She frowns. Then her eyes widen as the penny drops. “The bridge? Oh my God, you’re going to bungee jump?”
“ We’re going to bungee jump.”
Her jaw drops. “What? I… I couldn’t.”
I reach out and take her hand. “They do a tandem jump. We’ll leap into the wild unknown together.”
She just stares at me. I chuckle and return my gaze to the road. “See how you feel when you get there,” I tell her. “I’m not going to make you do it. But I’d like you to come up with me and listen to them explain how it all works.”
She’s just blinking, and I can see the wheels whirring around in her head. “A… a tandem jump?”
“They strap you up together, very very tightly, apparently.” I lift my eyebrows at her.
“Linc!”
“What? Are you worried about the jump or being strapped to me?”
“Oh my God, both!”
“Apparently you can bungee nude if you want to.”
“Holy shit, Linc! Stop it!”
I laugh. “Chance of a lifetime, babe. YOLO.”
“And I’d like my life to extend beyond this afternoon. How many people die doing this crazy stuff?”
“One in five hundred thousand, apparently. I guess some poor fucker still has to be the unlucky one, but it shows how rare it is.”
“Oh, well…” She shivers. “I don’t know…”
“Wait till we arrive, and then decide.”
It doesn’t take us long to get there. We cross the Kawarau River, and then I turn off at the sign for the bungee jump and park in the car park. After locking our cases in the car, we head toward the building, go inside, and check in.
“I’m Clive,” a tall, athletic dude says, shaking hands with us as we introduce ourselves. “So you’re up for a tandem jump, eh?”
“I’m not sure about it,” Elora says, looking a little pale. “Maybe I should wait in the car. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
“You’re not wasting our time,” Clive says kindly. “Lots of people are nervous, but it’s a wonderful thing to do and gives you such a buzz. You’d be really proud of yourself if you did it, everyone is. Look, why don’t you go with Linc to the bridge and get the safety talk? And if you decide then that you don’t want to do it, that’s fine—Linc can go on his own. It’s not a problem at all.”
She swallows and nods. “Okay.”
“Great. Come over here and let’s weigh you.”
He weighs both of us, making sure that the weight difference between us isn’t more than thirty kilos, and then shows us the lockers where we can leave our phones and anything that might fall off. It turns out that we don’t need warm clothing as it’s summer, although Elora puts her sweater on anyway as her teeth are chattering.
Clive takes us along the bridge. I hold Elora’s hand tightly as we walk. She hasn’t said anything since we arrived at the site. I’m pretty sure she’s going to back out at the last minute. It’ll be a shame, but of course I’m not going to force her to jump. I hoped she’d embrace the challenge, but it’s not for everyone—I understand that.
Even though I’ve done it before, the notion of throwing myself off a bridge still makes my heart race. But I know that’s not the only reason why I feel excited today. I’m going to meet my father. And I’m spending the next two days with Elora.
I’m not sure which activity makes my pulse race the most.
*
Elora
A large observation area faces the jump platform, and it’s filled with people cheering those who are about to take the plunge. We join the queue and watch a woman walking out onto the platform. One of the jump managers checks her body and ankle harnesses, and although I can’t hear what they’re saying because of the cheers, I know he must be reassuring her. She clutches the railings on either side, and then, because I guess she decided it’s best not to hang around and get nervous, she leans forward, arms outstretched, and tips over, head down, toward the chasm.
My stomach flips. Everyone cheers, and we watch as she descends all the way until she touches the water, then as if in slow motion bounces a little before they lower her down into a waiting dinghy.
Linc is leaning on the barrier next to me. His eyes are super bright. “Fucking amazing,” he says. “Don’t you think?”
I’m so terrified, I can’t talk. He studies me for a moment, then gives a short laugh. He puts his arm around me and kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he says. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. I promised Fraser, right? I just thought it would be fun, that’s all.”
I don’t reply, and watch the next person take their place. Clive said, You’d be really proud of yourself if you did it , and I know he’s right. I want to do this. For me, and, oddly, for Linc. I want to share the experience with him. To experience the thrill. I don’t want him to have to do it alone.
The man on the jump platform takes a little longer to build up the courage, but he eventually makes the leap, and everyone cheers. They lower him into the boat. And then it’s our turn.
My heart hammers as I follow Linc toward the platform. A guy dressed in a black tee and shorts comes forward to meet us and holds out his hand. “I’m Brandon,” he says, “and I’m your jump manager today. How are we feeling?”
“Yeah, excited,” Linc says.
“And you?” Brandon asks, smiling at me.
“I think Elora might like to sit this one out,” Linc answers for me.
And that makes up my mind.
“No, I want to do it,” I say, not believing what I’m saying.
His eyes widen with shock. “Seriously?”
I nod. Then I grin, and his eyes light up with a beautiful joy that’s worth every ounce of terror I’m feeling.
“Cool,” Brandon says, “come on then, let’s get you strapped up.”
We step into the waist harnesses, which are clipped and tightened and checked by several different people. Then we move toward the platform and put on the ankle harnesses, which are also tightened securely. Someone attaches the bungee to us, and then Brandon comes and double checks everything.
Finally, he says, “Okay, let’s strap you together.” He looks at me. “Which way would you like to face—away from him so he can hug you from behind, or facing him? He can lift you up, if you like.”
“Okay.” I’m trembling, and I know they can both see it, but I’m determined not to back out.
We move toward each other, and Brandon begins to buckle and then tighten the straps that will hold us together. “Lift her up,” he instructs Linc, and Linc bends and lifts me easily, wrapping my legs around his waist.
I put my arms around his neck and bury my face there, clinging to him like a limpet. Over on the bank, I hear the crowd go, “Awwww.”
“You all right?” Brandon asks me.
“Yep,” I squeak. My heart is pounding so hard I’m convinced it’s going to break its way through my ribs and do its own bungee jump.
Brandon laughs. “Okay. Here we go, then.” He helps Linc move onto the platform, where he turns and stands with his back to the edge, still holding me. I daren’t look up, because I’d be looking over his shoulder into the abyss. My face remains buried in his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne. The pulse in his throat races against my cheek, which reassures me. He’s not immune to the fear. I remember then what he said: Courage isn’t not being scared. It’s doing something in spite of being scared. The courage comes afterward.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Brandon says. “Enjoy!”
I can hear the crowd cheering, and the whistles from the crew who are all watching. But suddenly, all I’m aware of is Linc—his arms so tight around me, his breath warming my ear.
“You okay?” he whispers.
I nod, not lifting my head, absolutely terrified.
“Lora,” he says.
I tremble.
“Lora,” he repeats. “Look at me.”
I lift my head and look at him.
He smiles. His eyes are blazing. He looks absolutely magnificent. “Do you trust me?” he asks.
I nod. “Of course.”
His brows draw together as if surprised, but then he smiles. “Shall we do this?”
I nod and bury my face back in his neck.
He waits for a moment, and I feel him take several deep breaths. His arms tighten even more around me. And then he murmurs, “I got you, baby girl,” before he tips backward off the ledge.
There’s a scary moment where I wish with every fiber of my being that I hadn’t done it. I shout something like, “Oh my God, nooooo,” but it’s too late. We’re upside down and freefalling, and my stomach flips, and it’s absolutely terrifying, but Linc doesn’t let go of me, he keeps holding me, and we’re falling, falling… I scream, and he yells…
And then I feel the bungee tighten, and we slow dramatically. We both look up at the river approaching at a scary rate, but we chose not to be dipped into it, and so even though Linc lifts one hand, it doesn’t even brush the water before we feel an enormous tug as the bungee retracts, pulling us part of the way back toward the platform.
Oh my God—we did it! An electrifying excitement shoots through me, and I laugh and loosen my grip around his neck so I can look at him. We’re both still upside down, and the wind is tugging his hair, but his eyes are like wildfire, blazing through me.
And then, before I can say anything, he grabs my face in his hands and kisses me. A huge, long smacker that makes me laugh before he releases me to wrap his arms around me again.
“You’re fucking amazing,” he yells in my ear against the wind, and I bury my face in his neck, enjoying being so close to him, having him tight against me like this. Now we’ve done it, I wish it could go on forever, feeling the wind whipping my face, that lurch in my stomach as the bungee tightens, just like the lurch I get every time I look at him. I want to stay this way, bound to him, having his arms around my waist, having him between my thighs, and I never, ever want to let him go.
But of course it has to come to an end, and they lower us slowly toward the waiting boat, where the two guys in it catch us and help us as we tumble into it in a rather ungainly manner. Linc’s on his back and I end up straddling him, and Linc says, “Not in public, love,” and the guys laugh, and I flush with embarrassment and pleasure at the thrill of what we’ve just done as they unclip us and help me up.
Finally upright, we sit next to each other as the guys take us to the bank. Linc’s eyes meet mine, bright and full of admiration.
“I can’t believe you did it,” he says. “You’re amazing.”
“That’s the first time I’ve been kissed upside down,” I say with a giggle.
His lips curve up. Then, ignoring the two guys who are watching us with amusement, and anyone on the bank, he cups my head and pulls me toward him for a kiss.
“Brave, crazy girl,” he says when he releases me, rising as we approach the bank.
I scramble out, feeling ten feet tall. I was scared but I did it anyway. I adore him for showing me that I’m not weak. For encouraging me, and holding and protecting me while I did it, and being proud of me. And I know I’ll wear my courage like a badge of honor for a long time to come.