Chapter Twenty-Two
Iona
I ona tightened the laces on her hiking boots and looked up at the path ahead. Heaval wasn’t a particularly long climb, but it was very steep in places, and the path was little more than a deer track with several boggy patches and places where it almost disappeared. The afternoon sun was bright, however, and the views from the top would be stunning. The sky was a clear blue, with only a few wisps of clouds drifting lazily by.
‘You ok?’ Monty’s voice came from behind as they started up the lower slope.
Iona turned to him, smiling. ‘Of course. I’ve climbed Heaval more times than I can count. My lace keeps coming out.’ She put her foot on a rock to tie it.
Monty adjusted his backpack and gave her a nod. ‘You can lead the way. I looked it up and I read that the path disappears in places.’
‘It gets a bit overgrown and some of it is narrow, but don’t worry, we’ll get there.’
‘I’m never worried when I’m with you. Intrigued as to what’s coming next, yes, but not worried.’
She held out her hand. ‘Shall we?’
He took it without questioning it, which she was glad about. She’d given up giving him lessons. That wasn’t what she was doing anymore. She was just enjoying time with a guy she liked… far too much for her own good.
They set off together, the path winding through patches of heather and rocky outcrops. Holding his hand was like anchoring herself to something steadfast. She didn’t need any physical help with a climb like this, but emotionally he was a rock. Her heart was all over the place, but the warmth of his hold kept her grounded in the here and now.
‘Take care. It’s a bit steep here.’
‘Wow.’ Monty stopped and looked around. ‘What a view. Let me get some pictures.’
‘Wait until we get to the top. It’s even better.’
‘I’d like to get some of Kisimul Castle. For posterity and all that.’ He held up his phone, angling it back down towards the bay where the castle sat up proudly surrounded by glittering blue water. ‘How about one of us?’
‘Sure.’ Iona put her arm around his back and held her face close to his stubbly cheek. Unshaven Monty was sexy. After he’d snapped a selfie, she turned her face and kissed his cheek. He snapped another, then met her lips with a hot kiss, still holding out his arm and snapping. ‘Is that for posterity too?’ She raised her eyebrow as he pulled back.
‘No. That’s for my eyes only.’
They carried on up. A large white statue came into view onto a sheer rock above them. Every time Iona came up here, she thought this thing looked totally out of place. It was covered in moss these days but depicted a woman holding a child on her shoulders.
‘Ah, the statue.’ Monty frowned up at it. ‘I saw a picture of it. It’s not quite as big as I thought it would be, but it’s a bizarre thing to have so far up a hill.’
‘Yeah, it is. It’s called Our Lady of the Sea,’ Iona said. ‘I don’t know much about history, but I heard that a church minister had it built in the fifties as a symbol of protection for the island.’
‘I read that too. How the families had collected money for the servicepeople returning from the war and their families, but in the end, they didn’t want the money, so they invested it in this.’
‘It’s a sweet little story, but I agree with you that it’s totally bizarre.’
‘We are one mind.’ His tone was jovial, but Iona’s heart leapt. If only they were. Sometimes it felt like that. They were so in tune with one another.
They continued their climb, the path becoming steeper and more rugged as they neared the summit. Iona’s breath came faster, but she loved being up here on top of the world, or at least the island.
‘Not far now.’
Finally, they reached the top. Iona stopped and put her hands on her hips. The wind was stronger up here and she braced herself against it.
‘This is amazing.’ Monty pulled out his phone again and snapped around.
The village sprawled below, the water in the bay shimmering under the sun. Kisimul Castle was just a tiny black silhouette now. Iona smiled as she remembered taking Monty out to scatter his dad’s ashes. They’d had their first kiss there. She should have realised then how dangerous this would be. That kiss had been special.
She sat down on a rock, looking out over the view, and tucking her ponytail into the neck of her hoody to stop it from blowing across her face. ‘I like coming up here to clear my head. It’s as if the whole world is laid out before you, but you’re separate from it, you know?’
‘I get it, yeah.’ Monty sat beside her and put his arm around her. ‘Meeting you has been the best thing that’s happened to me this week… Maybe even longer.’ He kissed her forehead.
She rested her hand on his thigh and squeezed it. She, in part, agreed. But then, if she’d never met him, she wouldn’t have to face losing him again.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the gentle breeze playing in the long grass and the distant cry of seabirds filtering up from the bay.
‘Thank you for everything,’ Monty said. ‘I’ll never forget this. Or you.’
‘Neither will I.’
He pulled out his phone again. ‘Let’s have another selfie.’
As he clicked it, it started buzzing. A picture appeared on the screen with a name as clear as the sky above. Sophie.
His ex was calling him. Iona watched a puzzled expression grow on his face. ‘Why…?’ His word was carried away on the wind.
‘You better take it,’ Iona said. ‘It might be important.’
Maybe his dreams would come true. Had Sophie seen his posts on social media? Maybe she liked him now he’d proved his spirit of adventure. Iona was friends with him on the socials now and she’d seen the most recent pictures he’d posted from the festival. He looked happy and chilled in the water. But she’d noticed he hadn’t tagged anyone in the pictures. There was no mention of her. Which was fine, but it told her that he didn’t want people to have any inkling there was anyone else involved.
He hit the accept call button and put the phone to his ear, still sitting next to her. She’d assumed he’d walk away to take it.
‘Hello.’
Iona sat still, trying to focus on the view instead of Monty, but he was so close, she could hear Sophie’s voice over the wind as loud as if she was here with them, squashed in the middle.
‘Hi, Monty. I’m so sorry.’
‘What about?’
‘I met your mum,’ Sophie said. ‘She told me about your dad. I had no idea.’
‘Thanks,’ he replied.
‘I wish I’d known. I would have come to the funeral. And you had to scatter the ashes alone. It’s awful. If I’d known, I could have flown over and been there for moral support.’
‘It’s fine. I, um. I’ve done it.’
‘I know. After I met your mum, I went on social media and saw all your pictures. You look so… Well, different.’
‘Do I?’
‘Yeah. So confident. The sea air must be doing you good.’
Sea air? Iona raised her eyebrow, but a sharp pain stabbed her in the chest. She kept her gaze fixed on the horizon, playing deaf.
‘Yeah, must be.’
‘Listen, I hope you’re not doing all this because of what I said,’ Sophie said. ‘About you being boring. I was wrong to say that, Monty. I’m so sorry. I really am. I was in a bad place with work and all that. It was wrong for me to take it out on you.’
‘It’s fine.’
Iona nearly grabbed the phone and told Sophie to fuck off. Did the woman have any idea of the emotional pain she’d put him through? And he thought it was fine. Well, that told her everything.
‘I’d like to talk when you get back,’ Sophie carried on. ‘Let’s put things right between us. What do you think?’
There was a pause, and Iona couldn’t look at Monty. This was what he’d been hoping for since the day she met him.
‘I don’t know, Sophie,’ he said. ‘A lot has changed.’
‘Please, Monty. Just think about it. We can talk when you’re back. It’s all I’m asking.’
Monty let out a sigh. ‘Ok. We’ll talk when I get back.’
‘Thank you,’ Sophie said. ‘I’ll see you soon, then.’
‘Yeah. Bye.’
Monty ended the call and lowered the phone, still sitting beside Iona. The silence between them was heavy, but Iona kept her eyes on the distant castle, the wind brushing against her skin. ‘Did you hear that?’
Iona nodded, her throat tight. ‘Yes. It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?’
‘It was.’ His gaze shifted away. The wind picked up, and Iona felt a chill despite the warmth of the afternoon.
‘We should head down.’ She got to her feet. ‘It’s getting chilly.’
They began the descent in silence. The wind whipped around them, making conversation difficult. But even without the wind, Iona didn’t want to talk. Rant and scream maybe, but she couldn’t bear it. Her heart was in agony. She’d never felt this good with anyone before. Monty had made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t experienced in years. But now, it all seemed to be slipping away. She remembered the crushing feeling of inadequacy when she lost her job, and it returned with a vengeance. Monty didn’t want her for real. He was still in love with Sophie. He hadn’t lied or led her on. She’d known the deal from the get-go and agreed to it. No point moping about it now.
She kept her eyes on the path, watching her step. The reality of the situation pressed down on her like a solid weight. Monty should go back to Sophie. That’s what all the practice had been about, hadn’t it? Helping him win back the prize he’d been striving for: Sophie.
As they neared the bottom of the hill, Iona’s resolve hardened. She had to let him go. He deserved his chance at real happiness, and it wouldn’t be with her. That option had never been on the table. She lived on this island and wasn’t planning on leaving – he lived in the city and had a good job there. He’d never at any point suggested they tried to extend their relationship any further than the two weeks he was here. And that should be fine with her because she didn’t do long term.
Why then did it feel like her heart was about to crack in two?