Chapter 29 Edith
EDITH
When they reached the bar, Edith waited in line to receive their envelope with the first clue inside it. From what she’d gathered, the clues given to teams would differ but end up in the same place. She loved a treasure hunt, but in this case, she was not feeling it at all.
Being partnered with Wyatt was unsettling, and she didn’t feel like this was the best way to enjoy the party. However, Wyatt looked rather anxious himself, so she knew she wasn’t the only one with misgivings.
At the bar, she accepted the envelope, and they walked back to the sand where the teams were waiting. When everyone was ready, Titus and Finn counted down from five, and then it was all systems go.
Edith’s fingers were clumsy as she opened the envelope, and she hoped Wyatt hadn’t noticed she was trembling. She pulled the card out and stared at it, then realised she was working with Wyatt, so she held it up for him to see.
‘What is it?’ she said, frowning.
Wyatt peered closer at the drawing. ‘Did Finn and Titus draw this themselves?’ He laughed, but she didn’t join in. ‘I think… it’s a coil of rope?’
Edith looked at it again. ‘Either that or it’s a really bad snake.’
Wyatt laughed again, and she felt her lips curl into a smile despite her nerves.
‘So where does that take us?’ she asked.
‘Where would you find rope around here?’ He rubbed his chin. ‘The harbour?’
‘Come on.’ She led the way up from the beach and through the village.
Behind them, on the beach, she heard the shouts and laughter of the other teams and glanced behind her to check they weren’t being followed.
Her shoe caught on something, and she stumbled, but Wyatt’s hand was there instantly, supporting her. ‘Th-thanks.’
‘No problem.’ He gently released her, and she shook herself. Her heart was racing, and she felt prickly from the shock, but she was conscious of the fact that another couple was now catching up with them, so she grabbed Wyatt’s hand.
‘Come on, let’s hurry!’
When they reached the harbour, they both scanned the area for obvious rope. There was a coil on the wall overlooking the harbour, so Edith let go of Wyatt’s hand and ran to it. Tucked into the coil of rope, she found another clue. The card inside showed a drawing of a book. ‘The Book Nook!’
‘Yes!’ Wyatt agreed.
They hurried to the bookshop and peered through the window and there, sitting in the middle of the display, was another envelope.
Inside, they were greeted warmly by Rosa, who was waiting behind the counter, clearly expecting people to turn up.
‘OK if I grab the envelope?’ Wyatt asked.
‘Of course!’ Rosa said. ‘And good luck.’
Envelope in hand, Wyatt held open the door for Edith, and they thanked Rosa then left the shop. Back outside, Wyatt pulled out the clue.
‘Are they sheds or houses?’ He squinted at the image.
Edith took the card and tilted her head. ‘I think so. And that’s… the sea. The houses are above the sea, so they’re… It’s the clifftop development!’
‘Where’s that?’ Wyatt didn’t know the area like she did, so she pointed across at the development of luxury houses. ‘Ahhhh…’
‘Quick!’ Edith said as she spotted another team wandering through the village towards the bookshop.
As they sped through the cobbled lanes then along the path to the development overlooking the sea, Edith tried to focus on the task at hand.
It wasn’t easy. Wyatt was beside her, close enough for her to feel the heat of his skin, catch the clean scent of his cologne, and see the hairs on his arms glinting in the afternoon light.
Had Titus and Finn paired them deliberately?
It was exactly the sort of thing Titus would do.
His intentions would have been good, she knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier for her or for Wyatt.
Still, here they were, working together again.
What choice did they have? The wedding planner and the best man couldn’t very well make a scene in front of everyone.
It would be unfair to the grooms and childish.
They were adults; for the sake of their friends and a few hours, they could pull together and play nice.
Besides, it was a relief to focus on something other than the tight knot in her stomach and the ache of knowing she couldn’t have Wyatt the way she used to. He’d made it clear this time that he didn’t want her, and she had to find a way to live with it.
By the time they reached the top of the path, she was breathless. Wyatt seemed fine but he was a runner and his legs were longer. Plus, she reasoned, she was dealing with the added stress of emotional turmoil, so there were a combination of factors tiring her out.
Of course there were…
‘Where on earth could the clue be?’ Wyatt asked.
‘I have… no… idea.’ She shrugged, trying to catch her breath.
They walked up and down the street, scanning the houses and gardens.
And then she spotted a flash of white in a low hedge where the road led to the coastal path. ‘There!’ She pointed.
‘I see it,’ Wyatt said.
He bent over and pulled the envelope from the hedge and handed it to her. She opened it and pulled out the card. ‘Oh man…’ She groaned.
‘What?’ Wyatt peered over her shoulder. His breath tickled her cheek, and she had to fight the urge to turn and feel it against her lips.
Memories of the other night flooded through her, awakening the parts of her that Wyatt had stirred with his kisses and his touch.
They had been so close, so immersed in each other, and it had felt so real.
Her eyes closed of their own accord, and she sighed softly.
When she opened her eyes, Wyatt had come around to her side, and he was gazing at her quizzically.
‘Are you OK?’ Concern etched his handsome face, and suddenly her eyes stung with tears. She bit her bottom lip hard to stop them falling but her throat was tight, and her chest ached. ‘Edith?’
She shook her head, pressed the card into his hand, and turned away then started running along the coastal path.
The breeze cooled her hot skin as her shoes struck a steady rhythm against the ground.
On either side, wildflowers swayed in the wind — yellow gorse, purple heather, and the delicate white blooms of sea campion.
The air was sharp with salt and the soft buzz of insects settling for the night, but beneath the beauty of it all, her thoughts churned like the tide, restless, insistent, impossible to quiet.
‘Edith!’ Wyatt caught up with her and took her elbow, pulling her to a stop. He turned her to face him and she fought the urge to snatch her arm away from his grasp.
‘I’m fine,’ she muttered, but her voice wavered, betraying her.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, his eyes scanning her face as he tried to read her. ‘I have never wanted to hurt you.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself!’ she snapped.
Wyatt swayed on the spot as if her words had smacked him in the face. The moment stretched out between them, heavy with things unsaid.
‘I really am sorry.’ He rubbed a hand over his face, and she heard his palm rasp against his stubble. ‘I wish I was a better man and that I could explain everything to you but…’
‘But you can’t.’ Edith folded her arms over her chest and hugged herself tight. Torn between anger and sadness, she wished she could feel nothing at all. Surely it would be easier than this?
‘It’s all so complicated.’ He sagged in front of her, and suddenly she ached to hold him and tell him it was OK, she was fine, everything was fine. But it wasn’t, and she didn’t have the energy to lie just to save his feelings.
‘The clue,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘It leads us back down to the beach.’
He nodded, resignation filling his gaze.
Wordlessly, they made their way back along the path and down to the village.
Their steps were in tune, but everything else was not.
Perhaps it never had been, and Edith had been a fool all along to believe that Wyatt loved her the way she loved him.
She had deceived herself and believed what she wanted to believe rather than seeing the truth.
The clues had been there, but she had ignored them.
She would never make that mistake again.