Chapter 28
JONAH
‘Wait here,’ I told her.
‘You don’t have to tell me twice,’ she replied, warming her hands on the air billowing out of the vent on the truck dashboard.
She peered out of the windscreen at the gray sky outside.
It had darkened considerably on the drive from the pond to a cliff overlooking the ocean.
It was already much later in the day than I’d anticipated our arrival here, thanks to the unscheduled visit to diagnose Ray with a case of dramaqueenitis.
‘Are you sure we shouldn’t just call it a day and head home?’ she added.
I shook my head, pulling my coat hood over my head. ‘Not yet. There’s one more thing I want to share with you. I promise it’ll be worth it. Well, I think it is. Hopefully you agree.’
‘What will be worth it?’
I smiled. ‘Wait and see. Just don’t look behind the truck for a few minutes, OK?’
‘Yes, sir.’ She gave me a salute as I shut the truck door behind me, wrestling briefly with the wind that tried to pull it out of my hands.
It was windier up on the bluff than I’d anticipated, but I’d had the pop-up tent on the back of my truck up in storms before, so I had complete faith in it.
I opened the rear door of the truck cab and pulled out a bag and a basket.
‘Hey, eyes front, remember?’ I lightly scolded her.
‘Sorry,’ she laughed.
At the rear of the truck I pulled out the telescopic ladder from where it was stored and leaned it against the back of the truck.
Climbing it, I used my key to unlock the latches and the gas struts on the sides of the pop-up tent did the rest, opening it up into a triangular shape, high at the front opening, sloping down towards the back.
The floor was made of reinforced synthetic fiber, with a two-inch foam mattress on top.
It was weatherproof, snug and lit inside by small strings of LED lights, and kept warm by a small twelve-volt heater that connected into a socket in the bed of the truck.
A couple of poles and I had the small awning erected over the entrance.
It would keep the rain out even with the small tent open.
It hadn’t been cheap, but had proven to be a worthwhile investment many times when I’d been on the road and needed somewhere to sleep for the night.
I opened the bag I’d brought with me and pulled out a couple of cushions and some warm blankets, arranging them inside the tent on the mattress.
Tucking the basket just inside the door I surveyed everything.
It was ready. I’d been so sure she would love it, but now that it came time to show her, I suddenly felt nervous.
What if she took it the wrong way? I’d planned a romantic sunset picnic, with the tent for shelter from the cold.
But the sunset was nowhere to be seen through all the gray clouds, and the blankets and cushions gave it a different vibe altogether, and I was just deliberating over whether to can the whole idea and pack it up when I heard her door open.
‘I’m not looking, I promise,’ she called. ‘But that sky is looking pretty ominous. Do you think you should maybe hurry up and show me whatever it is you want to show me before the storm hits?’
I jumped down from the ladder and wiped my hands on my jeans, then headed around the side of the truck to where she had the door open a crack.
‘OK.’ I pulled the door open all the way and held my hand out for hers. ‘You can come out now. But close your eyes.’
‘Is that wise?’ she teased, putting her hand in mine and threading her fingers through mine. ‘It’s getting dark and isn’t there a cliff edge somewhere around here?’
I knew she was joking, but just the idea of something happening to her made my blood curdle.
‘I’d never let anything bad happen to you,’ I told her fervently, curling my hand around hers and thinking about how I could hold her hand forever.
‘I know.’
I led her around the back of the truck. ‘OK, you can open your eyes now.’
She opened them and blinked a few times, while I stared at her, holding my breath, hoping she would react the way I thought she would.
I felt like I was starting to know her enough to know if she’d be into something or not, but at the same time I was acutely aware that what I knew was probably only a drop in a very big ocean.
She was both a stranger and someone my soul felt it had always known.
She squealed, and I felt smug. I’d made the right decision.
‘Oh my God, is that a tent? On top of your truck?’
‘It sure is.’
‘Look at all the little lights, and the sweet little awning. That,’ she declared, ‘is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen women give birth.’
I took a moment to wrap my head around the comparison. ‘Uh, thanks?’
‘It’s definitely a compliment. Bringing life into this world is one of the most badass things anyone can do. And while obviously not on the same level…’
‘Obviously.’
‘Your tent is still pretty damn cool.’ She looked up at me with bright eyes. ‘Can I look inside?’
I gestured towards the ladder. ‘Go for it.’
‘I feel like I’m on safari,’ she said, as she ascended the ladder. I watched her head disappear inside the opening. ‘Ohhh,’ she said. ‘This is the cutest, coziest little room. If I didn’t already have an adorable cottage I would move in here. No question.’
‘You realize there’s no toilet, right?’ I called up, and there was silence for a few moments before her head reappeared.
‘Good point,’ she said, and started to say something else but a loud clap of thunder overhead suddenly boomed and she jumped.
‘Inside,’ I told her, climbing the ladder. I’d barely made it inside before the heavens opened and sheets of rain started lashing the tent. It sounded horrendous, but I knew it was amplified by the fabric of the tent.
‘Don’t worry,’ I reassured her as I zipped up the front. ‘It’s completely waterproof. We’ll be safe and dry in here.’
‘That rain came on fast.’
‘It often does here on the coast. Conditions can change just like that. I’ve been out on the boat on a beautiful, clear sunny day, and half an hour later I’m battling nine-foot swells and rain so heavy you can’t tell which why is up and which way is down.’
‘I don’t like the sound of that.’
‘That’s why I didn’t take you out today to see the whales. Forecast wasn’t great and the sea is unpredictable.’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I mean I don’t like the sound of you being out in that.’
‘I’m used to it. And I don’t take unnecessary risks. None of us do. It’s our livelihood sure, but it’s not worth our lives.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she said softly. We held each other’s gaze for a few heartbeats, before she looked away, clearing her throat. ‘Well, if we’re going to be stuck in here for a while, we may as well get comfortable.’
She pulled off her boots and put them next to the door, crossing her legs and pulling one of the blankets around her. Then she sniffed the air. ‘What’s that smell?’
‘The ocean?’
‘No.’
‘Rain?’
‘No that’s not it. It’s… food, I think. Or maybe I’m so hungry that I’m imagining things.’
‘I nearly forgot.’ I reached for the basket I’d tucked behind a cushion. ‘I packed us lunch. Though I hadn’t counted on our little visit to Ray, so it’s probably cold by now.’
She eyed the basket hungrily as I opened it. ‘What’s probably cold?’
I removed a thermos. ‘Soup. I took a chance. Hope you like tomato.’
‘It’s my favorite.’
‘Mine too.’
We smiled at each other.
‘What else have you got in there?’
I started lifting items out. ‘Mugs, for the soup. Buttered bread rolls. And…’ I pulled it out with a flourish ‘…chocolate brownie for dessert.’
‘I know you can’t hear it right now because of the storm,’ she said as the rain pelted against the tent. ‘But my stomach just rumbled so loud.’
I unscrewed the lid of the thermos. ‘We’d better not keep it waiting any longer then.’