Chapter 33
MAE
I was telling him the truth. If my ankle was sore, and I didn’t think I was up to a walk, I really would tell him.
I wasn’t in the business of being a martyr after all.
But after another trip to the trees to relieve myself, I was happy to report that my ankle was pain-free, swelling-free and bruise-free.
I did a little jig behind the truck to prove it to him.
‘Would you mind not dancing on the edge of a cliff?’ he said, amused but also watchful.
‘I’ll stop if you agree to show me the ice cave. I’ll be disappointed now if we don’t go.’
‘Fine. But, and this is a big but, if I see you limping or see any kind of hint that you’re in pain, I will call the search and rescue team out to pick you up from the side of the cliff. And everyone in town will know. You’ll never live it down.’
‘That seems extreme.’
‘Then let’s agree that if it gets too hard, you tell me and we turn back. OK?’
‘OK.’
He exhaled heavily, as if still unsure.
‘Jonah, I have survived many years on this planet already without you to fuss over me.’
‘Is that what you think I’m doing? Fussing over you?’
‘Aren’t you?’
He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I’m sorry if it’s coming across that way. I just can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.’
‘Hey.’ I took hold of his face and made him look at me. ‘It’s fine. I just want you to remember that I’m capable of looking after myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it when you look out for me too. Does that make sense?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Good. Now…’ I zipped my jacket up to my chin ‘…lead the way to the cave.’
The hike down the trail was long, but scenic.
Jonah lead the way, turning to check on me often, especially when the trail got a little rocky or steep, holding out a hand to help me over the worst parts.
He pointed out various kinds of trees and birds.
Identifying them by their calls. As we got lower, near the coast, the air grew saltier.
There was no sound, apart from the birds, my heavy breathing and the sound of the waves breaking onto the rocks below sending sea spray high up into the air.
The storm from the night before was a distant memory, and if I hadn’t been a witness to it, I’d never have believed it had happened.
The sky was clear and blue. The world seemed cleaner somehow.
‘Look,’ Jack said, suddenly halting in his tracks. ‘Over there.’
I craned to see what he was pointing at, but could only see rocks. ‘What am I looking at?’
‘Seal colony,’ he replied. ‘Unusual to see them around here in December. Guess they came up on the rocks to ride out the storm last night.’
I focused, and realized that some of the rocks I was staring at were moving, although most of the seals were sunbathing or sleeping. ‘They’re gorgeous,’ I breathed. ‘I’ve never seen a seal this close before.’
An hour later, the trail started flattening out, and we emerged out of the trees and into a little cove. It narrowed as we picked our way across the rocks, the waves lapping at our feet.
‘Careful,’ Jonah warned. ‘The rocks can be slippery after a storm.’
‘Thanks for the heads-up.’
‘I’m fussing again, aren’t I.’
‘No. You’re caring. There’s a difference.’
‘The cave,’ he said, holding out his hand and leading me through a gap between two rock faces, ‘is just through here.’ As we stepped inside the gap, all external sounds fell away.
At the far end, a wall of ice, framed by an icy arch, as if a wave had simply frozen in motion. Blue and translucent. Shimmering.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I exclaimed softly. ‘Like something out of that movie, Frozen. I watched it with my nephews when they were little.’
‘It’s only here for a few months every year.’
I turned in circles, my eyes drinking in the stunning surroundings. ‘How did you find this place?’
‘I saw it from out on the boat one day. The sunlight happened to catch the ice at the right moment. At first, I thought someone was using a mirror to try and attract my attention, you know how they do in the movies?’
I nodded.
‘But when I came in closer to investigate I realized it was the sunlight reflecting over the ice. I came back later in the truck, picked my way down the cliff.’ He gestured. ‘And I found this place.’
‘Nature really is something special.’
‘Sure is. That’s why I want to share it with other people.
Show them the beauty this place has to offer.
Obviously, this excursion would be for a younger, more adventurous crowd.
Small groups. Most of my excursions would be.
But I do have some in mind that would be suitable for less physically capable people. ’
His phone suddenly chimed in his pocket. ‘Did not think it would get service in here,’ he commented, pulling it out.
I watched him read the message, his brow furrowing. ‘What’s wrong? It’s not your dad, is it?’
He looked up. ‘Mm? No. It’s Jim. Wanting to know if I can crew another trip for him.’
‘When?’
‘Leaving in two days.’
My heart sank at the thought of him going away so soon after we’d connected.
But I wasn’t going to play the part of clingy girlfriend.
I wasn’t that kind of woman, and even if I was, I knew Jonah wasn’t the kind of guy to put up with that kind of behavior.
If there was one thing I’d learned from my relationship with Nick, it was that you couldn’t hold on to someone who didn’t want to be held on to.
‘Are you going to go?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll give him a call later.’