The Freefall Trilogy (Complete Collection) Page 9

  'I can't. I've run out of clothes.'

  A smile slowly spread across Joshua's lips.

  'I've got a washing machine,' he shrugged, flashing a cheeky grin. 'You can do some of mine while you're at it.'

  He looked on triumphantly as her stare fell to the footwell, cheeks turning pinker and pinker.

  'OK,' Lucy squeaked.

  'There's a Sainsbury's down the road. I think they sell clothes,' Josh threw out. 'You know, knickers and stuff...'

  Lucy's eyes flickered. His grin spread even wider.

  'I'll get some stuff for dinner too,' she offered.

  Joshua's eyes flared, the smile sliding.

  'I like pie,' he said hopefully.

  'I can do pie,' Lucy said, nodding quickly.

  He pursed his lips, quirking an eyebrow.

  'You know, while that's in the oven,' he ventured, 'maybe you could whip round with a duster?'

  Lucy peered up at him.

  '...Get stuffed.'

  Joshua laughed.

  'The place could really do with a vacuum,' he teased.

  'You're mean,' she pouted. Joshua shrugged.

  'You do realise those were my lucky boxer shorts you pinched.'

  Lucy smirked back at him begrudgingly.

  'Lucky?'

  'Lucky!' he grinned back at her.

  'That bloody smile,' she muttered. 'You must get away with murder.'

  She watched it suddenly turn shy.

  'Ditto, Miss Simkins,' he said quietly, craning his neck. He slid his fingers into her hair, his lips meeting hers, kissing her, all too briefly.

  'Come on,' Joshua grumbled, sitting back, knuckles blanching as he grabbed the gearstick, easing her into first. 'We'd better get going. I don't really fancy getting screamed at by Froggy two days on the trot.'

  Lucy looked up in surprise.

  'Is it really worth hanging around?' Lucy asked dejectedly, staring up at the billowing cloud. She was on her fourth cup of coffee already, groaning inwardly at the idea of battling with her jumpsuit as she paid yet another trip to the ladies.

  Lucy followed Froggy's finger to the windsock, hanging limp as a spent condom.

  'It's not the cloud ye need to worry about, Simkins. It's that little bastard over there. Cloud burns of in seconds, but y'could be waiting weeks for him to look like that again. I'd say right now, it's looking awfully promising.'

  It didn't feel like it. Lucy sighed and opened up her web browser.

  easy pie recipes

  She'd never made a pie in her life.

  'What you looking at?' came a voice in her ear.

  Lucy almost jumped out of her skin.

  'Nothing!' she squeaked, snapping her phone cover shut loudly, sliding across the seat so that Josh could sit down.

  'Yer missus needs to cultivate a little patience,' said Froggy, taking a swig of coffee. 'She does'nay like waiting around.'

  Josh took a bite of his bacon sandwich, smirking at Lucy.

  'It's only ten o'clock!'

  She stared at him.

  'Yes,' she nodded back in dismay. 'Which means we've been sitting here for two hours.'

  To her annoyance, Josh started to laugh.

  'This is the girl who wants to do wingsuit piloting and BASE jumping,' he told Froggy. Froggy sniggered. Lucy's glower flicked from one to the other.

  'Well then, she needs to cultivate a lot of patience,' Froggy grinned. 'Lucy, have y'any idea how much time we spend waiting around on the ground?'

  Lucy sagged, thumping her elbow down on the table, resting her chin in her cupped hand. She peered out of the window. There wasn't an inch of blue. She couldn't imagine it burning off anytime soon.

  Josh watched her, relinquishing his half-finished sandwich to the plate, taking a scalding sip of coffee. He stood up, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

  Lucy frowned down at two twenty pound notes.

  'Straight past the house, over the hill, take the next left and you'll come to the main road. Follow it for about half a mile and Sainsbury's is on the right. I'll ring you when we're good to go.'

  Lucy stared up at him.

  'Oh right!' Josh remembered, pulling his keys from his pocket. 'I suppose you'll be needing these.'

  She glanced across the table at Froggy. He raised his eyebrows and nodded.

  'It's OK, I've got money,' she told Josh, picking the keys from the notes.

  'Lucy, take it,' Joshua warned.

  Lucy glanced up. He looked insulted. He pushed the money into her hand.

  'We need some more orange juice,' he said, stepping back to let her out. 'Smooth, I don't like bits... And can you get some razor blades?' he smirked. 'Mach III. And... well, anything else you can think of.'

  Froggy cocked his head at the mysterious grin.

  'Sure,' she said, smiling meekly. 'OK.'

  She hesitated as she squeezed past him, gazing across the room at the gaggle of tandem students. She couldn't very well kiss him, not in front of them.

  'See you in a bit,' she mumbled, putting her head down.

  'Ta-tar,' she heard him say.

  She froze, eyes widening as she felt his hand brush her bottom. She smiled to herself, scampering away.

  She could feel their eyes all over her. Lucy glanced at the rabble. It wasn't what she'd been expecting. She didn't find envy, not like those surly cows on the AFF course. No. They smiled up at her, a sea of admiring nods.

  She looked down at her hands shyly; saw the altimeter strapped to her left; realised she was still dressed in her jumpsuit.

  Oh shit!

  Lucy turned on her heels.

  'I'll just... you know... get changed,' she explained to Josh timidly, hovering by their table, nodding towards the door to the kit room.

  'Good idea,' he grinned up at her.

  She hesitated for a moment, smiling to herself, sparkling eyes darting between Josh and Froggy. She leant in towards them.

  'They're all looking at me like I'm Tom Cruise from Topgun!' she whispered excitedly.

  Froggy hooted with laughter.

  'Well, you're about the right height,' Josh sniggered, picking up his lukewarm sandwich. She beamed and walked away.

  'Ye jammy bastard!' smirked Froggy, taking a swig of coffee.

  Josh's sandwich froze, midair. He stared back, eyebrows raised.

  'Yer woman was looking up pie recipes!'

  Joshua grinned proudly.

  'I know,' he said, taking a bite.

  Josh leant across the table, lowering his voice, pinning Froggy to the spot.

  'Don't say anything,' Josh mumbled, still chewing. 'You know, if you can manage that...' he said sarcastically, giving him a look.

  'Ay come on!' grumbled Froggy.

  Joshua grinned.

  'I'm going to ask her to move in.'

  Froggy snorted then paused, staring back.

  'Yer serious?' he said doubtfully.

  Josh wiped his mouth with his napkin. He nodded.

  'Yep.'

  Froggy's eyebrows reached for the ceiling.

  'Fucking hell! ...That's quick, isn't it?'

  Joshua pushed the plate away.

  'You said yourself she's impatient,' he shrugged. 'Well, so am I. And now that I know the banker isn't on the scene anymore...'

  He took a sip of coffee and sat back, weighing up Froggy's reaction. He started biting his fingers.

  'You know what they say...' Josh said quietly, 'about how you just know?'

  'Aye, I do that there laddie,' Froggy murmured, dark eyes glittering back. Josh watched the smile slowly parting his lips.

  'I fucking knew it!' Froggy boomed, the grin creasing his face from his mouth to his temples. Josh flinched as Froggy launched across the table.

  'I'm so pleased for ye Snowy! She's just... Ach, she's lovely!'

  'All right, all right...' grumbled Josh, awkwardly patting Froggy's shoulders then pulling out of his arms. 'Thanks.' He sat back down embarrassedly, feeling his cheeks heating up.
'She hasn't even said yes yet.'

  Froggy raised an eyebrow, cocking his head.

  'Y've nay worries on that score. Are y'blind? The wee girl's crazy about ye!'

  Lucy pushed her little trolley around an almost deserted Sainsbury's, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She'd never had a man give her money and tell her to go shopping. It felt fairly ridiculous, and yet... sort of nice.

  She paused in the chilled section, shivering into his sweatshirt, poring over the rows of cardboard boxes. She couldn't do pastry - who was she kidding. Her nose crinkled at chicken; not after the decapitated cockerel he'd had to deal with that morning. She grabbed a Taste The Difference steak pie.

  Lucy shuffled up the path, keys dangling from her teeth by their leather fob, arms wrenching out of the sockets, praying the bags wouldn't split. Her blue eyes flickered briefly up to the thatched cottage. It looked even prettier in the daylight, even beneath a white sky. She smiled. Who would have imagined Josh lived in a house like this.

  Once she'd finally got the door undone, she wrestled with the shopping bags, prizing off her trainers by the heels and kicking them off on the mat, closing the front door with her bum. She stomped to the kitchen, using her last shred of muscle power to wrench the bags up onto the counter. Josh was right. She probably didn't have the upper body strength for a wingsuit. Her hands were violently shaking, covered in blazing red criss-crosses from the handles of the bags.

  She took out the bottle of Merlot, clunking it down on the side. Did Josh even like wine? She'd never seen him drink it. They didn't need a bottle opener - it was a screwtop. Lucy frowned, biting her lip. Should she have got him some beer?

  She stalked over to the refrigerator, flinging the door open, grinning in relief at a perfectly aligned row of Budweiser bottles. The labels all faced forward. She snorted at the telltale sign. At some point, he too must have worked in a shop.

  The Aga loomed large, like an ancient cream beast. She'd never even seen one before. It didn't seem to have any settings - no Gas Marks, Centigrade, Fahrenheit. Lucy sighed, and went on filling the fridge. It wasn't worth it, she'd have to wait for him to sort it out later; she didn't want to risk accidentally blowing his chocolate box house to kingdom come in some hideous gas explosion. She resentfully slid the steak pie to the back of the shelf. So much for her masterplan of pretending she'd baked it herself.

  There wasn't anything in the laundry basket, bar an odd sock. He must have been having her on. The washing up from that morning had been done and put away; Nirvana t-shirt hanging safely back in his wardrobe. The bed had even been made.

  Lucy wandered over to the window, peering down at the little cottage garden. The grass needed cutting, but it looked pretty well kept. Butterflies floated around a huge buddleia. There was a tree at the bottom, boughs sagging with pale green and russet apples. Shasta daisies, oriental poppies; a long sweep of lavender. A winding stone path meandered around the edge of the clover strewn lawn. Lucy saw the swing seat and smiled.

  It sat to one side, against an ancient stone wall, shielded by an arbour. White roses rambled up and over; the smell must have been divine. Lucy closed her eyes, imagining sitting there on a warm summer's evening, a glass of wine in one hand, Joshua's hand in the other. His arm sliding across her back; him kissing her, touching her...

  Stop it.

  Her eyes blinked open; the dappy grin dropped.

  You're nesting, her subconscious warned.

  She remembered that episode of Two And A Half Men where Charlie Sheen was dating the psycho homemaker from hell. Lucy shook herself.

  It was still cloudy. Who was Froggy trying to kid? That wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She tugged the white broderie anglais curtains across. Lucy wrenched off the sweatshirt, slipping out of her jeans, grinning down at his red boxer shorts; cheekily getting back into bed.

  'Hello,' she croaked.

  'You all right?' he asked quickly, voice unusually high.

  'Yeah course,' she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

  'Lucy? ...Did you go back to sleep?'

  'No,' she squeaked, sitting up, grimacing at the squeak of the traitorous metal bedstead. 'I... I was just resting my eyes.'

  Lucy smiled at Joshua's laugh.

  'I've rung you four times,' he grumbled. 'Have a look out of the window.'

  Lucy's eyes shot open, pupils constricting with the influx of light. Her smile withered away. She unravelled herself from the warm duvet, hauling herself up. She could see it already through the flimsy curtain, even before she pulled it back.

  'Blue skies, baby.' She could hear his grin. 'You'd better get your arse into gear.'

  She grabbed her clothes from the end of the bedstead, throwing them on, thundering down the stairs. She snatched the keys from the coffee table, scurrying to the front door. She reached towards her trainer with her toe, and froze.

  Lucy skulked back to the lounge guiltily, arms wrapped across herself. The tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hall was punctuated by the floorboards groaning beneath her; the hum of the refrigerator out in the kitchen. She wandered over to the mantelpiece and paused.

  The photograph sat in a heavy silver frame. Lucy blinked up at the old black and white. A pretty brunette in harsh, horn-rimmed specs. Lucy sagged with relief.

  She was sitting in a stripey deckchair, smiling. She had strong cheekbones; beautiful teeth. A broad-chested man in a vest and trousers stood at her side. He had an impressive head of cropped curly hair. She squinted at them, searching their features. It was his nan and grandad - it had to be. Lucy grinned, turning on her heels and running out of the room, heart soaring. The two of them just looked so happy.

  Lucy slid across the gravel into the first space she saw. It wasn't like how she'd left it. The car park was rammed. She ran across to the manifest, quickly signing back in, before heading straight to the hanger.

  The dropzone was bedlam. The sky was perfect blue now, everyone wanted to be up. She squeezed through the kit room, shrinking back from flailing elbows and arses. She tore her jumpsuit from the hanger, quickly pulling it on.

  'Hiya!'

  Lucy looked up.

  'Oh hi,' she smiled back at Andy.

  He was doing his AFF too.

  'How's it going?'

  'Great!' he grinned back. 'I've just done Level 6!'

  Lucy's face dropped. She gaped at him.

  'Oh, that's really good!' she murmured, shaking herself, thrusting her arms into the padded sleeves, trying to sound pleased. She yanked her zip up loudly. 'Well done!' She pushed the velcro together. Lucy looked up and froze.

  He was wearing his navy blue jump pants; the grey t-shirt he had on that morning. Lucy stared at him as he knelt on the floor. She watched his long brown fingers working, tightening the harness. Just like he had with Lucy, when they first met, a month ago and a day.

  She watched his hands working at her skinny thigh. She couldn't have been more than twenty. Joshua gazed up at his little tandem student and smiled: that blistering smile - the one that made birds fall from the trees.

  Lucy clenched her teeth.

  She swallowed as she saw Joshua's hands move up to the strap at the girl's chest. She was saying something: her fat, pink lips were flapping. She heard Joshua laugh, the girl's giggle bubbling up. Lucy scowled, clenching her fists.

  Her long blonde hair ran down her back in a thick plait. It was shorter than Lucy's, before she'd been stupid enough to have it chopped off. Her waist was smaller. She had bigger tits. No wonder he looked so pleased with himself.

  Lucy closed her eyes briefly with a sigh. She had come full circle. A man had brought her here, and soon a man would be driving her away. She cocked her head, chewing her lip. There was always that dropzone in Cornwall.

  'Simkins? Where the fuck are'ye?'

  It all seemed to go in slow motion. For the second time in 24 hours, the crowds seemed to part. The buzz of the room fell into silence. Lucy grabbed her helmet and turned on her heels. This time, it was her
stepping through them.

  She was well aware of the thirty two eyes gawking at her; two of them in particular. She gritted her teeth, face set like stone, stepping around the back of his tandem student. She wouldn't look at him.

  Froggy's glower melted as she reached the counter, dark eyes blinking back.

  'Everything alraight?'

  Lucy cleared her throat.

  'Yes,' she said, snatching her altimeter.

  The bespectacled lady behind the counter stared up. Lucy gave a Mona Lisa smile.

  'Thank you, Delia.'

  She turned to walk out of the kit room and paused. The two AFF girls flanked the door, smirking smugly. There was barely a trace of civility between them. Lucy closed her eyes momentarily. Fucking hell, they were tall. She took a steadying breath, tucked her helmet under her arm, and stepped straight through the middle.

  'Lucy!' Froggy called out after her as she stalked down the path. 'I think y'might be needing this...'

  Lucy paused, scowling back.

  Oh...

  He was holding her parachute.

  'Thank you,' she muttered embarrassedly.

  'Y'sure y're alraight?'

  She pushed her hands through the main lift web quickly, pulling the parachute out of Froggy's hands and onto her back.

  'Yeah, fine. It's just there's no room in there.'

  She quickly started fastening and tightening the straps, cheeks blazing. She could hear the AFF girls laughing behind her.

  'How far behind am I?' Lucy muttered.

  Froggy frowned.

  '…Behind what?'

  'Behind everyone else?'

  Froggy sighed.

  'Lucy, it is'nay a race!'

  He crouched down in front of her, examining her leg straps, tutting loudly. She'd done them up far too tight.

  Josh watched Lucy bolt through the kit room door in a daze.

  'Excuse me a sec,' he told his tandem student.

  He marched over to the counter, resting on his elbows, quirking his eyebrows.

  'What's going on, Delia?'

  Josh had gone out of his way to make sure Lucy didn't end up on any of his lifts. Hell, he'd even passed up AFFs for tandems so it wouldn't happen. Despite the extra money; despite his aching back. He thrummed the counter impatiently.