The Freefall Trilogy (Complete Collection) (26 page)

She watched him draining his coffee, his face unreadable.  He stared across the cafe, over the red faux leather seats and grey marl formica tables; through the window, watching the little white Cessna take off.

'Have you ever seen an open fracture?' he asked her quietly.

Lucy fixed the grim line of his lips; slowly shaking her head.  She knew what he was talking about.  The two inch memento on his wrist where he "broke it".  He always glossed over it.

'They're not very nice,' she heard him say darkly as she sipped her cold, milky tea.  'That was BASE jump number twelve.  Trust me, there isn't going to be a thirteen.'

They stared at one another.  Joshua squeezed her hand. 

'Give me a minute,' he said.  'I just need to pop to the gents.'

Lucy sat there, staring out of the window, sipping her cold tea in a daze.  She watched the Cessna touch down; it had to be the last lift.  The sun was melting into the horizon behind them.

She carefully placed her cup back down in the saucer with a gentle clink; running her hands down her face. 

That must be why I feel tired all the time…

She felt like she'd been hit by a freight train now.  She sank back into the red faux leather seat.

'Thank you,' she said glancing up at the waiter as he presented their bill.

Only in France... 
At the dropzone in Dumbleton you just paid at the counter. 

He hovered over her.  Lucy looked up; caught the smile. 

Oh here we go...

He was obviously hankering for a tip.

Lucy flipped open the white slip of paper with her glossy red fingernail.  She breathed in sharply, her blue eyes flaring.  She peered up at the waiter, then back to plate.  The diamond ring.  The words
Marry Me
scrawled in black ink.

She raked her hair back, holding it in her fist, gaping up at the grin; the podgy red face.

'Ahem...'

The waiter's head span around.

'Excusez moi s'il vous plait,' came a familiar voice. 

The waiter scuttled away.

'Merci beaucoup,' Josh called after him with a grin. Lucy's heart stopped as he went down on one knee. 

Her gaze flicked up as she heard a faint, familiar beat.  She squinted at the stereo speakers. 

He smirked up at her.

'I think they're playing our song.'

Sail
by Awolnation.

Lucy laughed nervously.

'I'm not doing this because you're pregnant,' he said quietly, eyes wide and wary.

She glanced down at the ring.

Wow...

'Pretty impressive if you were,' she said in barely a whisper.  ‘It
's some trick coming up with that in five minutes.'

Joshua laughed, reaching out and taking her hand.  His fingers felt hot and clammy.  He was shaking.

'I had planned to ask you at the Eiffel Tower,' he said, peering up anxiously, 'but it didn't really feel like the right moment.  Then I was going to do it after the tandem jump but...'

He smirked, cocking an eyebrow, gaze wandering to her belly.

'Apparently somebody had other ideas.'

Lucy gaped, the fingers of her free hand spreading across the black canvass, peering down at her stomach.  She still hadn
't quite wrapped her head around the fact there was a real live person in there.

'I thought about asking you on the ferry,' smirked Josh. 

Lucy remembered honking her guts up over the side and cringed. 

'I was going to do it on the bridge,' he said quietly.

Lucy's head slowly rose.

'I did wonder,' she murmured.  'For about half a second.'

'So here we are,' he sighed, 'In a crappy dropzone cafe...'

Lucy smiled at him, cocking her head.

‘Right where it all started,' she said, raising an eyebrow.

'Maybe for you,' he grumbled.  'It was the picnic bench for me, but let's not start splitting hairs.'

He stared up at her unblinkingly, thumb nervously grazing the back of her knuckles.

'...Well?' he murmured.

'Well what?'

He snorted, shaking his head.

‘I'm not very good at this, am I?' he said, shaking himself, plucking the ring from the plate, smiling embarrassedly. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

'Will you marry me?'

He stared up at her, green eyes wide with hope and fear.  She could see he was holding his breath.  

She squeezed his hand, her bottom lip trembling.  She smiled, nodding quickly.

'Yes.'

'I'm sorry about the jumpsuit,' she said as they started out on the long journey back to the city.

He glanced at her briefly, flicking the indicator stick.

'I thought you said it fit?'

Lucy snorted, raising her eyebrows.

'Not for very much longer.'

‘Oh.' Joshua said with a smirk.  ‘I suppose not.'

It was getting cold.  He fiddled with the blowers, glancing at her.

‘You really wanted to jump today, didn't you?'

‘I think it was seeing
Froggy,' Lucy admitted.  ‘What he did… I think it brought it all back.  I remembered the buzz...  I really think I would have done it.'

She smiled at him sadly. 

'And now I won't be able to.  Isn't that typical?'

'It's only nine months,' Joshua told her. 

He caught the stare through the twilight and frowned.

'What?
' he said.  ‘Lots of mums jump.'

'You'd still let me?' she squeaked.

'
Let you
?' Joshua sniggered.  'Have we entered a time warp since I put that ring on your finger?  Are we back in the 1950s?  I'll
let
you do whatever you like!'

Lucy's eyes glittered mischievously.

'What about BASE jumping?' she said. 

She caught the sideways glance.

'Actually, I think there's a lot to be said for the Victorians,' he said, voice deepening.  'Ask me that again and I'll put you over my knee.' 

He caught her peering up through her eyelashes at him.  Josh burst into a grin. 

'Oh it's like that then, is it?' he sighed, shaking his head.

‘What
's your take on wingsuits?' she asked, fighting a smirk.

‘I can always take that ring back to the shop,' he warned her. 

'You wouldn't dare!' she giggled, playfully slapping his leg.  He saw her grinning down at the twinkle on her finger for the hundredth time.  Joshua smiled to himself. 

'I tell you what,' he said, flicking the lights to full beam as they drove through the dark tunnel of trees.  'You can have one.  I will buy you a
wingsuit.'

Lucy's head slowly rose.

'Once you've given me those nine kids and thirty five grandchildren,' he told her, 'I'll buy you whatever you like.'

Lucy looked down at her stomach, splaying her fingers across it, Joshua's diamond twinkling up.  Maybe she was imagining it, but it did feel different - a tiny little bump. 

She glanced across at him.  His smile flashed back through the darkness.

'Let's take it one step at a time, shall we?' she said quietly, squeezing his thigh. ‘But I'm not ruling anything out.'

'I'll show you my darkroom...'
 
It's all the way up there with "Come up and see my etchings" and Eve knew it.

Virtually Perfect
is a dark romantic comedy novel set in Brighton, England, exploring the world of internet dating.

Auctioneer, Evelyn Blake, needs a plus one for her colleagues' wedding. No one likes rocking up to those things alone. Far from a bar bunny, she lands on an internet dating website. Amongst all the bare-chested mirror shots and men-with-no-neck, one dating profile stands out.

Shutterman
has been single for a while (since walking in on his fiancée and best friend in the throes in his own bed). Years of hard work, one fluke Mont Blanc shot, and photographer Benjamin Macy finds himself catapulted to fame and fortune. Handsome, young, rich and accomplished, he's the ultimate bachelor. Far from the smackheads and shootings of the Deptford tower block where he grew up, the past he tries so hard to hide.

Bubbling with humour, crackling with tension, sizzling with sex, from Brighton Pier to Iceland to the deserts of Saudi Arabia, Sadie Mills coaxes the reader into a web of intrigue, twisting and turning in a labyrinth of deceit. Sometimes sad, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, by the time the fateful wedding day rolls around, she'll have you on the edge of your seat.

Click here to download Virtually Perfect or buy the paperback on Amazon.

I would like
to say a special thank you to Skydive UK Dunkeswell for such an awesome introduction to the sport, as well as Airkix Milton Keynes.  I'd also like to thank Gary Connery, Jeb Corliss, Felix Baumgartner, Karina Hollekim, Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, Jokke Sommer, Roberta Mancino, Alexander Polli, Michael Swanson, Lèo Fardim, not to mention the irreplaceable Dwain Weston and Shane McConkey (to name but a few), for inspiring me.

Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to my readers (without whom, let's face it, what would be the point?).  I hope you've enjoyed the story.  I am always grateful for reviews on
Amazon.com
and
Amazon.co.uk
. 
Feel free to follow me on
Facebook
and
Twitter
.  Alternatively, I can be reached via my website,
www.sadiemills.co.uk
, where you'll find my blog and details of my future releases.

Sadie Mills
lives in Devon, England, with her Maine Coon cat. She wrote her first novel aged 26 years old and studied creative writing at
The Groucho Club
, London Soho.

Sadie has worked in the legal profession for over fifteen years. She has also worked as a canine beautician and wedding chauffeur, as well as living in a restaurant for over two decades. She has flown in a hot air balloon, ridden elephants bareback through the jungle and seen Christian Slater in his pants.

In her spare time, Sadie enjoys scuba, travelling in the Middle East, and skydiving. She doesn't get much spare time, admittedly. Which is probably just as well.

Sadie is currently available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.