The Freefall Trilogy (Complete Collection) (7 page)

Mrs Simkins' powder blue eyes flicked to him doubtfully.

'Joshua,' he mumbled, in full-blown, red-cheeked schoolboy mode.  He extended a hand and a warm smile.  'You can call me Josh.'

Mrs Simkins stood rooted to the spot for a moment, staring wide-eyed at Josh.  In a blink, she'd pulled him down into her stocky arms, planting a lipsticked kiss on each of his cheeks.

'Well!' said Mrs
Simkins, giddily stepping back, patting her neatly set platinum hair.  'I... uhm...  I've got a pie in the oven.' 

Lucy almost saw the
lightbulb illuminate above her mother's head. 

'There's plenty to go round...' Mrs
Simkins told Josh hopefully. 

Josh caught Lucy's wince; the shake of her head. 

He stared at the floor, chewing his lip.  Josh liked pie.

'I'm afraid I can't Mrs Simkins,' he said glumly.

'Call me Joyce, please.'

'I'm afraid I can't, Joyce.  Perhaps some other time?'

She nodded back, smiling again.

'...Right,' sighed Mrs
Simkins, glancing back at Lucy with an apologetic smirk.  'I think I'd better be off.'

Josh darted in front of her, stooping to retrieve the umbrella, gingerly holding it out.

'Thank you,' said Mrs Simkins meekly. Lucy grinned, watching her mother's cheeks turn scarlet.  Josh held the door open.  Mrs Simkins smiled back at him, stepping under his arm.  One last grin at Lucy and the door jangled shut.

'Now then, Miss
Simkins.  Where were we?'

Lucy's fingertips blanched, gripping the countertop, watching him stalk towards her.

'Who's Phil?' he asked quietly, his gaze pinning her to the spot once more. 

'Nobody,' Lucy breathed.

He's coming behind the counter...  Nobody comes behind the counter...

'I don't like to share,' Joshua warned.

Lucy stared back unblinkingly, mouth slightly ajar, slowly shaking her head.

'I came here to give you something,' he said.

'What?' Lucy murmured.  'It's... It's too soon.' 

Josh paused, gaze flickering across the chocolate smeared floor.

'Stu said the photos wouldn't be ready for another week,' Lucy told him.

Josh snorted, eyes sparkling.

'Not that,' he said.

'No?'

'No,' said Josh.  She watched him riffling around in the back of his combats. 

Lucy frowned down at the business card.  She did her best to keep her hand steady as she took it from him, turning it over.

Froggy
07700900216

It was scribbled on the back in the same messy black writing.  Lucy's brow contorted.  She gazed back at Josh in dismay. 

'He's very good,' Josh assured her.  'He's got a lot more experience than me.'

Lucy felt her throat closing up.

'Not as devastatingly handsome though, naturally,' Josh added, smiling playfully, running a hand through his hair.

'...You're not going to teach me?'

Her voice was strangled; barely a squeak. 

Josh glanced up.

'Lucy, I can't.'

'You came all this way just to embarrass me?' 

Her voiced cracked.  Josh gaped back.

'No!'

He took a step towards her, up behind the counter.  Lucy instinctively took a step back.  She felt her foot slide, the other skidding, trying to regain balance; her torso lurch
ed.  Fingers gripped hers, pulling her up.

She stared, wide-eyed, feet finding the floor, hands wrapped in his, high above her head.

'You're pretty dizzy,' Josh grinned at her.  'Poor old Froggy's going to have his work cut out with you.'

Her heart lurched as Josh released her.  She froze as felt his hands on her back, running up and down in a tingling surge, drawing her closer.

'I didn't come here to talk about Froggy,' he said huskily.

Lucy's pulse thundered.  She could barely catch her breath.  Josh gazed down at her, smile diminishing, gently sweeping the back of his knuckles down her cheek.

'How's the lip?' he said softly, staring at her mouth.

Lucy stared back, waggling her head.

'So, so.'

The words stuck in her throat.  Her pulse was deafening.  She watched him, leaning in, his eyes drawing shut, gasping as his lips gently met hers. 

Josh drew back.  The stare was scorching.  Could she touch him now?  She hesitantly placed her hands on his biceps.  She felt his arms tighten around her.  Josh gazed down as her fingers drifted up over his damp t-shirt, sweeping his taught shoulders; his neck, his face.  He sighed, closing his eyes, leaning into her touch.  The softness of his cheek, the swathe of stubble, tickly against her fingertips.  Lucy went up on tiptoe, kissing him back. 

She ran her hands through his cold, wet hair, breathing in that familiar woody scent.  Her tongue found his, exploring one another.  Josh's grip tightened.  Lucy heard him groan.

For the second time that day, something unravelled.  A
ball of warmth; that same electric current.

T
he door burst open noisily.

'Right then, Simkins.  What the fuck's going on?  I've had that arsewipe ex boyfriend of yours on the ph—'

Suzie froze. 

Josh and Lucy stared back, their arms still wrapped around one other.  Suzie gaped, mouth forming a perfect 'O'.  In a beat, she was giggling through it.

Lucy stepped back giddily, scraping her hair back behind her ears, Josh slipping an arm over her shoulder. 

'You've got chocolate on you,' Suzie grinned.

'I know,' Lucy smirked back.  'I had an accident with the
—'

'I wasn't talking to you,' said Suzie, nodding at Josh.

Three gazes darted to his khaki t-shirt, then to Lucy's alternately.  A perfect mirror image of the chocolate smear.  Lucy and Josh grinned at one another.

And just like that, Suzie flipped the open sign to closed; dropping the latch.  A cheeky wink and she stalked out of the shop.

'Friend of yours?' grinned Josh.

'Uh-huh.'

'She seems nice,' he nodded.

'I think so,' Lucy giggled, slipping her arms around his neck.  'Now where were we?'

'OK, Miss Simkins.  That's enough.'

Lucy's eyes blinked open.  She heeded the warning and froze.  Joshua slipped his arms around her waist, gazing down.

'Much as I'd like to put that chocolate sauce to good use,' he grumbled. 

Lucy watched his eyes draw shut. 

'And I really,
really
would...'

They flicked open again, like big, dark
dinnerplates, the smile spreading across his face.

'I didn't come here for that.'

'No?' Lucy teased, batting her eyelashes, cocking an eyebrow, smirking up.

'Lucy...' Josh warned her, fighting a smirk.  'I'm trying to be a gentleman here, cut me some slack...  I actually came here in my capacity as your ex instructor.'

He watched her brow crinkle.

'Oh?'

'We need to go over rules,' he said firmly.  'Number one rule of skydiving—'

'Never lie to your instructor,' Lucy said eagerly. 

Josh's eyes twinkled.

'Actually, I lied about that.  That was the guy who isn't such a gentleman... and wants to do unspeakable things with that chocolate sauce... just trying to find out whether you were single.'

Lucy's eyes flickered.  A grin burst across her face.  Her shoulders jigged as she giggled back.

'Rule number one,' he said seriously.  'Are you familiar with the concept of the beer fine?'

'...Beer fine?' 

He nodded back at her slowly.

'I figure I owe you one,' he confessed.  'And The Crown's OK and all,' he shrugged, 'but you know what they say. Variety is the spice of life.'

Lucy stared down at the smear on his t-shirt, perfectly mirroring hers.  Mary at The Admiral was going to have a field day with that.

'You've got chocolate on you,' she murmured.

'I don't mind,' Joshua told her.  Lucy gave him a look. 

She stood back, pulling out of his arms, crossing hers.

'Did you drive down here?'

'Yes.' Josh said in a singsong voice, rolling his eyes, placing his hands on his hips.

She thought for moment, then turned away.  She flicked off the lights, grabbing her jacket and bag.

'All right,' she relented, stuffing her arms through the damp sleeves, 'but the next round's on me.'

He grinned down at her.  She stared up at him.  That smile could stop traffic.

I don't know why you're so pleased with yourself. 
Lucy smirked, grabbing his hand, leading him out of the shop. 
You're on the shandy this time around.

For Sean, with love.

(Sorry I broke your skateboard.)

'Good morning,
Simkins!' boomed Froggy in his thick Glaswegian accent as Lucy stepped through the manifest door.  He was sitting cross-legged on one of the sofas with a clipboard in his lap, peering up at her, raising an eyebrow. 

'I trust we're all rested and recuperated and ready for another busy day?'

Lucy caught the smirk and flushed, looking down at the linoleum floor.  Josh slipped his arm around her shoulders, steering her up to the counter to sign in. 

'Leave it out,' Josh warned him over his shoulder. 

Froggy's hoots of laughter bounced off the walls. 

'I don't suppose it would do to keep your instructor waiting,' Josh grumbled in her ear as she added her swirly signature to the others.  Lucy giggled nervously, blue eyes rolling up to green.  Josh cupped her face, leaning down, kissing her gently.  Lucy's heart fluttered: a little taster of the night before.

Froggy groaned.

'Put her down lad, for
heeven's sake.'

One last show-stopping grin and Josh stepped back, watching
Froggy lead her away.

Froggy was a curious fellow.  A wee, wiry Scot; all messy black beard and dreadlocks, punctuated by dark, fiery eyes.  He looked like a miniature Captain Jack Sparrow.  He didn't sound like one though.  He sounded more like Begbie from Trainspotting.  He scared the crap out of Lucy on the first day.

'You must be Lucy.  I'm Jeremy.  You're here for the
AFF course, raight?'

The words blurted out like machine gun fire, voice loud, accent harsh - lots of rolling
Rs.  Lucy just stared at him. 

For a little guy, he was very imposing.  He had enough presence to fill Albert Hall. 

Joshua watched her, trying to stifle a smirk. 

No distractions this time around. 

She wasn't going to argue with her new instructor like she'd tried to with Josh.  Truth be told, Froggy could even make him a bit edgy.  Josh watched Lucy accept Froggy's outstretched hand, soon jostled by a firm shake.

'Why do they call you
Froggy?' she asked timidly, scraping her short blonde corkscrew curls behind her ears.

Josh grinned at her telephone voice.

'The surname's Fisher,' Froggy told her impatiently.  'You know.  Beatrix Potter and all that.'

'Oh.'

Froggy shot Josh a look.

'I
dunny know what y're smirking at, lad.  I take it y've told her y're middle name?'

Lucy turned to Josh, frowning, cocking her head.  His smile disintegrated.  A triumphant grin parted
Froggy's lips. 

You dare...
thought Joshua, narrowing his eyes at Froggy.  He turned and skulked away.

'You did brilliantly yesterday, Lucy,'
Froggy told her as they reached the training room.  'Keep it up, and we'll be finished by teatime.'

Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed.

'What?  Even the consolidation jumps?' she said doubtfully.

'So long as the weather holds,'
Froggy nodded. 

His eyes glittered.  He grinned, tilting his head to one side. 

'That's if you're not too tired...' 

Lucy flushed. 
Froggy felt a pang of guilt and relented, holding the door open, squeezing her shoulder.

'Aye,' he said reassuringly, guiding her inside. 

Lucy had waited a month to start the Accelerated Freefall course, since bouncing up and down in excitement after her tandem jump with Josh.  The skies had opened up - it had been rained off three weeks on the trot.  It began to seem like it just wasn't meant. 

Yet here she was, facing the possibility that tomorrow she could be a fully fledged skydiver, able to jump on her own.  Lucy's stomach lurched; she didn't know how to feel.  She didn't like the idea of doing it without Froggy. 

She'd jumped with him four times now - they had built up a bond.  Despite the gruff exterior, he was kind; he had her back.  He was always supportive, even after that awful first jump.

As she knelt at the door of the plane, breathing in that familiar choke of diesel, the wind rushing at her face, Lucy looked down at North Devon again.  It felt different this time around.  The leaves were turning, it was changing colour - it wasn't that.  She wasn't frozen by fear.

Martin knelt to her left,
Froggy to her right - she had to land the parachute herself today - Josh couldn't save her.  And yet in spite of that (or maybe because of it, maybe Lucy liked control), she felt calmer this time around.

She fought her way up onto her feet by herself, Martin holding the handhold of her blue jumpsuit, edging out of the door, holding onto the bar.

'Ready?'

There were wisps of cloud below them, high above the higgledy
piggledy patchwork.  The wind rushed at her face. 

She checked in: peering down the Cessna through the crowd of crash helmets.  She checked out: a sea of blue.  Lucy nodded quickly, eyes wide, heart thumping.

'Ready.'

As she could ever be.  The three of them fell out of the plane door.

They didn't somersault like she had with Josh.  She spread her arms immediately, pushing into an arch as hard as she could, making sure she went down belly first.  Martin and
Froggy had tight hold of her, one either side, their toes flicking up behind them as they clutched the yellow handholds of her jumpsuit. 

The wind rushed up, but there was that same feeling of weightlessness; that same burst of warmth in her chest.  The adrenaline surge twisted her lips into an inane grin. 

Lucy glanced at her altimeter.

'11,000!' she shouted under her left forearm at Marty. 

He smiled, cheeks and jowls flapping in the wind. 

Lucy fought the updraft to turn her head. 

'11,000!' she shouted under her right arm at Froggy.

His beard was rendered almost straight by terminal velocity, eyes fixing her hard through his goggles.  His lips parted in a blinding white grin.

She didn't know how they could hear her.  She couldn't even hear it herself beyond the rush of wind.  Lucy checked her heading, fixing Berry Head on the horizon.  She checked right, then left before looking at her altimeter again.

9,000?

Froggy's gloved hand appeared in front of her face, two fingers outstretched.

Straighten your legs.

Lucy did so very slowly.  The last of the bruises was only just fading from wind tunnel training when she'd gone at it too quick. 

She checked the altimeter again.

8,000 feet.

She quickly went through the practice pulls, arching as hard as she could, reaching out in front of her face with her left hand to steady herself, reaching back with her right, blinking in relief as she felt the drogue through her gloves.  She repeated the practice pull again and again.

Lucy saw Froggy's thumb and forefinger gripped in an O.

Circle of awareness.

She checked her altimeter; shook it.

That can't be right...

6,000 feet. 

When Lucy jumped with Josh, everything seemed to go in slow motion.  Freefall seemed to go on forever.  All her instincts told her the altimeter was wrong - she couldn't be that low already.  She squinted at it again.

5,500.

"Only an idiot knows better than the
alti,"
she remembered Martin saying in training.  She saw Froggy's hand again, forefinger outstretched.  Her stomach lurched.

Pull.

She heeded the warning; she didn't want them deploying for her.  Lucy quickly waved off.

She arched deeply, reaching out in front of her with her left hand one more time, snaring the drogue with her right, throwing it out to the wind.  She felt Martin and
Froggy let go; a sharp jolt and she was shooting upward.  She looked up.

‘One thousand and one, one thousand and…
'

Lucy grinned up at the square canopy.  She heard the wind calm, the gentle flap above her head: blue on miraculous blue. 

She felt the sun on her face; the rush.  Lucy squealed and clapped in excitement.  She reached up, pulling the toggles from the risers with a sharp tug.  She looked down at the chequered fields of North Devon; the glittering sea, the blue sky.  It was perfect.  Now all she had to do was land this thing.

Lucy saw Josh in his tight white t-shirt and navy blue jump pants sprinting across the field towards her as she honed in on the wet grass.  She ignored him, flaring; bending, dropping and rolling just like she'd been told.  It didn't hurt.  She got up, and kept running until she heard the parachute slump down behind her. 

He came at her, pulling her into his strong arms, pressing her against his warm chest.  She breathed in his scent as he held her against him.

'Lucy!' he panted.  'Are you OK?'

He held her back, hands pinning her hard by the shoulders, eyes a bright green blaze.

'OK?' she whooped.  'I'm fantastic!'

She stood there, beaming proudly.  She was bouncing off the walls.

He studied her for a moment, still trying to catch his breath.  Lucy's grin sank.  He was frowning.

'Is this thing working or what?' he murmured, wrenching the walkie talkie from her harness and shaking it.  'Testing,' he shouted into walkie talkie in his right hand.  Lucy's crackled back in his left.  Josh slumped to his knees, staring up; mouth open, still panting through it, dropping the walkie talkies on the grass.

Lucy heard a whoosh, turning to the right just in time to watch Froggy's graceful touchdown.  He landed up on tiptoe, like a ballerina, the orange parachute slumping behind him. 

She wrenched off her helmet, running her fingers through her blonde curls.  Josh said something else, but she couldn't hear.  Lucy plucked the plugs from her ears.

Josh knelt there, blinking up at her.  In a heartbeat, he sprang up, wrenching the earplugs from her fingers, staring at them in his palm, open-mouthed.