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‘Sorry,’ she smiled, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her waist as he steadied her.
Sadly, her pride in her achievement was short-lived. When she chanced a peek over the edge to the ground below she experienced a sharp twinge of vertigo, which sent her shooting backwards to glue her spine to the tree trunk, her stomach contracting around something akin to a miniature porcupine. Despite wearing gloves, her palms were already smarting from the friction caused by clutching onto the wire, but that was nothing compared to the twist of terror she felt when she saw how far up they were.
‘It’s probably best if you don’t look down!’ laughed Zach.
The fragrance of damp leaves and Zach’s citrus-scented cologne pushed her senses into overdrive, and she was suddenly overtaken by a bout of uncontrollable trembling. Zach grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back until her jitters passed. Her eyes locked onto his then dropped down to the curve of his lips. Whilst François’ safety briefing hadn’t specifically banned kissing, a shaky wooden platform ten metres from the ground wasn’t the most appropriate place to indulge in a passionate embrace.
Thankfully the moment was broken by a shriek from an escaping parrot and before she knew what was happening, Zach was reattaching her clip to the next zip wire.
‘Just remember to look straight ahead and enjoy the experience!’
She found Zach’s eyes, taking strength from his silent support. She inhaled a steadying breath, then tipped her weight from the platform. Sweat trickled down her spine and her fringe stuck to her forehead beneath her helmet. However, she could feel the intensity of Zach’s reassurance vibrate through the air, so she gathered every last ounce of courage she possessed and forced herself to enjoy the ride.
‘Having fun?’ Zach asked when he landed gracefully next to her.
‘Erm…’ she murmured.
‘Don’t worry, the best is yet to come. After you.’
Millie swallowed down the rampaging emotions the last few minutes had stirred and wriggled her toes to the edge of the final wooden platform – this time without being coaxed. Every one of her senses had been woken from their slumber. Every nerve ending tingled, every pore in her body exuded an unexpected surge of confidence. This time she leapt into the air with a whoop of excitement, feeling almost intoxicated by the exhilaration of soaring through the lush tropical canopy like a bird spreading its wings for the first time.
Her passage sent tree lizards and manicou scuttling from her path, and her hair flew high into the air from beneath the confines of her safety helmet. She even swung her legs to encourage extra speed until once again she landed in an unseemly heap on a mound of shredded bark that marked the end of their adventure.
‘That was awesome!’ she screamed as Zach landed next to her, his face alight with pleasure.
‘Didn’t I tell you that you’d have fun? And it’s great to see the real Millie poking through that comfort blanket you’re so determined to wrap yourself up in. You have to be prepared to squeeze the most out of every day, push your boundaries and grasp the world by the scruff of its neck. Otherwise we become stuck in a rut and who wants to live that kind of existence?’
Millie couldn’t help herself. She was so overwhelmed by what she had achieved that morning that she slung her arms around Zach’s neck and gave him a kiss – despite her determination to play it cool. She knew what he had said was right. She had been hiding beneath a cloak of misery after Luke had left her, and it was time to make some changes and move on.
‘Thank you, Zach. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. At this precise moment, I feel like I could do just about anything! Overcome any challenge that life throws in my direction. It was exactly what I needed.’
‘You’re welcome. However, this morning’s excursion into new experiences is not over yet! Come on, I’ll race you back to the car!’
Chapter Nine
As they wound their way down the hill back to civilisation, Millie slipped into a daydream. Whilst Zach’s hands were clenched firmly on the steering wheel as he negotiated the sharp bends and avoided the huge potholes, she was still agonisingly aware of his proximity. Her throat was dry, and her fingertips buzzed with anticipation whenever he glanced across and smiled. The way he looked at her made her feel special, that she was important to him, and that he didn’t want to be anywhere else other than by her side.
She had never expected to feel such a strong physical attraction to anyone so quickly after splitting with Luke and she struggled to understand how to react. The more time she spent with Zach, the harder it was to deny that she had developed a closeness with him that her relationship with Luke had lacked.
Nevertheless, the fact remained that her stay in St Lucia was temporary and despite her internal struggle to resist grabbing him and indulging in a kissing marathon right there and then, the last thing she wanted was to embark on a holiday romance because that way the progress she had made since arriving on the island, in all areas of her life – professional and personal – would be wound back to the beginning and she couldn’t risk that.
Or could she?
If she was aware from the outset that it was only going to be a fling, something short and deliciously sweet, then what harm would that do? In fact, it might just help her to paper over all the remaining cracks in her self-esteem that Luke’s cheating had caused and producing a stronger, more resilient outlook over the romantic landscape.
She wondered what was going on in Zach’s mind. There was no way he couldn’t have noticed the chemistry between them, she had seen the scorching looks he gave her when he thought she wasn’t looking. But what did that mean? He too had recently emerged from a relationship, although he and Clio hadn’t lived together and the reason they had separated was because she had demanded a commitment Zach hadn’t been able to offer.
They reached the outskirts of Castries, the island’s capital, and she knew immediately where Zach was headed. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Of course, he probably didn’t know that she had been there before, but in any event, it was one of her favourite places on St Lucia so an unexpected repeat visit was going to be a real treat.
Even at that early hour the place bustled with a menagerie of people, some laden with bulging shopping bags, others pulling overburdened trollies, and others still lugging huge plastic crates piled with fish to their vehicles to feed hungry lunchtime tourists.
‘Brace yourself for an assault on the senses!’ Zach declared, swerving the car into the tiniest of parking spaces and leaping from his seat.
Millie didn’t want to spoil Zach’s fun so she kept quiet about her familiarity with Castries’s famous outdoor market. Her spirits soared as she walked up the steps to be confronted by a kaleidoscope of colours. She paused on the threshold and took a moment to inhale the sweet smell of paradise floating on the air from the stall to her right: nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, star anise, ginger, a spice-filled medley of happiness in one sniff. She knew she would never be able to bake a batch of mince pies without thinking of this glorious market within whose environs were some of the freshest herbs and spices she had ever encountered.
They meandered down the rows of stalls, stopping so Millie could snatch up a woven jute bag embroidered with a map of the island from a smiling vendor who assured her that she had hand-sewn and decorated it herself. Armed with her basket, Millie succumbed to the insistent call of her shopping gene. She would have loved to be accompanied by her mother and sister with whom she liked to spend time mooching around the markets in Provence, but Zach turned out to be a fabulous substitute. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic for the locally grown produce, and a great help with the inevitable bartering, not to mention carrying the three bottles of local rum she’d bought, one of which even had Pippa’s name scrawled on the label!
‘Planning a party or are these for personal use only? I feel obliged to warn you that that stuff’s lethal in large doses.’
