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Finally, the road leveled out, and my legs didn’t have to work quite so dang hard to keep me moving forward.
“Oh, thank God,” I panted. Fingers crossed that would be the worst of it.
Now that I rode at an easier pace, I relaxed a little more, and the clouds darkening my thoughts cleared. It was like my stress-exercising after a weekend of work—I’d burned off my anger along with a couple of calories. All that was missing were the strobe lights and a pumping bass beat.
We reached a junction where the road began to slope down toward the coast, and I could let off my frantic pedaling. Trees surrounded us like we were riding through a fairy woodland, but I would have appreciated the beauty more if my lungs hadn’t collapsed several miles back.
Duncan rode up level to me. “How are you doing?”
“I’m going to live.” Probably.
I couldn’t bear thinking about how I must have looked. Did sweaty swamp monsters appeal to silver foxes? Time would tell.
“Do you want to walk up to the Fairy Glen?”
Our maps showed a short hike to a waterfall ahead. I’d planned to do whatever the others did, but that option had long gone.
“Do you think we have time?” No way of knowing how long it might take me to finish the circuit. If the first leg were any indication, it could be days.
“Absolutely.”
God bless this man’s optimism. “Lead the way.”
A mile or so later, he turned off the road into a gravel car park where we left our bikes. Dismounting eased the soreness in my bum, but my legs shook with every step I took. A twenty-mile ride might not have been the sanest choice I could have made today. Either I would finish my time here with sculpted legs to rival Taylor Swift’s or I would never be able to walk again. Sightseeing from a Rascal was still in my grasp.
I was way too tired to convert the sign marking kilometers into measurements I understood. “I hope this isn’t far. My legs are jelly.”
“Do you need a hand?”
I was about to protest I wasn’t that far gone, but then Duncan’s big warm hand wrapped around mine and I most definitelywasthat far gone. My legs went wobbly for all new reasons, but no way would I let go.
We walked up a muddy path that cut alongside a stream, crossing it on small footbridges several times as we wound through the forest. Lush trees, flowers, and mosses filled the glen. The air was close and heavy beneath the thick tree canopy overhead, the smell of damp earth and ferns intoxicating. If the color green had a scent, this was where they’d bottle it.
We turned a bend in the path, and the low waterfall laid out before us. Rocks split the wide stream as it cascaded down, forming twin falls that fell in sheets into a little pool.
“This is gorgeous.” I could see why it was called the Fairy Glen—it looked like something right out of children’s stories.
“I’ve never seen a better view.”
I realized Duncan was looking atme, and I rolled my eyes. “You charmer.”
“Just speaking truth.” He squeezed my hand. “Shall we lunch here?”
We found a log on the riverside and sat down. I couldn’t eat much. I was still full from the huge breakfast, and the strain of the ride hadn’t helped my appetite. I nibbled at a berry scone and drank some water, watching other visitors come and go.
A dozen people walked through the shady trees to the waterfall while we sat beside the pools. Peace signs were thrown around, photographs snapped, and hikers trekked on. Two children laughed and splashed in the water, making their parents lunge after them when they waded in too deep.
The bike ride had given me some clarity, but the Fairy Glen soothed my heart. The magical place had set my spirits to rights, and the tangle of irritated nerves that had been gnawing at me loosened their grip. I took a deep breath and exhaled like I could clear out the last of my dark thoughts. “This is just what I needed.”
Duncan’s open, curious look proved dangerous—it could tempt me to bare my whole soul without him saying a word.
“You asked why I decided to come here on vacation? It started when my ex-boyfriend got engaged six months after we broke up.”
His eyebrows ticked up. “That’s a fast turnaround.”
“Yeah. Clearly, hecouldhave big, overwhelming feelings, just not for me.” I didn’t regret our break up, but I’d be lying if I said his change of heart hadn’t made me question myself. Wonder if, as Bea suspected, the problem had been me all along. “I don’t think I ever felt that way about him, either, for the record. But it wasn’t only that. My parents are enjoying a whole new stage of life in their retirement. My best friend just had her first baby, and I found out this morning that she’s moving away next month. And I’m just…”
I wasn’t really sure how I wanted to finish that sentence. I was treading water while everyone else swam off on adventures. I had a good life, with a good job and lasting friendships. By most standards, I was pretty well-off financially. I had the most fantastic dog around. I wasn’t miserable. But a growing piece of me wantedmore.I just couldn’t define exactly what.
