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‘Now the rest.’
The cushions were large and unwieldy, but she held them up, feeling him take their weight. Then the bundle that lay beneath them, a throw, wrapped together with a roll-up mattress and a waterproof sheet. Another pause, and then Lucas reappeared, climbing back down.
‘Now you. Can you climb?’
Of course she could, but she let him guide her up the framework of steps just for the sheer pleasure of it. As they got up amongst the branches she could see the platform, still there and now surrounded by sturdy guardrails.
‘Ava uses this in the summer. She and her friends go up there and… I don’t know what they do. Play bridge, probably.’
‘No boys?’
‘No boys. This is a women-only tree. Apart from me, that is.’
‘One rule for her and another for you?’
‘Yep. That’s the way it goes.’ Lucas guided her forward and she climbed over the guardrail, her feet meeting softness. Lucas had spread the mattress over the wooden platform and it was strewn with cushions. Shot silk and gold thread gave a rich, sumptuous feel to the fabrics, and above her head a light glimmered.
‘What is that doing there?’
‘Seemed like the right place for it.’
Not many trees could boast a chandelier suspended in their branches, let alone one that lit up. ‘Suppose so.’
‘We found it in a junk shop. It polished up quite well, don’t you think?’
‘It’s lovely. I like the red sparklies.’ Thea craned up to see where the cable that ran from the top went.
‘There’s a solar panel further up. You just have to hang the chandelier and clip the cable on.’ Lucas guided her over the rails and onto the platform. ‘Make yourself comfortable.’
Thea sat down. The night was still warm, and the twisted branches over her head seemed to curl protectively around her. Nothing could touch her here. The leaves rustled as the breeze caught them and the red glass hanging from the chandelier tinkled. She slipped off her shoes, and stretched out on the cushions.
He levered himself up, and onto the platform next to her. ‘You like it?’
‘I love it. It’s so peaceful up here. It feels like a secret place, where the world can’t find us.’
In the half-light his face seemed even more handsome. The worry lines that creased his brow had softened, and his smile seemed warmer somehow. Lucas reached for her, and she curled into his arms.
* * *
Lucas was dimly aware of the breeze on his face and the sun, somewhere beyond his closed eyelids. And that there was a warm body next to him. He moved on the makeshift nest of cushions, and Thea stirred then settled back into sleep.
He’d thought about this often. He hadn’t reckoned on it ever happening again, and certainly not quite like this, but the warm remembrance of waking up with her had never quite left him. He’d missed the sex but he’d reconciled himself to that loss. Now he realised that the thing he’d really never come to terms with losing was waking up with Thea.
His shoulder ached, and he’d lost the feeling in one arm. Gingerly he slid it out from under her, and she shifted again. Then her eyes opened.
He’d wondered if she might not remember where she was and start to panic. But she just smiled sleepily. ‘Hello.’
‘Hey. All right?’
‘Mmm. It’s nice and warm up here.’ She snuggled against him under the quilt. ‘Are you warm enough?’
‘Yes.’ Lucas curled his legs up to slide his feet under the covers and felt them tangle with hers. Felt her toes brush against his.
‘Ow. Your feet are freezing!’ He felt her foot rub against his. ‘I’ll warm them up.’
He found himself laughing quietly, at the pure joy of it all. He hadn’t quite meant for them to finish up like this but, then, he hadn’t meant for them not to either. All he’d known last night had been that she shouldn’t be alone, that she’d needed a friend and not a lover. And this old tree had been a place of refuge for him all his life.
‘What’s the time?’ Her fingers curled around his wrist, and he moved his arm so she could see his wristwatch. Such a little thing, but one of the many little things he remembered her doing when they’d been together. Lucas’s heart almost exploded out of his chest.
