Two of a kind, p.2
Two of a Kind, page 2
“You’ll see there are a selection of hard hats behind me. Find one that fits and make sure you can work the headlight. If you press the button to the side of the bulb once, it should light up, and if you press it again, it should change to red. Three presses turns it off.”
He stood back while they reached for hard hats, testing different sizes until they found the right one. “When you do them up, the straps should be firm beneath your chin,” he continued. “Make sure there’s enough room for you to breathe, but not enough to fit your finger into the gap.” He waited while people made adjustments, then asked, “Is everyone ready to go?”
Nods all round. He shut the vehicle door, donned a hard hat, and strode toward the lodge, talking over his shoulder. “Today we’ll be walking for about half an hour to the caves, and then spending another half hour inside them. Have any of you been to the caves before?” Turning, he paced backward for long enough to see the negative responses, and smiled. “That’s great. That means you’ll get to see the best parts your first time in.”
He scanned their feet, making sure they all had appropriate footwear. Most were wearing sneakers, although the middle-aged couple had professional-grade hiking boots. His gaze settled on the blonde, with her little pink shoes, and he scowled. Up close, he could see they were a brand that Claudia, an Instagram influencer, had been paid to endorse. He recalled this because he’d criticized their functionality, and she’d argued that it didn’t matter how grippy they were as long as they looked good. Did this blonde share Claudia’s view?
He sighed. Provided she took it carefully—and she appeared to be the type to do just that—they’d be fine. Besides, he shouldn’t make snap judgments about the woman based on her footwear. The group passed through the foyer and out the other side, crossing the garden to the base of the forest, where the trees grew tall and cast long shadows. Jack stopped walking and addressed them.
“We’re going to take it nice and easy. I’ll lead the way, since I’m the only one who knows where we’re going, but if you need a break or if I’m going too fast, yell out and let me know. Okay?”
They nodded.
“Will it all be uphill?” one of the older ladies asked.
“Yes, for the most part. The caves we’re visiting are set into a cliff face on a ledge about two hundred meters above us. But don’t worry, the climb is spaced out over one-and-a-half horizontal miles, so the incline isn’t bad.” He grinned. “I have every faith you can handle it.”
The two women didn’t seem so sure. Off to a promising start. By contrast, the other members of the group looked excited and impatient to begin, particularly the blonde, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet. Damn, she might not be his type, but she was cute.
Don’t be distracted by “pretty” or “cute.” Remember what happened last time?
He’d made sacrifices for Claudia, tried to bridge the gap between their social circles, and in return, discovered she didn’t consider him good enough for her. A fact she’d made abundantly clear both to him and her two-hundred-thousand Instagram followers. Talk about a rude awakening.
This woman isn’t Claudia, he reminded himself. Don’t treat her like she is.
“Everyone got water?” he asked, receiving a number of affirmations in response. “Before we get going, does anyone have a medical condition or injury I should know about?”
The old ladies glanced at the blonde, who heaved a sigh.
“I do,” she said, smoothing her hands over her pristine white tank top. “But I don’t expect it to be a problem.”
He scanned her from head to toe. She looked healthy enough, with a flush on her cheeks and all parts apparently in working order. Gesturing for her to come closer so the entire group wouldn’t overhear, he asked, “Can you tell me more? Is there medication you need to bring?”
She shifted from one foot to the other and twisted the hem of her shirt as though wringing water from it. The woman was visibly tense.
“I have asthma,” she said. “My inhaler is in my pocket.”
“Is it bad?” he asked.
“Not great, but it’s under control. I haven’t had an attack in months.”
“Okay then—”
“I also have hay fever, which I took my medication for this morning.” Straightening her shoulders, she finally met his gaze. “And I’m recovering from chronic fatigue.”
Oh, man. While the hay fever shouldn’t be a problem, he wasn’t sure how to handle chronic fatigue. To be honest, he wasn’t particularly familiar with the condition. But based on the stubborn tilt of her chin and the fire simmering in her clear blue eyes, she expected him to make a big deal of it.
“Is there anything you need from me?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “No. I’ll be fine. I’m used to managing my health, and I’m on the mend.”
She seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as him, and for a moment, he wished she hadn’t come. Not because she didn’t seem lovely, but because he didn’t have a clue what to do about her, and her reluctance to be completely open with him wasn’t helping. He needed to know she’d speak up if she ran into any problems.
“You’ll let me know if you’re struggling?”
She pressed glossy pink lips together, and her expression told him she didn’t want to agree. He paused. Something about those lips was familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Then she tucked her hands inside her elbows and nodded. “I’ll let you know.”
“Good.” Turning back to the others, he gestured toward the forest. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
Heading up the slope at about half his usual pace, he started a spiel about the age of the forest, and what native species could be found in it. About fifteen minutes into the walk, he became aware of a faint chattering behind him, the type that seemed like people were discussing something but trying to avoid notice. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the blonde was sucking on an inhaler. She saw him watching, stuffed it back into her pocket, and kept going, but the elderly ladies cast sidelong glances at her as if preparing to catch her should she keel over.
Jack gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to ask if she was okay. She’d said she’d tell him if she needed help, and he had to trust that, even though he was inclined to be mistrustful of her because of her resemblance to Claudia. A few minutes later, he heard a wet sniff, followed by a sneeze.
“Bless you,” he called.
They were a couple of hundred meters from the ridge when someone tapped his shoulder and he turned to see the taller of the blonde’s fussing companions, Mavis, behind him.
“Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Can we stop for a couple of minutes?” she asked. “Brooke needs a break, but she won’t say so herself.”
Jack gazed past Mavis, back down the trail at the blonde woman, who was panting heavily. Her cheeks had passed pink on their way to scarlet, her eyes were watering, and her nose was streaming. He bit back his frustration at the way she ducked her head when she saw him, and waited until she was more composed. When she was breathing normally, he continued to lead the way up the ridge, eventually cresting it and arriving at a gaping black hole in the cliff face.
“This is the cave we’ll be adventuring into today,” he told them. “It’s approximately five hundred meters long, and more than five meters tall in most places, but we will come across one point where it narrows and we’ll need to climb over an old rockfall to get to the other side, then crawl most of the way to the end.” He glanced at the older ladies. “I’m expecting that some of you won’t be able to make it over the rockfall, so you’ll wait on this side. We’ll only be gone another ten minutes or so.” He rubbed his palms together. “Does anyone have any questions?”
Mavis’s friend Nell raised her hand. “If someone were to, say, have an asthma attack inside, or faint and need to be carried out, is it best if they wait out here?”
The blonde gasped, and glared at her.
“Yes, that would be best, but I’ll leave it to everyone to evaluate whether they feel safe coming along.” He paced over to the blonde. “Are you doing okay? There’s no shame in staying behind.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m managing fine, thanks. Ignore Mavis and Nell. I know my body, and I know when it’s reached its limits. I’m not there yet.”
Jack couldn’t help but check out the body in question. No denying, she was attractive, and her stubbornness made him grin. Again, he was struck by that sense of recognition. “Remind me what your name is, blondie.”
Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. She looked utterly astounded by the simple question. And yeah, okay, she was Kat’s friend and they’d probably been introduced when they’d met before, but he wasn’t the best with names.
Her lips pressed together. “Brooke.”
“Brooke,” he repeated. “You stick close to me. It’s dark in there and I want to know you’re safe at all times.”
If Brooke knew how to throw a punch, and if she weren’t dying a little on the inside, she would have whacked the condescending smirk off Jack Farrelly’s gorgeous face.
He doesn’t know who I am.
How insulting was that? You’d think a guy would remember a girl’s face once he’d had his tongue down her throat. Earlier, she’d thought he was playing it casual, but no, she was so forgettable that even making out with her hadn’t got her name to stick in his memory. No wonder he hadn’t called. And to think she’d spent the day worrying this entire thing would be awkward because of their kiss. Forget discomfort and uncertainty, she’d just plunged headlong into anger and humiliation.
Her fingers twitched and she clenched them into a fist. The feminist in her demanded she let loose on him. How dare he kiss her and then forget her, as if all women were interchangeable? Yes, she’d been in costume when they’d hooked up, but she hadn’t looked that different.
“Fine,” she muttered, her fury simmering hotter because, in addition to forgetting her, he was also coddling her. She’d been wrapped in cotton wool most of her life, since before the open-heart surgery she had as a kid, and she was well and truly over it. “I’ll stay close.”
Everest, she reminded herself. Think of Everest.
She had a mission to achieve, and it was bigger than Jack Farrelly and her hurt pride. When she was thirteen, she’d made a pact with her friend Olivia to one day hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. Olivia had passed away eight months ago now, and while she may not be able to fulfill their pact, Brooke would do it for her. After an entire month of feeling human, she was finally daring to set goals.
Bottling up her injured feelings and embarrassment, she put a cork in them. They wouldn’t serve her well.
“Great.” Jack offered her a hand as he led them into the cave, but she ignored it, and switched on her head torch. It illuminated the space around her. Looking up, she saw that the cave ceiling was high and curved, composed of brown rock. There were no stalactites hanging from it, and she wondered why. A dark tunnel led further into the cliff. Anticipation buzzed through her. She was actually here. In a cave in the bush. Inside one of nature’s wonders.
She grinned, though no one could see her. Two years ago, she’d never have dreamed she’d ever be in this position, yet here she was. She’d come such a long way, and there was no reason why, in a few months’ time, she couldn’t be warming her hands on a mug of instant coffee at Everest Base Camp and drinking an extra on Olivia’s behalf. That image fired her up more than anything, and she hurried to keep up with Jack. Watching the rocky and uneven ground, she progressed into the cave. It was hard to believe she’d lived within a half hour’s walk of this place and never been here. It was amazing. Not at all claustrophobic, like she’d expected.
“How did the cave form?” she asked into the dark.
“Don’t know,” Jack called back. “Geology isn’t my strong suit. “
She’d have to look it up when they returned to the lodge. As they moved around a bend, the daylight faded to a pale slash behind them, and then vanished from view completely. Brooke wondered whether it would be pitch black if they were to turn off their head torches. Detouring to one of the cave walls, she ran a finger along the rock. It was cold and damp, rough to touch. Trailing a finger along, she studied the contours, so preoccupied that she walked straight into someone’s back, and had the air knocked out of her.
“Oof,” she gasped. The man in Kathmandu gear peered over his shoulder at her, and she apologized. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” he said.
Trying and failing to draw a deep breath, she fished in her pocket for her inhaler, which probably wouldn’t be any help but was better than nothing, and dragged on it. Then she jammed it back and raised her arms above her head to open her lungs.
A figure appeared at her side. “Are you okay, Brooke? Do you need to stop? Is there anything I can do to help?”
She flushed red to the roots of her hair. Thank God no one could see. She hadn’t realized the entire group was waiting, and worse, Jack was hovering over her like a worried parent. Her cheeks burned and she wished the ground would swallow her up. What must he think of her?
Why do you care? He’s guilty of a kiss-and-run!
“I’ll be okay in a moment.”
A light touch landed on her back. “We’ll wait.”
Seconds ticked by, and despite her mortification, she eventually recovered. “I’m better now.”
“Good,” Jack said briskly. “But please tell me if that changes. This second part is a bit harder.” He aimed his headlight further into the cave and raised his voice. “Behind me, you’ll see that there’s a pile of rock that reaches nearly all the way to the cave ceiling. What you’ll need to do, if you want to go on, is climb over the rock pile, and from there we’ll be crawling.” Was it Brooke’s imagination, or did he look pointedly at her when he said that? “So, who’d like to go first?”
“Me,” she said, so softly no one seemed to hear. “Me,” she repeated, more loudly.
Jack’s face twisted in concern. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She stood firm. She didn’t want to give him any reason to look at her with pity. On top of everything, she didn’t think she could handle that. She wanted him to see her as a desirable woman, an equal, not someone he needed to fuss over.
“You won’t have to carry me out, I can promise you that.” It was a bold promise, but one she intended to keep. If she couldn’t leave under her own steam, she’d hide in a corner and hibernate until she recovered.
“Okay,” he said, clearly dubious, but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Away you go. I’ll be right here. If you run into trouble, yell out.”
Brooke summoned her strength—what little of it she possessed—and clambered up the pile of rocks, which shifted and wobbled beneath her feet. It was hard work. By the time she reached the top, her breathing was shallow and her arms and legs felt weak.
“Are you okay up there?” someone asked. Not Jack.
“I’m great,” she replied, then dropped over the other side of the rock pile, where they couldn’t see her, and switched her light off while she rested.
When she heard another person scaling the rocks, she flicked it back on and scrambled down until she reached the cave floor. At this point, it was about four feet high—enough to crawl comfortably, but not enough for a grown person to walk upright. Shuffling to the side, she waited. First over the pile was the man she’d bumped into. His wife followed, and then the younger couple. Jack came last. Mavis and Nell must have opted to wait on the other side.
Jack crawled to the front of the group. “Nice and roomy over here, eh?”
Someone sniggered. Meanwhile, Brooke thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t been cursed with claustrophobia as well as every other malady.
“The tunnel continues for another hundred meters,” he told them. “It opens up into a cavern at the end, so you’ll be able to stand again.”
With that, he started into the dark. Brooke trailed close behind, recalling her promise not to venture far from him. She was so caught up in the wonder of the place that she hardly noticed her palms scrape on the ground as she moved, or her knees knock into pointy stones. She was in a cave. Surrounded by rock on all sides. Adventuring. She laughed. It echoed around them, sounding slightly maniacal. Jack glanced over his shoulder.
“It’s so awesome,” she said by way of explanation.
He grinned. “Sure is.”
After a while, they came to a low-hanging rock, and she had to drop to her belly to fit beneath it. On the other side was the cavern Jack had mentioned. It was easily the size of the communal living room at Sanctuary. She got to her feet and strode around the perimeter. After a few minutes, Jack called them to attention.
“Everyone, turn off your lights. Three clicks.”
Brooke felt for her button and did as he said. The lights flickered out, one by one, leaving them in total darkness. Wow. Even in the dead of night, with the forest on one side and the sea on the other, she’d never been in darkness quite as inky and perfect as this.
“Amazing,” a female voice said.
“Nowhere else is as dark as the inside of a cave.” This voice was Jack’s, deep and rumbly. Strange, how she’d never noticed how sexy a voice could be. It matched the man. Unfortunately, however sexy he may be, he was also a jackass.
Trying to put him to the back of her mind, she focused on the darkness cocooning them. If she stared into it for long enough, she imagined she could see patches of light and the outline of shapes, but she knew that was just her brain filling in the blanks, deceiving her. The flashes of texture in the dark reminded her of the 1915 painting, The Black Square, which was quite literally a square painted black. Something she’d never understood, until now.
