Maybe she’d overreached herself. Rick had taken his time over fetching his coat, and it had given Fleur time for second thoughts. She was so afraid of falling still. And there were certain people that she definitely didn’t want to bump into in Main Street.
But chickening out now would only prove him right. It would prove that she couldn’t face Maple Island, and Fleur wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. She pulled her hat onto her head, zipping up her coat and putting on her gloves. Even though they were unbearably warm inside, she’d have her crutches to deal with at the door of the clinic, which meant she had to think ahead.
As they walked slowly toward the entrance of the clinic, she could feel sweat dribble down her spine. This wasn’t the time for nerves. She could see an SUV parked up, just two steps away from the glazed doors of the clinic. Fleur took a breath and made for the doors, relying on her crutches to steady her instead of his outstretched arm.
The cold wind hit her hard when she stepped outside. Maybe she had spent a little too long inside. Rick opened the passenger door of the car, and Fleur hesitated, not sure which leg she should lead with. Finally she allowed Rick to help her.
“Okay. I’ve got it...” She settled herself into the front seat of the SUV, unable to let go of her crutches. They were all that stood between her and falling, and right now she felt that she was on very shaky ground.
She’d never been afraid before. When she’d performed, she’d always checked her own equipment, the way that the other dancers did. She’d been confident that the flying rig wouldn’t let her fall, but then she’d fallen. Since then she’d been unable to handle the possibilities for disaster that almost every situation presented.
“At least you’re not going to make me walk into town...” She attempted a joke, even though she was shivering.
“I’m not sure I fancy walking along here at the moment.” He was driving slowly out of the car park. The snow plow had left a clear path for them but snow was piled up on each side of the road.
“No one does.” It was comforting that in one thing, at least, she knew better than he did. “There’s a beach path. A bit windy in the winter, but it’s still a nice walk.”
He smiled. “Perhaps you’ll show it to me. Another day.”
Yeah. Another day. All Fleur
could think about at the moment was getting through the next hour or so. That was more than enough.
* * *
She had grit. Rick was under no illusions that most of that was directed at proving him wrong, but that was fair enough. When she’d stepped out of the front door of the clinic he had almost felt her panic, even though she’d been trying very hard to hide it.
Although it was pretty much impossible to get lost on the straight road into town, giving him directions seemed to calm her a little, as if it put her back in control. When keep going, straight ahead wore out, and she lapsed into silence, he leaned forward to switch on some music.
It was the wrong music, but it had the right effect. Fleur chuckled suddenly. “This is your favorite band?”
“No, it’s Ellie’s... My daughter.”
“And here I was thinking I’d found your Achilles’ heel. That you get into the groove with ‘Nellie the Elephant’.”
“I’m not admitting to that. Change it over if you want.” Fleur was already humming along with the music and he wondered whether she’d stretch forward or just leave it playing.
She leaned forward slowly.
“‘Driving’...” She scrolled through the list. “Perhaps not, we don’t have far to drive. ‘Soul’... Is that your soul or just soul music?”
“Just soul music.” Rick wasn’t ready to admit to having a soul at the moment, because that soul was telling him that a couple of laps around the island with Fleur wasn’t out of the question. Just so he could extend this time alone with her.
“Well, that’s not likely to give me any insight, then...” She aimed a sidelong grin at him. “‘Old Favorites.’”
She stabbed at the playlist title with her finger, leaning back in her seat. When the music started she smiled. “Well that’s unexpected.”
“I like sixties music.” He’d loved going through his grandmother’s old records when he’d been a kid. Learning how to operate the portable gramophone that she’d kept in the corner of the sitting room so he could play them. It had felt as if he’d had a proper home. Later, he’d danced to this music with Lara in the sitting room of their flat in London.
“So do I. We’ve done a few sets around this kind of thing. Summer of love and all that...” Fleur was suddenly silent. It seemed that the music meant something to both of them, in different ways. Something that was lost forever.
The mood didn’t last for long. As they entered the Main Street of Maple Island’s only town, she looked around suddenly. “Can we stop here? At the library?”
The library looked more like one of the older houses on the island than a public building, a stone-and-brick-built structure that had obviously been well tended over the years. But when Rick drew up, he could see the notice outside.
“I’d like to go in and get some books, if that’s okay.”
It was better than okay, this was exactly what he wanted. Fleur managed to get the car door open, shifting her legs round and planting one of the crutches tentatively on the ground.