Page 10 of Three's a Crowd
Leaving Pont behind, they walked on for another few minutes until they reached a river which could only be crossed by stepping stones. They all jumped across one by one until only Zach and Daisy were left on the bank.
‘Go on Dizzy, you first,’ Zach muttered, his sharp tone harsh to her ears.
She turned to look at him. This was the first time he’d addressed her directly all day, she realised. He just stared back at her blankly, his face not giving away a single emotion.
‘Okay then,’ she said, pushing her shoulders back and stepping forwards confidently, determined not to let his unfriendliness bother her.
‘Watch your step,’ she heard him say behind her, irony heavy in his voice.
She ignored him.
Arrogant idiot.
He’d always been scathing about anything physical she did, as if she was just some silly, weak girl who would fall over her own feet if not watched like a hawk. It had only made her more determined to do everything he did. And then some. This had intensified as they’d got older and she’d regularly get hurt trying to join in with the rowdy games the boys favoured.
Unfortunately, this time his warning was just.
Half way across, her muddy old trainers, which had lost most of their grip on the soles after a year of hard wear, slipped on some damp moss on the middle stone when she jumped onto it. She hung in the air for a moment, her arms wind-milling at her sides, desperately trying to regain her balance.
It was not to be.
In what felt like slow motion, she toppled sideways into the freezing cold water, which immediately soaked through herclothing and filled her shoes. The water was too shallow to fully immerse her head, but she found it hard to pull herself upright because of the weight of her wet clothes and the fact she was already stiff with cold.
She started to panic, her racing heart lodging somewhere in her throat and her breathing coming out in gasps.
‘Daisy, don’t worry. I’m coming,’ she was aware of Zach saying through the cotton wool that seemed to have filled her brain.
He reached her a couple of seconds later and grabbed her by the arm, trying to haul her out of the water. She was flailing around now, unable to right herself as the panic got a stronger grip on her, and she jerked the arm he was holding, which sent him off balance too. With a shout of alarm, he lost his footing and toppled into the water next to her with a resounding splash.
The shock of seeing Zach fall in stopped the oncoming hyperventilation in its tracks and she managed to recover herself enough to sit up. She turned to see him scowling at her, his previously artistically styled hair flattened by the water.
If she hadn’t been so cold and miserable, she would have laughed.
The others had no such compunction and a roar of hilarity reached them from the other side of the bank.
Andy and Jack picked their way carefully back over the stones and eventually managed to pull the two of them up out of the water, good naturedly scolding them for their carelessness and trying not to smile at their aggrieved faces.
‘I think you two ought to go back to the house and get dry and warm,’ Jack suggested, once they’d returned to the bank they’d just been trying to leave, handing Daisy a key to the cottage. ‘Get straight into the shower.’
Daisy just nodded miserably, sneaking a look at Zach, who did not look pleased about the turn of events.
‘Sorry,’ she muttered.
He just glared at her, pushing his hand through his hair so it stuck up in wild peaks.
He still looks sexy, even when he’s soaked through and angry,Daisy mused, before shaking the thought from her head. That was exactly what he’d love to think, but he’d never hear it from her.
The rain started lashing down again as they trudged back in silence, neither one willing to speak first. Daisy was hyper aware of his agitated presence beside her, but was afraid of provoking a tirade of insults if she opened her mouth, so she kept it firmly shut.
When they eventually reached the house, soaking wet and shivering with cold, they found the power had shorted out.
‘One of the bulbs must have blown,’ Zach said, through clenched teeth. ‘So we won’t be able to use the showers. I think they’re both electric. And there’s probably not enough hot water for a bath after everyone used up the tank this morning.’
‘Can we fix it?’ Daisy asked, immediately feeling a bit stupid for doing so. Of course they could put the power back on; they just needed to find the electricity box.
‘We could try the trip switch; it’s probably in the cellar,’ he replied, his annoyance apparently only just in check.
There was a key in the cellar door but when Zach turned it, then tried the handle, he found it was really stiff to open. Sighing, he braced himself before throwing himself against it until it swung open.
