Page 2 of A Summer of New Beginnings
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Zara had left her bicycle at home today, figuring it was far too hot to make the thirty-minute journey her usual way. And seeing as parking near work in Central London was a nightmare the old rust bucket of a car would stay in its little allocated space too. She often wondered why she even had a car for the minimal number of times it saw the light of day – mainly to visit her folks every fewweeks when work and social life allowed.
The Tube journey to the office was only short but she loved people-watching. London was so immensely diverse and regardless of how many times she made the trip to work she rarely saw the same people twice. Whether it was a person with bright pink hair, someone with many piercings or a brightly dressed character wearing flamboyant, Mardi Gras style clothesamongst the suited business types, the variety of Londoner on the morning commute, was vast. Today’s train journey was overly warm and an odour of sweat permeated her nostrils, which was rather distracting and very unpleasant. A man in a dirty T-shirt stood close by, reading a novel in one hand and clinging onto the overhead rail with the other. He had a distinctly damp patch around his armpitand when the train jerked to a halt at her station he almost landed in her lap.
‘Sorry, love,’ he mumbled without even making eye contact. That was the only thing she disliked about the capital; people could be quite impersonal. She didn’t bother to respond and grabbed her bag, before making her way to the exit and stepping quickly off the train.
It was only eight in the morning, but the citywas already buzzing to life. Fumes from the myriad of vehicles on the packed roads burned her lungs and she coughed hard. She had only been away a few days but already her body had got used to the fresh sea air they had been filled with, and for a moment she missed the golden, sandy beach of the resort hotel she’d had the pleasure of staying in. Her melancholy was brief, seeing as she knew she’dbe off on her travels again before long. The piece for the magazine had already been emailed in and Noah, her long-haired, Australian editor and founder of the magazine, had already gushed about her wonderful prose. He had called her into the office today for a meeting and she just knew it was going to be about her next assignment. This was the best part of her job.
She grabbed a takeout coffeefrom a street vendor just outside the Tube station and set off to walk to the imposing office block whereThe Bohemianwas situated. The cerulean sky overhead was cloudless and the sun glinted off the windows of each of the tall buildings that surrounded her as she walked. Her back was warm from the rays that were reaching earth without much of a barrier and she questioned her choice of beverage.As she took tentative sips of the steaming liquid, she dodged other business people making their way to work; most of them sharing one side of their phone conversations as they hurried along, heads down, deep in concentration.
She arrived at the office and took the lift to the fourth floor. The small, enclosed metal box was hot and claustrophobic and she couldn’t wait for the air conditioningof the office. Although many times when she visited she recalled needing to wear a cardigan as Noah set the temperature on the AC unit and she felt sure he was really a menopausal woman in disguise. Today, however, the cool air would be welcome.
There was a bizarre hush as she entered the open-plan area of the office where the casually dressed advertising agents were based. She caught the eyeof Marco, one of the friends she’d made very early on in her time with the magazine. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.Oh, great, what the hell has happened?Why was there such a negative atmosphere around the place that was usually filled with laughter and chatter? She mouthed the words, ‘What’s happened?’ But Marco just huffed air through puffed cheeks and shook his head again.
She glancedover to Dillon’s office and saw the blinds were closed. She guessed that he and Noah had had one of their arguments. Dillon had been the other travel writer ever since the first publication and he was the longest-standing member of Noah’s staff. The two men were close friends and were known for being brutally honest with each other. No doubt she’d find out the gossip later from Marco. He loveddrama and the first chance he’d get, she felt sure he would fill her in with the gory details.
‘Ah, here she is – our intrepid luxury travel writer,’ Noah announced loudly as he appeared from the direction of his own office and she felt her cheeks heating as all eyes were suddenly fixed on her. ‘Come on through, Zara, I have great news for you.’
She quickly forgot about Marco and Dillon andadvertising people as a buzz of excitement rippled up her spine and she followed Noah into his office.
As he closed the door she took a seat. ‘I’m excited to hear what you’ve got for me. That last trip was absolutely wonderful. I never really associated Miami with luxury holidays but I can now concur that I was wrong.Youwere right.’ She knew he liked to be buttered up and a little greasingof his ego would help keep her in his good graces.
Noah took a seat behind his desk and smoothed down his collarless, pale blue linen shirt. She had expected something a little different when she had applied for this job, and as soon as she’d walked through the doors on the day of her interview, she’d realised she wasn’t far from the mark with her assumptions. In spite of sending his journalistsoff on trips all over the world by aeroplane, Noah was very much into green living. Everything he ate was vegetarian, and everything he owned was fair trade or home-grown. She envied the lush green garden at his luxury North Cray home. She’d been in complete awe at the first summer gathering he’d held at his palatial house and hoped that one day she’d have a place where she could sit and enjoysome beautiful scenery and perhaps pluck fruit from her own trees. It wouldn’t be quite so grand as Noah’s, obviously. His wife was from a wealthy family and ran her own fashion business whilst their kids went to one of the best private boarding schools in London. Zara knew she’d likely never be so rich.
He wagged a finger at her and grinned. ‘Ah, I knew you’d love it.’ He leaned back and placedhis feet up on his desk. ‘So, tell me what you thought ofPuesta De Sol.’
The restaurant recommendation had been something she had been sure to make a note of. ‘Oh, Noah, it was incredible. The crab claws were to die for. And the tamales…’
He nodded. ‘I love their gazpacho,’ he said dreamily with a shake of his head. ‘So fresh and aromatic. I really must go back there soon.’ He suddenly clappedhis hands and Zara almost jumped out of her skin. ‘Now, what’s next for Zara Bailey?’
She knew it was a rhetorical question as she grinned, grabbed her notebook and pen from her bag and straightened her spine. ‘Yes, do tell.’
He frowned and pursed his lips. ‘Now, you know we’re a team here atThe Bohemianand we have each other’s back?’
She nodded, no clue where he was going with this. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Good… good. Well, I have arealchallenge for you. Something for you to get your teeth into. Something different.’
Her mind began to whir with all the possibilities. Was it going to be some far-flung country in Asia or Africa? Or maybe something on a cruise ship? Her heart skipped in anticipation. ‘Go on’ she insisted, eyebrows raised, body leaning slightly forward.
He held his hands up inthe air and simply said, ‘Scotland.’
She paused and crumpled her brow. ‘I’m sorry – what? I thought you said Scotland for a moment.’ A nervous giggle escaped her throat.
He grinned. ‘That’s because I did.’
Hmm. Okay. Scotland isn’t exactly what I expected but let’s see where he’s going with this.She tried to smile. ‘Scotland?’ She nodded. ‘Scot…land, okay.’ She was trying to appear excited.She knew there were some very luxurious hotels round Scotland but she wasn’t really sure how this would all come together. Then it dawned on her: Scotland was going to be the starting point for some amazing cruise to the Norwegian Fjords or something equally wonderful. Perhaps she would be required to stay somewhere like The Balmoral in Edinburgh before boarding ship or whatever they called it.She’d seen pictures of the rooms there and they really were beautiful. In fact, she was very much aware that the stars loved the place so who might she bump into for a quote for her piece? The cast ofOutlandermaybe?Hmm… Sam Heughan… yes, please. And Norway… excellent. Another stunning destination she could tick off her list.
She breathed a relieved sigh. ‘And then where?’
Noah frowned. ‘Idon’t get you.’
Her palms were sweating and she almost lost the grip on her pen. ‘Well, obviously you wouldn’t want me to write aboutScotland. I mean, I usually go to more far-flung places. So, where am I heading off to afterstartingin Scotland?’
He lowered his feet to the floor and linked his fingers together, resting them on the desk. ‘Zara, the assignmentisScotland.’
She was noddingas if she had no control over her head. ‘I see… I see.’
Noah now wore a serious expression and cleared his throat. ‘It’s like this, Zara – Dillon would be the go-to guy for this assignment but he hastodayhanded in his notice. He’s accepted a position with a rival magazine.’ He almost curled his lip as he uttered the words. ‘So, he’s in the process of packing up his desk for garden leave.’
This came as a huge shock. Dillon appeared to love his job.The Bohemianwas his life; travelling all the wild and rugged places for work was his dream job.
‘Oh… I had no idea…’
Noah nodded slowly, a deep crease crumpling his forehead. ‘Hmm. It was a shock to me too. But anyway, I figured as you’re the other travel writer and you’re a dedicated team player you’d be right up for the challenge.’
Slowly a realisation began to sink down onto her. Pushing her into her chair, and she felt herself getting lower. ‘You mean… you mean you want me to travel around and stay in youth hostels and bed and breakfasts like Dillon usually does?’ She swallowed hard as a little nausea washed over her. This wasn’t good. The idea of sleeping in places like that not only didn’t appeal to her in the slightestbut it gave her the creeps. ‘Don’t you?’ She hoped with all her heart that she was completely wrong.
Noah sat up straight. ‘Even better! You’re going camping!’
