by Lyn Denison
“Only if you’re an unfortunate gardener.” Bailey paused. “But Alice in Wonderland aside, I assure you I’m strictly a Queen of Hearts,” she said softly and Fliss took her time sorting out the rugs, the umbrella and the soft icebox.
“Can you take the umbrella and the rugs?” She passed them to Bailey.
“I think I can handle that.”
Fliss donned the backpack and lifted the icebox out of the car, setting it down while she activated the car’s central locking system. “Okay. Are you ready?”
“Sure am.” Bailey reached out and took one strap on the icebox. “It’ll be easier if we share the load. Wow! It’s heavy. What have you got in there?”
“Lunch. And you said you were hungry. So stop complaining and let’s go.” Fliss set off down the sandy path.
“Is it the right time to say I see plenty of rocks and seaweed but not all that much sand?” Bailey asked, looking around her.
“The seaweed’s not always here. Depends on how rough the weather gets. But I’ll admit it can get a bit smelly under the hot sun.”
“Just a bit?” Bailey asked dryly, wrinkling her nose.
“Trust me,” Fliss said lightly and Bailey held her gaze.
“Oh, I do.”
Fliss gave a nervous laugh. “It’ll be worth it.” She turned off the strip of hard packed sand onto some rough flat rocks.
“Uh-oh. Once these rocks start heading upward I’m out of here,” Bailey quipped.
Fliss chuckled as she stopped by a jagged rocky outcrop. “I just thought of something. You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”
“Not usually,” Bailey said carefully. “Depends on the circumstances. Am I going to have to draw on all my reserves of braveness here?”
“I think so.” Fliss nodded. “But I have every faith in you.” She started around the jagged rock, turned left and then right between huge, very rough boulders.
Then they were standing in front of a cleft in the rock so neatly camouflaged it took a moment for Bailey to realize what it was. She peered into the gloom. It was narrow and the floor was sandy but looked firm.
“Mind how you go. I’ll just swap hands on the icebox because we’ll have to go single file.”
“Does it get any narrower?” Bailey asked.
“No. Just curves about a bit. And it’s not far.”
It was cool inside the crevasse but not too dark as the sky was partially visible way above them. They wound in and out and in no time they’d stepped out into the sunshine again.
Bailey gasped.
Before them was a small bay, the waves breaking on the pure white sand. The beach was about twenty-five yards wide with the blue Pacific Ocean on one side and sheer cliffs rising on the other.
“Fliss, this is amazing.” Bailey set down everything she was holding and pulled off her sneakers and socks. She wriggled her toes in the warm sand, turning to laugh delightedly.
And Fliss couldn’t look away from the beauty of her face, the joy in her expression. She was the most beautiful woman Fliss had ever seen.
“When did you find this? Does everyone know about it?”
“Years ago and no, I’m pretty sure they don’t,” Fliss replied. “When Chrissie and I were kids we were exploring and we came upon it. It’s not accessible at high tide so we have to head back in a couple of hours.”
“We should have brought our sleeping bags. We could have camped overnight.”
“Wish we could. But the tide comes right in to the cliffs and covers the sand.”
Bailey paused and looked up at the cliffs.
“It’s quite safe as long as we watch the tides,” Fliss assured her.
“Have you ever seen anyone else here?”
“Unfortunately we did see footprints once but we’ve never actually seen anyone here. So,” Fliss shrugged, “chances are we’ll have the beach all to ourselves. Fingers crossed.” She bent down and lifted the beach umbrella. “Where would you like to have lunch?”
Bailey looked around. “I think, right in the middle, looking straight out to sea.”
They walked along the tightly packed damp sand and then Fliss found a spot on drier, looser sand. Shrugging out of the backpack she set it aside and knelt down, digging a small hole with her hands for the umbrella. She soon had it up and tilted for maximum shade.
“This ground sheet’s got a waterproof lining,” she told Bailey spreading it out and then adding the picnic blanket on top of it. “The sand looks dry enough but it’s pretty damp under the thin layer.” She lifted the backpack and unzipped it to show Bailey the picnic set inside. “Ta da. All mod cons.”
“I’m impressed.” Bailey helped her set out plates and cutlery.
Reaching into another compartment Fliss held up two wine-glasses.
“We have wine?” Bailey asked.
“We do. In the icebox.” Fliss unzipped the soft case and took out a bottle of Australian wine and a corkscrew. She passed them to Bailey. “Want to do the honors while I unpack lunch?”
She set out salad and slices of ham off the bone. Bailey shook her head as she passed Fliss a glass of wine. “This is fantastic. I really appreciate it, Fliss. All of this.” She waved a hand to encompass the beach and the picnic. “And I also appreciate the time you’ve spent with me. I feel . . . I don’t know”—she shrugged— “rejuvenated. So much better than when I arrived.”
“Great.” Fliss was more than pleased. “I’m enjoying it, too.”
They chatted easily as they ate and then they refilled their glasses and drank a toast to friendship and, at Bailey’s suggestion, to deserted beaches.
Fliss kicked off her sneakers and paddled gingerly into the water to wash off their plates and cutlery.
“Now that water is chilly,” she said as she stowed the plates in the backpack. “Brrr!”
“No swimming then,” remarked Bailey.
Fliss looked back at her as she put her sneakers back on. “We didn’t bring our swimsuits.”
Bailey waved a hand at the lapping waves. “You know there are some people who strip down to their birthday suits and plunge into icy water far, far colder than this.”
Fliss’s mind couldn’t get past the thought of Bailey standing before her stripping off her clothes and heat washed over her. She slid a glance at Bailey and was totally mortified when she realized Bailey was watching her, saw her blush.
“It’s not wise to swim at an unpatrolled beach,” she said a trifle formally.
Bailey schooled her features into a serious expression. “Very true. And you’re right. I stand chastised. Suitably chastised.”
“I didn’t mean to sound—” Fliss frowned. “I sounded pompous, didn’t I?”
Bailey reached out and took hold of Fliss’s hand, gave it a squeeze. Instead of releasing Fliss’s hand she continued to hold it in hers, completely disconcerting Fliss. “You didn’t. And you were right. It’s the first rule on Australian beaches. Never swim if the beaches are unpatrolled and never swim outside the flags. I’ve done plenty of stories on just that so I should have known better.”
Much to Fliss’s regret Bailey let go of her hand. What would the other woman do if Fliss reached out and took her hand again?
“Actually,” Fliss made herself study the blue water. “I see other dangers.”
Bailey raised her eyebrows inquiringly.
“Well, if there was a passing shark, one look at your deliciously naked thigh and chomp, chomp.”
“Chomp, chomp?” Bailey looked horrified.
“Word would get out on the shark telegraph and soon we’d have a pack come along to get a taste.”
“Fliss, stop! That’s gross.” Bailey laughed. “And apart from that it’s my thigh you’re talking about. What makes you think they’d prefer my naked thigh to yours?” Her eyes moved down over Fliss’s light windcheater to her jean-clad legs.
Fliss shivered. She could almost feel Bailey’s touch. “Let’s agree to agree we won’t venture in the water, hmm?”
“Amen.” Bailey lay back on the rug, stretching out her legs, her hands under her head. “Mmm. This is paradise. Wine, great food, balmy weather and excellent company. What more could I want?”
She could lean over and kiss her, Fliss thought. How would Bailey react? Of course, Fliss knew she’d never get up the courage to put her outrageous thoughts into action. Her cowardice aside, she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their friendship.
Fliss remained silent for a while and when she turned back to Bailey she realized the other woman had dozed off. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly, her chest rising and falling. Slowly, Fliss leaned back on her side of the rug, turning onto her side. She put her arm under her head for a pillow and allowed herself the luxury of simply watching Bailey as she slept.
Her dark hair was a little tousled by the wind, a few strands stirring in the breeze. Her black lashes fanned her cheeks. Her nose was small and perfectly shaped. And her mouth—those wonderfully inviting lips curved in the corners as though she was dreaming of happy times.
Fliss’s gaze moved downwards over Bailey’s firm chin, the curve of her throat, to the swell of her breasts, the faint outline of her nipples. Fliss swallowed and her eyes moved down over Bailey’s flat stomach. She realized Bailey’s shirt had slipped up a little, revealing a tantalizing inch of smooth, bare midriff. Fliss wanted to lean over, put her lips to that warm, soft skin. If she stretched out her hand she could run her fingers . . . Fliss closed her eyes.
The gentle sea breeze played over them and the waves rolled in, tossed themselves on the sand and receded. And Fliss relaxed. She looked across at Bailey and smiled. Then her eyelids drooped and she drifted off to sleep.
The harsh cry of a seagull woke her and she blinked, disoriented. She’d rolled onto her back and she turned her head and saw Bailey stretched out beside her. She’d turned slightly towards Fliss and as Fliss watched she stirred and opened her eyes.
When she saw Fliss she smiled slowly, sleepily. “Mmm, have I been asleep long?”
Sitting up slowly, Fliss stretched and then glanced at her wrist-watch. She stilled and then pushed herself to her feet.
The water was now within three feet of their rug. The sun had moved considerably behind them, casting long shadows from the cliffs.
Fliss looked over towards the cleft in the rocks and groaned.
Bailey had joined her. “What’s the matter?”
“We’ve been asleep for too long.” She indicated the cleft. “The tide’s come in.”
“There’s only a couple of feet of water. We can wade through, can’t we?” Bailey asked and Fliss shook her head.
“The rising tide’s too strong. The water rushes through the crevasse, ebbing and flowing. It’s too dangerous.”
As if to reinforce Fliss’s words the tide gushed through the fissure, creating a churning, frothy whirlpool amid the rocks.
“What will we do? I have my mobile phone. We can ring someone, can’t we?”
Fliss shook her head. “This is a dead spot. No reception. We’re here for the night, I’m afraid.”
“For the night? But, didn’t you say—?” Bailey turned to look at the steep cliffs. “I thought you said the tide comes right in to the cliffs.”
“It does.” Fliss nodded. “Lucky for us the weather has settled a little.”
Bailey was silent for long moments. “Are we going to get wet?”
“Not if I can help it,” Fliss said firmly. She put the umbrella down, pulled it from the sand and folded it up.
Bailey looked a little more closely at the cliffs. “Do we have to perch on a rock and hope the water doesn’t reach us?”
“Not quite.” Fliss paused and pulled a face. “But it does involve some rock climbing.”
Bailey looked from Fliss to the cliffs and her eyes widened incredulously. “You can’t mean that. Have you ever climbed that cliff before?”
“Not exactly.”
“Fliss, be serious. I’m not a rock climber,” Bailey said urgently. “I’ve never—My coordination is, well, dreadful doesn’t cover it.”
Fliss put her hand on Bailey’s arm. “It’ll be okay. Really. Chrissie and I found this sort of cave. We can shelter in it.”
“A cave? Where?”
Fliss pointed along the beach. “In the cliffs, about ten or twelve feet from the sand. Down the end of the beach.” She took hold of the rug and shook the sand from it before folding it up.
Silently, Bailey did the same with the waterproof one, before helping Fliss on with the backpack. They gathered the rest of their things and Fliss led the way over the sand to the opposite end of the beach as the tide inched in.
Fliss stopped by a large rock and dropped the umbrella.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Bailey asked narrowing her eyes as she scanned the cliff.
“Up there. See it?” Fliss pointed.
Bailey raised her eyebrows. “Cave,” she said again as she turned to Fliss. “Isn’t that an exaggeration? I’d call it a possible indentation.”
Fliss grinned encouragingly. “It’s bigger than it looks from down here. We’ll fit. Well, Chrissie and I did quite comfortably.”
Bailey looked up helplessly. “Fliss, I can’t—”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you up and then I’ll come back down for the backpack and the rest of the stuff. I can make a couple of trips.”
“Is this—?” Bailey swallowed. “Is there an alternative?”
Fliss shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, Bailey.” She moved over to the cliff, stepped up on a flattish rock. “See these footholds? And you grab onto the outcrops there. I’ll give you a push up.”
“Fliss,” Bailey appealed.
“Give me your hand.” Fliss took Bailey’s outstretched hand and helped her up onto the rock. Without thinking she slipped her arms around the other woman and gave her a squeeze, holding her close. The faint scent of Bailey’s shampoo teased her nostrils and she swallowed nervously. “You can do it,” she whispered.
Bailey’s arms tightened for a long moment and then she drew back, her arms still around Fliss. “When was the last time you climbed up there?” she asked huskily.
A faint pulse beat a tattoo at the base of Bailey’s throat and Fliss wanted to kiss that smooth depression, quell her fears. “About, um, six years ago, I think. I was about twelve.”
“Twelve?” Bailey rolled her eyes. “Just yesterday then?”
Fliss grinned. “Would you believe me if I said it seems like yesterday?”
Bailey shook her head and slowly released Fliss. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Turning back to the cliff she put one foot in the lowest indentation. She drew a deep breath and pulled herself upwards.
With her heart in her mouth Fliss watched as the other woman made her way slowly up the rocks until she finally reached the cave. She carefully turned around on her hands and knees and looked over the edge at Fliss.
Fliss gave her the thumbs up sign. “And you said you couldn’t rock climb.”
“Yes, well, about now I think I could be forgiven for swearing like a trooper.”
“Swear all you like,” Fliss said as she donned the backpack and started climbing. Much to Bailey’s consternation she made a couple of trips up and down for their things. She left the umbrella wedged on the highest rock she could reach and when she made her last climb up to the cave the water was only a couple of feet from the base of the cliff. She grunted with relief as she heaved herself over the edge to join Bailey.
Bailey had folded the waterproof sheet in half and laid it out on the flattest section of the five feet by six feet indentation in the rock. “That should keep most of the dampness out but there’s not much sand in here to cushion it.”
“We can put the other rug over us when it gets cool,” Fliss said and Bailey shivered.
“I can’t believe we have to stay here all night.” She looked back to the other end of the beach. “The c
left in the rock where we came in is all but covered.”
“Bailey, I’m sorry,” Fliss apologized. “I feel dreadful about this. I shouldn’t have drifted off to sleep.”
“I drifted off to sleep, too,” Bailey said reasonably. “How’s that different? It’s as much my fault.”
“But I knew the dangers.” Fliss bit her lip. “I shouldn’t have suggested we come here for lunch.”
“But I love the beach, the beauty, the solitude.”
“We could have had a look at it and then had lunch somewhere else,” Fliss said and Bailey chuckled.
“Maybe the beach through the crevasse, in among the seaweed.”
Fliss grinned. “It’s not usually so, well, unkempt looking.”
Bailey took hold of Fliss’s hand and held it gently in hers. “Let’s not apportion blame. We’re safe here, aren’t we?”
Fliss nodded, her heartbeats accelerating at Bailey’s touch.
“Then let’s look upon it as an adventure. It’s a first for me, that’s for sure. I can quite honestly say I’ve never perched in a cleft watching the tide rise.”
Fliss grimaced. “I haven’t either. It’s just lucky there’s no one to worry about us. Your brother’s away, my parents are staying in Brisbane with my aunt and uncle while my brother has an interview for the Navy and Petra’s having a sleepover at a friend’s house.”
“Are your parents likely to phone up to see how you are?”
Fliss paused and frowned. “They might. I told them I was having lunch with you. I hope they don’t ring your place.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Just stay safe.”
Fliss nodded, still aware of Bailey’s hand holding hers.
“We are safe but it will get cold later, when the sun’s set. But we can wrap ourselves in the rug.”
“Yes.” Bailey’s voice sounded a little forced and Fliss glanced at her.
“We’ll be okay,” she assured her. “And if it rains we can put the waterproof sheet over us.”
Bailey nodded, her fingers absently playing with Fliss’s.
Fliss sat silently, enjoying the closeness to Bailey. If only she could control her nerve endings. They were all singing and her body was tense and aroused.
Shadows stretched across the beach now and Fliss glanced at her wristwatch. “It’ll be completely dark in an hour or so.”