‘So... I’m curious. Do you know what’s going on with all the rope around that tree?’
‘Um... Jo mentioned it to me the other day. The area of woodland is part of the school grounds, it’s fenced off for safety reasons. Apparently there’s some social media thing going on and they’ve had teenagers breaking in.’
‘To wind rope around trees? I know that teenagers on social media have a mindset all of their own, but that sounds particularly odd.’
Ross handed the glass back to Laurie. ‘It’s a bit like bungee jumping. Only without the elasticity.’
‘And they just hang there?’
‘In pairs.’ Ross was trying not to meet Laurie’s gaze.
‘What?’ Laurie thought for a moment and then started to laugh. ‘They hang from trees, making out together? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘Yes.’ He was glad she’d put it into words so that he didn’t have to. ‘Jo said she found a few used condoms at the side of the river the other day. She’s worried about it, of course. The school uses that land to teach the kids about wildlife and caring for woodlands, so they use it pretty regularly. I imagine they tried to cut the fence, where we found that hole, and discovered it was too tough so they got in another way. The hole wasn’t big enough for an adult to get through, but a child could manage it.’
‘Have you had anything like that on the clinic’s land?’
‘No, thank goodness. There’s always someone wandering around, day or night, so they’re a lot more likely to be seen. Or maybe we just don’t have the right kind of tree.’
‘Mmm. You’d need height and a really strong, unobstructed branch. Do you think the water’s one of the essential requirements?’
‘Don’t...’ Ross shook his head. ‘Don’t even try to work it out. You won’t be able to un-think it later.’
‘I half wish I could have done something a little crazy when I was a teenager.’ Ross shot Laurie a questioning look and she grinned. ‘Not that crazy. Just being allowed to have a boyfriend would have been nice.’
‘Too busy training?’
She nodded. ‘Yeah. Everything was about the training. Or maybe everything was just about my father, and he was all about the training. What about you? You must have found a few things to get up to around here. All this countryside and the lakes.’
Ross couldn’t think of anything. ‘Not really. A four-mile bike ride each way to the nearest town tends to put the lid on too much impromptu mischief-making. That’s one of the disadvantages of living in such a secluded place. Although my mother might say it was an advantage.’
‘So we were both lonely.’ She took a sip from t
he glass and gave it back to him.
‘I have the clinic. You have...’ Laurie had a future, and he could see her moving forward to grasp it with both hands.
‘A dodgy hip and a capacity for denial?’ She chuckled.
‘Your hip’s on the mend. You’re going to be back in a boat soon, and getting ready to win that gold medal.’ Ross didn’t want to think about all the other things that Laurie could do, because they wouldn’t be with him.
‘I have faith in you.’ She turned suddenly to face him, her skin pale in the darkness.
Was that enough? He wanted it to be, but it wasn’t.
‘I have faith in you, too. I just don’t have much faith in the future any more.’
Laurie’s hand moved to the side of his face, her fingers resting lightly on his cheek. ‘I wish you would, Ross. If you did, then maybe we—’
He laid his finger across her lips. Ross didn’t want to hear about all the things that Laurie thought they could do together, because they were impossible.
‘That’s the difference between us, Laurie. You can change your future. I can’t change mine.’
She flung her arms around his neck, as if she could somehow save him from something. Then suddenly she jumped away from him, her hand flying to her mouth.
‘That’s embarrassing, isn’t it? Hugging the boss in front of everyone.’
‘Look around. This happens to be the one place that isn’t visible from any of the clinic windows.’