OK with it. “Come on,” he added. “We just have a little further to go.”
I knew we were nearing the southern edge of the island, but I had no idea what our destination was. Adam led me to a narrow, gravel pathway that cut through some lowlying scrub grass and shrubbery. We walked to the end of the pathway, to a point where the land just appeared to drop off to the sea.
Cautiously, I peered forward. A set of uneven steps, crudely cut into the cliffs, weaved their way down to a narrow peninsula. The blanket of thick fog at the base made it impossible to see more than the outlines of the rocks below. “Where are we going?” I asked, turning to face Adam, as the wind, icy cold this close to the sea, whipped hair into my face.
Adam reached out and gently smoothed the wayward strands back, the warmth of his fingers a welcome contrast to the cool air.
“You’re cold, Maddy. Here, take this,” he said, shucking his coat off and holding it up for me to slip on.
“Thanks.” I slid my arms into the sleeves, and then Adam gently lifted my hair and secured the jacket around my shoulders.
“Better?” he asked, turning me to face him once more, while rolling the sleeves up over the bulkiness of my sweater.
“Mm-hmm,” I answered, breathing in the unique scent of Adam. I could get used to this.
He rubbed my very cold hands between his own very warm hands. “You ready, then?”
“Are we going down there?” I asked, my voice raising an octave as he began to lead me to the top of the precarious-looking steps.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “It’s actually pretty cool down there when the weather is like this. I think you’ll like it.”
For some crazy reason, I did feel safe with Adam. Besides, I was curious to see what—besides the black, jagged edges of rocks peeking through the fog—was on the peninsula.
I stayed close to Adam as we began the steep descent, the misty air engulfing us. “What’s down here anyway?” I asked, my voice muted by the ever-increasing volume of the crashing waves.
“The lighthouse,” Adam replied.
Chapter 5
At the base of the steps, in the shadow of the towering cliffs, surge after surge of waves battered the sides of the rocky peninsula. Viewed through the cottony haze of fog, the landscape of oil-black rocks—some unusually large and oddly shaped—lent a mystical feel to the whole area.
“Pretty cool, eh?” Adam asked when he caught me, mouth open, ogling the place.
OK, so I was impressed. I snapped my mouth closed and playfully elbowed him for looking so smug. But then I agreed that the atmosphere down here was definitely something worth seeing.
Adam pointed to a tall, stark white structure off in the distance, and realizing what it was, I exclaimed, “The lighthouse! Can we get closer?”
“Absolutely,” he said, smiling, as he led the way to what appeared to be the least treacherous route to the lighthouse.
Down here the terrain was unforgiving, especially in the fog. One wrong move could easily result in a bad fall. But I took my time, allowing Adam to help me traverse the more slippery surfaces and climb across the largest of the boulders.
At last we reached a swath of hard-packed sand. “It’s mostly easy going from here,” Adam said, breaking the silence that had ensued as we’d navigated our way.
Now that the most difficult part of our little journey was behind us, conversation resumed. We shared stories about our college days. Although I had a few good tales of my own, Adam surprised me with several hilarious anecdotes of his own. I laughed a lot, both at the content of his stories and the animated way in which he told them. Unlike the mercurial man I’d dealt with last night, when he spoke of these obviously happy days at school, Adam was more like the guy I’d once longed to get to know.
But that changed when I asked him about his company. Adam grew reticent, giving me short, clipped answers that sounded almost rehearsed. He finally just said he didn’t want to think about work, so instead I told him about how I’d become a novelist.
“I’ve heard of your books,” Adam said. “But I must confess I’ve never read any of them. I’ll have to pick one up.”
Thrilled that he wanted to read something I’d written, I said, “I have a bunch of extra copies at the cottage.