She had, quite clearly, entered the phase of pregnancy where she’d taken on what many referred to as “the glow”.
For Belle, since her natural glow was considerable, the additional element was spectacular.
“Where’s Gram?” she asked, pushing up to her feet which were bare, a pair of muted bronze flip-flops were lying by the blankets.
Her toes, Jack noted, were also painted a very bright red.
He took his eyes from her toes and looked into hers.
“She went to the house. She had a call to make,” Jack informed her.
“Oh crap!” Belle cried, looking at the ladder, her anxiety immediately evident. “It’s already time for that call? I must have been asleep ages. I can’t believe it’s that late and I can’t believe I fell asleep again.”
Jack watched her face work through her fear, his mind focussed on the fact that he had words to say to her. They were words he’d rather not say in the hayloft where he’d become absurdly enchanted with her four months ago.
The stable floor, he could do.
He’d prefer the house.
But not the loft.
“I’ll help you down,” he offered as she continued to stare at the ladder at the same time she pushed her feet into her shoes but when he made his offer, her eyes shot to him.
“I’m okay, actually,” she said, throwing out an arm in a false casual gesture, an effort to hide her discomfort. “I’ll just hang out and wait for Gram.”
“She gave the impression she might be a while,” Jack replied and he watched her wet her lips nervously but then she nodded.
“That’s okay too,” she lied. “I’ll just, um –”
Jack cut her off, “Belle, I’ll help you down.”
“No, really. I’m all right up here until she gets back.”
The last time she climbed down the ladder, she did it unaided.
She was also ordered by Jack to do so and she’d done it as they’d both been in the grip of a consuming passion that, looking back, seemed ludicrous.
Even so, it wasn’t and Jack knew it.
However Jack had no intention of recreating that event in order to assist her now.
“Lila asked me to look after you. I’ll help you down,” Jack pushed and her eyes went to his shoulder, something else he once found endearing and now he loathed. He decided not to call her on it and went on, “We’ll go down like the time we came up together. I’ll go first and you come down right after me.”
As he spoke, he watched her tanned face grow pale at the memory he too wished he didn’t have to share.
“No,” she whispered. “Really, I’m all right to wait for Gram.”
Jack was losing patience. He had things to do, the priority being his child and getting things straight with Belle. Then he had other pressing items on his day’s agenda.
He didn’t have time for her phobias.
“Belle, it’s a one story ladder,” he stated wearily. “If I go down first and you fall, I’ll be in the position to catch you.”
“I know that,” she lied, still looking at his shoulder.
He walked to the ladder and swung his arm toward it. “Then let’s go.”
She shook her head and took a step back.