Wait for the Rain (29 page)

“You ladies ready to rock these rocks?” Skylar said from behind them.

Daphne looked up at Derek and Phil. “You two want to climb with us?”

“We’d love to,” Derek said.

She introduced them to Skylar, then pointed toward the bottom of the stone staircase. “Meet us at the entrance?”

Phil gave the thumbs-up sign again. “Sounds good.”

The three women turned and walked away, and as soon as they were out of earshot, KC pinched Daphne’s waist. “Did you hear what just happened back there?”

“What do you mean?”

“That entire conversation! You were totally your old self again. Charming, witty, not insecure in the least. It was great!”

“I was?”

KC laughed. “You didn’t notice?”

“I guess not.”

“Well it was fun to watch, that’s for sure. It’s good to have you back.”

Daphne gave her a warm smile that said,
Thanks for bringing me back
.

“That Derek guy’s kind of sexy.” Skylar glanced back toward the ticket booth. “What’s his deal? I didn’t see a wedding ring.”

“Recently divorced,” Daphne said. “They’re here on a guys’ trip to, shall we say,
commemorate
it, if you will.”

“Talk about a euphemism,” KC said, then quickly looked at Daphne. “Did I use
euphemism
right?”

Daphne nodded and patted the top of KC’s baseball hat. “Well done.”

“Hm
m . . .
recently divorced.” Skylar raised an eyebrow at Daphne. “Maybe you could soothe those wounds a little bit this evening? What man doesn’t enjoy the company of an empathetic woman?”

Daphne rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

Skylar shrugged. “I’m just saying, there’s nothing wrong with a little TLC. And as we’ve already witnessed this week, it’s not like you’re averse to a little roll in the hay with an attractive stranger. Why stop at one when you could double your pleasure, double your fun?” She elbowed Daphne.

“Stop it.” Daphne laughed and elbowed Skylar back as they reached the base of the stone steps.

“Speaking of attractive strangers, two are rapidly approaching at six o’clock, so you might want to shut your traps,” KC whispered.

Daphne craned her neck back at the towering rock formation. “Wow, that is
steep
.”

“Wow, that is
steep
,” Phil said from behind them.

KC turned around. “Is there a parrot out here?”

Daphne made a sheepish face. “Is anyone else having second thoughts about this?”

“Too late to back out now,” Skylar said as she handed their tickets to the uniformed man standing by the roped-off entrance. “Everyone ready?” There were a handful of people on the observation deck at the very top, but the zigzagging path to reach it was clear.

Daphne walked over to Derek and put her hand on his arm again. “This can’t be any harder than what we’ve already been through, right?” She was speaking to comfort herself now, not him.

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled just slightly. “That sounds like something only club members can understand.”

She smiled back. “
Exactly
.”

The five of them began ascending the steps, which were framed by a rope attached to the rocky walkway with spikes set at intervals all the way to the top. The path snaked left and right, and as they climbed, Daphne kept her eyes focused on the step directly in front of her, too afraid to look anywhere else. Her breathing and heart rate began to increase, and she willed herself to remain calm.
Keep moving. You’re going to be fine. You can do this.

“Damn, this is high!” Skylar called from the front of the group. “Whose idea was this, anyway?”

“Do you think anyone has ever fallen into the ocean from here?” Phil called from the very back.

“Don’t be an asshole, Phil,” Derek said with a laugh. He was a few steps ahead of Phil. The easy banter between them reminded Daphne of the chatter she’d heard during the flag football game on the beach.

“Humor is a good tool for diffusing tension,” Phil yelled. “I learned that at some boondoggle sales training in Vegas.”

“I wish I were in Vegas right now,” Skylar yelled back. “I should have an enormous guitar-shaped margarita in my hand instead of a rope that looks older than dirt and may snap at any moment, after which I will plummet to my death and probably drag all of you down with me.”

Now Daphne laughed too. Apparently Phil had a point.
This isn’t nearly as bad as I’d feared.

They were about two-thirds of the way to the top when KC, who was directly in front of Daphne and had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire climb, stopped moving.

“Did you drop something?” Daphne said.

KC didn’t respond.

Daphne gently reached for KC’s lower back. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I can’t do it,” KC whispered.

Daphne climbed up next to her and saw that KC’s face was ashen. She was shaking.

“KC, honey, what’s wrong?” Daphne asked.

KC shook her head. “I can’
t . . .
move.”

Daphne was puzzled. “Are you scared?” KC was never scared.

Slowly the shake turned into a nod, and KC shut her eyes tight. “I’ve never been up this high. I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Is everything okay up there?” Derek was now just two steps behind them.

Daphne nodded. “Yes, we’re fine.” She put her hand on KC’s head and smoothed her hair, then lowered her voice. “You’re a strong woman, and you’re going to do this, okay? We’re going to do this together.”

KC’s speech was stuttered, her breath short. “I’v
e . . .
neve
r . . .
fel
t . . .
anythin
g . . .
lik
e . . .
this.” She briefly opened her eyes, then squeezed them shut again.

Daphne kept the tone of her voice soft. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? You’re fine. We’re almost to the top. You just need to take a deep breath, hold on to the railing, and move one foot, then the other. Can you do that for me?”

KC shook her head. “I can’t move.”

Daphne put a hand on KC’s shoulder. “KC, listen to me. You can do this. You
know
you can do this. Just open your eyes for me, okay?”

Slowly, very slowly, KC opened her eyes. She looked terrified.

Daphne squeezed KC’s shoulder. “Good, good. Now keep your gaze on the step directly in front of you. You don’t need to look anywhere else. Can you do that?”

KC nodded and stared at the step in front of her.

Daphne spoke calmly. “Good, good. Now just move one foot to the next step. Just like this, okay? There’s plenty of room for both of us on this step, so just do as I do.”

Daphne took a step up, and KC slowly followed.

“That’s perfect. Now do the same with the other foot, can you do that?”

“I’m so embarrassed,” KC whispered.

“Don’t be. You’re doing great. Just keep moving like this, okay?” Daphne took another step up the cliff, then waited for KC to do the same. Derek and Phil followed behind in a respectful silence. Everyone knew this was no time for heckling. After several minutes Daphne glanced up to the top of the rock formation and saw Skylar peering down at them from the observation deck.

Her voice still gentle and relaxed, Daphne coaxed KC to the top. “That’s it, that’s i
t . . .
See KC? You’re doing grea
t . . .
We’re almost ther
e . . .
Just keep your eyes in front of yo
u . . .
That’s it, keep goin
g . . .
just a few more steps. See? You did it!”

Daphne took a final step to the fenced-in platform at the top of the steps, then reached for KC’s hand and pulled her up alongside her. KC immediately wrapped her in a hug and squeezed her tight.

“Thank you, Daphne,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

Daphne stroked her friend’s ponytail. “Oh honey, you don’t have to thank me.”

Skylar approached them as they finished their embrace, her hands on her hips. “You okay there, babe?”

KC nodded and pressed a palm against her forehead. “I am now. I had no idea I was so afraid of heights. I think that was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life.”

“Looks like Superwoman found her kryptonite,” Skylar said.

KC smiled weakly. “I guess I did.”

“Look on the bright side: if you can do that, you can
definitely
be a grandmother,” Skylar said. “Am I right?”

KC laughed, the tension visibly disappearing from her face. “I think you’re probably right.”

Skylar pointed to the suspension bridge leading to the second rock formation. “You ready for that, or you want to stop here? It’s totally up to you.”

KC looked at Daphne. “Will you help me get across?”

Daphne put an arm around her. “It would be my pleasure. How about we take a little break first?”

KC smiled. “Sounds good; thanks, Daphne.”

Skylar, KC, and Phil wandered to the other side of the platform to take some photos before crossing the bridge. Daphne sat down on a bench and reached into her tote bag for a bottle of water. After a moment Derek walked over and sat down next to her.

“This is quite a view,” he said, turning his head in a panoramic sweep.

She sipped her water. “Isn’t it? I can’t believe I’m up here right now, to be honest.”

“Why not?”

She laughed. “Because I’m terrified of heights.”

“Is that a joke I’m not getting?” He looked perplexed.

She smiled and shook her head. “Not joking.
Terrified
.”

“Well, you sure fooled me. You didn’t look afraid of anything back there. You were really great with your friend. She was having a rough time of it.”

Daphne took another sip of water. “I guess my motherly instinct kicked in. It has a tendency to do that.”

“Then you’re clearly a very good mother, despite your marital status. I heard from a wise woman once that being divorced and being a good parent aren’t mutually exclusive.”

She laughed, then looked him in the eye. “Thank you. I’m not sure what grade my daughter would give me, but I think I’m doing a decent job.”
A fine job, actually.

“I have a feeling she knows she’s got it pretty good. We’ll see if my boys figure that out about me at some point.”

Daphne glanced in the direction of her friends, then back at Derek. “Skylar likes to say that despite their parents’ best efforts to shape them, kids pretty much come with their bags packed. But she doesn’t have kids of her own. Do you agree with that theory? Sometimes I wonder about the whole nature/nurture thing.”

Derek pointed to the sky. “When my boys are
angels
, I like to believe it’s due to nurture.” Then he pointed downward. “But when they’re
devils
, I cast the blame squarely on nature.”

Daphne held up her water bottle. “Cheers to that strategy.”

A soft wind began to blow, and she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ears. “My ex is getting remarried soon,” she said softly.

Derek hesitated a moment before responding. “Did h
e . . .
leave you for her?”

Daphne shook her head. “Thankfully, no. Is that what happened to you?”

He nodded slowly. “I never even saw it coming, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that was part of the problem, if that makes any sense.”

She leaned over and gave him a friendly nudge with her shoulder. “Believe me, I understand more than you can possibly imagine. I know I sound like a broken record, but things will get better for you. And for your boys too.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. Of course it hurts, but at some point you just have to let go of it. If I’ve learned anything about getting divorced, it’s that it has defined me for too long because I’ve let it define me for too long. Feeling like a failure, feeling like I should have done things differently, feeling like it’s my fault that life didn’t turn out the way I thought it would—buying into the idea that being divorced is like having a disease. But I’ve finally begun to realize that none of that is true, and the only thing obsessing about it has done is keep me mired in the past—and miserable. So if I have any advice to offer to you or anyone else whose marriage has ended, for whatever reason, it’s to learn from my mistake and have a shorter mourning period so that you can move on with your life.”

“I think that’s easier said than done.”

She pushed another strand of hair out of her eyes. “Maybe, but it’s worth thinking about. And being on this magical island will certainly help, it’s nourishing for the soul. When did you get here?”

“Late last night. This is the first thing we’ve seen.”

She smiled and looked up at the sky. “Give it a few days. And wait for the rain.”

“I never thought I’d hear the following words come out of my mouth, but I need a stiff drink,” KC said once they were safely back at the bottom of the cliff.

Skylar laughed and gestured to the dusty parking lot. “I can help with that. Ladies, shall we proceed to the car?”

“Another phrase I never expected to say to
you
, but yes, please drive me away now,” KC said.