kissing her gently. Lucy's heart fluttered: a little taster of the night before.
Froggy groaned.
'Put her down lad, for heeven's sake.'
One last show-stopping grin and Josh stepped back, watching Froggy lead her away.
Froggy was a curious fellow. A wee, wiry Scot; all messy black beard and dreadlocks, punctuated by dark, fiery eyes. He looked like a miniature Captain Jack Sparrow. He didn't sound like one though. He sounded more like Begbie from Trainspotting. He scared the crap out of Lucy on the first day.
'You must be Lucy. I'm Jeremy. You're here for the AFF course, raight?'
The words blurted out like machine gun fire, voice loud, accent harsh - lots of rolling Rs. Lucy just stared at him.
For a little guy, he was very imposing. He had enough presence to fill Albert Hall.
Joshua watched her, trying to stifle a smirk.
No distractions this time around.
She wasn't going to argue with her new instructor like she'd tried to with Josh. Truth be told, Froggy could even make him a bit edgy. Josh watched Lucy accept Froggy's outstretched hand, soon jostled by a firm shake.
'Why do they call you Froggy?' she asked timidly, scraping her short blonde corkscrew curls behind her ears.
Josh grinned at her telephone voice.
'The surname's Fisher,' Froggy told her impatiently. 'You know. Beatrix Potter and all that.'
'Oh.'
Froggy shot Josh a look.
'I dunny know what y're smirking at, lad. I take it y've told her y're middle name?'
Lucy turned to Josh, frowning, cocking her head. His smile disintegrated. A triumphant grin parted Froggy's lips.
You dare... thought Joshua, narrowing his eyes at Froggy. He turned and skulked away.
'You did brilliantly yesterday, Lucy,' Froggy told her as they reached the training room. 'Keep it up, and we'll be finished by teatime.'
Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed.
'What? Even the consolidation jumps?' she said doubtfully.
'So long as the weather holds,' Froggy nodded.
His eyes glittered. He grinned, tilting his head to one side.
'That's if you're not too tired...'
Lucy flushed. Froggy felt a pang of guilt and relented, holding the door open, squeezing her shoulder.
'Aye,' he said reassuringly, guiding her inside.
Lucy had waited a month to start the Accelerated Freefall course, since bouncing up and down in excitement after her tandem jump with Josh. The skies had opened up - it had been rained off three weeks on the trot. It began to seem like it just wasn't meant.
Yet here she was, facing the possibility that tomorrow she could be a fully fledged skydiver, able to jump on her own. Lucy's stomach lurched; she didn't know how to feel. She didn't like the idea of doing it without Froggy.
She'd jumped with him four times now - they had built up a bond. Despite the gruff exterior, he was kind; he had her back. He was always supportive, even after that awful first jump.
As she knelt at the door of the plane, breathing in that familiar choke of diesel, the wind rushing at her face, Lucy looked down at North Devon again. It felt different this time around. The leaves were turning, it was changing colour - it wasn't that. She wasn't frozen by fear.
Martin knelt to her left, Froggy to her right - she had to land the parachute herself today - Josh couldn't save her. And yet in spite of that (or maybe because of it, maybe Lucy liked control), she felt calmer this time around.
She fought her way up onto her feet by herself, Martin holding the handhold of her blue jumpsuit, edging out of the door, holding onto the bar.
'Ready?'
There were wisps of cloud below them, high above the higgledy piggledy patchwork. The wind rushed at her face.
She checked in: peering down the Cessna through the crowd of crash helmets. She checked out: a sea of blue. Lucy nodded quickly, eyes wide, heart thumping.
'Ready.'
As she could ever be. The three of them fell out of the plane
Froggy groaned.
'Put her down lad, for heeven's sake.'
One last show-stopping grin and Josh stepped back, watching Froggy lead her away.
Froggy was a curious fellow. A wee, wiry Scot; all messy black beard and dreadlocks, punctuated by dark, fiery eyes. He looked like a miniature Captain Jack Sparrow. He didn't sound like one though. He sounded more like Begbie from Trainspotting. He scared the crap out of Lucy on the first day.
'You must be Lucy. I'm Jeremy. You're here for the AFF course, raight?'
The words blurted out like machine gun fire, voice loud, accent harsh - lots of rolling Rs. Lucy just stared at him.
For a little guy, he was very imposing. He had enough presence to fill Albert Hall.
Joshua watched her, trying to stifle a smirk.
No distractions this time around.
She wasn't going to argue with her new instructor like she'd tried to with Josh. Truth be told, Froggy could even make him a bit edgy. Josh watched Lucy accept Froggy's outstretched hand, soon jostled by a firm shake.
'Why do they call you Froggy?' she asked timidly, scraping her short blonde corkscrew curls behind her ears.
Josh grinned at her telephone voice.
'The surname's Fisher,' Froggy told her impatiently. 'You know. Beatrix Potter and all that.'
'Oh.'
Froggy shot Josh a look.
'I dunny know what y're smirking at, lad. I take it y've told her y're middle name?'
Lucy turned to Josh, frowning, cocking her head. His smile disintegrated. A triumphant grin parted Froggy's lips.
You dare... thought Joshua, narrowing his eyes at Froggy. He turned and skulked away.
'You did brilliantly yesterday, Lucy,' Froggy told her as they reached the training room. 'Keep it up, and we'll be finished by teatime.'
Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed.
'What? Even the consolidation jumps?' she said doubtfully.
'So long as the weather holds,' Froggy nodded.
His eyes glittered. He grinned, tilting his head to one side.
'That's if you're not too tired...'
Lucy flushed. Froggy felt a pang of guilt and relented, holding the door open, squeezing her shoulder.
'Aye,' he said reassuringly, guiding her inside.
Lucy had waited a month to start the Accelerated Freefall course, since bouncing up and down in excitement after her tandem jump with Josh. The skies had opened up - it had been rained off three weeks on the trot. It began to seem like it just wasn't meant.
Yet here she was, facing the possibility that tomorrow she could be a fully fledged skydiver, able to jump on her own. Lucy's stomach lurched; she didn't know how to feel. She didn't like the idea of doing it without Froggy.
She'd jumped with him four times now - they had built up a bond. Despite the gruff exterior, he was kind; he had her back. He was always supportive, even after that awful first jump.
As she knelt at the door of the plane, breathing in that familiar choke of diesel, the wind rushing at her face, Lucy looked down at North Devon again. It felt different this time around. The leaves were turning, it was changing colour - it wasn't that. She wasn't frozen by fear.
Martin knelt to her left, Froggy to her right - she had to land the parachute herself today - Josh couldn't save her. And yet in spite of that (or maybe because of it, maybe Lucy liked control), she felt calmer this time around.
She fought her way up onto her feet by herself, Martin holding the handhold of her blue jumpsuit, edging out of the door, holding onto the bar.
'Ready?'
There were wisps of cloud below them, high above the higgledy piggledy patchwork. The wind rushed at her face.
She checked in: peering down the Cessna through the crowd of crash helmets. She checked out: a sea of blue. Lucy nodded quickly, eyes wide, heart thumping.
'Ready.'
As she could ever be. The three of them fell out of the plane
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