Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 120230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“So conservative estimate is, what, six hours?” I zoomed in on the mountain using my camera lens, even though I had no hope of picking out five tiny specks against the stone and snow. “Three to go up, two to come down, with a lunch break thrown in there.”
“It’d have to be something like that for them to be back before dark. Maybe seven hours at the most.”
We all glanced at the approaching bank of clouds, which had already altered from murky and gray to gravid black. Below, the stalks of grass began to bend from the rising wind; the air temperature had also dropped sharply in the short time we’d been talking.
“If we can see the clouds, they will, too.” I allowed my camera to drop to my side. “It’s not like there’s a ton of tree cover to block the view.” What bush there was existed only at the bottom of the mountain, the rest more low-lying alpine flora.
“Yeah.” Aaron put his hands on his hips. “Kaea’ll turn the group around if it begins to look grim. This isn’t a survival course.”
We left it at that, but three hours later, as I was setting up to take the shots in the kitchen after having spent the time in between around the estate, the rain thundered down. The type of cold and drenching downpour that would get right through any outdoor jacket and soak you to the bone.
I looked out the window, in the direction from which the others would come if they’d turned around when the clouds grew black. “I hope they’re not too far away.” That was when it struck me that we’d been stupid—the others hadn’t marked out a route map for us. A simple safety procedure we’d overlooked because this was meant to be an easy day hike.
“Kaea’s very experienced,” Aaron reminded me. “Even if he’s out of shape by his standards, he’s in great shape by any other standard. And he’s always been safety conscious.”
He was right. Kaea double-checked everything, from making sure that we had the appropriate gear for going into the bush, even if it was only for a summer weekend, to checking the use-by dates on the food we were bringing in. “Right, let’s get this shoot done and then you can whip up something hot for them. They’ll be freezing by the time they arrive.”
All of us in agreement, we got to shooting, and I snapped what I had to say was a series of incredible pictures. While the estate might have looked gloomy from the outside, the kitchen was warm and cozy with the lights on, the old woodstove going, and Grace’s laughter filling the space.
“You’re a natural in front of the camera, Grace. You make even Aaron relax.”
Aaron didn’t take my words as an insult—back at uni, he used to make fun of his “robotic” expression in pictures. “Yeah?” he said now. “I’m not messing them up?”
“You both look gorgeous.” Walking over, I showed him the images on the tiny screen of my camera—but they were still big enough for him to see the light in his eyes, the way his lips curved. “See?”
His smile creased his cheeks. “Thanks for doing this, Lu. I don’t think I could’ve relaxed with any other photographer, even with my Gracie.”
“He’s right.” Grace cuddled under his arm. “You’re so nonjudgmental and calming. If we have kids, I’m going to be booking you for our over-the-top matchy-matchy photographs. I’m talking identical family pj’s and onesies here.”
Laughing at the way Aaron slapped a hand over his face and groaned, I finished up the shoot, then left them in the kitchen. Aaron liked to cook alone—though it appeared he’d made an exception for Grace—and I wanted to work on their photographs using my laptop. A couple extra hours would make the gift so much more valuable to them, and if I did it straightaway, I could get it off my plate.
The rain continued to slam against the windows as I fine-tuned the images, though I kept on walking over to look in the direction of the mountains beyond the graveyard. My room was on the same side as the kitchen but farther to the right, so I had an excellent view in the correct direction.
Each time I looked out, I hoped to spot Darcie’s pink jacket or the high-visibility stripes on Kaea’s camo-green outdoor one.
Nothing, the landscape outside cold and desolate and hard.
My gut twisted.
Giving up on the photos, I paced in front of the window while using my phone to zoom in on some of the pictures I’d taken of the recipe book.
The first few hidden texts were similar—the lament of a lonely girl far from home, with a man that she barely knew. Slowly, however, the entries began to change. And I realized that they’d been made some time apart. The recipe book hadn’t been put together in a month or even a year.