Midsummer's Magic

Chapter 19

She cleared her throat, and he stood up to face her with a mischievous grin on his face. 

When she just stared at him without speaking, her arms crossed over her chest, he raised his hands. "Hey! You can't blame a man for admiring the view."  

Unable to keep the stern look on her face, she chuckled and punched him in the shoulder. 

"Ouch! What was that for?" he cried. 

"That was for taking advantage of a damsel in distress." she laughed. 

"Ah! But I might be your knight in shining armour." he replied and winked at her. 

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before answering. 

"Well, if you can rescue me from the gossiping villagers, you may just be what I'm looking for." 

"Aha! Don't tell me they've started on you already." 

"Have they ever." she ground out. 

"Right! What you need is some R, R & R." He grinned as he grabbed her hand and started pulling her along the street. 

"Hey! Wait a minute where are we going, and don't you mean R & R?" 

"Nope, it means Rory's, rest, and relaxation." He grinned back at her and continued pulling her along. 

After the morning she'd had, she thought 'what the hell' and followed behind him. 

Turning down a side street, Rory pulled out a set of keys and pointed them at silver BMW parked at the kerb. Opening the passenger door, he turned and made a grand gesture of waving his hand and bowing. "Your carriage awaits, my lady." 

She couldn't help giggling at him as she climbed in. 

Settling back into the plush leather seats, she looked at him as he sat next to her. 

"So, where are we going?" 

"All will be revealed soon enough." he replied winking at her. 

The powerful car roared to life and they set off down the country lanes with Muse pounding out from the stereo. Beth closed her eyes and sighed as a welcome breeze swept in through the open windows. She was grateful that Rory let her relax and didn't try to make conversation while he drove. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew the car was silent and they had obviously stopped somewhere. 

Opening her eyes, she looked out the window and gasped as she took in the view. They were at the end of a narrow track that nestled in a small valley. The granite hills were covered in gorse and heather in shades of blues and purples. Directly in front of them was a path that led towards the sea and an outcrop of rocks. 

"It's beautiful." she whispered as she turned to look at Rory. 

He sat there staring at her, smiling at the look of awe on her face. 

"It's called the Blue Hills. I thought you might appreciate it." 

"I'm so glad I have my sketch pad with me. This is awesome. Thank you." 

"Ah! So you can show me your etchings." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and laughed when she punched him in the shoulder. 

"Trust you to ruin a wonderful moment." she laughed and got out of the car. 

They made their way down the footpath, towards the outcrop of rocks. It wasn't until they got closer that Beth realised they weren't cut off from the small beach. There were huge boulders that stretched across, and they climbed over them to discover a hidden pool in the middle.