Free Cold Comfort by Isobel Hart Page A

didn’t break your neck on that trapeze. I worried about
that for years.” We were both laughing when we reached the others.
    “Delilah, I think you’re carrying more than
Hardy,” Charles said as soon as he saw us. He walked over and took some of the
logs from my arms. “He’s not much of a gentleman, letting you get covered in
shit like that,” he said when all the logs were in a pile. He reached out and
gently brushed some of the cobwebs from my dress.
    “Oh, I’m not bothered. I’m not much of a
lady, anyway,” I said. And then I blushed as I realised how it sounded. “I
mean…”
    “It’s okay, Delilah, we know what you meant,”
Hardy said with a laugh. Even Charles was smiling at me, and I grinned back.
    They escorted me over to where the burgers
were beginning to be dished out. It was quite a production line. Both Charles
and Hardy worried over me, making sure I had enough to eat before filling their
own plates and seeing me settled on a chair beside the slowly building fire. It
was nice. Comfortable. For once it didn’t feel competitive between them. I
liked listening to the banter they had, teasing each other about some rugby
match they’d played recently. Then Charles started teasing Hardy about Clarissa.
“What about you, Delilah, have you got a boyfriend?” Although it was Charles who
asked, I could tell by the intensity of Hardy’s gaze that he was just as keen
to hear the answer.
    “No.” I was embarrassed to admit just how
sheltered my life had been up until now.
    “I find that hard to believe,” Charles
prodded. “A girl like you. They must be all over you at school.” Hardy frowned.
    “Don’t be silly.” I said, blushing. “I’m
the weird one. Too into music. Too tall and skinny. Just about everyone steers
clear.”
    “Wow,” Charles replied, looking genuinely
amazed. “They must be blind as well as stupid if they can’t see what’s right in
front of them now. You’re going to be a stunner in my opinion…” I began to
protest, but he stopped me. “Seriously, Delilah, believe me, I’m quite an
expert on the female form.” That made me smile. “Ignore the fools at your school.
I’ve got a feeling you’re destined for great things.” It was sweet, and he
seemed earnest, so I smiled again appreciatively at him. Then I caught sight of
Hardy’s face. He was scowling at us, and my smile dropped. “How about some
music now?” Charles asked, oblivious to his friend’s feelings. I nodded and
moved to where I’d left my guitar, carefully removing it from its case when I
sat back down and started to tune it.
    “You don’t need the tuner now?” Hardy
asked.
    I smiled, remembering his gift all those
years ago. I was glad to see his expression was softer again as he watched me
prepare to sing. “No, I can manage by ear most of the time now, unless I’m playing
with other people.”
    “Tuner?” Charles asked.
    “It’s Hardy I have to thank for being able
to play the guitar at all. He bought me my first guitar for my birthday when I
was eight. Made me promise to get good at playing it. Gave me a tuner too, and I
used it for years.”
    “You did us all a favour, man,” Charles
said, giving him a quick smile.
    Hardy never stopped watching me. I could
feel his eyes upon me the whole time, even when Clarissa arrived and planted
herself on his lap. She looked over and scowled at me.
    “What are you going to play?” Charles
asked.
    “I don’t know. What do you want? I can play
most things if I’ve heard them, but I might not know all the lyrics. I’m happy
to take requests.”
    “How about you sing something that means
something to you?” Charles suggested. I was stumped for a moment and then thought
of the perfect song.
    “Okay.” I reached for my water and took a
sip before closing my eyes and starting to strum the opening chords for Jessie
J’s ‘Who You Are’. The song had meant a lot to me when I first heard it. I’d
been at a particularly low point