“Ha ha.” I pull a dry face. “Funny. But seriously, what’s it doing there?”

“I think the other car park was full.”

“James…” My voice is low, warning.

“OK, OK. Ava.” He steps forward and gestures with a flourish. “Your chariot awaits.”

“Are you serious?”

He nods.

“We’re getting on that thing?” I point to it.

“Yes.”

I gaze at it, wide-eyed. I’ve never been up this close to a helicopter before, and it’s huge. “Bloody hell,” I say.

James, who had started to walk toward the machine, freezes and turns, his face worried.

“What? What does that mean? Is that a good ‘bloody hell’? Or a ‘There’s no way in hell you’re getting me on that thing’ kind of ‘bloody hell’?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Have you ever been on one before?”

I shake my head.

“Well, there’s always a first time for everything,” he says hopefully. “Right?”

I look at the blade things above the helicopter. They are moving up and down slightly in the breeze and look ever so flimsy. How do they hold this thing up in the air? A man wearing aviator sunglasses like Tom Cruise in Top Gun is walking around the helicopter with a clipboard, checking things and making notes. Unlike Tom Cruise, he is as bald as a boiled egg, and is wearing a T-shirt stretched thinly over a paunch that says TRUST ME! I’M A FLYBOY! James walks back to stand in front of me.

“Seriously, though, Ava. If you don’t want to do this, that’s OK. I’m not going to pressure you into anything you don’t want to do. Say the word and we can go somewhere else, somewhere that doesn’t involve flying. It’s not for everyone, after all, and if you’re scared that’s perfectly understandable.”

His words give me the push I need. “No,” I say. “I’m not scared. OK, maybe a little. But I want to do it.”

His face relaxes again. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Ready for an adventure?”

“I was born ready.”

He smiles. “OK. I’m just going into the office to sort out the paperwork. I’ll be back soon.”

I nearly chicken out when he’s in the office talking to the woman behind the counter. The thought of being high in the air inside the metal contraption sitting before me is terrifying, to say the least. But I trust him. And his use of the word “adventure” has sparked my imagination. I have no idea where we’re going, and whether I enjoy the ride there remains to be seen, but I’m determined to make the most of this opportunity that I have been offered.

James comes back outside, beaming. “We’re all good to go.”

“Really? You’re sure they don’t need like a passport, or something? Because I didn’t bring mine.” I pull a face. “Aw, we can’t go, what a shame.”

“We’re not leaving the country, Ava. You don’t need a passport.”

“Oh.”

He smiles reassuringly. “Last chance to change your mind.”

I take a deep breath and hold it for six seconds, then exhale, feeling calmer. Not as calm as a whiskey would have made me feel, but I was pretty sure helicopters didn’t serve in-flight drinks, so it would have to do. “No. Let’s do this.”