âMALLORY left you?â Josh lowered his water bottle and stared at Gib in surprise.
âIronic, isnât it?â said Gib with a somewhat crooked grin, shifting his back against the ice wall and putting on his jacket. It had been hot work climbing the last pitch, but at this altitude you soon lost heat. âThe bootâs usually on the other foot!â
Josh grimaced. âIâm sorry to hear that,â he said slowly. âI always liked Mallory. You seemed really good together too.â
âThatâs what I thought,â said Gib wryly. âMalloryâs a very special lady. Smart as anything and beautiful and independent ⦠I really thought she was going to be different.â
He tapped the side of his crampons with his ice pick to loosen the balled ice. âBut then the old C word started cropping up and I knew that was the beginning of the end.â
âThe what word?â asked Josh, diverted.
âCommitment.â Gib stared morosely out at the spectacular view.
They had stopped for a rest on a frozen ledge, high up on the mountain. It was still some way to the summit, but you could look out at the hills stretching off to the hazy horizon. Gib loved the mountains. The air was clean and pure and the only sound was the wind cutting icily through the brilliant sunlight.
He was glad that Josh had called him up and suggested a climb. It was good to be up here where everything was simple and there was not a tearful woman in sight.
It certainly made a nice change.
âWhy are women so obsessed with commitment?â he demanded. âThey all start off pretending that theyâre independent and just want a good time, but youâre lucky if you get to a third date without them planning their wedding dresses!â
âYou and Mallory had been together a bit longer than three dates,â Josh pointed out reasonably. âItâs nearly a year now, isnât it?â
âExactly!â grumbled Gib. âWe were getting along great, everything was fine ⦠why did she have to go and spoil it?â
âWhat did she say?â
âApparently I am completely unable to âcommitâ or to ârelateâ.â Gib hooked his fingers in the air to add sarcastic emphasis to the inverted commas. âAccording to Mallory, I just thought of her as part of some kind of smorgasbord of women!â
Josh looked blank. âA smorgasbord?â
âYou know, one of those buffet affairs where all the dishes are set out along a big table and you go round to help yourself to whatever you fancy.â
âRight,â said Josh, none the wiser.
âMalloryâs theory is that I treat women like so many different dishes, so that even if I find one I really like, I wonât be content to stick with one because Iâll always be wondering if there might not be one I might like even better further along the table.â Gib gave an exclamation of disgust. âDonât you hate it when women analyse you?â
Josh didnât answer directly. Behind the dark glasses that protected his eyes from the glare, his expression was unreadable as he studied the view and considered Malloryâs theory.
âSheâs right, though, isnât she?â he said at last.
âListen, whose side are you on?â demanded Gib.
âYouâre the one who said that sheâs a smart lady.â
âI just happen to like women,â said Gib defensively. âWhatâs wrong with that?â
âNothing.â
âAnd women like me.â He scowled. âI love women! Itâs ridiculous to say that I canât relate to them properly!â
âIs that what Mallory says?â
âShe says Iâve got no idea how to be friends with a woman.â Gib sounded outraged. âCan you believe that?â
âYes.â
âWhat do you mean?â he asked, taken aback by the typically quiet, uncompromising reply. Josh was so ⦠so ⦠so British ⦠sometimes!
Josh was checking the ropes. âHave you ever had a platonic relationship with a woman? A good one?â
âSure.â
âWhen?â
âWhen? Well, letâs see ⦠when ⦠when â¦â Gib searched his mind frantically. âOK, I canât think of anyone right this moment,â he was forced to acknowledge, âbut Iâm sure there must have been someone. I bet you canât think of anyone either,â he added, going on the offensive.
It didnât faze Josh. âYes I can,â he said calmly. âBella is one of my best friends, probably the best friend Iâve got, in fact. We were students together, and weâve been close ever since.â