CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ALEXIS
‘‘I thought we were going surfing?’’ I ask as I eye the boats in the harbour. ‘‘‘Cause this is a funny lookin’ beach, Alec.’’
‘‘We were going surfing, then I got a call from my mate who owns the boat, Reg. He’s doing deliveries today between Lundy and here so I thought I’d ask if he’d take us with him. He won’t be back for another week.’’ Alec takes my hand and tugs me towards a boat with cracked red paint.
‘‘Sheesh,’’ I mutter. ‘‘Thanks for the warning.’’
I look at the boat as I slowly approach it. Besides the paint job, it’s in perfect condition, bobbing along on the water. It’s nice, I guess, as far as boats go.
But it’s a boat. A boat. I. Don’t. Do. Boats.
Full stop.
There’s only so much rocking about on water a person can take. Yes, I’ve been on one before to get to Lundy, but that was then, and this is now. I haven’t stepped foot on a boat for five years. That’s a long damn time.
‘‘Come on, Princess.’’ Alec turns. ‘‘It’s not that bad, I promise.’’
‘‘Er, yeah.’’ I swallow, looking between him and the boat.
‘‘Wow.’’
‘‘What?’’
He stops and looks down at me in front of him. ‘‘You actually are scared of the boat, aren’t you?’’
‘‘Nope,’’ I say stubbornly. ‘‘Slightly apprehensive, maybe, but not scared.’’
He chuckles. ‘‘Scared, then.’’
I shake my head vehemently. ‘‘Nope.’’
‘‘Princess.’’ He touches my cheek with his thumb. ‘‘I can see the panic in your eyes, it’s no good lying to me. Come on, it’s only a quick journey. Just think, you finally get to snorkel.’’
‘‘You do realise I’ve only snorkelled twice, right?’’
‘‘I didn’t know that, but I do now.’’ He takes my bag from me. ‘‘I’ve snorkelled at Lundy a few times now. You’ll be fine. Come on.’’
He hops up onto the boat and holds his hands out for me. I take a deep breath, put my hands in his and let him pull me up. The boat rocks with the movement and I freeze, gripping his arm. He shakes his head.
‘‘Do you really think I’m gonna let you go overboard?’’ Alec chuckles.
I glance up at him. ‘‘Maybe.’’
He laughs and wraps an arm round my waist.
‘‘Alec, is that you?’’ A voice calls from below the deck.
‘‘Sure is, Reg.’’ Alec calls back.
‘‘Come on down!’’
Alec leads me down to the cabin. It’s nothing special. A standard black couch sits in the corner, there’s a small table with two chairs and a small cupboard. Standing in the middle of it all is Reg. His hair is cut short, almost right to his scalp, and his darkly tanned skin makes it hard for me to tell if he’s just really tanned or if he’s naturally darker-skinned.
The boys shake hands and I’m introduced.
‘‘Damn, Alec, where did you find her?’’ Reg slaps his shoulder.
Alec winks at me. ‘‘She found me.’’
Reg shakes his head and looks at me. ‘‘If you ever get bored of this prick, you know where to find me.’’
He turns to go up to the deck and I laugh. ‘‘I sure do.’’
‘‘Oi,’’ Alec growls to Reg’s laughter.
‘‘Yes?’’ I bat my eyelashes at him.
‘‘You’re not gonna get bored of me.’’
‘‘Am I not?’’ I walk back and sit on the sofa.
‘‘Not a chance.’’ He stalks towards me, a predator like gleam in his eye. I look up at him through lowered lashes and see him swallow. I delight in his expression and take it one step further.
I bite my lip.
‘‘Um,’’ Alec whispers, stopping and running his hand through his hair.
‘‘Mm?’’ I tilt my head to the side.
‘‘Oh, boy.’’ He sinks into the sofa next to me and leans his head on the back of it.
‘‘What’s wrong?’’ I turn my head to the side, facing him. He rolls his head towards mine.
‘‘You. When you.... Do that. It drives me crazy.’’
I smile at him. ‘‘Good.’’
‘‘Good?!’’ His eyes widen.
‘‘Yep.’’ I shrug one shoulder. ‘‘Maybe I like making you go crazy.’’
‘‘Okay.’’ He shakes his head and sits up, propping his chin up on his hand. ‘‘What happened to the girl who tried to run away from me yesterday, all shy?’’
‘‘She decided to keep her promise and not run away.’’ I look into his darkened, stormy coloured eyes. ‘‘So, she’s being honest instead.’’
Alec nods and moves forward, his breath fanning my face. ‘‘Then maybe, I shouldn’t hold back much either.’’
My breath hitches and I shake my head slightly.
‘‘I don’t want you to,’’ I whisper.
His eyes search my face. I move my body closer to him and he runs his fingers through my hair.
‘‘Princess?’’
‘‘Mm?’’
He moves closer to me yet, his lips brushing mine as light as a feather.
‘‘You’re beautiful,’’ he says softly. I smile against his mouth.
‘‘You told me that yesterday.’’
‘‘I know.’’ He cups my head. ‘‘And I’ll tell you every day, too.’’
His lips press against mine and I automatically kiss him back.
I don’t notice the starting of the boat. I don’t notice how we bob on the open water. I don’t notice anything but the guy sitting next to me.
But I do notice how he’s stealing both my breath and my heart with a simple kiss.
~
‘‘See? It wasn’t bad.’’ Alec grins devilishly at me.
‘‘Okay, okay.’’ I wrap my arm around his waist and lean into him. ‘‘It wasn’t bad.’’
His arm goes over my shoulders and he picks up the bag he brought from the boat.
There’s something magical about the three mile long island that is Lundy. It’s the place where the Atlantic Ocean and Bristol Channel meet. Look to the west and you can see nothing but open sea for miles, and that’s because there’s nothing between Lundy and America besides the open water.
It’s peaceful here. No one pushes past anyone, in fact, there’s hardly anyone here at all. When I look up I can see the famous puffins bouncing on the cliff edges, taking flight and landing again. The Old Light stands proud and tall, the brickwork glistening in the sun.
I breathe deeply, a sense of peace and serenity settling into my body. That’s the effect Lundy has on you. It makes you feel at home, happy, relaxed.
‘‘Come on.’’ Alec steers me towards a hut. ‘‘Get changed and we’ll go find you some seals.’’
I take the bag from him, kiss his cheek and shut myself in a cubicle of the hut. I pull out a wetsuit and grimace.
Damn. I hate these things.
Knowing there’s no other way out, I strip to my bikini and begin the tedious task of rolling the horrid material over my skin. Once it’s on, I stare down at my feet. Obviously, the flippers won’t be easy to walk in.... I sigh and slip my sandals on.
Wetsuit and gladiator sandals.
Attractive.
I open the door. Alec’s eyes rove over my body, doing a double take at my feet.
‘‘Alright,’’ I huff, shoving the bag at him.
‘‘Nice outfit,’’ he chuckles. I shoot a glare at him and stalk past him. I hear the shuffle of gravel under his feet as he comes after me.
‘‘I love it when you storm off.’’ He slides an arm around me, cupping my hip. ‘‘Do you know why?’’
‘‘Nope, but I’m pretty sure you’re about to tell me.’’ I roll my eyes.
‘‘Besides the fact you’re going the wrong way, you have a really, really nice ass.’’
I stop. Look at him. Huff again.
‘‘You could have said I was going the wrong way.’’
‘‘I just did,’’ he smirks.
‘‘Before, Alec.’’
‘‘I know.’’ He spins us round to face the direction we just came from and we start walking again. ‘‘But like I said, you have a really nice ass, and I kinda like it when you’re mad at me.’’
‘‘You’re so strange.’’ I shake my head.
‘‘You know it’s all part of my charm.’’ He winks at me. I smile despite myself. He’s charming alright – too damn charming.
‘‘Stop,’’ I elbow his side.
‘‘Oooh, it hurts.’’ He mock bends over, taking me with him. I laugh and elbow him again.
‘‘Get off, you idiot.’’
He laughs and takes my hand, leading me down some steps onto a small beach. It’s surrounded by cliffs, and although the sand is a bit gritty the gentle waves crawl up it smoothly.
‘‘Are we doing it here?’’ I ask as Alec sets the bag down.
‘‘Sure are, Princess. It’s my favourite place on the island. Wait till we get down there.’’ He helps me put on all the equipment and I shed the gladiator sandals in favour of flippers.
‘‘I feel like an idiot,’’ I mumble as we walk out into the warm water.
‘‘You still look beautiful. A beautiful idiot, granted.’’ Alec winks at me and I grin at him. ‘‘Ready, Princess?’’
I nod and put in my mouthpiece. Alec drops under the water and I copy him. He takes my hand underwater and we swim out a little.
Little fish in a range of colours swim past us and I marvel at them. Seaweed, anemones and shells stick to the rocks, the seaweed and anemones swaying with the movement of the water. Lobsters and crabs scuttle along the sea floor. I poke the back of a crab and he runs sideways between two rocks. I giggle.
Alec smiles at me around his mouthpiece and I shrug a little, feeling like a small child in Santa’s Grotto. I let go of Alec and swim up over the rocks, watching in amazement as fish feel the movement of the water and scatter in a rippling rainbow of colour.
Below the surface it’s a different world, different in every way. The view, the feelings, the sensations.
Alec swims up to me and his eyes stand out even more underwater. It’s like they fit in with the marine life, sparkling as they watch me. My lips curl slightly and I swim backwards, feeling light and weightless. I hit something solid and two strong arms wrap around me.
I relax back into Alec and we float with the waves, lost in a world of natural colour.
~
‘‘How was your day, dear?’’ Grammy asks after I get back.
‘‘Amazing.’’ I smile and sit next to her on the sofa.
‘‘What did you do?’’ Mum hands me a glass of wine.
I tuck my feet up on the sofa under me. ‘‘Snorkelling in Lundy.’’
Mum smiles. ‘‘How was it?’’
‘‘Amazing,’’ I sigh, sipping the wine and smiling.
‘‘‘Must be love, love, love,’’’ Grammy sings, waving her glass.
‘‘Shut up!’’ I poke her arm and she giggles like a school girl.
‘‘He’s really got a thing for you, that lad,’’ Grammy muses.
I roll my eyes. ‘‘So you keep saying. Has Dad started the barbecue yet?’’
‘‘He should have.’’ Mum pokes her head round the door to look. ‘‘Yes.’’
‘‘He’s a hell of a looker, is our Alec,’’ Gram continues on, oblivious to the change in conversation. ‘‘Good heart, too. Granted, he’s a bit of a lad but oh my, Lexy girl, he’s only got eyes for you, you mark my words.’’
Mum sends me a sympathetic smile and I shrug one shoulder. In the last three and a half weeks, I’ve figured out it’s easier to just let Gram get it out.
‘‘And if he doesn’t, I’ll give him a good kick in the goolies!’’ Jen bursts into the cottage and laughs.
‘‘Who invited you?’’ I joke in mock disgust.
‘‘Um, barbecue? Wine? Hello? Is there anyone at home in your pretty malteser brain?’’ She knocks my head as she walks past and accepts the wine glass Grammy shoves at her.
‘‘Catch up, Jennifer!’’ Gram cackles and leans over to stage whisper. ‘‘I’m on my third!’’
‘‘Really?’’ I ask Mum. ‘‘You’re letting her get drunk?’’
‘‘Darling, if I don’t let her, she’ll simply drink ours when we’re not looking.’’ Mum sighs.
‘‘Let me?’’ Grammy stands and waggles her finger at both of us. ‘‘You girls forget I’m the adult here!’’
Jen purses her lips as she tries to hold in her laughter.
‘‘Of course, Mother,’’ Mum says with a straight face. How? It’s all I can do not to collapse in a pile of giggles.
‘‘I’m going to check on the sausages,’’ Grammy announces and leaves the room, humming to herself while swinging her glass of wine.
Jen raises her eyebrows and snorts. ‘‘I sure hope she means eating sausages and she doesn’t have Roger stashed in the cupboard under the stairs.’’
Ah, yes.
Roger.
Grammy’s latest fancy man who, according to her, is playing both her and Mabel off against each other.
Yep. Move on over, Eastenders. Lilac Bay is the place to be for your non-stop drama!
‘‘Please don’t get her started on Roger,’’ Mum sighs. ‘‘At least, not until I’m too drunk to care.’’
‘‘Oh dear,’’ I deadpan. ‘‘One of those days?’’
‘‘I took her to the Post Office this morning for her pension and it turns out Mabel’s car had broken down so Roger had kindly offered to give her a lift. Needless to say, your Grandmother was not impressed.’’
Jen shakes her head. ‘‘What an asshole,’’ she offers. ‘‘That’s just plain rude, isn’t it?’’
Mum shrugs and tops up all of our wine glasses, emptying the bottle.
‘‘What can you do? Have you ever tried arguing with my mother, Jen?’’
I grimace at the thought.
‘‘No, but I reckon we could have a good old gossip together.’’ Jen grins and takes her glass back from Mum. ‘‘Thank you. I reckon we could get this Roger out of her system.’’
‘‘Yes, but who will replace him?’’ Mum sits back and crosses her legs, ever the lady. I must have missed that gene.
‘‘With any luck,’’ I say in a flat voice. ‘‘A cat will.’’
Mum and Jen both laugh loudly into their wine glasses. I smirk at them and before I know it the three of us are shaking with laughter.
‘‘Oh, my.’’ Mum wipes at her eyes. ‘‘When did you develop a sense of humour, Lexy?’’ She sighs.
I smile sadly at her. ‘‘About the time I started to become a spoilt brat, I guess.’’
‘‘Then it’s a good job you found me again,’’ Jen says seriously.
‘‘It is?’’ I raise an eyebrow at her.
‘‘Yep.’’ She smiles smugly. ‘‘If you’d waited any longer to come back to the Bay, your head would have been so far up your ass not even I would have been able to pull it out!’’
We laugh again and I throw a pillow at her.
For the first time in five years, I’ve remembered what true friendship is like.
~
An hour later, our party has been gatecrashed by Alec and Carl. Bing’s friend, Matt, is here too, so us women are slightly outnumbered.
‘‘I shouldn’t have told them I was having a barbecue.’’ Grammy shakes her head and giggles. ‘‘Men and food.’’
‘‘And beer,’’ Mum adds.
‘‘And women,’’ I say, glancing at Matt. He keeps looking over at me and Jen.
‘‘Oh yeah.’’ Jen nods in agreement. ‘‘Talking about men, Vi...’’
‘‘I’m gonna go grab another wine bottle or two.’’ Mum makes a swift exit.
Damn it. She used my line!
‘‘I hear Roger is fancying a bit of both you and Mabel!’’ Jen carries on.
‘‘Well, I never!’’ Grammy leans over. ‘‘Her car has broken down, apparently. Do you know, Jennifer, I don’t believe it for a second!’’ She thumps the plastic table between us. ‘‘Damn her, she’s trying to get in there with my man.’’
My lips curl up slightly and I bring my glass up to hide my smile. Alec catches my eye from the patio and I watch him as him and my Dad flip the burgers.
Beautiful isn’t a word I’d use to describe a guy, but Alec is pretty beautiful. I think it’s his eyes, simply because they stand out so much.
As if he can sense my gaze on him he turns his head and smiles at me, one that takes my breath away and makes me blush. I lower my gaze and when I glance back up he’s laughing at me silently.
‘‘Well, Vi, if you want my honest opinion,’’ Jen says nonchalantly, pulling me back into the conversation.
‘‘Oh, I do.’’ Grammy nods furiously.
‘‘I think he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too, with an extra helping of dickhead.’’
I snort and cover my mouth to stop my drink flying everywhere. Grammy’s eyes are wide and Jen gives us a look that says she gets it.
I cough slightly and pat my chest. ‘‘Dear god, Jen,’’ I manage.
‘‘I thought you might say that,’’ Grammy sighs. ‘‘I might just get myself a cat instead.’’
I laugh, my earlier comment coming back to me. I have a future in clairvoyance, for sure.
‘‘Samuel Edwards, you turn that song back on!’’ Mum shouts and appears on the porch brandishing two bottles of wine as weapons. We all look her way.
‘‘Mum...’’ Bing groans.
‘‘Turn. It. Back.’’ She’s using her no-nonsense, no arguments tone. Bing rolls his eyes and flicks back a song on the iPod dock.
Michael Buble.
I smile as Mum puts the bottles down and begins to sing. My mum has the voice of an angel, but it’s not something she flaunts. She has a husky quality to her voice that you couldn’t get if you paid for it.
She puts a hand out to me.
‘‘I’m not that drunk yet.’’ I glance at the porch.
I can’t believe that I’m your man, and I get to kiss you, baby, just because I can, Alec mouths and winks. I smile and Mum pulls me up.
‘‘Alexis,’’ she warns.
‘‘Fine,’’ I sigh and let her twirl me around.
‘‘And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times, its you, it you, you make me sing,’’ Mum sings.
‘‘You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything,’’ I reply.
She spins me and Dad takes her hand. Two hands land on my waist and I spin into Alec.
‘‘It’s you, it’s you,’’ he whispers in a sing-song voice.
I giggle, feeling the effects of Mum’s unlimited wine pouring and the high from the dancing. I step into him and slip my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around me.
‘‘Nope.’’ I smile into his neck. ‘‘It’s you, you make me sing.’’
I feel him smile into my hair and I close my eyes.
‘‘Alec, do you know something?’’ I whisper.
‘‘I know lots of things,’’ he chuckles.
‘‘Shush,’’ I giggle again. ‘‘I have to tell you something.’’
‘‘What? That when my Princess is drunk she’s really cute?’’
‘‘I’m not drunk. Not very, anyway.’’ I frown. ‘‘Stop distracting me!’’
Alec looks down at me. ‘‘I’m sorry, baby. What did you want to tell me?’’
I grin. ‘‘Not much, but you should know I’ve turned out liking you a lot more than I originally planned to.’’
His smile says it all. It says that he knows, that he’s happy, but it’s his eyes that tell me like is a weak word for how he really feels.
And I’m pretty sure my eyes say the same.