Thirty-four
The afternoon with Joe at Books and Coffee had been the beginning.
In the past few weeks, Gill had joined Joe in a variety of activities in which she’d never have imagined herself participating. They’d taken a hot air balloon ride, which she’d enjoyed more than she’d anticipated, booked into one of Jamie Whittaker’s fishing charters on which, to her surprise, she managed to actually catch a fish, and taken scuba diving lessons from Jamie’s son, Gary. She’d drawn the line at kitesurfing, deciding to leave that to Freya who had already booked several sessions, also with Gary, though Gill suspected his brother, Rory, might be part of the attraction. She was keeping her fingers crossed and carefully avoiding any mention of him to Freya.
Erica had joined them on the fishing trip, and Gill had found it heartwarming to see her come out of her shell. She was pretty when she managed to overcome her fear of her husband, and Gill had seen a reflection of her attractiveness in Jamie’s eyes.
Today, Gill was to have her first experience of scuba diving in the ocean – before they started lessons Joe had admitted to having gone scuba diving before, but not for a long time, he’d added. When she’d heard about Gill taking lessons, Poppy had insisted on her and Cam joining Gill and Joe for this first trip, and Gill was looking forward to her support.
‘Ready for another adventure?’ Joe asked, when she opened the door to him.
‘I think so.’ Freya had already asked her this before heading off to go kitesurfing. ‘I guess I can’t back out now.’
‘You’ll be fine,’ Joe assured her. ‘You did okay last week.’
‘Hmm.’ The previous week had been in the rock pool at the edge of the harbour. The open ocean was something else entirely.
Poppy and Cam were already there when Gill and Joe arrived at the harbour. Gill joined Poppy in the change room in Gary’s dive shed to pull a wet suit on over the bikini she’d worn under her clothes. Glancing across at Poppy, she thought they must both look like creatures from another planet in the black stretch neoprene outfits which covered them from their necks to their wrists and ankles, leaving only their feet, hands and heads exposed. Then they joined the others to board the dive boat.
Gill had an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach as they headed out to sea, her hand tightly clasped in Joe’s. It was strange, she thought, how she’d come to depend on him, though there had been no hint of anything more than friendship between them, despite Freya’s comments, and Poppy’s curious looks. Her friend knew better than to make any comment, regardless of what she might be thinking.
Once out of the harbour, Gill’s excitement began to build. Is this how Poppy had felt on her first dive ? She glanced at her friend, but only saw her grinning at Cam whose arm was around her shoulders. For an instant, she wondered how it would feel to have Joe’s arm around her , then dismissed the thought. They were only friends.
While Gill had been musing, imagining Joe’s arm around her, the boat had stopped. This was it. First Cam, then Poppy, slipped over the edge of the boat, then it was her turn. When she hesitated, Joe said, ‘I’ll be right behind you, and I’ll keep close. Gary’s with you too. You’ll be right.’
Gill felt scared, but it was too late to back out now. Carefully, she slid into the water to join her friends, Joe following. At first, Gill felt claustrophobic, with the mask covering her face and she was acutely aware of how loud her bubbles and the other sounds around her were. But she remembered this from her experience in the rock pool and after a few moments she became used to it and began to experience a sense of relaxation, not unlike she felt in the ocean each morning when she turned to float on her back. The difference this time was… she was underneath the water.
As she became more aware of her surroundings, Gill realised Joe was nearby, Gary close beside her, and Poppy and Cam not far off. As she moved through the water, she experienced a feeling of freedom, unlike anything she had ever encountered before. Was this what it was like to be in space ? A sense of exhilaration filled Gill as she watched tiny fish swim by, fronds of soft coral swaying with the movement of the water and a turtle make its way past the group of divers. All too soon, it seemed, Gary indicated it was time to surface again, and they all made their way back.
‘How was it?’ Gary asked, when they were back on board the dive boat, and Gill had removed her face mask, regulator and fins, and unstrapped the tank.
‘Amazing! I can’t believe how wonderful it felt. I want to do it again.’
‘I knew you’d like it,’ Joe said, coming over and, to her surprise, throwing his arms around her. ‘Well done! You’re a natural. Certification next.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ Gill said, aware of Poppy and Cam staring at them and smiling. ‘But at least I didn’t make a fool of myself.’ She laughed, partly to disperse the rush of desire she’d felt at Joe’s embrace. He was only congratulating her as any friend would.
On the trip back, the conversation was all about the dive. To Gill’s surprise, Gary held the same opinion as Joe. ‘A few more sessions and we’ll see you get your certification,’ he said. ‘Then you won’t need me.’ She’d also been surprised to learn Joe had been a certified diver since he was in his teens. He’d been modest when telling her he’d dived before.
Back on land, Gill struggled out of her wet suit and back into the jeans and skivvy she’d been wearing when she arrived, then she and Poppy went out to join the men who were standing by the harbour wall drinking beer and chatting.
Cam gave Poppy a warm hug and Joe nodded to Gill. She had a weird impulse to hug him, but quickly suppressed it. What would he think ?
‘Why don’t you and Joe join us for dinner?’ Poppy asked. ‘Were having my usual table at Crossings and I can guarantee a good meal.’
Gill shot a glance at Joe, but his expression gave nothing away. ‘It sounds lovely,’ she said, ‘but Freya…’
‘Your daughter? Don’t worry about her,’ Gary said. ‘She and Rory are coming to the yacht club with Mandy and me tonight.’
‘Oh!’ Freya hadn’t mentioned anything about meeting Rory Whittaker again. Had Gill been right about him? She remembered Freya’s surprise he was still living in Pelican Crossing. Perhaps her daughter wasn’t quite as negative about men as she pretended… or did she consider Rory to be safe since they’d grown up together? Maybe they were just friends too. Not all relationships were about sex, as she well knew. Although… she glanced at Joe who was looking out to sea and felt her stomach flutter again.