Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Daisy
I t was a beautiful late autumn day. The sea was calm, and Daisy was itching to get out onto the water. She was shocked that Nate had never been surfing, so she set about righting that wrong. She was waiting on her back patio for him to arrive when Erica came strolling along with Isobel.
Daisy tossed her book on the sofa and launched towards them.
“Aren’t you looking cute in your onesie,” Daisy said to Isobel, and Erica handed her over.
She kissed the apple of Isobel’s cheek and then smothered the little girl until she giggled.
“You going surfing?” Erica asked, sitting on the wall, stretching her legs out towards the lawn.
Daisy joined her, bouncing Isobel on her thigh.
“Yeah. Nate’s joining me. He’s never been before.”
Erica raised an eyebrow. “Really? Nate’s never been surfing before? That’s surprising, considering he practically grew up on the beach and rows,” she said, her eyes scanning the horizon. “Well, I hope he’s a quick learner. The waves can be pretty unforgiving this time of year.”
Daisy shrugged. “He’ll be fine. Besides, I’ll be there to teach him,” she said with a smirk. “I’m a pretty excellent teacher.”
Erica laughed. “I’m sure you are. Just make sure you don’t distract him too much.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’ll try not to,” she said, standing up and handing Isobel back to Erica. “I should go get my board ready. Nate should be here any minute.”
As Daisy walked towards the rack on the wall to get her board, she felt a thrill of excitement. She loved surfing, loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and the rush of adrenaline as she caught a wave.
Just as she was about to grab her board, she heard her name being called out.
She peeked over the patio wall, hanging onto the wooden support post for the trestle and saw Nate walking along the path a little nervously. Daisy grinned to herself. She loved the idea of being the one to introduce him to something new.
“That’s my cue to head off for a saunter around the lawns,” Erica said, leaning in to kiss Daisy’s cheek.
“See you soon,” Daisy replied, kissing them both.
“You’ve been a stranger, come by for dinner this week,” Erica said, giving her a mum look.
“I will.”
Nate had reached them. He gave Isobel a tickle under her chin. She rewarded him with a gurgle and a mass of bubbles .
“See you later. Wear sunscreen,” Erica called out over her shoulder.
When Erica was out of view, Nate leaned in and gave Daisy a long slow kiss that set her nerves on end.
When they broke apart, she picked up her board.
“I’m glad you made it.”
“I should tell you that I’m clumsy when I’m on the water.”
“You’ll be fine with me. I’ll take care of you.”
Nathan grabbed her hand and smiled.
They walked down the uneven planks half covered in sand, hand in hand.
Nate smiled, but she could see the nervousness in his eyes. “I’m a little nervous, to be honest.”
Daisy gave him a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you. And the waves aren’t too big today, so it’ll be perfect for beginners.”
Nate nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Daisy led the way towards the beach, carrying her board with ease. Nate followed close behind, still looking a little apprehensive. As they reached the shore, Daisy turned back to Nate.
“Okay, first things first. Let me show you how to paddle out.”
She showed him the proper technique, lying chest down on her board and using her arms to push herself through the water. Nate watched carefully and then tried it for himself.
“Good, good,” Daisy said encouragingly. “Now, when you see a wave coming, you’re going to turn around and start paddling towards shore. And when you feel the wave lift you up, you’re going to pop up to your feet and ride it all the way in. ”
Nate nodded, taking it all in. Daisy could see the determination in his eyes.
“Okay, ready to give it a try?” she asked, and Nate nodded again.
Daisy could feel the tension radiating off of Nate, but she didn’t let it show that she could sense it. Instead, she chatted cheerfully about the waves and the technique she would teach him.
She showed him how to lie on the board and paddle out when they got to the water. The waves were small, but they still had a bit of power to them. Daisy watched as Nate struggled to navigate the whitewater, his movements awkward and jerky.
“Relax,” she called out to him. “You’re not going to fall off. Just paddle out further.”
Nate nodded, taking a deep breath and working on his technique. After a few minutes, they made it out past the break, and Daisy showed him how to position himself on the board.
“Okay, now just wait for the right wave and paddle hard. I’ll be right behind you,” she said.
Nate took a deep breath and nodded, looking out at the sea. Daisy watched as he scanned the horizon, trying to anticipate the next wave. She could see the determination in his eyes, and it made her heart sing.
Suddenly, she saw a swell rising in the distance. “There, Nate, go for that one!” she called out, pointing towards the wave.
Nate paddled hard. Daisy was right behind him, feeling the wave, urging him to pop up to his feet. He struggled at first, wobbling on the board, but then he found his balance and rode the wave all the way to shore.
Daisy cheered him on, feeling a rush of excitement. She watched as Nate jumped off the board, grinning from ear to ear.
“That was amazing!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe I actually did it.”
Daisy laughed. “I told you, surfing is the best. And you’re a natural. Are you ready to do it again?”
Nate sat up, nodding eagerly. “Absolutely. Let’s go.”
And with that, they dove back into the water.
After an hour, Daisy was wiped. It had been too long since she’d surfed, and she didn’t have working on the rigs for weeks on end to keep her strength up. Daisy signalled for them to head to the shore. Once they were on dry land, they dragged their boards up to the flat near the rocks and retrieved the picnic bag she’d brought.
Daisy and Nate were sitting on a blanket spread out on the flat rocks of the beach. The day was unseasonably warm, and the sun shone down on them, making the sand glisten. All around them were stretches of beach and not much else, giving them a sense of privacy.
Nate reached out to take Daisy’s hand and gently squeezed it. He smiled at her and asked, “So, Daisy, tell me what you used to do on your off weeks from the rigs? What did you do you do for fun?”
Daisy’s brown hair fell in a mess around her face while her eyes stared blankly at the afternoon sky. She fell back onto the blanket with a handful of grapes in her hand, popping one into her mouth while she thought about the question. The grapes were sweet and cold from the refrigerator.
The sun was warm but not warm enough to unzip the top of her wetsuit like Nate had. She turned her head to admire his muscled for a second and caught the sexy smirk he was sending her way .
“Well, as soon as the helicopter dropped the four of us off, we went to the house we lived in up in Scotland. We had one day to decompress, which was usually sleeping and washing clothes. Then we would pack, have dinner with our next-door neighbour, then set off on our trip overseas.”
“You were close to your neighbour?”
“You could say that,” Daisy said and closed her eyes.
Nate moved closer to thread his fingers with hers.
“Tell me?”
“Our neighbour is actually our mother, but my brothers don’t know.”
“Fuck,” Nate bit out. “When they find out, they are not going to react well.”
“No, they’ll probably be very disappointed in me.”
“It’s not on you, Daisy. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be near your mum. Mine is on the mainland, and I only get to see her once a month. I can’t really leave Copper Island for any length of time because it means closing the workshop, and I need every bit of business I can get my hands on. They come across to me. So I know the need to be near your parents, and you only have one.”
“My family is so complex and dark. You really should think twice about starting anything with me, Nate.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I can handle anything you throw at me. My mind has wild ideas about why a mother would leave her four children and husband. It has to be extreme.”
“She didn’t leave my dad. They were still together.”
“How did they manage that?”
“We had a routine. My dad worked on the rigs with us for three weeks, and then we would have three weeks off. None of us wanted to go to Copper Island in our downtime, so we went away overseas for three weeks. Sometimes near and sometimes far, depending on the time of year and the cost of travel. Our dad said he would hole up at the house for a few days to relax and then head down to Copper Island to do Turner work.”
“He must have been exhausted.”
“We all saw him age faster than his years. We begged him to sign over the inheritance to his sister, Cynthia, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Saying that it was what she wanted and he would never give her what she wanted.”
“So, how were they still together?”
“He stayed for the first three days of every time off to be with Mum. We had flown off somewhere, so they had seclusion for three days.”
“I’m heartbroken for your mum. That must have been hard on the both of them.”
“My mum said she was happy to see him at all after what she went through. She didn’t tell me the finer details, but she did let slip once what Cynthia did to her to make her move off the island.”
Daisy stayed quiet and was glad Nate didn’t ask her what that was because she couldn’t cope with saying it out loud.
“I admire you, Daisy. You’re made of strong stuff.”
“I think that’s probably the problem with these flashbacks. I wish they’d just come to the surface so I don’t have to be scared all the time.”
“It will come out when it’s ready. I’ll be there when it does. The upside of living on a small island,” Nate said and smiled.
Nate leaned closer and kissed her lightly on the lips. Daisy felt her heart flutter as they both smiled, and she leaned in to kiss him back. The sun shone down on them as they kissed, and the water lapped at the shore.
Daisy felt herself igniting with passion as Nate’s hands explored her body, sending shivers down her spine. She moaned softly into his mouth as their tongues danced together in a fiery dance. The warmth of the sun, the coolness of the water, and the intensity of their kiss all merged into one glorious moment.
Nate’s hands slid down her waist, pulling her closer to him. Daisy could feel the hardness of his body against hers, and she knew she wanted him more than anything else in the world right now. With a fierce desire burning within her, she broke the kiss and whispered into his ear,“We have to stop. This is too public.”
Nate broke the kiss and whispered in Daisy’s ear, “Let’s take this somewhere more private.”
Daisy nodded, and Nate took her hand, leading her towards a secluded spot on the beach. Once they were hidden, Nate pressed Daisy up against a tree and kissed her again. This time, his hands roamed freely, teasing and exploring her body.
He pulled the zip of her wetsuit down to reveal she wore no bikini top. Nate’s hand slid inside, and she closed her eyes as he cupped her breast.
“Fucking hell, Daisy, you’re perfect.”
Daisy wanted Nate with so much intensity she arched her back and pressed herself closer to him. She could feel his hardness against her and knew she wanted him.
Nate lifted Daisy up without a word, holding her against the tree and pressing against her as he kissed her. Her heart was pumping so fast she couldn’t get close enough. Her legs tightened around his waist, searching for friction.
They were wearing too many clothes.
“We could go back to the cottage?” she said.
“Are you sure, Daisy?”
“Never surer of anything, Nate. ”
Nate nodded, not saying a word, and slowly lowered Daisy to the ground. They collected the surfboards and packed up their picnic. He took her hand, and they began walking back towards the cottage. As they walked, Nate’s thumb gently grazed the back of Daisy’s hand, sending sparks of electricity through her body.