Chapter 13 #2
‘It’s a bit rough for us today,’ one woman said.
She turned to look at the sea. She’d been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t really noticed how high the waves were.
Raised beside the sea, she’d always been a strong swimmer, secure in her strength and skill to beat the waves, apart from the strongest currents.
The trick was knowing when you were beat.
‘But you made it look easy,’ another Mermaid said. ‘Why don’t you join us sometime? If you’d like the company.’
It must be a new member she thought. She didn’t recognise the woman speaking. ‘Thanks, but I have my own routine.’
‘There’s something to be said for doing your own thing,’ said another woman with a smile. ‘Room for everyone.’
As she towelled herself dry, she watched the group of women leave.
There was room for everyone in MacLeod’s Cove and that was one of the many reasons why she stayed.
But, for the first time, she found herself looking at the group who were chatting and laughing together as they walked up the beach towards the steps which would take them to the road, with a twang of envy.
How lucky they all were to be so easy with each other.
She stopped, for a moment, imagining herself part of the group.
Then she turned, pulled on her kaftan, slipped on her sandals and began the return trip to her cottage.
She didn’t need to re-read Daniel’s letter. She went immediately to her laptop and sent him an email. She didn’t think twice. She simply wrote what came from her heart.
‘I’d love to.’
She clicked send before she had time to re-consider.
Ever since Dan received Augi’s reply, he’d been hyper.
Kate and Lucy had been asking him what was going on, but he wasn’t going to make the mistake of telling them.
This was between him and Augi. But when it came to Saturday night, it seemed he wasn’t able to slip down the stairs in his smart suit without anyone noticing.
But it wasn’t his sisters who gave him away. That came from a surprising source.
Liam opened the door, just as he was going out.
‘Uncle Dan!’ said Liam with a big smile that went straight to Dan’s heart.
‘Liam,’ he greeted, looking over his shoulder in case his sisters had heard. ‘By yourself?’
‘Yeah,’ Liam said in a self-consciously casual way. ‘Just coming back from George’s. Sam said he’d pick me up from here because he and Mum will be a bit late.’
‘Ah, cool.’ As much as Dan loved his nephew, he was anxious to get going without anyone seeing. ‘Go on in then, your Grandma is out the back with your mum and Sam.’
Liam walked past, and opened the door and Dan thought he’d got away with it when he heard Liam tell everyone. ‘Uncle Dan’s dressed up.’
By the time he’d fumbled with the door knob and grabbed his phone from the hall table, they were upon him.
‘Hey, Dan!’ called Jen. ‘Where are you going all dressed up?’
‘None of your business,’ he said, shooting her a dark look. A look that softened when his mother appeared.
‘Darling,’ she said, kissing him on the cheek. ‘How lovely to see you’re going out.’
‘It would be even more lovely to know where he’s going. Or more to the point, who he’s going with,’ said Jen raising her eyebrows.
‘Jen!’ called a warning sound from Sam, who appeared, putting his arm around her. ‘Leave your brother alone.’
Kate looked from one to the other, before shooing Jen and Sam back into the rear of the house. She closed the door on them and Liam, and then turned to him with a smile. ‘Have a lovely evening.’
‘Thanks Mum.’
A few minutes later he drew up outside Augi’s house. She must have heard the car because she stepped out the front door before he could turn off the engine. She either didn’t want him to come into her house, or more likely, had been ready and waiting early. Augi was always punctual.
He got out of the car anyway and smiled at her across its roof. ‘Hey, Augustini,’ he said. She smiled back. ‘Hi, Daniel.’
He came around and opened the car door for her. It was a bit old-fashioned, but his father had always done it for his mother and had instilled the habit in him.
‘Thanks for agreeing to come,’ said Dan as he got into the driver’s seat.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, avoiding his. ‘How could I resist?’
He glanced at her, as he pulled up at the intersection before turning right to take the old road into Wellington. ‘My note?’
‘The classical music concert.’ If it hadn’t been for the slight tweak at the corners of her mouth he would have doubted himself.
He laughed, realising she’d been teasing him. He decided to run with it. ‘I have to confess I got Mum talking about music and might just have turned the conversation to you. She mentioned how much you liked Bach, so I thought you might enjoy the concert.’
‘Bach is my favourite composer. I’ve always liked his work. It’s orderly, contained, and yet complex.’
Like her, he thought. But he wasn’t about to make such a personal comment, not when they’d only just started talking again.
The half-hour trip into Wellington passed easily enough.
Better than Dan had anticipated. The conversation was relaxed and flowed without difficulty.
He even made Augi laugh a few times. If Augi had had any doubts about the date, she was keeping them to herself.
But she seemed happy enough, even relaxed and comfortable in his company.
It was almost as if she’d come to terms with something, even if Dan didn’t know quite what that was.
He parked in the basement car park under the Michael Fowler Centre and they took the lift up, emerging in the foyer where he collected the tickets and some drinks before guiding her to a quieter spot outside the bar.
‘So,’ she said, settling back. She was wearing a black silk dress which looked as though it came from a bygone era — one where people attended cocktail parties.
And it looked just right on her. ‘You’d like to know me better,’ she tilted her head with a shy smile.
‘We only have half an hour before the concert starts. Perhaps you’d like to ask me questions? ’
He shook his head. ‘This isn’t an interrogation, Augustini. I just want to spend time with you, get to know you the old-fashioned way.’
He took a sip of his drink and watched as she pressed her lips together and looked down as if thinking through how to respond. Her hair flopped forward a little and his stomach tightened in fear as she hid behind the curtain of hair.
Then she flicked away her hair and smiled. ‘Sounds good to me. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘The concert?’
In response she lifted her glass to his. ‘To getting to know you better.’
He released a tightly held sigh. It was going to be alright.