Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
FINN
I fight the urge to take what’s mine. The kiss I’ve paid for. The kiss that’s cost me ten grand, along with a roasting from my mother and probably a call into my father’s office any day now. The kiss I thought I wanted, to see her take back her words and buy back my pride.
But staring into her green eyes, glistening like pearls in a shell, I don’t want the kiss I’ve paid for; I want the kisses she gives for free, the kisses she wants to give because if she doesn’t, her heart will burst. The kisses she wants to give because she wants me like I want her.
This confident sassy woman, who I thought was impenetrable, showed me a crack in her armour. Her vulnerability today made her more beautiful to me than ever before.
With parted lips, she leans closer. My heart stutters in my chest. Our noses brush, and I’m almost washed away, losing myself in her ocean scent like a salty sea breeze.
Pulling back, I clear my throat. I need to put some distance between us. I won’t kiss her like this, in her moment of weakness. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
I take her hand in mine, leading her to the kitchen. She laces her fingers with mine and I enjoy the calm closeness of her with no one-upmanship, just mutual respect.
Opening the fridge, I stare at the pitiful amount of food I have in stock. I’d offer taking her out to eat, but after this afternoon’s disaster, I’m safer here. Reluctantly, I let go of her hand to pull my mobile from my trousers and speed dial my favourite takeout place, Just in Queso.
“You like tacos?”
She nods.
“Just in Queso. Can I take your order?”
“Phoebe, it’s Finn.” I groan inwardly, realising me being on first-name terms with the local Mexican takeout only proves how much I order from here. “Can I have my regular order delivered to my place, and just one second while I find out what Shell wants.”
Shelly’s rosy cheeks lift with a smile. “Just tell Phoebe I’ll have my regular meet-free tacos and soda.”
“OMG, is that Shelly Myrtle you’re with?”
“Yeah, you know her?”
“Of course I know her. Put me on speaker.”
“I’m pretty sure she can hear you screeching down the phone.”
“Girl, your speech was incredible. I’m so proud of you and all the money you raised.”
“Thank you for your donation, too, Phoebs. It means so much to have the locals’ support.”
“So, what’s going on with you and Finn? Is it date night for two? Netflix and chill? Taco Tuesday? Hmmm?”
“I’m still here, Phoebe. And it’s Monday.”
Shelly silently chuckles, making my chest swell. After the day she’s had, it’s good to see her happy. She takes the phone from me. “Just a casual date after he bid at the auction. Nothing more.”
“Ah, I see. He could’ve taken you somewhere fancy.”
Shelly’s face scrunches up, showing her disinterest in our disaster date story.
I intercept the phone. “What can I say Phoebe, we just like tacos.”
“All right, I’m putting your order through. I’ll let Shelly explain what the phrase taco Tuesday really means. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you.” I end the call and try to control the curve of my lips when I take in Shelly’s flushed cheeks, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. If only it was taco Tuesday. “Drink?” I pull a beer from the fridge and pop the lid.
“Thanks.” She takes a sip from the bottle. “Sounds like you’re a regular at Just in Queso.”
I can’t hold back the grin any longer. “Like I said, I like tacos.”
“I would have thought with your money bags, you’d have a chef.” She wanders back towards the couch, her fingers gliding along a rack of paintings. “I didn’t know you’re an artist.”
“What did you think I had tucked under my arm the other day? A chequebook?”
She laughs. “It wouldn’t surprise me.” With big eyes, she looks up at me. “May I look?”
I nod and hold my breath, hoping she likes the scenes.
Flicking through the paintings, she pulls out a landscape of the beach and her turtle hut. “This is beautiful. You’re really talented.”
“Thanks.” I shrug my shoulders. “It’s just a hobby.”
She spins around to face me. “Just a hobby?” Her eyes scan my living space, which is more like an artist’s studio than a holiday home. “It must be a very lucrative hobby, though.”
My eyebrows pinch. “What do you mean?”
“You sell them, right?”
“No. I’ve never sold any.” I point to the rack. “I did a couple of commissions for my mother’s friends back home, but that’s about it.”
“You should get yourself a website. Or even a gallery.” Her green eyes glow like the reef, wild and full of wonder. “You’d make a fortune here in Magnolia Point. You have enough here to set up your own gallery.”
“It’s a nice dream, turtle girl.” My shoulders curl inwards as my chest caves. I can only imagine owning a studio, painting all day, and making a living from my art. I know I’m privileged enough to not have to worry about money and I was able to travel to Europe and study after I’d fulfilled my commitment to economics and business studies at Oxford. That was the deal with my parents. Finish my education, then take some time out for my passion. But my father will never see art as a real job.
Shelly crosses the room, closing the gap between us. “Why is it a dream? You have money. You could easily set this up.”
“You have no idea, Shell. I’m here to work for my father’s real estate business, not waste my time drawing pretty pictures.” I swill the bitterness down with a swig from the bottle. “We don’t all get to do as we please. Even with all my money bags.”
Her hand squeezes my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Finn. You’re right. I don’t understand what it’s like. My parents have always encouraged me to follow my heart.” Her brow furrows. “But surely you can stand on your own two feet and follow your dreams. If they won’t support that, there’s many that will.” Her hand slides down my arm, her fingernails tracing the ink there. “Including me. Let me display some in the hut. You could even ask the resort shop here to display some for you.”
“That’s sweet of you. If you want to sell some to raise money for your cause, go ahead.” I flick through the canvases and select a few of the local landscape. “I’ll drop these off tomorrow for you.”
“Thank you. You’ve been more than generous. But I didn’t mean to sell for the cause. I meant to get you started in business. Your parents would surely be proud to witness your potential.”
“They know my skills. I’ve been drawing and painting since I was old enough to hold a brush. My mother supports me, but my father will never understand.” A sigh leaves my lungs.
A knock at the door sounds just as Shell’s phone rings. Opening the door, the delivery driver hands over our food.
Shelly comes to stand at my side, slipping the phone into her pocket. “We have our first hatchling of the season. Wanna see?” Her face is lit up brighter than the moon above us. “We can eat while we wait.”
“Let me grab a t-shirt.” I hand her the bag of food and the drinks while I throw on a t-shirt, then lock up. I take the food from her and she holds the drinks as we walk down the boardwalk towards the beach.
“Have you ever seen an emergence?” she asks, practically jogging and skipping towards the sand.
“A what now?” I take long strides to keep up with her. Although, I’m pretty hungry, so the quicker we get to the nest, the sooner I can eat.
She threads her arm through mine, hanging on to my forearm. “Technically, the turtles would have hatched a few days ago. Barriers go up around day fifty, preparing the runway for the turtles. It’s why that section was off-limits last week. After hatching, the turtles emerge and head to the sea.”
“I’ve only ever seen it on David Attenborough.”
“I love his documentaries.”
“Let me guess, The Blue Planet was your favourite.” I chuckle, loving how she smiles at me. I’ve never seen her move so fast or be this animated as with the impending emergence.
We walk by the bandstand on the edge of the resort and step onto the sand. The light fades the farther away from the resort we get. Moonlight bounces off the sand, lighting our way to the nesting area near the sand dunes.
Shelly pulls me along, her cheeks flush from the exertion and excitement. “It’s just up here. See the runway?” She waves at two of her colleagues sitting on the dunes. “Samantha and Oli have taken the evening shift.”
Sea oats bunch all around them, two wooden barriers forming the runway lead to the ocean like a bowling alley with the kids’ barriers up.
As we reach the nest, Shell leans over the netted area. Her voice is soft and barely a whisper on the breeze. “I see it.” She points to a small indent in the sand. “Finn, look.”
“What am I looking at?” I whisper back.
“The dip means that the emergence is happening. It should get bigger and then we’ll see them breach the surface.”
“So, how long does it take?”
Oli whispers, “It can take anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours.”
I sit down with the conservationists and open the bag of food. Shelly sits next to me and hands me my soda. I give her a box that says vegan.
“Have you guys eaten?” she asks .
I silently pray they say yes. The smell of my taco has been tormenting me ever since it arrived and no way in hell am I sharing.
“We shared a sandwich,” Samantha says.
I groan inwardly and offer my bag of fries and fake smile with gritted teeth when they take it.
Shelly smiles approvingly at my begrudging generosity and offers one of her tacos. “Here guys. If I’d known, I could’ve ordered you something.”
“This is plenty, thank you,” Samantha says.
As we eat, Oli shines the torch on the nest. The dip is significantly bigger now. Waves crash against the shore in harmony with the breeze against the rushes. The sounds of the elements create a lullaby, soothing the earth to sleep under the night’s sky.
After eating, Shelly clears up any packaging from the food and places it back in the paper bag.
Oli stands. “I’ll dispose of the trash back at the hut. You coming, Sam?” He widens his eyes, tilting his head towards Shelly and I as if to signal why Sam needs to go with him. She gets the message after several eye and head movements and they both walk to the hut, leaving Shell and me alone.
“Well, Oli didn’t make it obvious at all.” I chuckle as I manoeuvre the torch to shine more on her than the nest.
“I’m glad you’re here, Finn.”
I slip my arm around her waist and pull her into my side. “I’m glad I’m here too.”
The torch lights up her beautiful face, the day’s makeup washed away with her tears, windswept hair, just how I like her, natural, wild and free. Despite the majestic setting, my eyes fix solely on her.
“What?” She glances at me staring and looks down at the nest .
I lean in to whisper in her ear. “You’re beautiful.” My breath fans her neck and I feel her shiver.
She smoothes a hand over her hair as if trying to tame it and bites into her plump bottom lip. “That may have been true this afternoon, but I look a little worse for wear now.”
I take her hand in mine so she stops fiddling with her hair. “You don’t know how irresistible you are at this moment. And that’s what makes you beautiful. And I’m not just talking about how you look, turtle girl. Everything about you has me enchanted.”
Her green eyes widen and glow under the moonlight. I could kiss her now. Lord knows I want to. She leans towards me with parted lips. My heart stutters in my chest as my face dips.
“Did we miss anything?” Sam whisper yells, a little out of breath. She must have run to the hut and back. Oli’s not far behind, but looks to be taking his time.
I clench my back teeth and pull away to fake smile at her.
Shelly shakes beside me with a silent giggle and shines the light on the nest. “Oh look. We need to film this for the blog.” She pulls her phone from her pocket and begins recording.
The dent in the sand widens, then a flipper emerges, followed by a tiny turtle's head, then a body crawling its way out of the sand.
“Come on, little guy, you’re doing so well,” Shelly says, as if her words are encouraging. Her animated face turns to me. “Isn’t it amazing?”
I nod in awe at this inspiring moment with this amazing woman beside me. “Hey, there’s another one.” I point to another dip as more turtles clamber out of the sand.