Chapter 62
As they stood on the road saying their goodbyes, Jimmy looked up at the clear sky, pierced with a thousand bright stars.
‘Nice night for a walk on the beach,’ he murmured, ‘don’t you think?’
There was a flutter in Nel’s stomach. ‘Um, yeah … that would be lovely.’ Her voice sounded strange, stilted, the words too formal. She avoided looking at Lauren, who was listening intently.
‘Okay, Nel,’ Cath said, searching in her bag for her car keys. ‘Let’s get going—’
She stopped abruptly and frowned at Lauren, who had elbowed her. ‘What?’
Lauren groaned. ‘Nothing, Mum.’
Nel cringed. It was impossible for this to be anything other than awkward, so she might as well just be straightforward. ‘I’m going with Jimmy.’
‘Oh?’ Cath’s frown turned into a knowing smile. ‘Ooh! Okay then. Well, you two have a lovely time, won’t you? Goodnight, darling.’ She kissed Nel then Jimmy. ‘Goodnight, Jimmy.’
‘Night, Cath,’ he said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
As they walked through Carrinya’s deserted streets towards the beach, Nel was acutely aware of the proximity of their bodies to each other.
It was as though there was a charge in the air between them.
Twice the backs of their hands brushed gently against each other and each time she felt a flutter in her stomach.
When they reached the beach, they took their shoes off and walked over the dunes, the wide expanse of sand opening out in front of them.
The almost-full moon hung low over the black and silver water.
The sand was cold on Nel’s feet and there was a crisp edge on the breeze.
She should have worn Lauren’s coat instead of her leather jacket.
She shivered and crossed her arms, rubbing them to warm herself up.
Jimmy reached for her hand. ‘Cold?’
‘A little bit.’ He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her. She felt the warmth of his body on hers and then his kiss on her forehead, his stubble rough but his lips gentle.
She looked up at him and they were still, their eyes fixed on each other, then he leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, tentative, then stronger, their lips parting, his tongue brushing gently against hers.