The Spa Break

Chapter 7

The next morning, I wake up feeling surprisingly fresh after all of yesterday’s excitement. It’s our first full day at the hotel and these bedsheets alone justify the journey. I feel like I’ve been tucked up in a polar bear’s pocket, the cotton is so soft and cosy. A very decadent start to the day! I roll over to check my phone, which is lit up with today’s Stars in Brief notification from Zodiac Girlie.

Water gives way to emotional depth .

So … I should have a shower? Go swimming? And emerge … deeper? Probably not, given Em’s reaction to Stella’s door-walking escapades last night. There’s a rap on my bedroom door and Emerald bounds in, pulling open the curtains and bouncing up and down on the end of my bed. She’s wearing a silk dressing gown, her blonde hair piled up on top of her head in a topknot. I smile sleepily at the sight of her.

‘Morning!’ She beams.

‘You’re very perky already.’

‘It’s 6am, Jessie, time to have at it.’

‘Hmm. No chance of a lie-in, today?’

‘In the words of the great oracle Bon Jovi, you can sleep when you’re dead, babes. I have plans for you!’

I push myself up into a seated position and rub my eyes.

‘Sounds ominous.’

‘If by ominous, you mean dreamy, then you are correct.’ Em grins. ‘So, I couldn’t help but notice that Stell looked totally knackered when we got here yesterday. Like, super drained. In need of some serious pep.’

I nod. ‘Poor thing, the Fran situation sounds really tough.’

‘I know. It’s this kind of stuff that confirms I’m on the right track, to be quite honest with you.’

‘You mean, with not seeing anyone right now?’

Em nods. ‘Casual is just fine by me. I can’t imagine what it would be like to get into a relationship with someone and then have to make decisions together. Especially the whole kids thing. I mean, ew.’

‘You’ve always been so sure that you don’t want kids.’

‘That was confirmed when I was babysitting my nephew the other day. As you know, he’s only four. I was tucking him into bed when he looked me straight in the eye and he said: “Auntie Em, the children in the corner don’t like you very much.” We were literally in his bedroom, Jessie. I even turned around to check, there were no children there. At least, none that I could see.’ She shudders.

‘Oh my god.’ I chuckle. ‘That’s actually horrifying.’

‘I know! He was totally cool about it and I could not sleep. Anyway, back to my plan. I’ve organised for Stella to enjoy an early morning cardio and ice bath session to give her a boost.’ Em grins. ‘And you’re next.’

‘What?’ Despite the perfect ambient temperatures in our suite, talk of cardio and an ice bath has me shivering in my pyjamas.

‘Yes! Lycra Leon has flown in for one day only and, long story short, I’ve pulled some strings and got you both booked in for a one-to-one session with him.’

‘Emerald,’ I say sternly. ‘Who on earth is Lycra Leon?’

‘He’s a big deal, babes. He trains loads of names and his ethos is something like, sweat it out then freeze to death?’

‘No.’ I shake my head.

Em presses on. ‘Well, that’s not verbatim but you’ll see what I mean. High-intensity cardio followed by a plunge in a freezing cold pool is meant to be so good for you.’

‘STELLA.’ I bypass Em and call through to our friend’s room. I don’t want to ‘freeze to death’ on day one of my holiday. ‘Stella! Help me?’

‘She’s gone already. I woke her up just after five. She’s having her cardio and ice experience as we speak.’ Em is so pleased with this that she claps. I scowl.

‘Thank you for being so thoughtful,’ I begin. ‘But I’m really looking forward to lounging around this morning.’

‘Not an option.’

‘But—’

‘Babes, it’s Lycra Leon. You literally cannot get into his classes, ever. You should be thanking me.’

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ I grumble. ‘So are you booked in after me?’

‘Oh ha ha, no. Cardio and ice is really not my bag.’

‘But it’s not mine either! My bag is a tote filled with books, Emerald. Not a sweaty gym bag filled with ruddy weights and ice and whatnot.’

Em pats my hand and throws me one of the hotel’s embossed robes. ‘I might just order some breakfast in our room while I wait for you guys to finish up. Now, come on, chop chop! You can’t go to cardio in your pyjamas, Jessie.’

Honestly.

‘I’m g-going to k-kill Emerald.’ Stella’s teeth are chattering and she’s huddled under a towel, harangued. I rub her arms to warm her up while a sense of dread fills my soul. We’re both in one of the spa’s lounge areas, gentle music and calming essential oils filling the room. It would all be very relaxing if I weren’t facing my own impending doom.

‘Was it a little bit good?’ I ask hopefully, wrapping my towelling robe around my workout clothes.

‘No, it was not,’ she snaps. ‘Em woke me up at 5am for a start. She literally skipped into my room, the weirdo. And then I got here and met Lycra Leon – don’t get me started on how much Lycra he is wearing – and he is brutal. The cardio is so intense you think you might be sick and then, right about the time where you want to pass out with the effort, the training stops and he literally pushes you into an ice bath. It’s awful, Jess. At least you brought your robe though. Right, I’m going down to breakfast to warm up.’

I bite my lip nervously. This was not what I had in mind. I don’t mind exercise, per se. Bit of Pilates. The occasional run. Swimming is my favourite, I’m pretty good at it. And I love baths! My ideal evening involves lighting candles in the bathroom and then chucking a Lush bath bomb into the tub before settling in with a good book. A cold bath, on the other hand …

‘Jessica Jones?’ The man addressing me now is in a head-to-toe hot-pink Lycra onesie. Stella whispers ‘good luck’ before skipping off to the warm embrace of a breakfast buffet.

My tummy rumbles. I am resigned to my fate.

‘I’m so sorry to do this,’ Lycra Leon bustles over, ‘but I’m going to have to cancel our session. One of the hotel guests is an HNWI and is insisting on a session with me right now. My hands are tied.’

‘What’s an HNWI?’ I ask, very grateful to whatever that is for getting me off the hook.

‘A High Net Worth Individual.’

‘Ooh is it Dita Ortiz?’ I ask excitedly. ‘We saw her at dinner last night.’

‘Well, I couldn’t possibly say.’ He gives me a look that tells me I am absolutely right.

‘Oh my god, is she here?’ I spin around, wondering if I might catch a glimpse of the superstar in the hotel spa.

‘Often with HNWIs we find that they prefer to exercise in the comfort of their own private surroundings, so I will be taking the experience to her suite.’

‘Of course.’ I nod. Why walk to the spa when you’re rich and famous, when the spa will come to you? How fabulous!

The man who made Stella almost pass out is now apologising profusely to me and I haven’t the heart to tell him I’m genuinely relieved not to be taking part in his morning of horror, so I make some half-assed ‘never mind’ noises instead.

Tragically, Santi walks past at this precise moment and she is now frowning into her hotel iPad. ‘Oh now, this will not do. I can’t have Miss Jones without some form of activity this morning.’

‘Really, it’s totally fine,’ I insist, but it falls on deaf ears.

‘Ah, here.’ She taps the iPad. ‘I have the perfect replacement for you.’

‘Is it waffles for breakfast?’ I ask hopefully.

Leon clutches at his imaginary pearls like I just swore.

‘Breakfast will still be open by the time you’re done.’ Santi smiles. ‘But first, you get to be our first ever guest to try out one of our water sports offerings.’

Water sports? The woman is now gently but firmly ushering me down a glass corridor dotted with stone statues of elephants. Oh man. Just when I’d got my hopes up. A full English is calling my name.

‘You really don’t need to, I’m more than happy—’ I’m still trying to get out of it but no one, apparently, is listening. A door swings open and, terrifyingly, I find myself in a changing room filled with wetsuits.

AND ALSO LUKE.

IN A WETSUIT.

Sweet saints alive.

Do not, whatever you do, stare at … things , Jessica. I plead with my eyeballs to drag themselves up and away from Luke’s—

‘Luke here heads up our sports facilities at Gurnard Cove,’ explains Santi.

‘Yep, hello, we’ve met,’ I sort of squeak.

‘Fantastic,’ Santi replies.

‘Yeah, we go way back.’ Luke grins, his face lighting up. ‘Hey, Jess!’

‘In that case, you already know that you’re in very capable hands,’ Santi says to me, so now all I’m thinking about is Luke’s capable hands.

‘My first water sports guest. Here,’ says Luke and his very tight wetsuit, handing me a wetsuit of my own to put on as Santi leaves. ‘Have you tried paddleboarding before?’ he asks, all enthusiasm.

I shake my head. ‘No. I love to swim but water sports have always felt a bit too … adventurous?’

Luke must sense that I’m nervous because he sounds super reassuring when he says: ‘Ah, you’ll be great. Paddleboarding is a lot of fun and it’s a pretty gentle introduction to water sports. Plus I’ll be by your side the whole time, so you’ve nothing to worry about.’

I don’t know how to reply to that so I just say: ‘Right-o!’

‘Right-o,’ Luke echoes, corners of his lips tugging into that smile. ‘Do you want to get changed and I’ll meet you out front?’

I mean, the answer is most definitely no. But I’m here now, through no fault of my own, so I guess I might as well embrace it, I think, pulling on the suit. Would I have chosen a rubber onesie for my first hang-out with Luke? No, I would not. But I catch my reflection in the changing room mirror on my way out and decide that I almost look like a cool surfer.

Luke is a bundle of pent-up energy, bounding along as we follow a boardwalk leading from the spa, past a clearing in the thicket, to the edge of a cliff. He keeps up a constant stream of talk about paddleboarding as we walk. We reach stone steps which descend towards the bay below and I pause at the top, looking out at the shimmering blue sea beyond. It is a stunning day, the sun climbing high in the sky already, just a few clouds skittering past. And it’s warm, too. After a relentless winter, it feels wonderful to have the sun kissing my cheeks again.

A throat clears and I realise that Luke is waiting, halfway down the steps, while I bask in the sunshine like a sunflower. My wetsuit and I squeak down to join him and once we’re on the beach, Luke makes his way to a wooden shack with the hotel’s logo on it.

‘Welcome to the beach!’ he says. ‘Once we’re up and running, this coffee shack is going to be constantly manned so guests can come and grab a drink before they bathe, swim, surf, whatever.’

‘It’s so pretty.’

‘But for now, I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with me making you a coffee. Flat white, okay?’

‘Oh yes, please.’ I follow him inside as he sets to work on the commercial-sized coffee machine. It hisses and splutters into life, and I watch as Luke focuses on measuring out the coffee grounds and pouring milk into the frother. His strong jaw is set as he moves carefully, with precision, his cheekbones like peaks I want to ski down. And I’d like to ask him where he learned to make coffee like that but I can see that he’s concentrating and I don’t want to break the spell.

The smell of fresh coffee fills the air and I breathe in appreciatively.

‘It’s the best smell, right?’ Luke asks, and I realise he’s glanced up to look at me.

‘My favourite.’

He nods, and when he’s finished he hands me a cup, before leaning back against the work surface to enjoy his own coffee.

‘Thanks. That’s really good,’ I say appreciatively.

‘Really?’ He looks adorably pleased with this compliment. ‘I’ve been practising.’

‘You were pretty devoted to making that coffee. You were really paying attention.’

‘Was it that obvious?’ Luke smiles.

‘Your brow was furrowed and you had this intent look on your face.’

‘Please tell me my tongue wasn’t hanging out as well?’ he asks, which makes me laugh. ‘Because I used to do that at school and I got royally picked on for it.’

‘Oh no! If even you got picked on at school then there is literally no hope for the rest of us,’ I blurt out.

‘Even me?’ Luke repeats, looking confused.

Me and my big mouth. ‘I mean, you know, you’re, erm, obviously a good-looking guy, that’s all. And good-looking people don’t usually have a hard time at school.’

Luke holds my gaze for a moment. ‘Oh. Well, thanks I suppose. But I’m going to insist that you never, ever look at any of Stella’s old family photos because if you saw what I used to look like, you would definitely change your mind on that.’

‘Oh really?’

‘Hell yes,’ he says, shaking his head. ‘We’re talking terrible teeth, trousers too short for my legs, the whole nine yards.’

I chuckle. ‘Ah, the old ugly duckling backstory.’

‘Come on, you must have some old photos that need to be kept under lock and key too. Unless, wait, maybe you’re one of the few lucky ones who have always been beautiful. I bet that’s it, right?’

This comment catches me completely off-guard. I look down for a moment but then gather and manage to think of a way to reply.

‘My parents are big into photo albums. They put together a new one every year when my brother and I were growing up. And when I was about nine, I insisted on cutting my own hair to create a fringe, but obviously I did a really bad job.’

‘Because you were nine?’ Luke asks, with this gorgeous amused look on his face.

‘Yes! Strangely I was not a professional hairdresser aged nine. But that wasn’t even the whole story. I used massive kitchen scissors for the job.’

Luke winces.

‘So I went way too short with the fringe and then hacked off a load around the sides too. When I was done, it looked like I was wearing a brown helmet. And it took ages to grow out, so when we are talking photos, I can tell you that in one particular album I look a lot like a young Darth Vader.’

Luke barks out a laugh.

‘I’m going to need to see those photos, Jess,’ he insists.

‘Never.’ I grin back.

At this point both of us seem to realise that we’ve long finished our coffees and should probably get on with what we came here to do. Luke fetches two paddleboards from the back of the hut and then turns his whole attention back to me, the full glare of the sun.

‘Are you ready?’

‘If by ready you mean a bit jittery from the coffee and quite nervous re water sports then, yes, Luke, ready as I’ll ever be.’

‘I’ve got you, Jess.’ Luke smiles, picking up his paddle and beckoning me to follow him down to the water’s edge, looking every inch the delicious surfy hunk. Caffeine courses through my veins as I watch him set up my board on the sand, explaining that we’ll practise getting into position on land first. Then he asks me to kneel down and you can only imagine where my mind wanders to at this request.

I am a disgrace. It wouldn’t be so bad if he was just good-looking, like a piece of art I could admire from afar. But thanks to our little coffee break it turns out I now find myself charmed by him too, wanting to know more about him, queuing up a thousand questions in my mind.

Still, I repeat the words ‘Stella’s little brother’ over and over in my mind to try and quell the inappropriate thoughts. Being on all fours is definitely not helping the frisk factor.

‘May I?’ asks Luke, demonstrating that he’d like to help me get into a better position using his hands.

Dear mother of mercy.

‘Sure,’ I manage, and the next thing I know, his hands are on my hips and, well, off to hell I go. Just point me in the right direction, pals.

‘So,’ I say, in a bid to distract myself. ‘Lovely day we’re having!’

Yes, that’s it, just make conversation like a normal person.

Luke catches my eye and I realise I was wrong. His eyes aren’t just any old grey. They’re flint and foggy mornings and flecked with gold.

Just, whatever you do, don’t gasp.

‘Are you okay?’ Luke frowns suddenly.

I just gasped. For heaven’s sake!

Right, that is it. I have absolutely got to stop this. Poor Luke is here to do his job and I am here to have a break with my best friends. I am also an adult female who will be turning thirty later this year. I refuse to be turned into a jabbering wreck by this unexpected crush. All I need to do is get a handle on the situation.

I take an actual deep breath and steady my thoughts. I’ve got this.

‘How long has it been since we last saw each other?’ Luke’s asking. ‘What, ten years?’

‘About that.’ I nod. ‘You’ve been in America most of that time, right?’

Luke makes an ‘mmm-hmm’ noise as he concentrates on my posture, encouraging me to stand. ‘Both feet facing forward,’ he instructs. ‘I’ve been away a long time. It feels really good to be home.’

‘Being away from family is hard,’ I say, with some shred of understanding. Luke shoots me a curious look as if to ask: You get it?

‘I can relate a little bit,’ I explain. ‘My mum and dad left just a few weeks ago. I was there one Sunday for lunch and they announced that they’d sold our family home and were off to travel the world for a year.’

‘Did they take the Darth Vader album with them?’

‘Shut up.’ I laugh.

‘Just teasing,’ he says, his face straightening up again. ‘Seriously though, that must have felt like a lot, all at once?’

‘It really did.’ I nod. ‘They flew to Australia last week and I miss them so much already, but I’m also so happy that they’re off on this amazing adventure. I’ve been thinking about them a lot recently. This trip of theirs, it’s helped me to realise that I’ve probably been a bit overprotective of them.’

‘How so?’

‘You know how families are,’ I say. ‘A lot of stuff happened when I was younger and I basically spent my late teens and early twenties wanting to be the best daughter for them. Let’s just say my older brother James was a pain in the ass. But, I don’t know, now they’ve gone off on this incredible trip, it’s really put things into perspective for me. Maybe I’ve been a bit over-cautious with some stuff?’

Luke nods thoughtfully. ‘You know that they’re in a good place, and now you feel like you can focus on what you want?’

‘Exactly that!’ I reply, impressed by how astute Luke is. How he just seems to get me. ‘Anyway, sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I haven’t even mentioned it to the girls yet. You’re really easy to talk to. I’m guessing you developed your excellent listening skills during the ugly duckling years,’ I tease.

Luke shakes his head at me, a playful smile on his face. ‘Wow. Did the Darth Vader years help you develop your ability to take the piss out of people?’

‘I’m not normally like this, I promise.’ I laugh.

‘Oh, so it’s my fault?’

‘Yes, Luke, it is one hundred per cent your fault. You know I’ll be asking Stella for evidence of those pictures as soon as we finish up here, right?’

‘Not if I get to her first.’

‘Then she’ll have to choose, best friend or brother. Pretty sure she’ll pick me.’

‘I admire your confidence,’ Luke says. ‘ Misplaced confidence, but still. In the meantime, I’m going to have to get in touch with your parents so they can point me in the direction of your family photo albums.’

‘I’d like to see you try.’ I grin.

‘Parents love me.’ Luke shrugs.

‘I bet they do.’

‘Are you doing okay though, now that they’ve gone off on this trip?’ he asks.

I let out a long, low exhale. ‘I miss them a lot, but definitely. Anyway, we were meant to be talking about you coming back home,’ I prompt.

‘Well, I missed Stella like mad while I was away, and Mum, but I kept pretty busy.’

‘With the tennis?’

‘That’s right.’ He smiles encouragingly at me when I get my posture right. ‘I started out on a tennis scholarship at college over there. I was competing at tournament level …’ He pauses, shakes his head. ‘Big dreams of winning Wimbledon one day,’ he adds wryly. ‘But I injured my ankle pretty badly and at first, thought surgery might mean I could get back to full fitness, but it kept flaring up every time I was back on court. In the end I had to stop competing.’

‘That’s so sad. I’m really sorry to hear that, Luke.’

He flashes me a brief look, shading his eyes from the sun with his hand.

‘Thanks. I was gutted for a long while but I couldn’t just sit around feeling sorry for myself, and I’d already built up a bit of a name for myself on the tennis circuit so coaching others came pretty quickly after that.’

‘What made you come back?’

Luke looks up to the sky as he considers this. ‘A couple of things,’ he says vaguely. ‘I guess the driving reason was a combination of missing my sister and this job coming up at the right time. I get to head up the sports department here and I’m going to really enjoy working across lots of different sports for a change. You have a strong core,’ he adds, catching me by surprise.

‘Oh, um, thanks! I don’t think I’ve ever had my core praised before.’

‘I find that hard to believe,’ Luke says, suddenly looking a bit flustered, as if he didn’t mean to say that out loud. ‘Right, are you ready?’

‘There won’t be any sharks, will there?’

‘Off the coast of Northumberland?’ he asks playfully. ‘I think we’re good.’

‘Right. Okay. Ready as I’ll ever be.’

‘I’m actually doing it!’ I shout, thrilled that I’ve managed to keep my balance as we paddle out on the water. Luke’s keeping a watchful eye, never far behind as I get more adventurous and move farther out to sea.

‘You’re doing great,’ he calls over. ‘Keep the paddle moving in a sweeping C shape to turn.’

I move my paddle to turn the board, now facing back towards the beach, and let out a happy sigh at the stunning view of the coastline, the grand hotel and modern spa nestled just beyond the clifftop. This place is so beautiful. I’d had my reservations about going paddleboarding on the North Sea in the middle of May, and it does still seem like a frankly bonkers thing to be doing first thing on a Saturday morning, but it is glorious.

After a while, Luke paddles closer to me. ‘Jess, the wind has just started to pick up so I’m afraid we need to head back.’

‘Oh no!’ I call back, crestfallen. ‘I don’t want to stop yet.’

Luke smiles at this, and I see that he’s one of those teachers who just loves to see his students thrive. It’s very endearing.

‘The paddleboards aren’t going anywhere and we can get you booked in for another session, but we need to get back before it turns too rough. Follow me?’

I spin myself round for one last look out over the sea and that’s when a gust of wind absolutely batters my body.

‘Kneel down, Jess!’ Luke calls.

I try to kneel, remembering everything that Luke taught me about safety before we even got in the water. But I’m a rookie on the board and it’s not as easy as it looks. I feel a sudden sense of panic taking over. I thought I’d got this but I haven’t. I’m still standing, my body acting like the sail of a boat, when another gust of wind knocks me clean off my feet. The next thing I know, I’m underwater. The cold hits my lungs and I flail about, fighting to get my head back above the surface, gripped by fear.

Strong arms circle around me.

I’m being pulled up.

I drag in a huge gulp of air, coughing and spluttering as Luke treads water with me still in his arms.

‘I’ve got you,’ he says, and it’s so reassuring that the rising panic starts to ebb away. ‘Deep breaths.’

His hair is slick with water now and he’s watching me intently as I inhale. I feel the firmness of his hands around me and I realise that I must have grabbed onto his upper arms as I was trying to get some air.

Luke helps manoeuvre me back onto the board, which I flop onto like a fish out of water.

I splutter, lying flat on my face, as Luke guides me and the board back to shore. ‘God, sorry.’

‘Please don’t apologise,’ Luke says, looking suddenly on edge. ‘I should have got you back in sooner. I could kick myself.’

‘What? Don’t blame yourself. It was all on me. I was having so much fun,’ I insist, feeling deflated and a smidge embarrassed to be dragged back to shore after basically capsizing myself.

But there’s a fire burning in Luke’s eyes and I can see that he’s upset about what just happened. We’re wading out of the shallow water now, and he’s shaking his head.

‘I’m the professional here. I can’t believe I put you in danger like that.’

‘You didn’t! I just panicked, that’s all. I do that a lot. The other day I panicked when I got into gear before the traffic light turned green and I convinced myself I was going to get arrested for traffic crimes.’

Luke’s features soften at this, then he looks from me back out to sea.

‘We’ve done countless risk assessments on this part of the cove already but I’ve never seen the wind pick up so suddenly before. I’m going to have to have a team meeting about this, we can’t offer paddleboarding to guests if we put them at risk. I’m really sorry, Jess.’

Poor Luke looks so dejected and I feel an instant desire to put the smile back on his face, so I skip across the sand to prove that I’m absolutely fine. ‘Look!’ I call over. ‘Totally fine!’

His brows are still furrowed but at least his lips are twitching into a smile now.

‘I’d like to take you to the hotel doctor for a quick check-up,’ he calls as I skip back.

‘Luke,’ I say as firmly as possible. ‘There is absolutely no need to do that. Please don’t look so worried. I just fell in the sea, that’s literally it.’

He does not look convinced.

‘Jess, you’re shivering.’

He runs over to the hut, grabs a dry robe and sprints back with it, draping it across my body. ‘Let’s get you out of that wetsuit,’ he adds.

Then he rakes a hand through his hair and looks away, mortified.

‘I mean …’

‘It’s fine,’ I insist. ‘I totally get what you mean.’

‘Hot chocolate,’ he says suddenly, like he’s struck upon a great idea. ‘I’ll make us some of those while you get changed. There are towels in the changing room at the back of the shack, and loads of spare dry robes.’

Luke insists on staying with me for a bit, just to make sure I’m not in shock. Little does he know that the only thing causing me to be in shock around here is him. So now he’s set up deckchairs on the sand, mugs of hot chocolate on a table between them and …

‘Ooh what’s that?’ I ask.

‘The kitchen sent down some pastries for us,’ Luke says, mirroring my smile. ‘We’ve got banana bread, Swedish buns and chocolate brioche with pistachio crème pat.’

I whistle as I pad over in my second dry robe of the day, feeling much better to have warmed up.

‘Well, now you’re just tempting me,’ I say, and when Luke does this half-embarrassed laugh I realise that probably didn’t quite come out right. At least he’s smiling again, I decide, inordinately pleased that his spirits have lifted.

I take a bite of bun and let out a moan of delight.

Luke clears his throat.

It’s probably the combination of sugar, coffee and the incident but I find I cannot sit still. I’m full of beans, and when I spot a shell near the base of my deckchair, I leap up and start looking for more.

Luke watches me.

‘You definitely seem better,’ he says as I pad from shell to shell, stashing them in one of the robe’s pockets. I’ve a handful by the time I head back to our spot, pulling them out and arranging them on the table.

‘You have a lot of energy,’ observes Luke.

I nod, stopping for another sip of chocolate.

‘Meanwhile, you’re just chilling out on a deckchair,’ I tease. ‘And getting paid for it.’

He lets out a low rumble of laughter.

‘So far this job definitely has its perks,’ he says, looking right at me, which makes my stomach flip. He doesn’t … He can’t … Nah! So fanciful, Jess.

‘I’m usually the one jumping all over the place,’ Luke is saying, now casting his gaze out to sea. ‘Racing from one thing to the next. Today’s the first time I’ve felt still in a while, actually.’

‘Always on the go?’

‘Yes,’ he says, those grey eyes tracking back to me again. Out here they match the colour of the waves as they roll in, which is not a little mesmerising. I fold myself into a deckchair as Luke leans forward in his, looking like he’s about to say something.

‘I got diagnosed with ADHD shortly before I came back to the UK,’ he says, shooting me a sidelong look. ‘It’s funny, I haven’t even told Stella about it yet but for some reason …’ He pauses again, and I can’t get a read on the way he’s looking at me. ‘I don’t usually …’

‘Maybe it was my near death experience back there?’ I suggest.

‘Are we really calling it that?’ Luke says, laughing.

‘Absolutely. My life flashed before my eyes,’ I reply solemnly.

‘In the two seconds you were underwater?’ He grins. ‘Wow.’

That makes me laugh before I straighten up. ‘So, how come you haven’t spoken to Stella about the ADHD yet?’

Luke sucks in his breath. ‘I haven’t spoken to anyone about it yet, until now. Usually I’ll be looking out to sea and thinking of all the things I could be doing with my time, or going into hyper-organisation mode, but being here with you …’ He stops again, shakes his head. ‘I’m weirdly calm. You’re strangely calming, Jess.’

‘Erm, thanks?’ I chuckle. ‘I should have that printed on business cards. Jessica Jones: Strangely Calming.’

Luke laughs softly. ‘Plus it feels easy to talk to you. You know how big sisters can be. I’m worried that Stella will go straight into overprotective mode. The way you said you felt about your folks.’

‘Stella’s always going to look out for you.’

‘Yeah, she’s been amazing. I don’t know what I’d have done without her when my pro career was crumbling. She was on the phone every day, coaching me through it, offering words of advice, just being there. And I know how much you supported her, too, Jess. During everything that happened to Mum.’

‘It’s just what best friends do.’ I shrug. ‘So, how did you feel when you got the diagnosis?’

‘Honestly? Relieved. It made everything fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Now all the behaviours that I thought made me different, make sense. I can get hyper-focused on things. Seeing you race around collecting shells, I thought, it’s normally me doing that. But today, here with you, I feel still.’ He tracks his eyes over to mine, like he’s trying to figure something out. ‘I’m probably over-sharing, sorry. As you said, I am meant to be working.’

‘Oh wait, no, Luke, I didn’t mean it like that!’ I say hurriedly. ‘I was just teasing. I’m really grateful that you felt you could share it with me and I know Stella will want to be there for you, too.’

‘I know.’ Luke nods. ‘I will talk to her. There are a few things I need to talk to her about, actually. It’s just … you know what she’s like.’

I chuckle. ‘Bit loud?’

‘So loud. It’s a wonder I ever spoke growing up, she was always answering for me,’ he says fondly before his face clouds over. ‘But, you know, Stella had to grow up pretty quickly. Even before Dad left, before things started to go wrong for Mum, she was an old soul. You know those photos we’ve been talking about? Mum had one hanging on the wall at home, it’s a picture of me and Stella when we were little, from before Dad left. He used to insist that we should go to church on Sundays, which I always thought was ironic given the life choices he made. Anyway, Mum used to dress us up in the most ridiculous outfits for church, which made us look like miniature middle-aged people. I’d be in a little corduroy suit and bow tie at three years old and Stella would be wearing some flowery dress, like we were from the Victorian era.’

‘That’s actually a very cute image.’

‘You try telling that to the toddler who looked like he was off to chair a meeting.’ He laughs. ‘I remember feeling like all the other kids my age were out at the playground, getting messy and having fun. Mum would get so cross if I got mud on my Sunday best, too. And then suddenly she didn’t really care anymore. It was Stella who’d be fretting about the grass stains on my trousers, not Mum.’

I have to fight the urge to reach out and grab his hand.

We fall silent again as the sun makes a comeback, bathing the beach in golden light. Luke adjusts his wetsuit accordingly, so he’s now sitting opposite me with it unzipped all the way down past his chest. And I am doing an excellent job at neither staring nor thinking unacceptable thoughts, because my recent brush with death (no sure) has confirmed that I should follow this path of being wise and sensible. Life is dramatic enough without adding a totally unattainable crush.

‘This place reminds me of seaside holidays when I was little,’ I say. ‘We used to go to Devon – me and my brother, with my mum and dad – and then life sort of took over. I don’t live close enough to just pop to the seaside. You forget how much you’ve missed something until you experience it again.’

Luke watches me closely as I talk and I get this unshakeable impression that he actually is interested in me. And I don’t think I’ve had that before. Otis always looked like he was waiting for me to stop talking so he could have his turn. Like he was just humouring me. How come I never realised that before? And now Luke wants to listen to what I have to say. Is he like this with everyone? God, how exhausting to be so open and borderline flirty all the time!

‘You’re so right,’ he says with a curious look on his face. ‘I think that’s why I’m happy to be back in the UK.’

‘You just missed it?’

‘Exactly.’ He nods, checking his watch and sighing. ‘Oh man, I lost track of time. I’m really sorry, Jess, but I’m going to have to head off. I’ve another class shortly. If you feel in any way weird, or worried about what happened, you come find me, okay? Or the hotel doctor.’

‘Yes, boss,’ I promise, doing my best Girl Guides salute. ‘I was just joking about the whole brush with death thing, by the way.’

‘I know.’ He smiles, saluting me right back as he gets up to go. ‘But still, I don’t want anything bad happening to you. Not on my watch.’