Chapter 4
‘Busy day?’ called Luke as Nick strolled towards him.
‘Aren’t they always?’
Luke sighed, and Nick grinned. He was impervious to Luke’s disapproval and enjoyed winding up his best friend.
‘So what have you been doing today?’
‘Lying in a hammock.’
‘That’s it?’
‘Yep.’ Nick took over on the foot pump as the kayak lying on the sand took shape.
‘Don’t you get bored? I’d go out of my mind doing nothing all day.’
Nick glanced around, pretending confusion. ‘That’s so weird. I had the strongest sense of déjà vu. Or was it a broken record I heard?’ He grinned at Luke, but the effort of holding his smile in place caused his cheeks to ache.
Luke rolled his eyes, and Nick laughed out some of the tension he was feeling.
‘We can’t go out on the water for long,’ said Luke. ‘I told Alice we’d be at the pub by seven.’
Disappointment swirled in Nick’s stomach. An entire evening with his best friend had seemed too good to be true, and it turned out his suspicions had been right. ‘Alice has made short work of wrapping you around her little finger.’ He laughed, despite not finding the situation remotely funny.
‘It’s not like that.’ Luke shrugged into his wetsuit. ‘A new teacher has moved to the village, and Alice wants to take her out for a drink to make her feel welcome.’
‘How old is she, this teacher? Bound to be ancient and dressed in flowered chintz, whatever chintz might be. Sounds like a waste of time to me.’
‘Actually, she’s about our age, I think.’
Nick grinned.
Luke shook his head. ‘Don’t be getting any ideas. Having a messy situation on your doorstep wouldn’t be wise. Anyway, what makes you think the new girl will fall for your charms?’
‘They all do, mate.’ Nick sighed loudly. ‘It’s a heavy cross to bear, but I’ve learned to live with the fact women find me irresistible.’
‘I give up.’ Luke raised his eyes heavenward, grabbed the front of the kayak and waited for Nick to take the back. ‘You’re never going to change, are you?’
‘No, but you still keep trying.’ As Nick said it, he wondered if there would come a time when Luke wouldn’t try anymore. His eyes burned with unexpected tears. Just the wind getting in them. He fixed a smile on his face.
They carried their kayak across the beach, working well as a team. While most of the young families had gone home for their dinner, Nick and Luke still had to dodge a few stragglers and a group of teenagers setting up a barbecue.
‘We’re entering silly season,’ said Nick, as they reached the water and climbed in.
‘I thought you hated winter and longed for summer?’ said Luke, digging his paddle into the water to get them going.
‘I do.’ Nick matched his friend’s strokes. ‘Summer’s great, except for the school holidays. There’s another five days until the kids go back to school. Then it’ll be the summer holidays and we’ll be in for six whole weeks of kids squawking and disturbing my peace.’
‘There’s no pleasing some people,’ said Luke, and Nick picked up a hint of disapproval in his tone.
They paddled towards the horizon, making swift progress, the beach shrinking to a thin strip of sand and Looe Island growing ever larger on the horizon.
After a while, they stopped paddling and allowed the kayak to drift on the tide.
Nick tipped his head to the sky and dangled his hands in the water.
This counted as an almost perfect way to spend an evening.
The only things missing were a beer and a few snacks.
‘We should tow an eight-pack behind us next time we come out.’
‘Hmm.’
‘You’re not falling asleep, are you, mate?’ Nick dug the end of his paddle into Luke’s shoulder.
‘Oi, leave it out.’ Luke rubbed his shoulder and scowled. ‘I’ve been working since seven this morning so I could finish on time. I’m enjoying a few minutes’ relaxation before we need to head back.’
Nick tried to focus on the gently rolling of waves beneath him and ignore his annoyance that Luke wasn’t present, even when physically there. If this was what a nine-to-five job did to people, he’d avoid one for as long as he could.
‘How are things going with Alice?’ he asked.
Luke instantly perked up, turning his head and grinning. ‘Brilliant. Yeah, really great.’
‘You planning to move in together?’ Nick crossed his fingers. If Luke and Alice moved in together, the novelty of their relationship would soon wear off, and Luke would be far more available for pub trips.
‘No, no plans. Alice still hasn’t decided whether to pursue her long-held dream of going to university.
She’s worried about being a mature student, but I’ve pointed out she’s still in her twenties.
I want her to be free to choose the best place for her if she goes.
I don’t want to be a consideration in her plans, and if we were living together, she’d feel pressure to stay local. ’
‘You mean you’re encouraging her to move away? Things can’t be that serious between you.’ A bubble of joy rose in Nick’s chest, and he hid a smile.
‘On the contrary, we’re both secure enough in the relationship to know it would survive long-distance.’
‘Isn’t she already making compromises? I thought she wanted to go this September?’ A shoal of fish passing beneath them in a flash of turquoise interested Nick far more than Alice’s uni dilemmas, but he tried to focus on the conversation at hand.
‘It made sense for her to wait another year, and it’s got nothing to do with me. Her sister May will have finished A-levels by next year, and it also gives Alice longer to get to know her dad.’
‘They’ve had a year already.’
‘They’ve got twenty-five years to make up for.’
‘Fair point.’ It was hard not to resent the way Alice’s family dramas had drawn Luke away from their friendship, and Nick longed for the days when they were free and single and closer to each other than anyone else.
Luke picked up his paddle and turned the kayak around. ‘We’d better head back or we’ll be late for those drinks.’
Nick gritted his teeth and paddled half-heartedly to shore.
Alice delaying her university plans was bad news for him.
It meant another year of playing third wheel to Saffron Bay’s golden couple, and Nick was already over it.
He needed to find a girlfriend of his own.
There must be some woman not too far away looking for a no-strings, regular hook-ups kind of vibe.
‘Tell me more about this girl,’ he said.
Luke laughed. ‘I’ve got no idea what she’s like. At least give her five minutes to settle into village life before making any moves.’
‘Who said I was going to make any moves? She may be ancient, or married.’
‘Not that either of those things has stopped you before.’
The kayak ground to a halt in shallow water, and they climbed out, pulling the boat up the beach. Nick had a spring in his step, which had nothing to do with exercise endorphins. Provided this new girl was at least average looking and unattached, he could be in for a fun summer.