Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
W aking up at the top of the lighthouse, with the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, brought a smile to Dilly’s face. She was still snug in Max’s arms. Last night had been magical; they’d made love under the stars and she hadn’t wanted the night to end. As soon as her eyes opened Max kissed her on the top of her head. ‘Good morning, sleepy-head. Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?’
‘That would be lovely!’ She unzipped the sleeping bag to let him out then chuckled as he stood up stark naked, stretched his arms out wide and shouted, ‘I’m on top of the world!’
‘Max! You have no clothes on! Someone might see you!’
‘Who is going to see me right up here, except you and the seagulls?’
All of a sudden, they heard a voice shout back, ‘Top of the morning to you!’
Startled, they both looked up to find that a vibrant procession of hot air balloons were drifting gracefully across the sky and the men from the nearby basket were waving at them.
‘Shit!’ exclaimed Max.
Dilly chuckled. ‘Oh my, they’ve just had an eyeful,’ she teased, slapping his backside then handing him a pillow to cover up his modesty. They watched as the balloons floated gracefully above the sparkling harbour and over the lighthouse tower. ‘Wow! What a sight!’ Dilly exclaimed. She stood and slipped her arm around Max’s waist, feeling the warmth of his body as they gazed up at the sky. ‘It’s the annual balloon race,’ she added, her voice filled with excitement, as the breeze carried the balloons higher, their reflections shimmering on the surface of the calm sea below. ‘Can this sleepover get any more romantic?’ she mused, her heart swelling with happiness. The beauty of the moment, combined with the lingering warmth from their night under the stars, made everything feel perfect.
‘I could make you some toast, too?’
‘That would be lovely but there’s no toaster.’
Max looked at the leftover snacks. ‘Chocolate and tea it is!’ With a mischievous grin, he began inching backwards, clutching the pillow like a makeshift shield. He grabbed his trousers and, as soon as he reached the top of the stairs, tossed the pillow aside. With a wicked grin, he turned and wiggled his bum in Dilly’s direction as he disappeared out of sight.
Dilly laughed, shaking her head as she slid back into the warmth of the sleeping bag. Settling in, she turned her attention back to the sky and the balloons.
Max soon reappeared, holding a tray with two mugs of tea and the newspaper.
‘You’ve had a delivery!’
‘This should be the issue with Henry’s article,’ Dilly said as she unfolded the newspaper, spreading it across the floor in front of them. ‘Aww, look, there’s pages dedicated to Henry’s life and everything he’s done for the local community.’
Max slid his legs back inside the sleeping bag and placed the two mugs of tea next to them.
‘Look at this,’ said Dilly, pointing out the feature article.
Max leaned in, examining the headline and looking at the photo of Henry. ‘That’s exactly how everyone imagines a historian to look!’
‘I don’t think he’s taken that hat off in the last five decades,’ Dilly chuckled.
As they turned the pages, they came across Henry’s first-ever published article, which had been revisited in the special edition. ‘That’s my grandfather on his first day as the lighthouse keeper,’ Dilly told Max. ‘I love how he’s standing there so proudly next to my grandmother.’
‘It must have been hard being the wife of a lighthouse keeper,’ Max said thoughtfully. ‘They must have been away for weeks on end, facing dangerous conditions.’
Dilly nodded. ‘I suppose you have to accept the risks when you marry a lighthouse keeper. The sea can be both beautiful and treacherous.’
They continued flipping through the pages, sipping their tea as they read the stories and looked at the different photographs of Puffin Island. The next write-up caught Dilly’s eye and she tapped the newspaper. ‘Look at this section titled “Puffin Island’s Worst Storm Ever”,’ she said. The page was filled with dramatic photographs, a black sky swirling around the lighthouse, a boat smashed against the rocks, the waves raging in the storm.
But there was a particular photograph that made Dilly stop in her tracks.
It showed a calm sea, in stark contrast to the stormy images around it. At the foot of the lighthouse was a small rowing boat and two women. ‘That’s my grandmother.’ She leaned in to take a closer look. ‘This must have been taken after the birth of my mum. She and Betty were heading back to the island, knowing my grandfather had been killed.’
Max looked at her, understanding in his eyes. ‘It’s incredible that Henry captured that moment on camera,’ he said softly. The image was simple yet profound.
‘This is more than just a photograph, this is my family’s history. Did I mention that Henry gave me a box of photographs that he said belonged to me and the lighthouse? I’ve not had a real chance to go through them yet.’
‘Maybe it’s something we can do together, if you’d like that?’
Dilly nodded. ‘That would be lovely. I plan to make up a wall full of the photographs in the gallery downstairs.’
‘Sounds like a wonderful plan.’
‘I think for the likes of Betty and Pete it will be a trip down memory lane, which will hopefully be nice for them. Today, though, I’m going to arrange a date for opening the new gallery.’
‘There’s no stopping you, is there?’
Dilly shook her head. ‘I need to organise as much as I can before I get too fat to even move.’
Max laughed. ‘You won’t be fat, you’ll be pregnant!’
‘And will you still like me when I’m humongous?’
‘Of course. It just means there will be so much more of you to love.’
Dilly’s eyes widened with joy. ‘Say that again.’
‘There will be so much more of you to love,’ whispered Max, pulling her in for a kiss.
* * *
In the gallery, Dilly settled at her desk to look through her emails. She was pleased to see several job applications had landed in her inbox, and she began to sift through them, hoping to find a candidate worthy of an interview. But as she read them, disappointment set in. No one stood out from the crowd. No applicant seemed to match what she was looking for, bringing a true passion for art and the local community. She sighed and moved the emails into a ‘No’ folder. Hopefully more applicants would fall into her inbox soon.
Dilly spent the rest of the morning wrapping her sold pieces of art and carefully leaning them against the gallery wall, ready for shipping. Then she began thinking about the layout of the new gallery. She wanted customers to be wowed as they walked through the door, and she had already decided upon a nautical theme that linked her whimsical paintings of the lighthouse and puffins with the history of the space. She envisioned different wall spaces, each telling a story of the sea and the lighthouse. The photographs of the previous lighthouse keepers would be rehung in the main gallery and the portrait of her mother – the only person to have been born in the lighthouse itself – would be the centrepiece of the collection, visible from the front window. Dilly could imagine exactly how it was going to look.
That evening she planned to sift through Henry’s box of photographs, looking for images that could be used in a collage celebrating Puffin Island’s heritage. For now, though, she began to plan her next painting. After this morning’s spectacle it was definitely going to include hot air balloons drifting past the lighthouse. The colours would be bright, and she thought she might write the names of the previous lighthouse keepers across the baskets.
The door of the gallery swung open and Dilly looked up from the computer with a smile to greet the customer. In walked Max holding a toolbox and a cardboard box.
‘What are you doing here? And what have you got there?’ Dilly stood up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
‘I’m under strict instructions to make you safe!’
‘And what exactly does that mean?’
‘Your dad is suggesting that we put up CCTV outside the lighthouse.’
‘I was only thinking about that a few days ago. It’s a good idea, especially with me having no neighbours as such.’
‘There’s been a delay in the next boat being delivered so your dad has offered a set of cameras that he was going to put up at the boat house. He said he can order some more. So if you want to give me the keys, I can get this installed this afternoon.’
‘Brilliant, thanks so much!’
Dilly opened the drawer on her desk and pulled out a bunch of keys. ‘You’ve actually saved me a job because I have the engineer coming out this morning to install the WiFi. I was waiting for his call and was going to have to close the gallery while I nipped across the bay.’
Max smiled warmly. ‘Consider it taken care of. Oh, and before I forget, I’ve been congratulated numerous times.’
‘Congratulated?’ Dilly asked, puzzled.
‘On our new arrivals… Amelia and Betty, and Becca at the Cosy Kettle yesterday.’
Dilly chuckled. ‘Betty was dying to ask me yesterday who the father is, but I managed to dodge the question. Amelia congratulated me and…’ Dilly scrunched up her face, feeling both guilty and amused. ‘I didn’t correct her when she suggested you were the father. It just seemed easier not to. I’m sorry. I should have and I will.’
‘Well, what if you don’t?’
‘I was going to spin a story about having a one-night stand…’
Max raised his eyebrows. ‘I’d leave them to think what they want; it might make it easier for us in the long run.’ He pulled her in for a hug.
‘And you don’t mind?’ She looked up at him.
‘Completely honoured,’ he replied, kissing her. ‘Now I best get on with installing the cameras.’ He took the keys and kissed her one more time before disappearing out of the door.
The gallery had been unusually quiet all morning so as one o’clock approached Dilly decided to lock the gallery doors for lunch and wander down to the lighthouse to see how Max was getting on. But just before she left, she decided to move the portrait of her mum to the lighthouse. Having swathed it in layers of bubble wrap, she carried it under her arm and the easel in the other hand.
As she approached the lighthouse, she spotted Max up a ladder. He had a screwdriver in one hand and was looking at the camera attached to the lighthouse wall. He looked over his shoulder as he heard Dilly approaching.
‘The WiFi is installed and so is the CCTV, so you just need to download the app and you can view it anytime on your phone. If a person is detected it will automatically record. You can also set the time you wish it to record or have it running constantly.’ Max climbed down the ladder. ‘What have you there?’
‘It’s the portrait of my mum. I wanted to bring it across and set it up.’
They walked into the gallery. Placing the easel in a prime spot, she unwrapped the portrait with care, then took a look around. ‘I’m thinking maybe a fresh coat of paint is needed in here before I start to move all the paintings across. Maybe white. What do you think?’
‘It would take a couple of hours. I can get that sorted for you this afternoon?’
‘Are you sure you can spare the time? Dad was run off his feet at the boat house yesterday – and anyway I’ll need to buy the paint first.’
‘The boat that was being transported for restoration has now been delayed until tomorrow so I’m sure, if there’s nothing else pressing, I can do the painting this afternoon. And we have plenty of white paint at the boat house.’
‘Eek! Thank you, it’s all coming together!’
‘Now, if possible, could you make the worker a brew while I set you up on the app and connect the CCTV to your phone?’
‘Done!’ said Dilly, handing over her phone.
* * *
Twenty minutes later they were sitting on the edge of the jetty, dangling their feet into the sea as they drank their tea.
‘It sounds like we’ve both had quite a successful morning. If I can get the gallery painted this afternoon you could have the paintings hung by the weekend and your collage made.’ Max looked through the open front door, where the portrait of Eva could be seen on the easel. ‘What are you going to do about the sightings of your mum?’
‘Maybe my dad is right. If it was her, then surely others would have spotted her too, and we both know how quickly news spreads on this island. So, unless I see her again, I’m not sure what I can do.’
Max nodded. ‘It’s a tricky one,’ he admitted.
‘But…’
‘But what?’
‘I’m probably over-thinking things but when I mentioned it to Betty, she went very quiet.’
‘It’s probably the shock of you saying you thought your mum had been on the island.’
Dilly looked at her watch. ‘Maybe, but I feel there’s more to it. I know you don’t know Betty as well as the rest of us, but she carries the majority of the island’s secrets and can usually be found in the thick of everything. If there’s something to know, she’s the person to know it. Anyway, I best be heading back to the gallery, even though I’ve kind of got the feeling I might be distracted this afternoon.’
‘Why’s that?’
Dilly flicked her phone on and brought up the security app. ‘There are now cameras inside and outside the gallery allowing me to watch a gorgeous sexy man hard at work all afternoon.’ She leaned against his shoulder then looked up and kissed him on his lips. ‘I’ll meet you back here after work. Shall we grab some food together?’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
Dilly stood up and dried her feet with a towel before slipping on her shoes and heading back towards her existing gallery. Her life was finally coming together. If she could finish preparing the new gallery space by the end of next week, she could start to coordinate the transformation of her current gallery into a proper community gallery and art class space. However, that would depend on finding the perfect member of staff who matched her vision.
As she walked, she noticed her father sitting with someone outside the Cosy Kettle. ‘Dad!’ she called out, waving.
Ralph looked up and smiled. ‘Hey!’
‘Thanks for loaning Max to me for the day. The CCTV is up, and he’s offered to paint the gallery this afternoon. I really appreciate it.’
‘The boat we’re working on isn’t arriving until tomorrow,’ Ralph explained.
‘Yes, I know. It’s perfect timing for me. There’s so much to do, and having Max’s help will make a huge difference.’
Dilly looked at the man sitting with her father. ‘Luke! What are you doing here? I thought you’d left to go travelling. You’re not due back for another six months.’
Luke shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Ralph and Dilly. ‘I’m here begging for my job back. Travelling wasn’t for me. I became homesick, and as much as I wanted to see a bit of the world, there’s no place like Puffin Island.’
Dilly found a chair and sat down. ‘It’s great to see you back, but, forgive me for asking, what does this mean for Max?’
Ralph sighed, looking concerned. ‘That’s what I’m trying to work out. Max is on a week-by-week contract, and he’s such a hard worker. But I can’t afford to pay both sets of wages. I’m going to have to try and come up with a solution.’
Dilly nodded thoughtfully. ‘Maybe we can find a way to make it work. I know how much you value Max, and Luke has been a part of your team for so long. There has to be a way to keep them both. You might need to find a way to get creative with your budgeting.’
Ralph rubbed his chin, and turned to Luke. ‘You’ve definitely thrown a spanner in the works.’
‘Believe me, I understand. I know how difficult it is to find even one good employee and you have two.’
‘Have you not had any applicants for the job at the gallery?’
Dilly shook her head. ‘All the applicants I’ve had so far lack that something special. No one stands out from the crowd. I want to find someone with a real passion for art, who is community driven and someone I can trust implicitly.’ She paused, looking around the familiar setting of the bay before locking eyes on Max, who was moving a set of ladders inside the lighthouse. ‘It’s not just about managing the gallery. I want someone who understands art, and can get passionate talking about it with the local artists I’m hoping will use the community space. The right person would make all the difference…’ Her sentence slowed. ‘I also need peace of mind when the twins arrive.’ She was still staring at Max. Her eyes widened as she turned back towards her dad and Luke. ‘You know what, Dad? I think I may just have a genius solution to both our problems.’
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ asked Ralph, flicking a glance between the lighthouse and his daughter.
‘I’m thinking so. Shall I put the idea to him later?’
Ralph nodded, a relieved smile stretching across his face.
‘Why is everyone talking in riddles?’ asked Luke, clearly not keeping up with the conversation. ‘And twins? Whose twins?’
Dilly stood up smiling and patted her tummy. ‘I’m expecting!’
‘I leave the island for a month and this happens. Congratulations!’
‘Thank you,’ Dilly replied. ‘I’ve got to get back to the gallery, but I’ll message you later.’ She kissed her dad on the cheek before waving farewell.
As she walked back to the gallery, thoughts tumbled through her mind. Max should be putting his talents to better use than painting boats in the boat house. He would be the perfect manager for the new community gallery and event space. He knew art, had a deep appreciation of it and could even return to painting himself. He had the college contacts and he was brilliant at nurturing up-and-coming talent. He could even take over the regular art classes while she was on maternity leave, something she knew he would love and excel at.
The idea excited her and she was imagining numerous possibilities, maybe even collaborating on future projects. After all, he always knew the perfect addition to make her work even better. She was keen to put her proposition to him. She hoped he would say yes.