Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
The next day dawned bright and fresh, and although there wasn’t streaming sunshine, there was a glow on the waves and the trees.
The weather had promised to deliver tangerine skies first thing, so after a quick shower and throwing on a sweatshirt, fleece and jeans, I treated myself to a cup of camomile and a slice of takeaway sourdough focaccia from the Italian coffee bar near the beach.
I sat on the granite steps leading down to the river of pale sand and ate my rather unconventional breakfast. The sea shushed against the rocks and the odd bird reeled overhead. Apart from me and the two baristas in the coffee bar close by, there was no one around.
My irritation over Mason was now giving way to a deep sense of disappointment.
Then pangs of jealousy kicked in. Who was this person he was collecting from the train station?
Maybe it was another woman, who was quite happy to be flirted and toyed with?
Perhaps she was like Mason, with no interest in having a meaningful relationship?
Well, if he wanted superficial, he was welcome to it.
I took a last, savage bite of my focaccia to finish it off and wiped my hands on the napkin that came with it.
Then I stared into my thermos flask of herbal tea and concluded that I wasn’t as perceptive as I thought I was.
Just look at what was happening with the Scarlet Highwayman. We could be related!
I made my way down the steps, my trainers pattering along the damp sand. There was an abundance of gorgeous shells scattered around, which would be ideal for composing more of my textile artwork.
I plucked a cloth bag from my fleece pocket and popped my now empty thermos flask in it.
Then I crouched down and began to pick up any shells that caught my eye.
Their scalloped shapes, fine ridges and variety of ice-cream colours dazzled between my fingers.
It was as if the whole of Port Starr beach was studded with pastel jewels.
As I wound my way between the jutting shards of rock, excited barks made me look up. In the distance, a dog was skittering in and out of the waves, closely followed by two figures. Their tall shapes were dark smudges. The dog spotted me and bounded over the sand.
It was Darwin.
‘Hello, boy!’ I smiled into his white-and-grey coat. An uneasy realisation followed. If Darwin was on the beach, that meant Mason would be too.
I gripped my bag of clattering shells tighter.
Sure enough, Mason strode up. His dark, wavy hair was ruffling down and over his forehead. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.
Don’t let him see you’re bothered, I warned myself. Just act casual.
‘Hi, Poppy.’
I managed a faint smile. ‘Hi there. How are you?’
My attention shifted from the light-grey hoodie he was wearing to the approaching figure materialising beside him.
It was a man, not dissimilar in looks to Mason, but marginally shorter and slighter in build. His hair was deep brown, with a wayward curl to it.
‘This is Poppy Summers, Garrett,’ introduced Mason. ‘Poppy, this is Garrett, my little brother. He’s visiting for a couple of days.’
Recognition dawned on me as soon as Mason said his brother’s name.
‘Nice to meet you.’
‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ confessed Garrett in his warm, Australian twang. He glanced sideways at Mason. ‘And all very complimentary.’
Mason’s silver stare threw me off balance again. ‘Well, if you’ll excuse me,’ I said, starting to edge away.
‘Poppy,’ said Mason, taking a step forward. ‘Could I have a word, please?’
‘I really don’t think…’
‘Please,’ he implored, flicking a look at Garrett. ‘It won’t take a minute.’
I sighed. ‘Okay, but I don’t have long. I need to get back and tidy myself up before I start work.’
Mason’s brow hitched. ‘You look lovely to me.’
I felt a blush crawl over my cheeks and grew annoyed at myself for reacting that way. What was it about this man that he was able to throw me off kilter whenever the whim took him?
‘Garrett, could you take Darwin a bit further up the beach, please, and I’ll catch up with you in a minute?’
Mason’s brother nodded. ‘Sure thing. Come on, boy, let’s go. Nice to meet you, Poppy.’ Darwin seemed uncertain for a moment, glancing between the brothers. Then he trotted off.
‘Good to meet you, too,’ I called after him, noting the set of his chin was pointed, compared to Mason’s more angular jaw.
Once Garrett had located and thrown a stick and Darwin was splashing in the surf searching for it, Mason swivelled his head back to look at me. ‘I’m really sorry about what happened the other day. What was said.’
I shrugged. ‘Please don’t worry about it.’
‘But that’s just it. I was worried. I mean, I am.’
‘There’s no need, Mason. I’m not your keeper.’
He blinked his spidery, black lashes. ‘I know that.’ He raised his hands and allowed them to fall back down by his sides. ‘Something came up and I had to shoot off.’
‘I see. Well, you don’t have to explain.’
He towered over me, his long shadow smudging across the sand. The bank of early-morning sky rolled behind his dark head in crests of pale blue. All I could hear was the thudding of my heart in my ears and the slash of the waves against the nearby rocks.
Tell me, I pleaded silently. Tell me what you’re thinking; tell me what you want.
His mouth opened and he glanced at his brother. Then he took a step back, and an awkward silence wedged itself between us.
‘Right. Well, I’d better be off,’ I muttered with frustration. ‘It’s really none of my business how many women you have staying at your apartment.’
Mason blinked back and was about to answer, but I tightened my grip on the bag of shells in my hand and strode away, with Mason’s gaze following me.