“It’s practically spring, and it’s never very cold.”
“So says the girl who won’t refuse a dare,” said Lizzi with a grin.
Laura grabbed hold of Max’s hand so he couldn’t escape—not that he looked like he wanted to, thought Amber—and they disappeared around the corner of the house, ducking under the old lantern which was half submerged by the overgrown wisteria, toward the beach.
Lizzi and Rachel took some empty dishes into the kitchen, leaving Pete and Zane with Amber, and Gabe and Maddy talking to David, with Gabe admirably smoothing things between Jim and David.
Zane stretched out in his chair. “Jeez, old Max sure is under his wife’s thumb! What do you reckon, Pete?”
Amber shook her head. “You two! You only talk like that when your wives aren’t around.” Zane grinned, and Amber knew he was joking. She always seemed to take the bait.
Pete laughed and topped up Zane’s outstretched wine glass. “Yeah! Who’d have thought it? Doesn’t seem two minutes since Max and I were having mates’ weekends in the bush. Dropped in the middle of nowhere, just a few of us—accountable to no one—and then a weekend of hunting and drinking.”
“Drinking?” exclaimed Lizzi, as she and Rachel came through from the kitchen. She snagged Pete’s glass from him and finished it off and handed him back the empty glass. “Aimee asked if you could read her a story.”
Pete looked from his empty wine glass to Lizzi and then back to Zane and shrugged.
Zane laughed until Rachel did the exact same thing. She drained the glass and put it on the table with a broad grin. She extended her hand. “Time to go, Zane. We’ve got a walk ahead of us yet.”
Zane didn’t look Pete in the eye, and Amber noticed Pete also mumbled something about Aimee wanting him. So much for her macho brothers-in-law. The Connelly women won out every time. She looked at David. The thought gave her hope for what she was about to do.
She’d bide her time, though. David had said he couldn’t stay long, but she was determined to make every second count. She walked over to the remaining group and David welcomed her with a warm smile and a side step to make room for her. She felt very feminine and nurtured as a brief silence fell, as everyone noted the warmth of David’s gaze on Amber, a warmth which he didn’t demonstrate with anyone else. It was nice, thought Amber, smiling up at him. Very nice. She could get used to this.
“Let me show you the beach, David. We’re lucky enough to have our own private beach at Belendroit.”
“Ah, Lantern Bay. It always looks so picturesque from town, especially at night, lit by the lanterns around your house.”
“It’s even better close to.”
David glanced at Jim. “If you’ll excuse me, sir.”
“Please, call me Jim. And, yes, you go and see the beach. It’s beautiful. My wife and I used to spend most of our time there. And the kids when they were younger…” He sighed as he became lost in memories, and Amber gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
“Pop, don’t go feeling sorry for yourself. A day doesn’t go by without someone coming to visit.”
Jim’s eyes brightened. “It’s certainly been lovely having Etta and all her friends visit. And when you marry and have children…” He broke off, as if suddenly aware of the situation.
Amber cleared her throat and shot her father a meaningful look. “See you later, Pop!”
“Come on,” she said to David with a smile. With Gabe and Maddy following, they went around the corner and walked across the increasingly springy grass until they reached the shoreline. A jetty went into the water and they were in time to see Etta jump off, doing a star jump against the darkening sky, then falling with a splash. Like Laura, Etta wasn’t afraid of cold water.
Amber sat on an upturned boat and David sat beside her. When Maddy and Gabe sat on the end of the dock watching the swimmers, they were alone.
For a moment David watched Amber’s family splashing and laughing in the sea, then he moved his serious gaze to the beauty of the dark hills which surrounded the harbor and the indigo sky still bright enough to reveal the shredded remnants of the sunset. Then his gaze settled on the lanterns which were strewn around the property, encompassing it with a light and security which never failed to move Amber. But, rather than look happy, David’s face grew more grim. He blinked. She’d thought he’d like it. Lantern Bay was one of her most favorite spots in the world.
“Is everything all right? I’m afraid my family can be a bit full-on.”
He turned to her and shrugged. “No, they’re fine. I mean, they’re very nice. I didn’t find them full-on at all.”
Amber grunted and toed the sand. It was no doubt true, because David was pretty full on himself. But she liked that. She was so easygoing that people often overlooked her. She always admired people who couldn’t be overlooked, people who stood midstream in a strong current of life while everything had to move around them. She was more likely to float off on the current. She sighed.
“Why the sigh?” David asked. And she turned to see he was closer to her, his face shadowy against the lantern which dangled from the pohutukawa tree behind him. “It sounded very wistful.”
“I was just thinking about how you are with them.” She shrugged. “With everybody really.”
“And how is that?”
“Uncompromising, I guess.”
