‘They are. They live nearby which is why they gothere so quickly.’
She stared over at the men who were waving other beachcombers away. ‘It’s so different here to back home, despite the scenery looking similar in places.’ She looked towards the bomb. ‘I never expected something like this to happen in Jersey,’ she said. ‘Do many bombs get brought up on to the beaches after all this time?’
He was relieved she seemed to have forgotten about their disagreement. ‘No, not really. It can happen after a particularly violent storm and we had one of those the other night. I’ve seen one before down at St Ouen’s beach. The German army used to test fire various weapons during World War Two down there, so you do get the occasional bomb being brought in on a particularly rough tide.’
‘I’ve seen the large bunker from the ferry when I first arrived in Jersey,’ she said. ‘Someone on the boat told me that it was one of many bunkers built by the Nazis during their occupation of the island.’
‘That’s right,’ he said, enjoying being able to share some of his island’s heritage with her. ‘They’re being excavated all the time. Some people think they’re ugly but most of the locals are so used to them I don’t think we notice them half the time. There are anti-tank gun casements, old machine gun turrets, and restored underground bunkers. There’s one in St Ouen where you can see a vast range of artefacts, including an Enigma machine.’
Daisy’s eyes widened. ‘And you can visit these places?’
‘Yes. They’re well worth a look, even if you’re not that interested in World War Two or the occupation. It’s fascinating to think that this island and the other Channel Islands were completely taken over by the Nazis for five years.’
‘It’s frightening when you think about it.’
He nodded. ‘It is. There’s so much I could tell you,’ he said, as he led her further away from the unexploded bomb. ‘For example, did you know that Alderney was a concentration camp, and that Hitler’s Organisation Todt used slave labourers and others pressurised into working on his Atlantic Wall?’
‘No, I didn’t. How horrible. What’s the Atlantic Wall?’
‘When you go to St Ouen’s beach you’ll see the enormous concrete wall stretching along most of the beach; that’s part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. It’s a fortification system that stretched from Norway, across northern France to Spain, and here in Jersey and was meant to stop the allies invading.’
‘And to think how recently this all happened.’
He didn’t want her to only think of the island in terms of the occupation and added, ‘The Gunsite Café in St Aubin’s bay is an interesting place to have lunch.’
‘Lunch in a bunker?’ she said smiling. ‘How odd is that?’
Relieved to see her become a little more jovial, he remembered that he still had to tell her about Bella. He took a deep breath and gave her what he hoped was an apologetic look. ‘Daisy, I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about Bella. I just couldn’t think how to.’
Daisy frowned. ‘You have a wife, Gabe. How can you not think I’d be interested in something like that?’
‘I know, and I was planning to tell you. But we’re over; we hardly even see each other any more. Except at work, of course.’
‘She’s a marine explorer too?’ Gabriel nodded and Daisy sighed. ‘Look, Gabriel,’ she said, hoisting the podgy little dog higher in her arms. ‘I’ve got enough issues of my own to deal with. I don’t need to become involved with a married man, too. I know you think I’mmaking more of this situation than is necessary, but, well, I suppose it’s because of my parents and my father not being there for my mother. He turned his back on her when she needed him most and married someone else. I don’t want to go through life being embittered like Mum was and ending up resenting you. I’d rather remember what we shared in Vietnam and enjoy those memories.’ She hesitated. ‘Also, don’t forget you’re the son of my employers and my job and where I live is through them. If I fall out with you I’ll only feel I have to leave and will then need to find somewhere to live and work all over again. I’d rather not do that if I can help it.’
In the time they’d been talking Gabe hadn’t noticed that the bomb disposal unit had arrived and already prepared the device for detonation. He became aware of someone calling for everyone to stand back just as Daisy turned to walk back to the house when a blast echoed around the beach. Daisy stumbled and he rushed to her, grabbing Jack from her hands.
He turned to look as the sand and oily mass of metal and rotten debris exploded into the air.
‘Bloody hell,’ she exclaimed, holding on to his arm. ‘I was standing next to that thing a short while ago.’
‘You were.’
She looked up at him wide-eyed and obviously a little shocked. ‘Thank you for, well, saving me from that.’ She pointed towards the spot where the sand was now settled in a heap and the smoke was slowly dispersing, her finger trembling.
He hugged her to him with his free arm, while holding tightly to Jack with the other. The poor little dog was now trembling against his chest. ‘It’s OK boy, nothing to worry about.’
He waved at the police and they nodded for him to leave. Gabe took Daisy by the hand and walked over to the stairs to his grandmother’s garden.
At the top of the stairs he closed the gate behind them and placed Jack onto the grass, who promptly raced off into the safety of Lydia’s house.
Daisy tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her left ear. ‘Your quick thinking probably saved my life and Jack’s.’
He could see she was shell-shocked by the incident and went to step closer to her. She raised her hand to stop him. ‘I’m not ready to talk to you about anything else though,’ she said. ‘I’m still upset about yesterday. When I calm down, I want you to tell me everything. I need to know exactly when you and Bella married and your situation with her because I won’t let anyone make a fool out of me.’
‘I have no intention of doing that to you, Daisy,’ he said. ‘Can’t we talk about this now?’
She walked away. ‘I said I’ll discuss this with you when I’m ready, Gabriel.’
