“Yeah, they concentrated on this first so I could stay here. It’s fully functional now and will be the manager’s residence. It’s good to try it out and the view’s amazing.”
The front door opened into a little entrance foyer, which in turn opened onto a comfortable seating area, with two large, comfortable sofas that offered sweeping views of the rolling sea. To her right was a little kitchenette that overlooked a compact dining area, beyond that was a short hallway with a bedroom or two. The whole wall in front of the seating area had been given over to glass sliding doors that led out onto a sandstone patio. The whole place screamed elegance and comfort. She was impressed. William had moved into the kitchen, retrieving a picnic basket and a bottle of wine in a champagne bucket.
“This way.”
She followed him out through the sliding doors, over the grass to the old, wooden door of the lighthouse. He placed the basket and bucket down between his feet and heaved the door open, gesturing her to go ahead of him up the narrow, spiral staircase. The stairs opened out to a narrow, beamed platform, where, to Juniper’s utter delight, a table and chairs were tucked under the wide window. It was set for two with a white plastic tablecloth, plates, cutlery, wine glasses and abunch of yellow daisies in a vase. She looked at William and saw him watching her with uncertainty. “I love it. It’s perfect.” She looked out across the ocean, the white caps of the waves, the gulls circling, the little town nestled in the curve of the beach. “Wow.”
“It’s something, isn’t it?”
“It’s amazing.”
“Hungry?”
“A little.”
She sat down, more than intrigued when he sat opposite her and placed the bucket and basket on the ground next to him.
“Right, so confession time. I love wine and I can’t cook for peanuts, so this part was extra challenging.” He opened the wine and poured for her first. She took a sip and nodded her approval. “Great, that’s the best seven dollars I’ve ever spent.”
She laughed. Next, he took out two containers and put them in the middle of the table. “Salmon frittata and a green salad.” He removed the lids and served her a generous portion. She waited until he had served himself before she lifted her fork and took a bite.
“Mm, delicious.”
“It’s from Coco’s.”
“They do great food. You chose well. A toast.” She lifted her wine glass and held it out, waiting for him to do the same, then clinked her glass gently against his. “To cheap dates.”
He laughed. “To cheap dates.”
They ate in companionable silence for a while. “Tell me about your family,” Juniper said, after taking a sip of wine.
“There’s not much to tell. It’s just my Mum and Dad, me and my sister.”
“What are their names?”
“Dad’s Robert, Mum’s Gwen and my sister is Cassandra, but we call her Cassie.”
“You’re close?”
He gave it some thought, then nodded. “We are close, but to be honest, I don’t think about it that much. I guess I just take it for granted. I shouldn’t. It scared the shit out of all of us when Dad had the stroke.”
“I can imagine.”
“Yeah, but he pulled through and he’s doing okay, so I forget sometimes how terrifying it was.”
“What about your Mum?”
“She’s a rock. She runs the whole show and always has been, even before Dad got sick.”
“And Cassie?”
“Hmm, Cassie.” He pondered for a moment, a faraway look in his eye. “She’s got Dad’s business acumen and Mum’s take no prisoners attitude. Nothing gets by her. She’s fiercely loyal and protective. You cross someone she loves and she’ll squash you flat.”
“She sounds amazing.”
“Yeah, but she’s my baby sister so she still gives me the shits every other day.”
Juniper laughed. “Fair enough.”
