“He talked about you a lot,” I say eventually.
Her eyebrows rise. “Really?”
“Yeah. And Max. He loved being an uncle. He took him to school on his first day, didn’t he?”
She laughs. “That’s right. Rob was working in Wellington, and I had an appointment I couldn’t miss, so Jack said he’d take him.”
“He loved that. He said he wished he could do it every day.”
“Aw.” Thoughtfully, she gathers up a couple of chips. “It’s a shame he never got to have his own children. He’d have made a great dad.”
“He would.”
She studies me while she eats the chips. “Would you like to have children?”
I put down my empty plate, pick up my wine glass, and let out a long sigh, sliding down a little in my chair. “I didn’t think I had any kind of future to speak of.”
The warm summer breeze blows across my face. I can smell the sea, and the scent of the jasmine that grows around the side of the bach. Further down the beach, a group of older kids are playing cricket, laughing as they whack the ball up the sand. Max is at the water’s edge, encouraging Ghost, who’s swum out to get a stick. The dog comes back onto the sand and drops thestick at Max’s feet, and he bends and gives the dog a hug. It brings tears to my eyes.
“What do you mean?” Isla asks softly.
I scratch at a mark on my shorts. “It’s easy to think the world would be a better place if you weren’t in it.”
“You considered taking your own life?”
“Yeah. I’ve been to the edge a few times. But I didn’t want to leave Ghost alone.”
We sit quietly for a while. She sips her wine and looks out to sea.
“I’m sorry,” I say eventually. “You’ve come here for peace and relaxation, and I’m all doom and gloom.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be daft. It’s good to talk about these things. It’s like opening an attic and letting in the light.”
“That’s an interesting way of putting it, but yeah, it does feel like that.”
“Do you still feel that way?” she asks.
I look into her turquoise eyes, and I shake my head. “No.”
Her lips curve up, just a little.
“Can I have an ice cream?” Max stands before us, and he laughs as Ghost shakes himself, scattering us all with water droplets.
“Why don’t we all go toScoopsand get one?” Isla suggests. I agree, and so we take the plates inside, she locks the door, and the three of us walk the short distance along the beach toScoops by the Sea, the small coffee and ice-cream shop.
They have a large variety of ice cream flavors in tubs, and we each choose a couple for a two-scoop cup and eat them as we wander slowly back.
Max is chatting away to Ghost, and I exchange a smile with Isla. “Poor Ghost,” she teases. “Max is going to give him a headache.”
“Not at all. It’s so great to see him interacting with someone.” The German Shepherd doesn’t seem bothered at all when Max sinks a hand into his fur, and he’s quite happy to finish off Max’s ice cream when the boy offers it to him.
“Can I help you with the dishes?” I ask as we approach the bach.
“Nah,” she says, “I’ll do them later, don’t worry.”
“Well… I suppose I should be getting back.”
She hesitates. “There’s still half a bottle of wine left, if you’d like another glass.”
