‘You get the hose,’ Leo instructed his young helper, ‘pull it all the way out and you can be in charge.’
‘Awesome!’ Jonah yelled over his shoulder as he ran to grab the hose reel. He needed both hands to carry it back, but wasted no time unravelling it and connecting the appropriate end to the tap, ready for the job in hand.
Leo almost wished the kayaks were dirtier, Jonah was so obviously in his element. Once he’d hosed down the first and moved to the second, Leo took a cloth to work on the first one to dry it off and wipe up any remaining stubborn dirt, although there wasn’t much at all, just a couple of odd bits of seaweed. It kept him occupied while Jonah took charge of the hose and it stopped him thinking too much about Nina, which was next to impossible to do. He was trying to tell himself that he was fine with seeing her last night, that his gaze out of the window of his own cabin hadn’t stubbornly been drawn towards her place, that he wasn’t wondering every minute since he’d seen her whether she was still there inside, or when she’d come back again.
‘Le-o,’ Jonah whined his name as though he might have had to do that a couple of times to get his attention.
‘Sorry mate. You done?’
‘Done.’ He picked up another cloth and wiped over the second kayak the way Leo had done with the first.
‘Let’s carry them back in, you take one end, I’ll take the other.’
‘We could carry one kayak each. I’m strong.’
‘You take that one then.’ Leo pointed to the smaller of the two in a brilliant turquoise. And although he could tell Jonah was surprised at the weight, he let the boy do it by himself all the way over to the racks. Leo lifted the one he’d been carrying into its rightful place and when he pointed out the rack for the kayak in Jonah’s grasp he could tell the boy was looking at the vessel and contemplating whether it was the right size for him. It was; Leo was expert at looking at someone without asking their height and knowing which craft would suit them the best. And if Jonah was anything like Leo the boy would start in something that size and quickly progress to the bigger kayaks when he got too tall for that model.
Leo was well aware that if you learned to be happy in the water at a young age, it gave you the confidence that could keep you safe in the years to come. He crouched down. ‘Do you want to try calling your mum again?’
Sheepishly Jonah admitted he’d left his phone in the shop.
‘Jonah, I don’t want to be mean, but this is the last time you can come in until I speak to a parent. I know you like coming here and I like it too, you’re great company and the best helper I’ve ever had.’
‘I know, but you have rules.’
The way he said it made Leo laugh and he ruffled the boy’s hair as Jonah’s head dipped and he refused to lookLeo in the eye. ‘I’ll talk to your mum and if she’s happy you could even stay longer on some days.’
But Jonah was shaking his head. ‘Mum won’t like it, I’m too close to the water being here.’
So that’s why he was so hesitant to call his mum. And hearing those words saddened Leo more than he’d ever thought they would. Adrian had backed away from a life near the sea involving boats, Nina had left the bay behind and now it seemed Maeve had been affected in the same way. He was the only one who’d stuck around. He was the only one whose passion for the sea had never waned, and sometimes that made him sad, other times angry. Sometimes it made him guilty at the joy he got out of it despite the tragedy he’d witnessed. And he could’ve done with his brother, his girlfriend and friends nearby after it happened too. Yet they’d all dispersed and occasionally he resented them for it.
As Leo realised the gamut of emotions he swayed between on occasion Jonah told him, ‘She’s always happy for me to go into a swimming pool. She likes it and thinks it’s safer with a lifeguard right there watching us. And I can swim too.’ He managed a smile. ‘Mum says everyone should learn to swim.’
Leo let out a breath. ‘Your mum sounds like a clever lady.’
‘She is,’ he shrugged matter-of-factly. ‘And I have a swimming lesson tonight once Mum finishes work. She’s just funny about the sea.’ A frown formed. ‘It’s not fair. Not when I really want to do things.’
The other couple who’d taken paddleboards out returned their boards and Leo put them in the appropriate rack spaces as they wrestled off the wetsuits they’dhired. They had a good laugh about it, the girl struggling so much even Jonah was giggling with her as she finally broke free. Jonah took the wetsuit over to the rack at the end of the shed and Leo hung it up with the others that were ready for cleaning, as the couple set off laughing along the sands.
‘Why do they make them so tight?’ Jonah wanted to know.
‘If you wear a wetsuit that’s too loose, cold water would constantly flush in and out and make you very cold,’ Leo explained. ‘There’d be no point wearing one. When they fit snuggly the rubber lets in a small amount of water which is heated by your body and becomes a layer of protection as it stays there. So between you and the sea you have the warm layer and the suit.’
‘Can I try one on?’
‘I need to get back up to the boathouse in case I have customers.’
‘Pleeeeease Leo,’ he begged, ‘I’ll try this one, it’s my size.’ He already had his hand on one of the wetsuits hanging on the drying rack, as though he didn’t want to let it go.
And he was right. Leo had lent that particular one to another boy about his age who’d come here this morning before school with his dad. ‘Go on then,’ Leo relented. ‘But quick, then I’d better get upstairs and unlock the boathouse again. And you can bring in the sign.’
Jonah immediately stripped off his shorts and t-shirt and with swimming trunks beneath in preparation for his lesson at the pool later on, he wasted no time stepping into the suit and trying to hoist it on. Leo didn’t even have a chance to tell him that it was best to turn the top halfinside out and sort the legs first. Jonah barely got it over one calf before his face began to turn a curious shade of pink with the exertion, he got it over his knee on one leg and then halfway up his thigh before he was laughing uncontrollably and unable to find strength from anywhere. He’d attracted a couple of onlookers too and by now Leo was laughing at Jonah who, as he’d tried to get the suit on, had hopped around so much he was out on the ramp in the sunshine.
‘Take it off and start again,’ Leo advised, although Jonah seemed to be having so much fun doing this and the laughter was a panacea to the mood Leo had been in last night and first thing this morning.
Eventually Jonah agreed and the wetsuit was off once again. ‘Do I need a bigger size?’
‘Nope, this one should be fine,’ said Leo. ‘Remember what I said.’
