When Maeve stood in position looking out to sea, the wind lifting her dark hair and allowing her facial features to soften he asked, ‘You sure you’re ready?’
‘I’ve been looking this way from the café on the pier for a long time.’ She inhaled the sea air. ‘We all enjoyed the beach and the sea for years. It’s not fair to take it away from Jonah.’ She looked over at her son. ‘And I need to do this for myself too.’
Leo was about to reiterate that he’d keep an eye on Jonah now when he saw someone else come down the slope at the side of the boatshed. Surprised, he told Maeve, ‘Seems like you’re not the only one to decide it’s time.’ He smiled over at his brother. ‘Adrian, good to see you.’ He wouldn’tmake a big fuss, a show, because it seemed his presence had already made Maeve’s determination turn to trepidation. He could see it in the way she held her body, not relaxed like it was moments ago, but rather stiffened and ready for something bad to happen.
‘You took my advice,’ Adrian smiled at Maeve.
‘I did.’
Adrian’s attention was immediately drawn to Jonah when they all heard laughter. ‘What’s he doing back there?’
‘Cleaning wetsuits,’ Maeve smiled.
‘Slave labour?’ Adrian asked Leo. ‘He sounds way too happy.’
‘He likes it,’ said Maeve, amusement in her voice.
‘Adrian!’ The boy had spotted tall Adrian, his opponent in Frustration at the party. ‘I’m cleaning wetsuits!’
‘So I heard,’ he called back.
‘I’m going for a walk along the beach,’ Maeve reiterated, determination back. ‘Might even get my feet wet.’
‘Want some company?’ Adrian suggested, but as soon as he asked the question a customer had Leo’s attention and Jonah was yelling out that he needed help.
‘I’ll go,’ said Adrian, pointing Jonah’s way.
Maeve hesitated only briefly before she turned and made her way across the sands to the water’s edge and Leo was left wondering how life had ever got so complicated for him and his family and friends.
Leo locked up the boathouse and the shop at the end of another day. The sun was setting earlier and earlier and these later finishes wouldn’t be for much longer. Very soon the water would be calm some days but on plenty of others he wouldn’t be letting many people out with hiswater craft, they’d have to wait for conditions to change.
He walked towards the cabin thinking of how happy Jonah had looked when he’d left today with Maeve. He still hadn’t been in the water but having his mum there with him on the sands was a start, and Leo was almost as excited as him to see what would happen next. And as he’d promised himself, Leo hadn’t made a fuss of Adrian making it down to the boathouse. His brother had helped Jonah, he’d hung around until just before Maeve returned, and then he’d waved and gone on his way. Leo hoped it wouldn’t be long before he came back again.
When Leo saw Nina his heart lifted and he wondered whether she’d be as chuffed to see him as he was her, but as he got closer he saw a man in a suit emerge from her cabin. She’d been standing on her veranda with her back to him, alone he’d assumed, but now it was clear she wasn’t.
He grumbled beneath his breath and walked on past before he was spotted. The man looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place him – all Leo knew was that he didn’t want the cabin to go to a city person, someone after a weekender to escape the city when the fumes in the big smoke got too much. The guy didn’t look like a family man although perhaps beneath his suit he was carefree, open to adventure, perhaps he would fit in just fine. And it wasn’t up to Leo who bought it. He’d just have to put up with the new owner. But if those stepping stones linking the two cabins were going to remain, he’d have to at least like the new owners a little bit. Otherwise it wouldn’t be long before he carved a different path from his cabin, around the back of the bin storage, well away from the former O’Brien cabin. There would be nothing linking them then other than proximity and he couldavoid bumping into anyone on his commute, even fence off his cabin from theirs.
Leo had a quick shower before starting up the barbecue on the veranda. He cooked the fish he’d picked up from the fishmonger in town at lunchtime, his mind more on the man at the cabin with Nina than his dinner. He’d only just plonked the fish on a plate to eat with the selection of veggies he’d stir-fried alongside it in a small pan when Nina came walking across the stepping stones. Even now after all this time it still warmed him to watch her. She even hopped between each one a little, as though her stride wasn’t quite long enough, when it had been for a long time.
‘Hey,’ she smiled coming up the steps. ‘Something smells good here.’
‘Sorry, I should’ve made you some. I owe you a dinner, although I might have to do a bit better than basic fish.’
‘It smells good to me. Get stuck in – don’t let it go cold on my account.’ She waved her hands to motion him to start eating.
‘I hope I didn’t spoil the viewing for you by cooking this up.’ He sliced a piece of fish and added a chunk of green pepper before popping it into his mouth.
She seemed momentarily surprised he’d known it was going on. Or maybe it was because he’d not said hello. ‘He left a while ago, but I don’t think it would’ve been a problem.’
‘Did you get any interest?’ Please say no. Please say they hated it.
‘You could say that.’
He swallowed his mouthful. ‘Don’t hold out on me.’ His choice of words had a spark ignite between them.
‘He’s very interested.’
His heart sank ‘Family man?’ Suddenly he wasn’t quite so hungry, but he kept eating so he couldn’t say too much, so he didn’t let his feelings be known, so he didn’t show how much he hated this.
