Elijah began to chuckle. ‘Rhianne loved her doughnuts. Did you know that she once had a competition with her friend at school to see who could eat the most jam doughnuts one after the other?’
‘She never did,’ Nina laughed.
‘Oh she did. And she won. She ate five!’
When Jo brought the doughnuts over they enjoyed the sweet treats, all of them concluding there was no way they could eat more than a couple at most.
‘Adrian, let us know when your boat is up and runningagain,’ said Bridget as Maeve piled all their empty plates on top of one another. ‘We’d love it if you could take us out on it. Rhianne loved the sea, she’d hate it if she knew any of us had turned our backs on it. I love the water,’ she declared. ‘Always have. Although gone are the days of me squeezing myself into a wetsuit.’ The corners of her mouth twitched. ‘It’s OK, you can laugh, I do when I think of trying to get one on.’
‘What water sports did you do?’ Nina asked.
‘Windsurfing mainly.’
‘I could never stand up on a board very well,’ Maeve confessed. ‘And as for handling a sail at the same time?’ She shook her head.
‘I could teach you some time.’ Adrian seemed to have forgotten it wasn’t just the two of them, the way he was looking at Maeve. ‘If I can remember myself.’
‘Oh you will,’ Elijah told him, ‘I’ll bet it’s like riding a bike.’
‘It might well be,’ said Bridget. ‘I stopped when I was pregnant and never got around to trying it again. And now of course I’m out of shape.
‘Rubbish,’ Elijah winked at his wife. ‘And of course none of you should forget the annual Christmas Day swim that happens here. I’m a big fan.’
‘You do that?’ Nina couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘Even the thought of swapping my PJs for a swimming costume or my sofa and a blanket for the icy cold water sends a shiver up my spine.’
‘I do it every year,’ Elijah told her.
Listening to them talk this way took Nina by surprise because their love of the sea hadn’t seemed to wane despite what happened to Rhianne. In fact their strengthand their courage through this had her ashamed that she, that Maeve, Adrian, they’d all run away from it, they were weak and it was almost disrespectful how they’d let it influence the rest of their lives when here were Elijah and Bridget carrying on each day and moving forwards in a way none of them had managed.
Bridget gave her a nudge. ‘You can stand with me on Christmas Day if you like. I watch, hot chocolate in hand, scarf and hat firmly on.’
Nina smiled. ‘Sounds perfect to me.’
‘Well I think you’re missing out,’ Elijah insisted. ‘Nothing like an ice cold dip to wake you up ready for a new year.’
But Nina and Bridget were laughing together, wholly unconvinced.
‘What’s got you all so jolly?’ Jo wanted to know when she brought over coffees for each of them.
Bridget explained what they were talking about and Jo, citing her pregnant belly and the babies that would be here by the end of the year, said she had the perfect excuse not to participate.
When Jo left them to it Bridget asked Maeve whether she’d join in.
‘I doubt it. I did it a couple of times as a teenager; never again.’
‘I’ll do it if you will,’ said Adrian and when he smiled at Maeve Nina was reminded of the heady days with her and Leo, when they first got together and couldn’t bear to be apart.
If Maeve couldn’t see the attraction between the pair of them, she was mad! Nina had no idea why she’d hold back. He was a lovely guy, great with Jonah; both of them deserved happiness.
‘Rhianne used to do the swim,’ said Bridget. ‘She loved it didn’t she, Elijah?’
‘She did. And she’s the reason I started. Every year I’d watch her run into the water all smiles, laughing. She often did it in fancy dress too.’
‘Actually I remember,’ Nina smiled. ‘Wasn’t she a gingerbread one year?’
‘She was. An elf one year too,’ said Elijah, obviously wanting to talk about his daughter. ‘She got quite creative with costumes.’
‘That she did.’ Bridget seemed to be content conjuring up the memories too.
