‘I know,’ she laughed, ‘Flynn said exactly the same thing. If any of these fit, wear what you wish and I’ll grab the rest back from you on Monday.’
‘This is brilliant, thanks so much.’
‘You’re welcome, and I’ll see you at the dinner. In the meantime, I need to track down Flynn.’
‘I’ve just seen him disappear onto his boat with Nolan.’
‘Oh, that’s right, they’re having a meeting. I’ll catch you in a bit. I hope one of those fits.’
Julia left The Little Blue Boathouse and Bea racked her brains, trying to remember if Nolan had mentioned anything about a meeting with Flynn.
Climbing back up the ladder she laid the dresses out on the bed.
Each one was fit for the occasion but one in particular caught her eye and she knew it would look utterly gorgeous and be the perfect attire for a birthday meal at the world-famous restaurant The Lakehouse. The dress was a grey, shimmery satin, gathered at the waist and hanging just below her knees. As she pulled it over her body she gasped. It was a perfect fit.
‘Cinderellawillgo to the ball,’ she murmured, giving a little spin in the mirror. After applying her make-up and tying her hair up in a messy bun with the loose strands framing her face, she slipped her feet into her ballet shoes.
Feeling a million dollars and grateful to Julia, Bea locked up The Little Blue Boathouse and made her way towards The Hemingway. She had never had girlfriends who helped you out at the drop of a hat. It was wonderful.
Stepping onto the ramp of the boat, Bea shouted out, ‘Anyone home?’ and looked around, but Nolan wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Standing on the deck, she shouted again. Then the bathroom door opened and Nolan appeared, his hair soaped up into a wild-looking mass. He grinned. ‘Why is it every time it’s inconvenient people knock on the door?’
‘Er, there is no door, and this wasn’t the welcome I anticipated, but I don’t mind it one little bit.’ Bea ran an approving eye over Nolan’s wet, toned torso and stopped at the towel wrapped around his waist. She leaned forward playfully and Nolan panicked, thinking she was going to whip the towel from him.
‘Don’t you dare! There’s too many boats around and kayaks coming past.’
Bea laughed. ‘You’re no fun sometimes.’
‘Go and pour yourself a drink whilst I get changed. By the way, can I just say you look absolutely stunning?’
Bea gave a little twirl. ‘Why, thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself,’ she replied, giving him a cheeky wink.
‘I’ll be ten minutes max.’
Pouring herself a glass of prosecco, Bea stood on the deck and looked all around. There were so many boats it was difficult to see the town of Glensheil in the distance. Each one was decorated in a carnival theme and they had begun to get themselves in a line ready for the boat parade that began in the early evening.
‘Right, I’m ready,’ Nolan stepped back on to the deck and Bea playfully whistled. ‘Very impressive,’ she said with a smile, tilting her head up to kiss him as he entwined his fingers around hers. With their eyes locked, he gave her the warmest, sexiest smile, and there it was again, that jittery feeling in her stomach of the first flush of love mixed with the dull ache of knowing he would soon be gone.
As Nolan straightened the birthday banner that had flapped over in the light breeze, Bea tried to ignore the ache in her stomach but it was still very much there. While she was getting ready, she had toyed with the idea of telling him how much she wanted him to stay, and that having him by her side made her feel like she’d won the lottery because he was everything she’d ever wanted. But her head and her heart were currently fighting each other, her head telling her that she needed to let Nolan do whatever he needed to do to heal, and her heart telling her to fight for him and tell him how she felt.
Her heart won. She owed it to herself to say what she felt. She’d spent the whole of her last relationship not being able to express her feelings. If she didn’t say how she felt, how would Nolan ever know?
‘Do you think Martha would like the painting of my grandfather and her for her birthday?’
‘I think that’s a great idea,’ she replied, standing beside him and sipping her drink.
‘That’s good then because I’ve already wrapped it up.’
‘Nolan,’ she said, her heart beating nineteen to the dozen. ‘Nolan.’ Her chest heaved.
But Nolan was looking across at the riverbank and grabbed Bea’s arm. ‘Here they come. Quick, cue the music. Here’s Martha!’
Bea looked up and there was the birthday girl walking alongside her family with her close friends following behind. With the moment lost, Bea did exactly what Nolan had asked and cued the music from the music player that he’d connected at the back of the boat, so that as soon as Martha stepped on to the ramp, ‘Happy Birthday’ played out. The surrounding boats began to cheer and clap, leaving Martha with a huge smile on her face.
‘All aboard,’ shouted Nolan, handing out the drinks as they all filed onto the boat. ‘Here she is, the birthday girl!’ he exclaimed, kissing Martha on both cheeks. ‘Happy birthday!’
Martha looked radiant, her eyes sparkled and the smile on her face said it all.
‘You look stunning. Happy birthday, Martha,’ said Bea, air-kissing Martha, who gave a little shimmy in her dress.
