‘I’m actually feeling quite liberated,’ she shared, jumping onto Sam’s back and wrapping herself around him. The feel of his skin sent new shivers down her spine, but for totally different reasons this time. She leaned backwards and let her head fall into the water. Sam looked over his shoulder, the glint in his eyes catching in the moonlight, his smile melting her heart. This is what she’d imagined life with a partner to be like, fun and spontaneous, full of laughter and experiences and moments like this together.
‘See, just up there?’ He pointed towards the end of the cove and began walking through the water with Verity still on his back. ‘The caves are apparently full of lost treasure. And wait for it… When we get around this side of the restaurant…’
‘Woah!’
The bright light from the top of the lighthouse was suddenly shining a path through the sea.
‘I could stay out here all night.’
‘I knew you’d like it, but we can’t stay in too long. I can’t have you getting hypothermia on my watch,’ he said, swimming back towards the ladder. ‘Hold on to my waist whilst I pull us back in with the rope. We’re drifting a little.’
Slipping her arms around his waist she closed her eyes for a brief second. It felt good to be so close to someone.
Within seconds they were back up on the private balcony. Sam wrapped a towel around his waist and handed Verity a robe, which she wrapped tightly around her body after taking off her life jacket. She watched Sam attach a gas bottle to the firepit and soon it was spreading a welcoming warmth.
‘How did that feel?’ he asked.
‘I hate to admit it but – amazing. After the initial shock of the cold, I absolutely loved it!’
‘I knew you would. It’s good for your body and soul. There’s something peaceful about swimming in the sea, especially when the sky is as beautiful as it is tonight.’
Verity looked up at the stars. The sky was scattered with their bursts of light. ‘The stars are just so scenic. I think I’ll remember this night on this island for ever.’
Sam touched her shoulder as he walked past her. ‘Let me get you a drink. What would you like?’
‘Whatever you’re having.’
Sam unlocked a door, which she assumed led into the restaurant. She leaned forward, warming her hands against the dancing flames of the firepit. She couldn’t wait to tell Ava all about her trip to Puffin Island. She smiled. This was happiness, feeling relaxed and free.
Five minutes later, Sam returned with a tray and placed it on the table. ‘We have a hot mug of coffee, and a whisky. Each will warm you through.’ He sat next to her on the sofa and she watched as Sam swirled the amber liquid in the glass and glugged it back. He placed the empty glass back on the tray then picked up the coffee.
‘Just like swimming in the sea under the stars, this is also a first for me.’ She copied Sam, swirling the liquid around the glass, then swigged it back and immediately scrunched up her face in distaste.
Sam smiled. ‘An acquired taste – but it’ll warm you through.’
‘So what made you want to own a floating restaurant?’ Verity asked, picking up her coffee mug.
‘My grandfather. He was born and bred on the island and was a keen fisherman. Apparently his dream was to open a floating restaurant on the island, specialising in fresh fish that had been caught that day.’
‘Apparently?’ she questioned. Amelia and Clemmie had shared that his grandfather had been taken too soon, but she wanted to hear it from Sam himself.
‘My grandfather passed away. All I have is what Betty told me – Clemmie’s grandmother. She was good friends with my grandfather. They grew up together. He was musical, too,’ Sam added softly, looking into his glass.
‘I’m really sorry.’ Without thinking Verity reached across and touched his knee. ‘Is that where you got your musical talent from?’
‘I’d like to think so.’ He smiled. ‘Music is a great escape. I wish I could have met him.’
‘It must be really difficult.’ Verity had had a great relationship with her grandfather, and it was something she would always cherish. ‘What about your parents?’
‘My grandmother got pregnant with my mum at the age of fifteen. No doubt at the time it would have been the biggest scandal on the island. My grandparents weren’t together by the time the birth came along, which is not surprising, given they were still children themselves, but according to Betty my grandfather took his responsibilities seriously and he used his earnings as a fisherman to provide everything he could for my grandmother and mother for the short time he was alive. He passed when he was only twenty-two, and my grandmother passed away at the age of thirty-five, leaving my mother alone. And then history repeated itself. My mother fell pregnant at an early age, and she didn’t stay with my father. He wasn’t like my grandfather, though, he never provided anything for her or us. He disappeared off the island one Saturday morning and never came back.’
‘Have you ever tried to look for him?’
Sam shook his head. ‘He didn’t choose me, so why would I ever choose him?’ He sounded adamant, but there was sadness in his voice.
‘I bet that brought you and your mum closer?’
Sam briefly closed his eyes, stood up and fetched the decanter of whisky. He poured two more glasses.
