For a moment Sam looked at her with such affection. ‘Thank you for listening tonight…I’ve never really spoken about my parents before.’
‘Me neither,’ replied Verity. Another loaded silence followed, their eye contact saying so much more than words.
Despite barely knowing this man, Verity thought he might lean in and kiss her, and she found herself wishing he would. It would have been the perfect end to a perfect night. But instead, he merely touched her arm. ‘You take care of yourself, Verity Callaway.’
‘You, too, Sam Wilson.’
With that, Sam turned to walk away.
‘Wait! Your jumper,’ she said, crossing her arms, about to pull it over her head.
‘Keep it, it suits you. Something to remember your trip to Puffin Island by.’
She smiled and watched him walk back along the shore until he turned left into Lighthouse Lane and disappeared from sight. Feeling a tiny slump in her mood after such a high, Verity opened the van, climbed in and locked the door behind her. Kicking off her shoes, she quickly brushed her teeth and pulled back the duvet. Just as she was about to take off the jumper she took in a fresh hit of his aroma. It smelled exactly like Sam, a scent that would now forever be etched in her mind. A minute later she was changed for bed then slipped back on his jumper, her arms now wrapped around herself, wondering what it would be like to be in the arms of Sam tonight. She’d arrived at Puffin Island on a whim, attempting to get on with her life, and tonight she had felt more sadness watching Sam walk away than she had when her ex did. The realisation startled her.
Living in the moment, not thinking of the reasons that had brought her here – and this was only the start of her personal journey. Tonight, she’d thrown caution to the wind and had enjoyed every moment of it, but now, exhausted, she looked through the window of her van up at the stars one last time. ‘Goodnight, Puffin Island,’ she murmured. As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell fast asleep.
ChapterEight
Verity sat bolt upright in bed to the screech of the gulls circling above the van. It was already beginning to get light outside. Scrabbling for her phone, she looked at the screen. It was black. Damn it, she’d forgotten to plug it into the portable charger overnight.
‘Shit,’ she said, throwing back the duvet and poking her head through the makeshift curtain that separated the front of the van from the living area. She heaved a sigh of relief as she stared at the clock on the dashboard. Thankfully she hadn’t overslept but it was time to be on the move. As the kettle came to the boil, she put her dirty clothes in the laundry bag stored underneath the bed, noting that by the end of the week she would need to find a laundrette. Or perhaps there would be a communal washing machine at one of the campsites they would be staying at. After she’d brushed her teeth and put on clean clothes, she pulled Sam’s jumper back over her head, not wanting to be separated from it just yet. As she stepped outside the van with a cup of tea, she took in the view one last time. It was just as stunning at this hour of the morning as it was last night.
Taking one last walk near the water’s edge, Verity noticed a couple of gulls going head to head at the far end of the beach, no doubt fighting over rich pickings they’d scavenged from the bin. With a last look at The Sea Glass Restaurant, she smiled as memories of last night washed over her. Despite her reservations about the cold water, it had actually been fun, and spending time with Sam was something she was not going to forget in a hurry. Verity couldn’t remember a time she’d made conversation with a complete stranger. Her confidence was growing and she welcomed being pushed outside her normal comfort zones.
Her old friendships had dwindled away over the years and she knew exactly why – Richard. When they got together, his friends became hers, but he made it very clear he didn’t like hers, which made it increasingly hard to find time for them. He was always cold with her work colleagues at the annual Christmas Party, and heaven forbid she should walk into a pub and began chatting to anyone; she would get the death stare. Realising she had missed out on many opportunities – new friends, nights out – she was beginning to be grateful for his infidelity, because it had at last set her free to explore life.
After one last look over the bay she finished her tea and decided to skip eating in case the sickness kicked in again on the ferry ride. With her bed made and her rucksack containing her essentials sitting on the passenger seat, she started the engine. As she pulled out onto the cobbled street, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Driving slowly towards the causeway, she switched on the radio.
The causeway was clear as she pulled on to it, but as Verity continued to drive, that started to change. Further ahead the sea was lapping over the road, which surprised her as she was expecting the causeway to be completely clear like yesterday. Maybe first thing in the morning there was shallow water to drive through? She wasn’t worried as she sat up in her seat and carried on, her wheels rolling through the water, because a little further on the causeway became visible again. Then, without warning, Verity’s heart – along with Hetty the van – dropped. She let out a scream and gripped the steering wheel as the van nosedived under the water. The wheels were no longer turning and the van had stalled. Panicking, Verity started turning the key but nothing happened. Quickly, she rummaged in her bag and pulled out her phone, frantically trying to get some life out of it, but again there was nothing.
With a racing heart she looked ahead at the miles between her and the mainland. It wouldn’t be long before the water began seeping through the bottom of the door and there was a huge possibility the van would sink fast. Trying to stay calm, she knew she had no option but to get out of the van as quickly as possible before it became submerged with her trapped inside. The rising water made it impossible to open the door so, grabbing her rucksack, Verity wound down the window. Having thrown the rucksack onto the roof, she squeezed herself out of the window into the freezing water. She managed to pull herself up onto the bonnet of the van and then clambered onto the roof. Now she had no clue what to do.
‘PUFFIN ELL!’ she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Luckily, the van seemed to be staying mostly above water. Still, she knew she needed to make a move quickly. Looking back towards Puffin Island, she could see that the causeway was becoming clear near the island; she just didn’t know how deep the water was between here and there. It looked like she would have to find out.
With her arms stretched out Verity managed to stand up on top of the van. She pulled her rucksack on to her back, knowing that her passport and phone were going to be ruined the moment she hit the water – but what could she do? Just as she was about to slide off the roof into the sea she heard a continuous beeping. She looked up to see a black and yellow four-wheel drive heading towards her. Help was coming.
‘Thank you!’ she shouted, even though they wouldn’t be able to hear her. The car stopped at the furthest point it could reach before the wheels were fully submerged. The car door opened and the driver got out, opened the rear doors and took out a canoe. Within seconds he was paddling towards her. Verity narrowed her eyes, a smile spread across her face as she recognised her rescuer.
‘It’s my knight in shining armour. We meet again!’
But Sam didn’t look amused as he got closer. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? It’s not safe to cross yet.’
‘Well, I can see that,’ she replied. ‘I’m not standing on top of my van for no reason.’
There was still no smile on Sam’s face. ‘It’s impatient people like you that cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds in rescue costs each year. Did you know that sea rescues can cost up to two grand and air rescues up to four? We’re going to have to tow the van out even though it’s likely to be written off. And it will cost you as well, as I suspect your insurance company will regard this as contributory negligence and be unwilling to pay out.’
Verity was taken aback by his not so warm welcome. Rescuer Sam was a very startling different person from the warm Sam she’d enjoyed last night. ‘Surely she’ll start again when she’s dried out?’
Sam shook his head in disbelief. ‘You’re going to have to get wet. Can you slide down the back of the van and slip into the water? I’ll try and get the canoe as close as possible. But before you do that, throw me your rucksack.’
Verity did as instructed and Sam placed it on his lap before she slipped off the van, not very gracefully. The shock of the cold water was no better the second time around but she didn’t dare voice her discomfort. Pulling herself into the back of the canoe, she looked at the van she had lovingly restored over the past few months and reality hit her. Fighting back the tears, she swallowed a lump in her throat.
‘Whatever possessed you to try and cross the causeway at half-past two in the morning when it’s not safe? You only had to wait another hour or so.’
Verity was confused. ‘It had gone half-past three when I crossed, and I checked the tide times.’
