Sam looked up at the sky. ‘I don’t want to burst your bubble, but with a sky that dark…’
Verity laughed. ‘You have a fair point.’
‘Shall we get back to your story? You were saying something about a perfect handsome stranger in the café queue…’ Sam teased.
She arched an eyebrow. ‘Café is a very loose term.’
Sam laughed. ‘So why the change of destination? And can I just say I’m a little disappointed that it wasn’t because you were chasing the perfect handsome stranger? That’s the stuff of movies and we all know how those stories tend to end.’
‘And how do they end?’
‘The couple fall in love and live happily after ever.’
She smiled at him. ‘The perfect handsome stranger is a bonus,’ she replied, happily flirting right back. ‘I’m travelling for six months with a friend. We should have been meeting in Amsterdam but she’s had an emergency and can’t make it for another forty-eight hours.’
‘Her loss, Sea’s End gain.’
‘Definitely her loss. Apparently she tripped over her rucksack, and chipped a tooth.’
‘Ouch.’
‘And when the customs officer informed me this ferry was going to Sea’s End, which is right next to Puffin Island, it was fate.’
‘Fate?’
‘I just had to visit because when I was a little girl my granny told me bedtime stories about the island and I’ve just discovered it’s a real place.’
Just at that moment an announcement informed them that the ferry was docking in five minutes, and asked the passengers to gather all their belongings and make their way back to their vehicles.
‘You do know you won’t be able to drive across the causeway until this afternoon?’
‘I do. How long is the causeway?’
Sam pointed. ‘A little under three miles. That gorgeous harbour at Sea’s End is where we’re docking. It’s the nearest town to Puffin Island and it looks like St Tropez on a sunny day. Not so gorgeous in the rain though.’ He held up his hands. ‘But it does look like it’s clearing.’
In a steady stream the passengers began to vacate the deck. ‘After you,’ said Sam. ‘You look a little brighter.’
‘I’m actually feeling quite hungry now.’
‘You won’t find a greasy spoon in Sea’s End as it’s a little more upmarket, but the seafood restaurants around here are to die for.’
‘I think I’ll wait for my stomach to settle a little more first.’
‘Good plan.’
They made their way down the stairs towards the lower deck. Numerous passengers were already sitting in their cars with their engines running, waiting to drive off the ferry.
‘I hope your ferry ride to Amsterdam goes a little more smoothly,’ he said with a smile. ‘My car is here,’ he said, pointing.
‘My van is here.’
‘As soon as you come out of the ferry port, the causeway is clearly signposted, as is Sea’s End.’
‘Is that where you’re heading?’
‘I am, until I can cross the causeway.’
‘It was lovely to meet you,’ she said as she climbed into her van.
