‘I do.’
They made their way towards Blue Water Bay. ‘We’ve had a right couple of days of it, haven’t we?’ said Daniel.
‘Understatement of the century,’ Fern replied.
Daniel pointed ahead. ‘If we walk past the lighthouse and round by the harbour, there’s another cove just past the puffin cliffs.’
She tilted her head. ‘There’s anotherbay?’
‘Castaway Cove,’ he said. ‘And if you keep walking the whole way round the island, you end up at Cockle Bay Cove.’
‘You’re just making these up now.’
‘I swear I’m not. This island’s basically the Netflix of secret beaches. Endless options, but a terrible signal.’
She laughed. ‘It’s the island that just keeps giving.’
The path curved gently upwards, and as they reached the top of the last dune, the view opened up like a scene change in a movie. Below them, a wide sweep of beach gleamed in the lunchtime sun. The sea sparkled, waves tumbling on to thesand. A few dogs were tearing around in the shallows, and nearby, a couple walked slowly.
Daniel reached for her hand. She glanced at him and felt a flutter in her stomach as she let him take it.
They walked on, hand in hand, down the old wooden steps to the sand, continuing until there was no one else in sight.
‘The tourists never seem to find this little slice of the island; they tend to stick to Bluewater Bay. Funnily enough, I used to come here with my mum and dad on holiday. They loved this place,’ Daniel mused. ‘We’d bring flasks of soup in the winter, Dad would pack cheese and pickle sandwiches in the summer, and Mum always had a novel she’d never get around to reading.’
Fern glanced at him. His expression was fond but distant, like he could still see them on the sand somewhere ahead.
‘You must miss them.’
‘I do. It’s a strange feeling thinking you have no one else in the world.’
‘I get that feeling too. That sudden, hollow space where family used to be.’
There was a pause. The waves rustled against the shore like they were listening in.
‘But I have good memories,’ she added softly. ‘Seaside ones, too. Mum always insisted on packing an entire picnic, even though we’d end up buying chips. Dad used to carry one of those awful windbreaks and swear it was the last time. It’s funny the things that stay with you.’
Daniel smiled. ‘Yeah. Those bits matter. When I met Matilda at the auction and she said she lived on Puffin Island, I took that as a sign. It may sound daft, but I actually feel close to my parents by being here. This place is just full of good memories. Matilda was really good for me. In the grand scheme of things, it was an unlikely friendship, but it worked. She was so full of knowledge and very humorous. She used to tell me that the shop would hold my destiny. I was never quite sure what she meant by that, but then I met you.’ He nudged her arm playfully. ‘You barged into my life with your big city bags and your questions, and your oat milk requests,’ he said with a grin.
‘I’ve never requested oat milk.’
‘Give it time. The point is, I remembered how to laugh again. You made the shop feel alive. You mademefeel alive.’
She couldn’t look away from him.
‘God knows we’ve had our moments, but you’ve brought colour back into my world. I’m not deluded, I know we’ve not known each other long, but it just feels right, you being here.’
They sat down on a rock and when he looked at her Fern didn’t need to think twice about it; she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. ‘It feels right being here to me too. Do you honestly get the feeling we’ve been set up?’
He grinned. ‘I bet Matilda is up there now, looking down on us, thinking her plan worked.’
‘She brought us both to the shop, and then to each other.’
‘Maybe she just knew we would be a good match. Come on,’ he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up and running towards the sea.
‘Don’t pull us in– we have shoes on!’
Daniel kicked his off and Fern followed suit, and within seconds they were chasing each other through the shallows, soaked to their calves and breathless with laughter. Fern hadn’t had so much fun in ages. Eventually, they collapsed onto the warm sand and Daniel pulled her close.
