‘Brilliant.’ Kitty sat quietly for a moment, then turned to Nick. ‘I’ve missed you too.’ The words left her mouth before she could think about what she was saying.
Nick started, surprised. ‘You have?’
‘I know it’s days not weeks since I last saw you,’ said Kitty, suddenly shy. ‘But I’ve had enough time to realise how lucky I was to have you in my corner. And… maybe I was a bit hasty when I said I needed time alone…’
Nick swallowed hard. ‘You know how I feel about you, Kitty. But seriously, there’s no pressure from me.’
The air between them crackled with unspoken words and unfulfilled desire. Kitty feared the conversation was only the first step on a long journey, and rushing into anything could derail the future she’d glimpsed.
‘So,’ she said, removing her hand from Nick’s and jumping up from the slab, ‘why don’t we give this scene one more go, and then we’ll find Solly and Jack in the pub. We owe them a drink.’
‘Yes,’ said Nick with a laugh, and the tension between them dissipated. ‘You might be right. First round’s on me.’
Kitty smiled. She was no longer afraid of where things might lead, only determined not to lose herself along the way. She lay on the slab and tried to channel the emotions of Juliet, but she couldn’t detach from Kitty. It was Kitty and Nick in that room, not Romeo and Juliet. And Kitty had a strong sense that her and Nick’s story was only just beginning.
Chapter 60
‘Oh my goodness,’ said Kitty, grabbing Sam’s arm. ‘I can’t believe there are so many people here!’
‘It looks like those posters Steve made did the trick.’ Sam grinned.
They gazed down at the beach, the sand barely visible beneath the mass of bodies sitting on camping chairs or picnic rugs waiting for the show to start. The stage Luke had built stood proudly on the sand, complete with velvet curtain and lights run by the generator Jack had provided. There was a keyboard to one side, ready for Alice to accompany the children’s performances, and Luke had built a rustic backstage area where May and her best friend Paige were ready and waiting to work their magic on hair and makeup.
The sound of waves meeting sand and the cries of the gulls swooping overhead were drowned out by the hum of excited voices. There was a palpable buzz among the crowd as champagne and prosecco corks flew through the air, picnic hampers were unpacked, and old friends greeted one another. Colourful flags waved in the breeze. The Ship had set up amakeshift bar at one end of the beach, and several food trucks competed for custom, the ice-cream van proving by far the most popular. It all reminded Kitty of the festivals she’d been to with friends, in the heady days of youth before James had put paid to any fun.
‘Come on,’ said Sam, ‘we’d better get down there.’
Kitty swallowed down her nerves and checked behind her to where her class eagerly waited in line, some already waving to parents and relatives they’d spotted on the beach. She repeated the instructions she’d already given a thousand times about where they were to sit, and how no one should run off to sit with their families until the end of their performance, then led her class down the path and onto the sand.
‘Holding the Summer Extravaganza on the beach was either a genius idea or a disaster,’ Kitty told Sam as she stopped one little girl trying to escape the line to find her mother. ‘It’s a health and safety and child protection nightmare.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Sam, ‘Suzanne’s on it. All risk assessments have been completed, and technically the parents and guardians are in charge of the kids today, even if they’ll be sitting with us before they perform.’ She peered at Kitty. ‘Are you OK? You seem a bit worked up.’
‘It’s the number of people,’ said Kitty. ‘It’s taking me a while to adjust to the fact I no longer have to hide away.’
Sam grabbed Kitty’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You’re free now,’ she said. ‘This is your big moment. It’s a chance to stick a middle finger up to James and all he stole from you. Not literally, of course.’
‘Today isn’t about me,’ said Kitty. ‘It’s about the children.’
‘Maybe to begin with,’ said Sam, ‘but everyone’s desperate to see Saffron Bay’s hottest new couple playing Romeo and Juliet.’ She wiggled her eyebrows, and Kitty had to laugh.
‘We’re not a couple,’ she said, shaking her head and leading her class to their seating area.
As if conjuring him with their conversation, at that moment she spotted Nick. He was standing near the stage, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he scanned the crowd. Kitty watched his handsome face spread into a wide grin, and it didn’t take long to spot the source of his happiness. Emily was running through the crowd, tripping over legs and picnic blankets in her haste to reach her dad. She skidded to a stop in front of Nick, and he picked her up, spinning her around and around before hugging her tightly to him. When he set her down on the sand, they were beaming, as was Carla, who’d been watching from the sidelines.
Kitty tore her eyes away and instructed her class to sit on the blankets laid out for them in advance. ‘Remember, it’s only when we’ve finished our song that you can sit with your families. Until then, we need to stick together.’
‘Kitty! I mean, Miss Brown!’
Emily rushed towards her, dragging Nick and Carla behind her. Her cheeks were rosy, and as she reached Kitty, she grinned.
‘Notice anything different about me?’ Emily opened her mouth wider.
Kitty bent down and squinted. ‘Oh my goodness, you’ve lost a tooth!’
‘Her first one,’ said Carla, greeting Kitty with a smile.
‘And did the tooth fairy come?’ Kitty asked.
