‘Oh yes, please. I thought you’d never bloody ask. Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?’
‘You did.’ The grin wasn’t leaving Kam’s face, although he didn’t dare to dream that she had meant it.
‘Um, can you forget I said that? More than a little bit embarrassing.’ She giggled, and the pitch he recognised as the one she used when she was even just slightly mortified.
‘Of course, I’ll chalk it up to that last tequila. You were a demon this evening.’
‘Were? There’s no past tense about it. Pete always gets cross that I’m half his size and can drink him under the table. Bit like the chin, I blame my father.’ Kam wasn’t entirely sure what the last bit meant but wasn’t at all surprised. He reckoned based on tonight she could probably outdrink the local rugby team.
‘I believe you.’
‘I don’t drink very often though, before you go thinking I have some kind of problem, but I haven’t had a blow out in months and months and it is the holidays.’ She gave him her most winning smile and swept her hand across the marina, the lights twinkling on the jetties down to the boats all moored up. ‘Do I have to go to bed just yet? Look how beautiful it is. And I bet the beach is empty.’
‘Probably.’
‘Can we go have a wander? I can show you my favourite rock. I’m a bit lightheaded and a bit of fresh air might do me some good.’ She was teetering a little.
‘True.’
‘And if she’s sick it won’t be in your flat. Look, as charming as it is sitting listening to you two lovebirds, I’d like to get back to my own wife now. That’s forty quid mate and can you shut the door so I can get home.’
‘Oops sorry.’ Kam realised he had been so focused on getting Pippa out of the taxi safely, he had forgotten the important things like shutting the car door and paying. ‘Here you go.’
The taxi driver didn’t even bother saying goodbye and zoomed off at great speed. Kam and Pippa stood there watching him race down Fore Street, past the marina and up the hill out of Treporth, presumably home to his wife who was sleeping soundly and not teetering on the pavement in crazy heels and wearing a slightly lopsided grin.
The moon lit the streets and Pippa let out an involuntary shiver before she turned to address Kam. ‘Come on then, let’s go sit on the beach for a bit.’
‘Okay, if you’re sure but here, you’re shivering.’ Kam took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.
‘Thank you.’ Pippa looked up at him and then, wordlessly as they started to walk towards the tiny little cove to the side of the village, slipped her hand into his.
He didn’t know what to think but could feel his heart beat faster.
Yes, they had had a fab night, dancing together all night long, laughing like fools and, in truth, for Kam the evening had been about the two of them, the rest of his friends and hers fading into the background while the two of them had inhabited a fun-filled, tequila-fuelled bubble. But her subtly taking his hand… what did that mean? Even with the informality of their night out, Kam was crucifyingly aware that nothing much had changed, apart from the fact that Pippa was now free of James. They still had to work together and he still had to be aware that, despite their working relationship being very much one of two equals, if he made some kind of move it could be perceived as him taking advantage, not to mention the potential awkwardness in the classroom afterwards. And, no matter how strongly he felt about her, and despite the interviews lined up he still wasn’t secure in Cornwall yet, and he hadn’t worked so hard to establish himself, risked so much to mess it up now.
Was her hand a signal of platonic ease or was she trying to give him another message? It was all so complicated trying to decode what he thought was for the best, then throwing what Pippa was saying into the mix was making it all the more confusing. He decided to just carry on holding her hand and pretend it was about sharing warmth, like brother and sister. He was determined not to read more into it.
‘How you feeling?’ He thought it wise to stick to a safe topic.
‘Okay, tonight was fun, wasn’t it? So much fun, but I think the drink is beginning to wear off a bit. I still feel very – very – whooshy, and light-headed. I’m a bit scared that when I put my head on the pillow then the whole room is going to spin, so like the taxi driver said, a short time on the beach might be sensible. Get me past that phase. Although now I feel guilty for dragging you out with me.’
‘I’m quite happy.’ Kam felt it would be wise to underplay how he was actually feeling, which could be covered by the words: ecstatic, besotted and joyful. He heard the pitch of his voice lower as he tried to mask quite how perfect this evening had been for him. ‘I’m hardly going to be comfortable with you wandering around by yourself.’
‘Treporth isn’t known for violent crime.’
‘And let’s keep it that way, just because somewhere seems incredibly safe doesn’t mean it can’t turn on a sixpence, and I couldn’t bear to tell all those little faces in Class One that I had let their Miss Parkin wander off in the middle of the night and get kidnapped, fall off a cliff, get washed out to sea, that sort of thing.’
‘True. They’d never forgive you, but in all the months I’ve known y—’
‘All the months,’ Kam grinned as he repeated her statement.
‘Shhh, don’t interrupt, in all the months I’ve known you, you’ve never been a negative nelly so what’s with the whole cliff sea death thing? What about Miss Parkin had an amazing adventure and, I don’t know, ran into some pirates – that sort of thing – and set off to sail the seven seas. That would be a tale they loved. I’d send postcards.’
‘Not if you didn’t come back to the classroom. I think they’d rather have you than postcards.’ Kam knew he would. They clambered down the steps, Pippa taking her shoes off again, making him smile as he remembered the first time they had done this, and wandered across the sand for a couple of minutes before she came to a halt.
‘Shall we sit here?’ Pippa waved her hands, indicating a smooth set of rocks hidden within the curve of the cliffs.
‘Can do.’ Kam kicked away the dry seaweed at their base and sat down on the side to give her plenty of room to sit, without them needing to touch, still very aware that he didn’t want to muddle the boundaries.
