Walking barefoot on a shingle beach was more difficult than she remembered.Were stones sharper these days or had she gone soft?No matter, the lake would wash away her aches and pains. Where the pebbles met the water, she dipped her foot in and drew a sharp breath as the icy lake lapped against her skin. This part of wild swimming never got easier, but the fear of being seen naked forced her in. Aria laughed at the involuntary whale noises that escaped her while trying to regulate her breathing. Tiger sat patiently watching his new owner getting used to the intense cold on her ankles, calves and thighs. The chill flooding her stomach was as shocking as ever, but before she knew it she was fully immersed. Twenty seconds later and the burn of the cold was wearing off, as the water soothed her nerves and lessened the noise in her head.
Until she heard a roar in the distance.
6
Eyes on the horizon, Nic increased the throttle and blasted through the dusk. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the handles. In the chill of the early evening, his mood reflected the sky. He’d normally stand on a jet ski, letting his body absorb the bumps and lifts of the current. This evening, he sat, tense and determined, letting the water jolt and unseat him. Moments before the ride, he’d ended an unpleasant call.How could his own mother blame him for what Theo himself had always called an accident?Hurling down his phone, he’d picked up the keys to the craft they’d moored on the temporary jetty to entice buyers. It had been shipped in a few months ago along with a couple of kayaks to sell the luxury Lakeland lifestyle, but, like the soulless show home he was staying in, it hadn’t quite done its job. Jerking the throttle, he sped into an uncontrolled run over the dark water, and on a whim swung around, checking behind him for the ghost of a rope. Nothing but small waves followed in his wake. It was a very different day last summer when the sun shone on the bay, the breeze blew in their faces and Theo stood behind him on the two-person jet ski, laughing as they tore up the water.They were in their seaside home town of Brighton to celebrate a significant win for the company. The sea was choppy, and they were having fun doing jumps off the waves. When Nic accelerated and turned sharply, Theo fell into the water. He continued to laugh, as they had done together, looking back to locate his sopping sibling, but next thing he knew his brother was screaming and their world had been turned upside down. Today, on this unwelcoming lake, as his equipment lurched to one side before righting itself at the last moment, he tortured himself with questions and regrets. What kind of speed had they been going at? Why hadn’t he noticed the stray tow rope when hiring the ski? Why had Theo hopped on the back?It should have been me, he thought, as he twisted the handlebars and unbalanced himself once more. Ignoring the pain of bouncing around on the seat, he pushed his speedometer further, feeling the spray from the back of the ski. How hard was it to flip one of these? Nic glanced up at the huge swathe of land that lay empty apart from one house and a small hut. As he slowed, in the near darkness, moving towards the place he’d been forced to lay his hat for now, he hoped that stubborn son-of-a-bitch Eddie Wilson wasn’t watching him from his ramshackle cabin. Finally letting go of the throttle, Nic felt the tightening of muscles that would burn like hell tomorrow. But what was his pain compared to his brother’s? Close to the dock, he cut the engine. Nature wasn’t on his side, and he resented tranquillity he couldn’t feel in his heart. He sat there in silence, thinking back over the calamitous year before telling himself to buck up. A TV dinner awaited – once he’d put some lights on, closed theshutters and worked out how to use the microwave. As he drifted towards the wooden jetty, a movement caught his eye. A woman. A rather naked woman. What on earth was she doing wading out of his lake at eight o’clock at night? The foreman had mentioned he’d spotted the odd wild swimmer on his land when they were constructing the show home, even though multiple signs pointed out it was a private beach. Nic vowed to call the builders in the morning and check up on the new gates as he grabbed the dock line and clipped the jet ski to the floating platform. Walking back to the house, he glanced back in her direction, but she was gone. While he appreciated an attractive woman as much as the next guy, she didn’t belong on his beach. Maybe he could cordon off a chunk of the lake to create a no-swimming zone? Personally, he was done with water for good.
7
Aria woke with a cricked neck, feeling the dawn chill under her thin quilt. Her only warmth came from Tiger, who had snuggled himself into the crook of her arm during the night. She moved him out of the way, telling him he’d need to shift a couple of pounds if he had dreams of becoming a handbag dog. He responded by snuffling, twitching an ear and making himself more comfortable. Stretching, she grabbed a fleece, braced herself for the eco loo and decided to bathe in the lake instead of using the primitive shower. She’d forgotten how glorious it was here in the early morning, so lovely she considered staying another night. She figured the people policing lake recreation had more important things to do than chase someone out of their own fishing hut. There was that idiot on the jet ski, but from his behaviour last night she judged he was unlikely to stay upright for long enough to bother her or the ducks.
***
A few hours later, Aria walked into town, wondering if she’d ever be able to afford a car again. The high street estateagent sat at the top of her list of priorities. She’d have to wait for all the legal stuff to be completed, but at least she could find out what the hut was worth in the meantime. Sooner or later, she’d need to sell it in order to get together a deposit for her forever home. Her savings wouldn’t last very long in rental accommodation, and she needed to start thinking about her future. As she meandered down the street, she hardly recognised the shop fronts. Since she’d left, gift shops and boutique hotels had proliferated like spring lambs. When she arrived at one of the two established estate agents, she was accosted by an image of the house next door to her. She examined the details on the digital display, impressed by the solar panels and designer kitchen, and blown away by the price. Her humble hut with its leaking roof and damp patches was never going to fetch that kind of money, but she was even more determined to get it valued. She looked around for somewhere to tie up the dog. Spying a water bowl on the ground, she fastened Tiger’s lead to the rail above it. Inside the shop, she found a harassed agent trying to manage two phones. She took a seat and waited. When the agent finally finished her conversations, Aria told her she’d inherited a property on the lake, waving vaguely at a fancy brochure on the display stand.
‘I see those properties are selling for a substantial amount and I’m just wondering how much I’d get for mine—’
‘Oh, we’ve had an enormous amount of interest in the Castle Enterprises estate,’ the agent cut in. ‘The properties will all be state-of-the-art, and a boon for people moving up from London who want a luxury second home. And of coursethey will all have a prime view of the lake. If yours is in a similar location and of a comparable spec, we would certainly be able to help you.’
The word ‘comparable’ made Aria snort before regaining her composure and her sales head. ‘It’s actually in thesamelocation. The views are completely stunning, especially at sunrise and sunset. And the garden stretches all the way up the hill to the road. But it is more of a cabin than a house. Well, more of a hut, I suppose. For fishing,’ she confirmed.
The agent wrinkled her nose. ‘A fishing cabin? I’m afraid we are more of a boutique agency, selling luxury properties.’
‘Oh, right, I see. You’re basically only interested in second homes.’
‘Not at all,’ the agent rushed in. ‘But I’m afraid we are quite choosy. Our clients expect it. You might want to contact your neighbour and ask him if he’d like to take it off your hands. I believe he’s about to start building the main tranche of houses and is planning a marina too, so he may be keen to purchase the land for further development. The local caravan park owners have also been buying up the north and west shore so you may want to contact them while you are at it – do you know the Hetheringtons?’
Aria’s jaw tensed at the mention of her ex’s family name. But when she caught the woman scrutinising her face, she knew what was coming. ‘Oh! You’re Eddie Wilson’s daughter. I’m so sorry for your loss. I took all my visitors on his steamer cruises. He was a lovely man, and so knowledgeable. He helped my elderly mum keep on top of her garden while she was sick.’
Aria nodded. ‘That sounds like Dad.’
‘I’m afraid I haven’t the time to take a look at your hut,’ the agent continued. ‘There’s a huge demand from Londoners for top end properties, and interest will get more intense into the summer months when tourists see the potential of living in the Lake District. So, we are focusing on the bigger sales. We are horribly short-staffed – in fact there’s only me here now and I have a school refuser at home.’ As the woman’s phone rang, she looked even more stressed. ‘That’s the Head, chasing me to chase my daughter. I’ve advertised for temp staff twice but no one with experience of selling, or detailed knowledge of Inglemere, has applied. I think all the young people must have hotfooted it somewhere else.’
Or been pushed out by the rising house prices and estate agents behaving like you, Aria thought, before blurting out a half-baked idea. ‘I could help! On a freelance basis, as I don’t know how long I will be staying in the area. I’ve been living down south and haven’t had time to line up a job. I roughly know the layout of the town, and I was selling timeshare properties before coming back to attend Dad’s funeral, so I have a track record and can sort out a reference if you need it.’
The agent looked thoughtful as her phone rang again. ‘Let me get this.’ As she picked up a pen and paper, and answered a query, Aria remembered her new responsibilities and nipped outside.This might actually work, she thought, feeling impressed with herself before remembering she was now the proud parent of a pug, which would restrict her movements. Tiger! Where was he?
‘Bollocks.’ Aria frantically scanned the pavement and prayed her dad’s pup wasn’t lying somewhere on the kerb or stolen by dog wranglers.
‘Is this what you’re looking for?’
‘Double bollocks,’ she muttered, as she caught sight of her ex-fiancé approaching with the dog in his arms.
Justin looked down at his crotch. ‘Nope, just one set last time I looked. But all in good working order!’ The man always did have unbeatably sharp hearing. He was sharply dressed too, in a blue checked suit with a floral tie. In an exaggerated move, he flicked his hair back before reaching out to hug her, oblivious to her discomfort. She took the opportunity to grab the dog back, and winced as Tiger dug his claws into her. Aria flushed, wishing she’d put on some make-up or even brushed her hair. She’d always known she’d have to face Justin again and, despite endless mental rehearsals, she still wasn’t ready. She felt stiff and lumpen as she stood there, saying nothing at all.
‘I heard you were off buddying up with Buddha,’ he said, hands on hips like a pantomime prince.
‘Huh?’
‘Canoeing the Congo. Perusing Peru.’
‘I’m sorry I have no idea what you—’
‘Travelling! I heard you’d gone travelling. Did your dad’s compost toilet prepare you for weeing in the jungle?’
Aria had been prepared for a difficult first meeting but wasn’t expecting it to involve her toilet habits. She thought back to his offhand and sometimes cruel comments over the years, as well as his audacious behaviour with his new partner. Who broke off their engagement with a single textbefore allowing himself to get caught shagging the other woman?Clutching her hands into fists, she remembered how he’d driven herfrom the safety of her family and home comforts. ‘At least I haven’t always lived a sheltered life with my parents,’ she fired back.
‘Oh, they’re moving out soon,’ he breezed. ‘After the wedding, Lu-Lu and I will be taking over Hetherington HQ and its mighty fine parks.’ How dare he mention her to Aria! As he spoke, she scrutinised him. The swimming had always kept him toned but this was another level of physique. His biceps were bulging against his shirt, while his legs looked like tree trunks.
