‘That hurt!’ I nudged her back but was glad of the distraction. ‘Sorry, yeah, I can swim.’ I shrugged.
‘So,les filles, you want to learn to surf?’ He was looking at Rue and Wren again, who both nodded enthusiastically. I tried to force myself not to look at his chest again, but the way the water dripped down off his hair and into the grooves of his abs made it impossible to tear my eyes away.
‘Bon! On commence demain.Ten o’clock?’ He looked at me as Rue and Wren walked off towards Mum and Dad.
‘My name is Antoine. Tell them at reception you want to pay for surf lessons with Antoine.NotDelphine.’ Delphine? I wondered if it was the same one as from the Brasserie.
‘OK,’ I said.
‘And you?’ he asked. The cheery tone that he’d used with Rue and Wren had disappeared into the searing-hot air. The way he spoke reminded me of Theo – unbothered, almost uncaring. It pissed me off.
‘What about me?’
‘Youwant to learn?’
‘No.’ My eyes flicked to the sea, bringing back memories of everything I’d left behind.
He made a noise. A sort of exhalation, accompanied by ashrug before looking me up and down. ‘Ah, OK,Princesse.’ And when he smirked like he had me all figured out, fire filled my veins.
Ari called me Princess sometimes, and it had always annoyed me. Usually when I didn’t want to do something, like drink Buckfast in the park or get my belly button pierced.
‘I’m not a princess,’ I said. ‘And I can probably swim better than you.’ I wondered why he had been so friendly to Rue and Wren and was treating me like this.
He grinned at that, then shook his head. ‘I do not think so.’
‘Wellyouthink a lot of yourself,’ I said, squeezing my toes into the sand. Hard.
He shrugged. ‘I have experience.’ He turned away from me and started to walk up the beach towards the little hut.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He’d just decided what I was like from looking at me?
‘You don’t know anything about me,’ I raged to the back of his head.
‘OK,Princesse,’ he called.
I turned back towards the sea with a furious knot in my stomach.
I didn’t follow Rue and Wren, who were sitting beside Mum and Dad; I pulled off my dress and sandals, threw them on to the sand, then walked deep into the water to cool down.
7
I didn’t even hesitate as I felt the cool waves splash around my hot skin. Despite the fact I hadn’t been in water since the day of that swim gala, the need to show this guy how wrong he was took over completely. I dived in and closed my eyes, enjoying the shock of the cold, my body remembering the water like I’d never turned my back on it.
How dare he speak to me like that. I swam out into the ocean with strong, sure strokes. Then I stopped, started treading water and looked back towards the beach. I could see Mum, Dad, Rue and Wren laughing about something. Then I glanced at the surf hut and there he was, just standing there, watching me from the sand. Who was he calling Princess? I swam along the beach, back and forth, careful not to go out too far. I did length after length along the same stretch, clearing my head, the anger diluting with every stroke.
When I finished, my muscles were aching in a familiar way. I emerged from the water and squeezed the salt water from my hair. I glanced up and saw the guy still watching me. I turned away, picked up my dress and sandals, and walked towards Mum and Dad.
‘Looking good out there, Margot,’ Dad said.
‘Yeah, thanks.’ I sat down on a towel on the sand beside Rue and Wren. I wasn’t going to say it out loud, but I felt amazing.
‘What’s this about surf lessons?’ Mum asked.
‘Yeah, they do lessons here. That guy is going to teach the girls.’
‘Oh yeah? I think that’s a great idea,’ she said, looking at Dad, who was looking out to the sea.
‘You’ll be with the girls, Margot?’ he asked.
