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‘This is surreal,’ she said.
‘This is just the beginning,’ Nikki told her.
Jess was standing at the window, uncharacteristically quiet. Nikki worried that of all of them, she was the one who hadn’t moved on. Nikki had Adam, Juno had her exciting future, Helen had Ralph. But then Jess had always been so certain. She had always had the ability to get just what she wanted in life. So maybe she was happy with where she was; what she was. Nikki reminded herself that they had Bali to come. She could spend some down time with her sister. Get underneath her skin and find out what she really wanted.
‘It’s five to two,’ said Juno, her eyes wide. She and Zak were on at two o’clock. The band were already on stage tuning up, the chime of guitars floating across the water. ‘There’s so many people.’
Jess was looking down over the crowds. The car park and the quay and the streets around were rammed. She could see camera crews. She walked over to her daughter and put her arms around her. ‘This is your day, Juno. You deserve this. And I can tell you one thing, your dad would have been right there in the front, cheering you on. He would have been so proud.’
Jess was proud too, Nikki realised. Maybe that was enough for her, for now, to know that Juno was finding her place in the world, that she had an incredible opportunity.
‘Wish me luck,’ said Juno, disentangling herself from her mum and heading for the door.
Jess and Nikki looked at each other. ‘He’s there in her, you know,’ said Jess. ‘I can see him. She’s going to be a star.’
At two o’clock, Tamara took the microphone. Nikki might have felt prickly about her at first, but Tamara definitely knew how to pull together an event and get great PR. And, of course, her biggest coup was yet to come.
‘As a newcomer to Speedwell, it’s an absolute honour to organise this special day to remember all those brave men who were lost, twenty years ago. I didn’t know them but I feel as if I did, for I’ve met so many of their families and shared memories with them. They truly do live on. And today, I’m delighted to announce that we have a very special guest to help us celebrate their lives. Well, two very special guests, but I shall let Zak Glazier do the introductions.’
The crowd went wild as Zak jumped onto the stage, his wild red curls flying, sun glinting off his aviator sunglasses. He kissed Tamara, then took the microphone off her.
‘It’s a massive honour to be doing this gig today, in memory of all those amazing men who I can’t even begin to live up to. Their courage has been an inspiration to me, and it’s made me proud to be a local. If I’m allowed to call myself that yet?’ He gave a wry grin. ‘I’ve also had the honour of working with an incredible young lady. She lost her dad and grandad in the disaster before she was even born, so this day is really important for her. We’re performing some songs together. I hope you like them. Ladies and gentlemen, would you put your hands together for Juno Brandy North!’
Nikki felt a lump in her throat as Juno came out in a white crocheted dress with a big straw hat, her feet bare. She looked like a star, a natural performer with the audience in the palm of her hand, completely at home on the stage as she walked over to Zak with her microphone.
‘Thank you, Zak. It’s been so great working with you, and thank you for giving me a voice. And um …’ She gathered herself together for a moment. ‘This is for you, Dad.’
Nikki felt Jess squeeze her hand so tightly it hurt.
Juno and Zak sang three of his songs, their voices dancing around each other, his gravelly, hers sweeter but with a husky edge, and it was as if they’d been born to perform with each other.
Then Zak brought out a stool for Juno to sit on, and handed her a guitar, and the stage was all hers. She sang the song she’d written for her father, the one she’d first performed at Nikki’s housewarming.
‘He’s there in my eyes
The man I never knew
A hint of gold
A splash of blue
Like the blue of the sea
That took him away
Before I could say
Hello’
For a moment, Nikki imagined The Lady Stardust in the harbour behind, and a figure on the deck watching his daughter. She looked at her mum, with Ralph standing behind her, and Jess and Graham with Suzanne and the M and Ms dancing along, and she thought we’re all OK, Dad. We miss you as much as we ever did, but we’re all OK.
As the last notes of Juno’s song faded away, the crowd burst into applause. Zak came over and put his arm around her, beaming with pride, and Juno managed to take a bow, unable to believe the reception she was receiving. And then the band began to play the intro to another song, and Jess and Nikki recognised it straight away as Zak began to sing, with Juno doing the backing vocals. It was ‘Brandy’. Rik’s song. The Neptune anthem. Within seconds, the whole harbour was singing and dancing along, and Juno and Zak couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they serenaded the little town. Nikki and Jess stood arm in arm, swaying, singing, crying, filled with pride and memories and the love for each other that had ridden out a twenty-year storm.
Later on, the Norths headed down to the secret beach, laden with picnic bags and coolers and rugs. Adam and Bill took over the barbecuing and soon the air filled with the scent of sizzling sausages. Nikki sat on the flat rock with a bottle of beer and thought her heart might burst with the joy of all her family in one place, and friends too, for Tamsin had come with Andrew, and Woody and Katya were there. Tamara and Duke were coming by later. A proper beach party.
She lay down on the rock and felt its warmth through her shirt. For one split second Rik was there, smiling down on her, and she smelled the scent of oranges, then he was gone. A fleeting memory. She felt a shadow fall across her and opened her eyes. It was Adam.
‘OK?’ he asked, and she nodded.
‘More than OK,’ she said, reaching out her hand, sliding her fingers between his, closing her eyes with a contented smile. She let the chatter and laughter wash over her, the last of the heat from the setting sun, the smoky wood of the barbecue.
There was nothing she could do to change the past, but there was nothing, not a single thing, she would change about now.
