It took a moment to figure out what she meant, then it hit him. They were dressed as a zombie bride and groom. He breathed out a quiet laugh, then supped his drink.
‘It’s nice here, isn’t it?’ she said softly.
‘Reminds me of a B-movie.’
Ginny laughed. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘It’s Halloween, dark, we’re alone, dressed as zombies, surrounded by water.’ Will pointed at the sea. ‘Round about now a great white shark should catapult out the waves and gobble us whole.’
‘Well, that’s cheerful.’
Will threw his head back and laughed.
‘Anyway,’ added Ginny. ‘We’re zombies. We’re already dead.’
‘That’s debatable.’
‘No, it’s not. You have to be dead to be a zombie. It’s like zombie law.’
‘Yeah, but they’re still around, attacking people. Are you really dead if you can do that?’
Ginny nodded. ‘You might have a point.’ Then she finished her hotdog, leaving Will wondering what kind of conversation he had got himself into.
The sea gently lapped against the pilings below, creating the only sound as the two strangers sat in silence for a while.
‘You’re not from around here,’ said Ginny, waking Will from his trance with the biggest star in the sky.
‘What gave it away, me being a zombie or the Welsh twang?’
Hazel eyes twinkled his way. ‘You just don’t have a Port Berry vibe.’
Will snorted a laugh. ‘And what’s that when it’s at home?’
Ginny shrugged. ‘People from around here have a look about them that says they’re happy to be home.’
‘What’s my zombie face telling you?’
‘Not sure. Are you on holiday?’
Will stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the sea. ‘I came here to find my family.’
And I told her that why?
He mentally shook his head and glugged some booze. What started out as a nice enough night had turned into something quite odd and unexpected, and he wasn’t at all sure why he hadn’t headed back to the pub yet.
‘Did you find what you were looking for?’ Her voice was so soft, it almost sounded sad.
Turning her way, Will tipped his head from side to side. ‘Sort of. I guess.’
‘Sounds unfinished.’
No way was she reading into any corners of his mind. It was finished. It had to be. He’d felt sick to his stomach since findingout how he was conceived. The subject had been locked away before it had the chance to destroy him. He deeply inhaled the night air; he was feeling a bit queasy.
‘It’s finished,’ he told her, hoping he sounded confident, because he wasn’t exactly feeling that way.
‘It’s okay. Life can be strange.’
It wasn’t her words that floored him, rather her cool hand gently resting over his for a few seconds. Something stirred, and it wasn’t helping his unsettled tummy. She was staring out to sea, and he was looking directly at her. Had they met before? Could be déjà vu. He wasn’t certain. All he knew was something felt familiar.
