‘Kyle or someone like Kyle?’
‘What does that mean?’
‘You probably know he’s no longer at school or college. And he isn’t working either. I assume you think I can do better.’
‘I’m wondering what you two have in common.’
‘I don’t know much about him, but isn’t that what dating is about?’
He couldn’t help the laugh he let out. ‘You’re on holiday, it’s hardly dating. And don’t you think, apart from an initial attraction, you’re both too different? I’m on your side, Scarlett, I promise.’ He needed to keep her talking rather than flipping out on him. He’d learnt to read the signs that it was about to happen too. First, she knitted her lips together tightly, then her eyebrows drew in and her nostrils flared a little bit. ‘What did you even talk about? How much do you really know about this boy?’ Her look gave him his answer. ‘I thought as much. He’s been in a bit of trouble over the years.’
‘That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.’
‘Did he tell you about it?’
‘Yeah, his opening line was, I’m trouble, don’t bother getting to know me or giving me a chance. What do you think?’
‘You barely know him.’
She’d used her spoon to scrape all of the cream off the top of her drink. ‘I may not have had a serious boyfriend, but I know the drill. You go out with someone and slowly get to know them. If you like them you stay together and gradually the relationship gets better.’ He couldn’t argue with that. ‘I’ll bet you didn’t know everything about Mum the first time you kissed her.’
‘I didn’t, no. We got to know each other over time.’ But they’d also jumped into bed together pretty quickly and he didn’t want that for Scarlett.
‘See, you were no different. And you were around my age.’
‘And your mum and I were together five minutes before your mum got pregnant.’
She stopped sipping and put down her mug. ‘We were kissing, Dad, not sleeping together.’
‘Kissing is where it starts.’
She covered her face and peeked through her fingers. ‘Is this where you start talking to me about sex, because I’m not sure I can handle it if you do.’
He shrugged. ‘I’m not going to go on about it, but I want you to be careful. Careful of getting involved with anyone right now, when you’ve got school to focus on. And Kyle is on holiday, as are you. Holiday romances rarely go the distance.’
‘He’s the first boy I’ve liked in a long while.’
Had there been others? He didn’t want to think about it. ‘Are you planning on seeing him again?’ Her silence confirmed it. But he knew Kyle lived in Cornwall, which was a considerable distance from Hove, so they’d be unlikely to see much of one another back in England. It was just this holiday to get through first. ‘And where do I fit in with your plans? This is our holiday remember.’
‘I didn’t expect to meet someone. It must be New York, like in the movies, like Tom and Meg or the couple fromSerendipity.’
He smiled when she did but a frown soon creased his forehead again. ‘In those movies the man and woman are adults, not sixteen and getting involved with a seventeen-year-old boy who comes with a whole lot of attitude.’
‘You don’t even know him, Dad.’
‘I know seventeen-year-old boys. I was one, remember.’
‘Wait, are you worried about me getting involved with Kyle because you don’t like him, or are you trying to suggest I’ll get pregnant when he can’t keep it in his pants?’
‘Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this here. Perhaps we should go back to the inn and talk about this tomorrow when we’ve both calmed down.’ She had that look about her that meant she was about to stop taking orders and exercise her right to freedom of speech. She was good at debating at school but she was probably more reasonable in those situations because she rarely seemed willing to listen to him these days.
‘Are you going to let me see Kyle again while we’re here? I’d really like to. He told me about his dad, you know.’
‘Really?’
‘He told me he was a firefighter, he told me he died. I think he’d really like to see the mural we found the other day.’
‘I’m sure he would.’ How had this happened? Kyle was a fast mover by anyone’s standards, but Nathan did sympathise with someone who had lost a parent the same as Scarlett had and knew they were probably a comfort to each other, much as he didn’t like it.
