‘Serendipity,’ she smiled. ‘So, it was serendipity when you woke me up by banging that morning and making all kinds of noise when it was my only chance to catch up on sleep before I went back to early mornings?’
His laughter competed with the whoosh of waves against the shore, the fizz as they fell back ready to go all over again. ‘Saying it was serendipity sounds better than saying it your way. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I came here to get away, do something different and as Etna dramatically puts it sometimes, Find Myself.’ He put the final bit in inverted commas with his fingers but she could tell he meant it. ‘I always assumed I’d have my summer here and then go back home, pick up the supply teaching and carry on. But then things kept falling into place – the job, the cottage.’ He looked down at the sand just for a second. ‘What I didn’t expect to find was you.’
She felt the same way but how could it be the right time? ‘I’m too complicated for you.’
‘Complicated is someone who doesn’t know how they feel, someone who will change their mind all the time. But I don’t think that’s you. You know what you want, you’re willing to head in a direction that’s scary and I kind of admire that.’
He looked up to the night sky, took a deep breath and with a smile as he looked down again and into her eyes, he told her, ‘I gave you time and space because I know you’ve got a lot to think about, but I’m not ready to give up on you.’
‘Some might say that what I intend to do is a little unhinged.’
‘I wouldn’t,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘And perhaps some people think that’s what I am, after what I’ve been up to over the last few months.’
‘Don’t do that.’ She put a hand out and touched his arm briefly. ‘Don’t joke about what you did. The method might be awkward to talk about but what you did is amazing for whoever gets to realise their dreams of having a family because of it.’
‘I tell you what. I won’t think I’m unhinged, as long as you don’t imply you are either.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I wondered how you were feeling about the clinic appointment now. Am I allowed to ask that?’
She found it easy to be honest with Linc. ‘You are allowed to ask. This is what I mean when I say I’m too complicated. How can I think about getting involved when I’m set on a path to go it alone?’
‘But the path isn’t set in stone.’ The CD came to an end and Linc heard his name being called. ‘Looks like I’m up.’
When he didn’t move, she told him she’d hang around.
‘You promise?’ He took both of her hands in his and bit down on his bottom lip, reluctant to go.
‘Promise.’
‘Good, because I’m not quite finished with you yet.’
Her heart did a little leap as he headed back to the crowds as if appearing from nowhere. Celeste hadn’t missed their interlude, however, and came to her sister’s side the minute Jade was closer to the party again. ‘What were you two up to?’
‘Talking, nothing sordid.’ The music started up and she caught Linc’s eyes through the crowds. His face was aglow from the nearby campfire, golden like the surface of his guitar. He looked back at her and she felt a connection she didn’t want to ignore.
‘I saw him, you know,’ said Celeste, registering the way Jade was looking at the handsome guitar player like everyone else was, yet with something more. ‘I don’t mean the day you two talked at the cove, I’m talking about the day after my spa. I came back to the village and saw him loitering outside the bakery. I’d been to make a delivery to Aubrey House and even after I’d parked up, he was still standing there. I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him why he was lurking.’
‘And what did he say?’
‘He said he didn’t want to go into the bakery but he was a bit worried about you. He told me to keep an eye on you.’ She sighed. ‘The way he said it told me all I needed to know. He cares – I meanreallycares. His concern was part of the reason I didn’t quiz you too much. I guessed that you and he must’ve talked and I didn’t want to get in the way of that. I knew you’d need to process whatever was going on in your own head.’ Celeste squeezed her shoulder and whispered, ‘Remember what I said…sometimes you need to go with the flow.’ And with a kiss on her cheek, she was off to have a dance with Lucy and Tilly.
*
Jade managed a bit of dancing, a lot of talking about Venice with Lois, and eventually the campfire died down and crowds dispersed as the evening inched towards the time when most people were ready for their beds.
After Jade had yawned for about the hundredth time she mouthed the word Goodnight to Linc, who was still taking requests, and turned to go.
‘And that’s all we’ve got time for, folks,’ came Linc’s voice and she turned back to see him slot his guitar into its case. She heard him ask his dad to take it back to the cottage for him and settled it beside Joseph’s deck chair. Neither he nor Kenneth looked like they had any intention of moving for a while and with Etna, Barney and Lois happily ensconced nearby, Jade suspected it would be well after midnight before any of them left the beach behind.
Linc came over to her, took her hand without hesitation and led her to the rocks at the far side of the beach where he’d seen her emerge from that day. ‘We didn’t finish what we were talking about earlier,’ he said once they were past the rocks.
He pulled her close urgently, as though this was his last chance, and her heart thudded at the closeness.
‘As I told you, I’ve done a lot of thinking – and I carried on thinking while I was playing the guitar. It’s been rather distracting, in fact, but everyone is so inebriated I doubt they noticed any of my mistakes.’
‘I didn’t,’ she grinned.
‘When I teach, I tell some of my students not to overthink things, to go with it and let the music happen. Sometimes they’ve got something stuck in their head that stops them from letting go and getting better. That’s what I’m trying to do here, with you.’ He gulped. ‘So here goes. I’m going to come right out with it and ask you, where do we go from here?’ He stopped her from saying anything just yet by adding, ‘I’m not asking about fitting me into a big picture of how you want your life to be, I’m asking how you feel in the now, in this moment.’
The way it all gushed out had her trying to honour his request. ‘You’re right, I am decisive and I know what I want when it comes to so many things; the bigger picture is always at the back of my mind.’ She chose her words carefully. ‘But right now, I know I’ve fallen for you. I think I did the day you ate my cake.’
