‘That could be you, Margot,’ Wren said, thankfully out of earshot of Mum and Dad. And I allowed myself to believe it, just for a second, because the daydream felt so damn good.
‘Do you think it could ever be me?’ Rue asked. And it brought me straight back to earth.
I put an arm round her and hugged her. ‘I think whatever you do is going to be amazing. But you never know. Look.’ I showed her my phone. It was a girl with cerebral palsy who’d won an adaptive surf championship. ‘And Lexie got back to me, she said her boyfriend will be starting a disability team next season, so I’ll get Mum to give her a call when we all get home. And maybe she can bring you down to Ferndale whenever you’ve recovered.’
I showed Rue the message and she grinned so hard at me her mouth must have hurt.
‘Oh my God, Rue, that could be you!’ Wren squealed excitedly at the screen.
I watched Rue’s chest swell with pride as she watched the video over and over again.
‘Margot?’ Dad came inside and poured himself a glass of water. ‘Are you sure you’re OK to watch the girls tonight? You’re sure you’re feeling OK?’ he asked, concerned.
‘Yeah, course. And Felix said he’d come over.’
Mum and Dad had taken me up on the babysitting offer so that they could go to that restaurant in Bayonne that Felix had recommended.
‘Yay!’ Rue cheered, and Dad looked at me for a second before nodding.
‘We’ll be fine,’ I assured him.
‘Thanks, love. Not long left, girls! Make sure you make the most of the rest of the holiday.’ Dad took his glass and went outside to Mum again.
I followed him and sat down opposite them at the table.
‘I’m sorry,’ I blurted out.
‘What for, love?’ Mum looked up, confused.
‘For everything. For quitting swimming. For the way I’ve been acting this last year. I dunno, it was like I lost myself when I stopped swimming.’ I glanced up at them, at Mum’s gentle eyes and Dad’s pensive expression.
‘Oh, pet, you don’t need to apologize. We could see that losing swimming broke your heart. And it wasn’t about the parties and the curfews … you stopped talking to us. Stopped letting us in …’
‘It was like we were just watching you throw away your future, and there was nothing we could do about it.’ Dad’s voice was thick with emotion. Like it had really hurt him. ‘And then when we nearly lost you –’
‘Dad –’ I reached for his hand – ‘I know. But you didn’t.’ He squeezed my hand and took a sip of water. ‘I really am sorry for this year. Please go and chill out tonight.’
‘Oh we intend to,’ Mum said. ‘With lots of wine.’
A couple of hours later, I heard Felix talking to Mum and Dad. Dad was laughing at something he’d said and when I went outside, they were shaking hands.
‘Ah, Margot,’ Dad said when he saw me. ‘Felix was just giving us advice on what to order in Bayonne.’
‘I am no expert,’ Felix insisted. ‘Only what I have learned at the Brasserie.’ Then he found my eyes as I walked down the little steps.
‘Well, you certainly know more than we do,’ Mum said as she emerged from the caravan behind me wearing a floral maxi dress and smelling like a garden.
‘You look beautiful, Mrs Ryan,’ Felix said, with no awkwardness, no embarrassment.
‘Oh, Felix, thank you. This is just something old.’ Mum tangled her words and fixed her hair even though it was perfect as it was. But she was beaming too. The same effect that Felix had on everyone.
When Mum and Dad left, a silence hung in the air between us.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hey,’ he replied, moving close and kissing me on both cheeks. ‘Are your sisters inside?’ He motioned to the mobile home. ‘I have gifts.’ He held up a fabric shopping bag with a baguette poking out of it.
‘Felix!’ Rue shouted when we walked into the caravan. The two of them were already in their pyjamas, sitting at the little table with iPads in front of them.
