I licked my lips. ‘Thank you!’
‘They are not for you. For you is something healthy,’ Delphine said seriously. ‘Give them to your sisters.’
‘Ugh,’ I complained and savoured the smell of the pastry. The least I could do if I didn’t get to eat any.
‘Felix, are you coming to South Cove tonight?’ Delphine asked.
‘South Cove …’ he said apprehensively.
She nodded and he stepped back slightly before running his hand through his hair.
‘You are going?’ Felix asked me.
‘Yeah,’ I said.
‘Maybe it is time, Felix.’ Delphine’s words were more gentle than I’d ever heard from her before. ‘And tonight is …’ She cut herself short.
I watched him contemplate what she was saying. But I couldn’t bear the fear on his face.
‘Or I can stay with you, and we can hang out here instead?’ I offered.
Felix inhaled. ‘I do not think I am ready to go back to the beach.’
I reached over and squeezed his hand, and he found my eyes.
I nodded, then stood on my toes and kissed his cheek, breathing him in as I did. The calming lavender and vanilla sending peace through my veins.
‘Do not forget our training later. Five p.m.,’ Delphine said.
‘I won’t,’ I replied, then took the forbidden pastries back to the mobile home.
Rue and Wren cheered when they saw me walking down the dusty path with a paper bag. They were still in pyjamas.
Rue grabbed it from me and looked inside.
‘I want the apple one,’ she said.
Reluctantly, I handed them over.
‘Where were you this morning?’ Dad asked as he walked outside to us with a coffee.
‘I was just at the Brasserie getting breakfast.’ I grinned. And I’m not sure if he believed me or not, but I was wearing my own T-shirt instead of Antoine’s rash vest and my hair was pretty much dry again from the morning sun.
‘I’ve been practising my paddling, Margot,’ Rue said, and showed me her best cupped fist paddle through the air.
‘Brilliant!’ I replied.
‘Rue, we talked about the surfing,’ Dad said gently.
‘Youtalked about it,’ Rue said sulkily.
‘Dad said we can’t do lessons any more,’ said Wren sadly.
And it would have been so easy for me to agree. Because the last thing I wanted was to see Antoine. But Wren’s expression broke something in me. It just wasn’t fair.
‘Dad, come on. I will be there. Nothing will happen. It’s different to me going out on my own. They’ll have at least two adults watching them at all times.
I could tell he was wavering when he didn’t immediately shut it down. He used to find it really hard to say no to me, but he found it even harder to say no to Rue.
