“It absolutely will, but you’ll be all tingly and you’ll feel so alive that you won’t even notice, especially when you have a mug of my special coffee laced with whisky.”
She winked at her. “And if you get in the water, you’ll have something to tell Ross Isbister on your second date, won’t you?”
They had both spent a happy hour sitting in their dressing gowns going over details of the night before. Freya declared it to be a huge success and told Amelia she’d have to invest in some new underwear as they would be sleeping together soon, and it was best to be prepared.
Amelia shrieked with laughter but thought to herself that sex with Ross would be an added bonus and Evie would be livid. She hadn’t fooled Amelia one bit by pretending not to care that Ross had asked her out. The hurt in her eyes was plain to see.
Freya stood up and took the coffee cups into the kitchen, “Right, get yourself ready, Evie will be here soon and we need to make the most of this fine weather.
Down at the wide, open beach with the sun shining on the waves and the seagulls squawking, Evie tried to shake off her bad mood. Seeing Amelia always seemed to put her back up and Freya hadn’t helped by happily chatting about her date with Ross all the way here.
Evie also wasn’t altogether proud of the fact that she packed her most unflattering and oldest swimming costume for Amelia, and was taking comfort from the fact she looked glum and apprehensive.
“Don’t feel you have to come in, Amelia. It’s fine if you want to stay on the shore,” said Evie.
“Nonsense,” said Freya. “She wants the whole Orkney experience and it’s a lovely chance to see all the girls again. She’s well up for it, aren’t you?”
Amelia gave a watery smile. “Of course, Freya. You are right. I’m just a bit worried about being freezing, that’s all. Can’t icy water kill you?”
“Only in Antarctica. Come on now. Let’s go. We don’t want to keep the others waiting.”
Kate, Delima, Patsy and Maureen were already stripping off. Jack had brought them all in his car. He was considered an honorary Selkie and the only man in the group, but this morning he was looking after Ola and Hari and not getting in the water himself. He felt very proud of the fact he had helped by carrying the picnic basket to the car after Delima had spent hours filling it with goodies, after washing, changing and feeding the children.
Jack was sitting on a deck chair while Ola made sandcastles and Hari lay on a tartan blanket kicking his legs and being impossibly cute. Amelia lingered on the shore, reluctant to head in.
She watched as Freya ran into the sea and did a surprisingly elegant dive into the waves. Kate and Patsy were strong swimmers, but Evie was close behind them. With the help of her friends she had become as happy and confident in the water as a little mermaid.
As always, Delima seemed oblivious to the cold. She looked like a teenager in her tiny bikini and there was only the merest trace of fine silver lines on her tummy to show she’d given birth to two big babies, one just five months ago.
She grabbed Amelia’s hand and told her not to be scared and that they would run in together. Amelia screeched as a chilly wave hit her right in the stomach and splashed up on to her face. “I don’t want the water to sting my eyes,” she yelped.
“You get used to it, don’t worry,” said Delima. “Get your shoulders under and swim towards the shipwreck. Look, Kate and Evie are there already. I’ll be right here with you.”
The sea was bracing, and the cold made Amelia gasp at first, but Delima was right, after the first shiver she was feeling much better. The water was so clear she could see the white sand underneath and a few little fish swimming around her ankles.
She soon reached the shipwreck, spluttering when a wave almost reached the top of her head. She was greeted with whoops and cheers from Freya and Patsy. Evie managed a tight smile and Delima gave her a wet hug. Maureen was close behind. She was taking her time, doing an elegant slow crawl.
“Well done, Amelia,” she said, catching up to them all bobbing beside the wreck.
“How are you feeling?”
Amelia laughed. “I feel a bit out of breath but it’s not as cold as I thought it would be.”
Freya beamed. She loved to see people enjoy a swim. She said to Amelia, “I can see most of your hair is still dry. Fancy being a real Selkie and going right under? Come on, we will do it together.”
They all held hands, counted three, two, one and ducked below the waves, coming back up shrieking and laughing.
“I think that’s enough for a first time,” said Freya. “Let’s take a slow swim back to the shore and dry off.”
After getting out of the water, everyone did complicated manoeuvres under towels to get their wet cozies off and dry underwear and clothes back on.
Jack took Ola and Hari to look for shells and when he came back, the picnic was all laid out, cakes and sandwiches thick with butter and cheese, and the Selkies were pouring out hot coffee and hot chocolate from their flasks, laced with their favourite tipple.
Freya raised her mug. “A toast,” she cried. “To our brand new Selkie, Amelia. We are all proud of her for being such a good sport and joining us today.”
“To Amelia”, they all chorused. Amelia almost felt a twinge of shame that she was deluding these women, and for what she was about to do, but she managed to shrug it off and instead said as sincerely as she could, “Thank you all so much. I can’t believe how much fun that was. You were right. I feel so alive.”
“Well now,” said Maureen, “Is that just down to the swimming? We’re all dying to ask. How was your date with Ross last night?”
