AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jake hadn’t been too keen on having “a lesson”, arguing that he’d been surfing since he was five, but the chap who had taken the booking had insisted he assessed everyone’s level of ability first. Despite Jake’s incredulity, Ron could tell that the boy was thrilled to bits and was looking forward to getting into the water.
***
‘You shouldn’t have,’ Annabelle objected when Ron shared the news with her after she’d returned from her walk. He’d hoped she’d have been pleased; instead she looked put out. They were sitting on the terrace, the bi-fold doors wide open, and he shaded his eyes against the sun, trying to see her face.
He shrugged. ‘I can always cancel, if you want.’ He’d lose the deposit, but he didn’t care.
Annabelle’s eyes bored into his. ‘I think Jake might never speak to you again, if you do. But I insist on paying.’
‘I can afford it, so let me treat them.’
Her expression was sceptical, so he added, ‘Remember those odd jobs I told you about?’ and when she nodded, he said, ‘Well, then, let’s leave it at that, shall we?’
He could tell she still wasn’t happy but that was hard luck, Jake was desperate to resurrect some remnants of his old life Down Under, and Annabelle needed to keep hold of her money. Ron had enough for his immediate needs, although he may well regret spending his hard-earned cash so recklessly when he was back on the streets. But, darn it, it had been a long time since he’d been in a position to spoil anyone, except for Beverley, and if ever there was someone who could do with being spoilt it was Annabelle and her children.
Annabelle was off limits, though, so that left Jake and Izzie. And he couldn’t leave Sam out and neither would he have wanted to, which meant that it was only fair to include Ellis and Portia.
The cost of those five lessons had gouged a big chunk out of what little money he had, but it had been worth it to see Jake’s face. Ron sensed that the little guy was finding it more difficult than his sister to adjust to the new situation he’d found himself in and his heart went out to him.
‘Do you know if they had any spaces left?’ Annabelle asked and Ron shrugged.
‘No idea. Why? Are you thinking of having a go?’
‘Absolutely! I haven’t surfed in ages.’ She gave him a sly look. ‘You should give it a go, too. You might enjoy it.’
‘Enjoy what?’ Brett asked, coming up behind them.
‘Surfing,’ Annabelle said. ‘Ron has arranged for all the children to go tomorrow, and I said I wouldn’t mind hopping on a board.’
‘Can you surf?’ Brett asked her.
‘A bit. I’m nowhere near as good as Jake, though. He misses his surfing.’
‘Is Brighton any good for it?’
Annabelle frowned. ‘When I was a kid, there used to be a few surfers around, but that was mostly in the winter. I don’t think there’s much wave action in the summer. I’ll have to look into it.’ She gave a slightly bitter laugh. ‘I’m not sure Jake will like the chilly English Channel in November. The wave pool back home is considerably warmer.’
‘Wave pool?’ Brett asked.
Ron noticed that she still referred to Australia as home.
‘There’s no beach at Cairns,’ she explained. ‘The nearest ones that are good enough for surfing are a thirty-minute drive away, but you’ve got to watch out for jellyfish and saltwater crocs, so I won’t let him go in the water there. He has done some surfing in the ocean, but not locally.’
Brett whistled. ‘If there were crocodiles in the UK, I don’t think I’d paddle in the sea ever again. It was bad enough Sam having had a close encounter with a jellyfish yesterday.’ Brett turned to Ron. ‘Are you going to have a go?’
Ron sniggered. ‘Only if you do.’
Brett stuck out his hand. ‘It’s a deal.’
Ron took it and they shook. ‘Will you ask Kate if she wants to come?’
‘I’ll ask, but it’s not her kind of thing.’
However, Kate surprised her husband by agreeing to join in. ‘You only live once,’ she said, cheerfully, and with the two girls also up for it, tomorrow was shaping up to be a fun family day out.
Ron found himself really looking forward to it, and not just because it was something he hadn’t tried before. He had an image in his head of how gorgeous Annabelle would look in a wetsuit, and he simply couldn’t shift it.
