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‘Ah, you’ll be fine. It’ll be fun.’ Max poured her a glass and passed it to her.
‘You’re not having one?’ Taking the glass, she sipped.
‘I’d better not. I haven’t been down the river for a few years.’
‘Don’t tell me that!’ Brooke grimaced.
Chuckling, Max stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her middle. ‘It’ll be fine. It’s just like riding a bike. You don’t forget.’
‘Umm. Famous last words if ever I heard them.’ Taking another sip, she followed him back up to the deck.
‘Ready?’
‘Yes. Go for it.’ Sitting on a chair next to the helm as Max sat perched on the chair directly in front of the wheel.
‘First thing’s first, can you cast off please?’
‘Cast off?’
‘Yes. Untie the mooring lines from the cleats at the front and back of the boat, please.’
‘Mooring lines? Cleats?’ Frowning, Brooke glanced around the boat.
‘The mooring lines are the ropes and the cleats are those metal things the ropes are tied to on the dock.’
‘Ah, okay. That makes sense now.’ Placing the glass down on a little shelf above the door down to the kitchen and began untying the ropes once Max had started the engine.
Max waited until she was sitting back down before he began reversing out of their mooring and made his way out of the marina. ‘Off we go. What do you think so far?’
Brooke looked down the tree-lined river. A few other boats meandered across the water, swans and ducks happily gliding between them. ‘I like it. It’s very peaceful.’
‘Yes, it is, isn’t it?’
Brooke looked across at him as he turned the wheel one way and then the other, following the curve of the river. ‘Tell me something about yourself.’
‘What do you want to know?’
‘I don’t know. Something new. Something you haven’t told me yet.’ She smiled and took another sip of the chilled wine.
‘Okay. Umm, I haven’t always been a painter and decorator. I trained and worked as a solicitor before giving up and starting my business.’
Lowering her glass, Brooke looked across at him. ‘Seriously? Wow, that’s quite a career change! What made you quit being a solicitor? And why become a painter and decorator?’
‘I loved being a solicitor. I specialised in family law and felt as though I could make a real difference to people’s lives. For the better. But the hours were super long and when I had a difficult case, I just couldn’t ever shut myself off. My mind would always be whirring, worrying about the clients and any children involved. It got to the point where my life was all about work. When I wasn’t at the office, I’d be working from the coffee table at home. On the rare occasions I did venture out with friends, I’d be clock-watching, knowing I had this or that to do before I could sleep. When I did go to bed, I invariably couldn’t sleep due to the worry.’
Putting her glass down again, she walked across to him. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him. ‘That sounds really difficult.’
Max leaned back against her and nodded. ‘It was. I know there are so many solicitors out there who cope, but for some reason, I just couldn’t.’ He shrugged.
‘It takes guts to admit that and take steps to change your life.’
‘Thanks. It was daunting, but my grandpa was a painter and decorator, had his own business for years, and was really successful. Most importantly, he was happy. He enjoyed going to work. I don’t think I ever heard him suggest otherwise, and I visited a lot. I spent the summer holidays in the campervan, but I visited the bay during the other school holidays, too. My parents both worked, so my sister and I spent a lot of time in the bay and not once did I hear him complain about going to work.’
‘So you followed in your grandpa’s footsteps?’
‘Yes. That was the plan, anyway. Unfortunately, instead of working for myself straight away, I went into business with Cheryl.’
‘Your ex?’
