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‘Hardly a boy, Mum.’ Hannah smiled, too.
‘You know what I mean. How does Owen feel about it? Does he feel left out?’
‘He’s thrilled, says he always knew we’d make a good couple – we were just too stupid to admit it.’
The tension which had been present in the room ever since Cleo walked in, had released when Nate was mentioned, and Cleo was able to chuckle, much to Hannah’s embarrassment.
Cleo was in a much better frame of mind when she drove home. She and Hannah were good again, Hannah and Nate were forming a relationship. The only issue remaining was how to persuade Hannah to accept Kerri-Ann. Cleo felt that, if only Hannah would agree to meet with her, she’d change her mind. While it was unlikely, Cleo hadn’t given up. She was sure, if she thought hard enough, she’d find a way.
Thirty-four
It was the call every swimmer and surfer feared.
‘Shark sighted. Everyone out of the water,’ the call echoed across the beach sending the late swimmers scurrying back to the shore, just as Will was loading up the van ready to go home.
Owen and Nate, who were chatting together after a late afternoon surf, stopped mid-sentence and gazed out at the ocean where one lone surfer was still sitting on his board, frozen, too scared to move. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the rising wave. Without a word, both young men jumped into the ocean and headed out to where the dark head was visible in the waves, heedless of Will’s cry to wait for the surfboat which was being launched.
Will watched as the two young men swam strongly out to rescue what looked like a child, whose head was now bobbing in the surf, the board nowhere to be seen. On the beach, small groups of onlookers watched, too, as the waves crashed around the three lone bodies. A sigh of relief went up when they sighted the surf boat powering towards them, then a cheer as Owen reached the boy and, with the help of the lifesavers, brought him to safety.
‘Where’s Nate?’ Owen gazed around for his friend while a couple of lifesavers attended to the young boy he’d rescued. The boy was more shocked than hurt, the only sign he’d been close to being attacked by a shark being the loss of his board which one of the lifesavers had found floating nearby. It was missing a large chunk, showing what a narrow escape the boy had had. There was no sign of the shark, and the boy was crying for the loss of his board.
‘He must be…’ Will checked the beach but there was no sign of Nate. Then he noticed a swimmer who appeared to be pulling a body back to shore. ‘Look!’ he yelled, and started for the water’s edge, wading into the water just as a woman dragged a bedraggled Nate onto the wet sand.
‘Nate?’ Owen’s voice broke.
‘He’ll be fine. I think he may have got a cramp. I saw he was in trouble. Everyone was focused on the boy. He needed help.’ The rescuer straightened up, as Nate coughed up what seemed to be an enormous amount of seawater, and Will saw it was a woman – or a girl. For a moment he thought it was Hannah, then he realised it must be the one Cleo had told him about – the sister.
‘Thanks. Lucky you saw him.’ Will couldn’t believe he’d missed seeing Nate was in trouble. Like everyone else on the beach, he’d been focused on Owen and the boy’s rescue. ‘I’m Will Rankin.’ He held out his hand.
‘I know who you are. I enjoyed what you had to say at the community meeting. Kerri-Ann Randall.’ She shook his hand.
‘I… this is awkward. I know who you are, too. I’m a good friend of Cleo Johansen. She’s spoken about you.’
‘Oh. And…’ She looked at the two young men beside them. Owen was helping Nate try to sit up.
‘My son, Owen, and the one you rescued is Nate McNeil. I think you’ll find your half-sister will be grateful to you for saving his life.’
Kerri-Ann appeared embarrassed. ‘It was nothing. I only did what anyone else would have done.’
‘But no one did,’ Nate said, sitting up and regaining some of his usual good humour. ‘You’re a pretty strong swimmer.’
‘It’s what I do. Back home I’m a marine biologist in the San Francisco Bay area. I spend a lot of time in the water. It’s just lucky I was here and saw you. I was about to go back to where I’m staying when I caught sight of you. I recognised the signs. I didn’t need to think twice.’
‘You’re staying at Ruby Sullivan’s, aren’t you?’ Will asked.
‘Headland View B&B.’ Kerri-Ann nodded.’
‘Let me drive you there. You’ll be fine, now?’ he asked Owen, who was helping Nate to stand up.
‘We’re good, Dad,’ Owen said.
Nate nodded. ‘Thanks, again,’ he said to Kerri-Ann.
Will and Kerri-Ann didn’t speak much on the drive to Ruby’s. Will was too busy thinking how he’d tell Cleo about the rescue, about how Kerri-Ann had saved Nate’s life. When they reached the B&B, and just as Kerri-Ann was opening the door of the van, he said, ‘We need to thank you properly, and I’m sure Nate’s mum will want to thank you too. Join us for a meal at the surf club tonight?’
‘It’s kind of you. Are you sure?’
‘I’m sure. We’ll meet you in the foyer at seven. See you then?’
