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‘I guess I don’t want to get my hopes up. Yes. it’s exciting, but that’s what these things always feel like in the beginning. Don’t they? It’s how it feels six months or six years down the line that matters.’
Caroline squeezed her hand. ‘Forget about the future for a day, will you? Let yourself live a bit. You’re going to love it. I promise.’
A large slam confirmed that the minibus was full, at which point, Evan turned around from the front to the talk to them all.
‘Okay, it’s only ten minutes down to this marina. I hope you’ve all packed your sunscreen. Our chariot is waiting.’
‘Eek!’ Caroline let out another high-pitched squeal before facing Holly.
‘That one really was about the boat.’ She shrugged.
34
Holly felt as if she had fallen into a postcard. The way the light sparkled off the water couldn’t possibly be real, and yet it was, and she was there staring straight at it.
The marina was different to where they had gone waterskiing, but once again, the boats were moored up on a series of long, wooden jetties.
‘Make sure someone is holding Holly’s hand,’ Jamie joked. ‘Evan, I guess that should be you, right?’
‘I’m perfectly capable of walking by myself,’ Holly replied, although she caught Evan’s eye and the pair of them exchanged a sly smile. Caroline was right. From this point onwards, Holly was going to stop worrying about the future and focus on enjoying the present. With Evan. And her previous slip provided a nice excuse to hold his hand.
‘You’re sure this boat is bigger than the speedboat?’ Eddie asked as he adjusted his hat so the back piece of fabric hung down to ensure his neck was covered. His nose, meanwhile, was white from sunscreen. ‘It made me feel quite nauseous, all that bouncing around.’
‘Don’t worry, this is definitely not a speedboat. I’ve got you the full works.’
Evan slipped his hand into Holly’s as he whispered so only she could hear, ‘And it should be big enough that we can get a bit of space to ourselves, too.’
‘That sounds nice,’ she said, unable to suppress her grin.
‘Where are we going?’ Jamie asked as they stepped onto the jetty. ‘Do you know what boat we’re going on? You know, it would be helpful if you were guiding us, rather than hanging around at the back, snogging.’
‘We are not snogging,’ Holly said defensively.
‘Not yet at least,’ Evan joked, before turning to her. ‘They’re right; I should lead the way. Are you going to be all right to walk on your own?’
‘Yes, absolutely.’
‘I’ll see you in a minute.’
‘You will.’
He kissed her on the end of her nose, then bounded up the jetty to the front of the group with such ease, it looked as if he was walking on solid ground. Her heart ached unexpectedly as she found herself wishing he could have stayed with her a little longer. Then again, like he’d said, there would be plenty of time for them to be together on the boat.
‘Ladies and gentleman, if you would like to follow me.’
As they ambled their way down between the boats, Holly alternated her gaze between looking forward and looking down at her feet, although she did stop to watch the shoals of white fish darting beneath the surface of the water. It was such a distraction that when she looked back up, she noticed the group had moved up ahead of her and were now currently stock still.
‘Are you serious?’ Naomi said.
‘Does this meet your expectations?’ Evan asked.
When Holly caught up with them, she finally saw what the fuss was about. The boat they were all staring at was wider than Holly’s cottage and had two sets of steps going up the back. The white shone pristinely in the sunlight, and by the looks of things, it even had a balcony on the side, though why on earth a boat needed a balcony was beyond her.
‘You really didn’t have to do this.’ Jamie squeezed Evan in the tightest hug Holly had even seen. Fin quickly followed suit.
‘This is far too extravagant, buddy.’
‘What’s money for if not spoiling your best friend?’ Evan replied. ‘Besides, someone at my gym knows the guy who owns this and got us mates’ rates.’
