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Hugh peeled his wetsuit down to his waist. “I really thought you did okay.”
“Stop being nice!” She laughed loudly. “I’m terrible at surfing. You may as well just say it.”
“Maybe you don’t have the best sense of balance,” he admitted.
Allie jutted her chin out. “There’s nothing wrong with my balance. It was all the waves that were the problem.”
She caught Hugh’s eye and they grinned at each other in much the same way as they’d been grinning at each other for the past hour out on the water. She’d found it oddly liberating to be so bad at something.
It didn’t matter at all that she couldn’t get the hang of popping up to stand on the board. In fact, being so utterly hopeless meant she’d spent almost the entire hour laughing, which had felt as invigorating as the cold water around her.
“Maybe next time you should try paddleboarding,” Damian suggested. “That might be more your thing.”
“I’d love to,” she said eagerly, then turned to Hugh. “Are you good at paddleboarding?”
“Yeah.” He lifted one shoulder in a modest shrug. “Emmy enjoys it so we go out quite a bit.”
Allie pursed her lips. “I need to find something you’re not so good at, so you don’t show me up. Level the playing field a bit.”
“You may have to move away from water sports then.” Damian’s eyes travelled over Allie as she attempted to wrap the towel tighter around herself. “You can go inside to get changed if you want.”
“Thank you.” She picked up her tote bag and her clothes. “I’m freezing.”
While she changed, she could hear the low hum of conversation between Hugh and Damian but couldn’t make out what they were saying. When she joined them Hugh had also changed back into his jeans and jumper. He had a light jacket on too and she wished she’d been that sensible. The blue skies had been deceptive when she’d been getting ready, and she hadn’t stopped to consider that the walk back would entail wet hair.
“It was nice to meet you,” Damian said, smiling warmly as he passed her to go inside. He tipped his chin at Hugh. “Don’t forget your cap.”
Hugh plucked the cap from the table, but didn’t put it on. “You look freezing,” he remarked as they set off along the beach. “Do you want my jacket?”
“No. I’m fine, thank you. Luckily, it’s a quick walk home.”
“I was going to ask if you fancied a coffee.” His eyes went to the little cafe on the coastal path whose picnic benches overlooked the bay. “But I guess you want to get back and warm before work.”
Allie checked her watch, torn between the thought of a warm shower and spending a little more time with Hugh.
“Coffee sounds good.” A warm drink wasn’t as good as a warm shower, but since it meant longer in Hugh’s company it was more tempting.
They ambled along the gentle incline to the cafe. The tables were all empty so they had their pick. Wrapping her hands around the steaming mug, Allie bunched her shoulders up and hoped her teeth wouldn’t chatter.
With an amused look, Hugh shrugged his jacket off. “You need to put this on because it’s making me cold looking at you.”
She slipped her arms into the sleeves when he draped it on her shoulders. The extra barrier against the wind made an immediate difference.
“Thank you,” she said, then blew on her coffee.
“So did you really enjoy surfing?”
“I had a great time. Which is surprising because I really do like to be good at things.” Automatically, her hand went to her shoulder and she gave the muscle a quick massage.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Old injury, but it’s been much better recently.”
“That’s good.”
She sipped her coffee and smiled to herself. “My cousin says it’s because I have less stress now and therefore less metaphorical weight on my shoulders.”
“She probably has a point.”
