Page 49 of The Wedding Proposal
‘Let’s sit down.’ She crossed to one of the benches that, by day, would be full of tourists or parents watching their children on the playthings, but now stood empty in a cool patch of moonlight. ‘What are you doing here, in the dark? Have you been looking for me?’
Again, Carmelo only shrugged.
‘Are you hurt?’
He shook his head.
Elle searched for what else made a child unhappy. ‘Are you frightened?’
Another shrug. But Carmelo’s gaze did flicker towards Elle for an instant.
Then, taking her by surprise, he threw his arms around her and clung on, silently. Every instinct demanded that Elle hugged him fiercely back but her child protection training kicked in and she only ruffled his hair, wondering, sadly, how often anyone hugged this child. Bloody guidelines. How the hell was she supposed to help some poor little kid who obviously needed someone on his side?
Remembering her mother’s avoidance tactics whenever Elle had needed someone to talk to, Elle felt quite unable to turn a deaf ear on a child who needed a listening one. She made her voice soft. ‘Well, we’ve got to sort this out, haven’t we? Because I think Mama and Nonnu will be wondering where you are, don’t you?’
Again, the shrug, his shoulders as thin-edged as card against Elle’s arm. She began to rise from the bench, which obliged Carmelo to break his embrace without her having to actually reject him. ‘Do they know where you are? Will they be worried about you?’
Carmelo shook his head.
‘Are Mama and Nonnu at home?’
‘Yes.’ Carmelo’s voice was small with tears.
She made her voice as understanding as she could. ‘You will need to go home, won’t you?’
Carmelo shook his head.
‘I could go with you—’ she tried.
The headshake, this time, was more violent. ‘No!’
Elle subsided. Her training had covered basic challenging situations but this one was obviously outside her skill set and experience. ‘I know what we’ll do,’ she said, making her voice glad and enthusiastic. ‘We’ll ring Joseph. He’ll be able to help us sort this out.’
For a long moment, Carmelo considered. Eventually he shrugged.
Elle chose to take that as agreement. ‘I’ll just send a text to my friends on Seadancer.’ Her thumb flew over the screen as she tapped in hastily to Kayleigh — knowing Loz would only text a hundred questions in reply — Got to go. No prob, just something that’s come up re the centre. Hug Loz and Davie goodbye and say sorry from me, pls. x
Then she glanced around the lights of the quay and the shadows of the garden. There weren’t many people around, although she knew some of the bars and clubs of Sliema would be open, and in Paceville, a couple of miles away, the night was still young for those who liked to rage around the dance floor. But here in the gardens and the quayside it was almost eerily quiet.
She looked to her left and saw safety and a welcoming light.
‘Let’s go aboard the Shady Lady,’ she suggested. ‘We can have a drink while I try and call Joseph; then we’ll see about helping you get home.’
Instantly, Carmelo slipped off the bench. He even managed the ghost of a smile, his hopeful, swollen eyes fixed on Elle’s face.
Elle forgot present strained relations for an instant. ‘The light’s on so hopefully Lucas is on board and still up.’
‘He has Fanta?’
Elle grinned, glad to hear Carmelo say something normal. ‘We’ll ask him.’
When they stepped across the gangplank it growled and grated on the quayside as the boat moved on the swell. Through the open door, Elle could see Lucas lounging in the saloon with a copy of Diver and a beer. ‘Lucas?’
He looked up warily. His eyebrows quirked when he caught sight of Carmelo. ‘You’re up late, Carmelo.’
Carmelo looked down to the bare toes that peeped out from his sandals.
‘I need to ring Joseph to see if he can help Carmelo,’ Elle said. ‘I don’t suppose you have a Fanta or something nice in your stash, do you?’
