Page 88 of Second Chance Summer
Étienne arrived, face wreathed in smiles. ‘I think it’s safe to say they’re pleased to see you. Thank God we’re here. I don’t think any of us has had much sleep since I told them we were coming for a visit.’
‘Is this Stark?’ Amelie said. ‘Where’s your cottage? Where’s the café?’
A small voice beside her murmured, ‘And the playground?’
‘They’ve been on Google Earth,’ Étienne said with a grimace. ‘A lot.’
‘Clever girls. The playground’s on Bryher, darling.’ Lily squeezed Tania’s hand and addressed them both: ‘I promise we’ll visit it tomorrow.’
She was rewarded with little skips from the pair of them.
Finally, Étienne got a look in, kissing Lily’s cheek. ‘I hardly recognised you.’
‘Oh, you’re just saying that.’
‘No, it’s true. You’ve stepped out into the sun. What magic has this place worked on you in two weeks?’
‘It’s not magic. Only the sunshine, some fresh air and – er – exercise. You’re a doctor, you know how it works.’
‘It’s more than that. Girls, there are our cases. Shall we collect them?’
While the girls retrieved purple and yellow wheelies from the shortest conveyor belt in the history of the world, Étienne smiled. ‘This airport is like the little ones in French Polynesia. Look, there are even agapanthus and proteas.’
‘It is beautiful and everything is bijou,’ Lily said, when he’d picked his case from the belt. The girls skipped out of the terminal to a pick-up area where passengers were being shepherded onto waiting minibuses.
‘Do we get to go in a bus?’ Amelie asked, hyper enough to jump on the first vehicle wherever it might end up.
‘No,’ Lily said. ‘We’re waiting for Rory. He keeps a Land Rover on St Mary’s and he’ll take us to the quay where Sam’s boat is waiting to take us to Stark.’
‘Land Rovers? Boats to Stark?’ Étienne looked delighted. ‘I can barely believe it. You know, flying over the islands, I really thought I might be back in Mo’orea … the turquoise sea, the white beaches, and now the flowers and the boats ferrying us to tiny paradises.’
Lily patted his back. ‘You wait until you feel thetemperature of the water, then you’ll know you’re not in the South Pacific. Let’s go. Rory’s just arrived.’
The journey to Stark was suitably exciting. The Land Rover trundled around country lanes into Hugh Town with its shops and galleries, and finally onto the cobbled quay.
Everyone thanked Rory and he let them out.
‘That car smells funny,’ Tania whispered to Lily while Étienne was unloading their bags, with Amelie helping.
‘It’s fish, sweetheart. Rory is a fisherman.’
‘I don’t like fish. Daddy says it’s very good for us but I only like fish fingers and he says they’re not proper fish.’ Tania slipped her hand into Lily’s again. ‘Will we have to eat fish on the island?’
‘Not if you don’t want to,’ said Lily. ‘I promise.’
‘Hi there!’ Sam called from below. While they were unloading, theHydrahad come alongside the quay.
‘That’s our boat? Nice,’ said Étienne.
‘I’ll give him a hand,’ Lily said.
Leaving the twins with their father, she skipped down the steps onto the pontoon and helped Sam tie up.
Seeing him amidst her family was a shock. Normally she had no problem introducing people to each other. She’d done it at scores of meetings and conferences but this was different. Once again, she had the sense of her life not being quite real.
Étienne was a strikingly handsome man, yet she had only ever had brotherly feelings towards him.
Whereas Sam, tall, rugged and impossibly gorgeous, sent her stomach into a full gymnastics routine. That could bedown to nervousness, of course. Would they get on? Would bringing her family here reinforce the fact that she didn’t belong? Would Étienne realise how she felt about Sam?
