Page 89 of Second Chance Summer
Suddenly, Étienne and he were talking about boats and she hadn’t even introduced them properly.
‘Great boat. Looks like it has some oomph?’
‘Yeah, I need it round here.’ Sam’s reply held more than a touch of pride.
‘I had a fast RIB on Mo’orea. Ashore, a wrecked old Deux Chevaux van. No one cares about the car. It’s your boat that counts there.’ Étienne sighed. ‘I miss that in London.’
Sam laughed. ‘Wait until you see the wreck I keep for chugging around Bryher.’
Lily was momentarily superfluous to requirements and loved it. If she’d been worried that Sam might retreat into his shell because of their discussion the previous evening, there’d been no need.Of courseshe’d been wrong, she thought with a jolt. Sam would never let his personal feelings stop him from welcoming her family. Problem was, she liked him all the more for that.
‘Come on, let’s get on board,’ she said, gathering the twins to her. ‘Be really careful climbing on. I’ll help you.’
Twenty bone-shaking, ear-shattering minutes later, during which time Sam had allowed Étienne to briefly take the wheel while the girls had screeched in excitement and terror, they were slipping through the rocks towards Stark jetty.
‘You never let me do that,’ Lily accused Sam while they were tying up.
‘You never asked. You can once we’re in the open water. I was keeping a close eye on Étienne.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ she said, before realising she might not have the chance.
Étienne had helped the girls off the boat and they skipped ahead up the path.
He hung back. ‘So, this is the magical island,’ he said. ‘Where the ancient ghosts still wander.’
‘Where have you read that?’
‘I can Google too, in my occasional coffee breaks,’ he said. ‘It does have an atmosphere … like Raiatea.’
‘It’s not the centre of civilisation and culture,’ Lily said, referencing the island where Étienne had been born. ‘Don’t get too excited.’
‘That’s okay. I’m mainly hoping to get some sleep,’ he said, nodding at the girls who were bouncing around outside the reception hub. ‘Though I don’t think I’ve got a cat in hell’s chance.’
As it turned out, Étienne was wrong. After dinner, Sam and Lily took him and the girls for a little wander towards the highest point of the island. It was a warm evening, although the horizon was flecked with hundreds of clouds that looked like a sea monster’s scales, according to Tania.
‘They’re cirrocumulus clouds,’ Sam explained.
The girls tried to get their tongues around the word for half a minute then dissolved into giggles.
‘Will they rain on us?’ Amelie asked.
‘No. They’re not heading in our direction – and anyway, they usually don’t mean rain.’
‘Good. I don’t want rain for the craft fair,’ Lily said.
‘I think it will stay fine,’ Sam said.
Amelie yawned. ‘I’m tired, Daddy. Can I go to bed early?’
Étienne let out a gasp.
‘I’m not tiredat all,’ Tania declared but tugged at Lily’s hand. ‘Will you read us a story, Auntie Lily?’
‘About theghosts,’ Étienne mouthed to Lily, causing Sam to suppress laughter.
Lily shot Étienne a glare. ‘Come on, let’s go back to your cottage and get ready for bed. Then I’ll read to you.’
‘I’ll join you in a moment. Sam said he’d show me the pest house.’
