“I see,” Sylvie said. “Are you feeling better after Thursday night?”
Ade paused. She was feeling a little better. In fact, now that she was on the water with Sylvie by her side, she was feeling pretty good. “Yes, I am.”
Sylvie smiled. “Good. How has it been over the weekend?”
“I didn’t really enjoy being there alone.”
Sylvie frowned and looked out into the wide expanse of the sea. “You could’ve called me.”
“I know. But I didn’t want to bother you again.” Ade smiled, content that Sylvie wouldn’t have minded the interruption. She cupped her hands around her mouth and inched nearer to Sylvie’s ear to make herself heard. “We’re heading for a cove up the coast a little. It’s a great place for bird sightings, and it’s really quiet. I checked it out with Fernando at the lab.”
Sylvie smiled. “You picked a beautiful day.” She put her hands on her hips. “I wish I had dressed for the occasion. But I’m happy to be here.”
“You mean, you’ve stopped being angry with me?”
“I’m not angry with you, silly.” Sylvie tilted her head and frowned.
Ade pondered Sylvie’s frown. Its angle wasn’t as sharp as her dad’s, and her eyes looked like they were sparkling. She went to rub the frown away with her fingers and drew back suddenly, realizing the inappropriateness of the touch.
Scott’s deep voice carried across the deck, and Madison howled.
Sylvie snuck a look to check on them. “They’re fine.”
“All accounted for?” Ade asked.
“For now.” Sylvie grinned. “You know when you messaged, I thought you were inviting me out on the water.”
“I was,” Ade said.
“I mean…just the two of us.”
Ade replayed Sylvie’s words and her heart skipped. Was this really happening? Or was she misreading Sylvie’s signals? She couldn’t really be trusted to interpret this kind of conversation. “What would you have said?”
“Exactly what I did say. When and where?”
The boat sliced through the water. The rhythm calmed Ade’s heartbeat, and she raised her eyes to meet Sylvie’s.
Sylvie stepped into her space. “What I mean is, wouldn’t it be more fun if we didn’t have to babysit these teenagers?”
“Sure.” Ade gave a deliberate, slow nod, which bought her some time to work out what was happening. “I’d love to take you out on the water sometime.”
“It’s a date.” Sylvie flashed her the widest grin. “Now, we should check their clipboards.”
They rejoined the group, and Ade busied herself with a checklist of things she needed the class to do before the trip was over. Glad of the distraction, she dissected the last few moments. She’d been caught out by the boiling point of Sylvie’s irritation, but it had simmered to something confusing. Was Sylvie flirting? Did she want to go out with Ade romantically?
A sea bird flew overhead, too far away to work out the breed. Ade craned her neck up to the sky, shielding her eyes, hoping for answers to the questions that baffled her. Sylvie’s presence was both calming and exhilarating. She was like an addiction to nicotine: an anchor and a rush. But she wasn’t bad for Ade, was she? So far, she’d been nothing but good. She’d been Ade’s safe space and a helpful friend.
Maybe Ade was reading too much into this morning’s conversation. She wasn’t sure of anything except the sway of the boat and the flight of the birds above her. Everything else was temporary, moveable, shakable.
She stole a glance at Sylvie, sitting on deck with her face to the breeze and away from the glare of the sun. Her cheeks wereflushed, her hair bouncing in the wake. The smile that twitched at her lips was barely there, but Ade stood fixed to the spot, entranced by the joy that Sylvie brought with her, wherever she went.
Ade could never have predicted meeting Sylvie. She couldn’t imagine a person who would make her feel safe enough to relax and trust herself. If they could be friends this year, it would transform the whole experience from just about bearable to pretty damn wonderful. Anything else would be a bonus.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“No one gets bannedfrom the library, Madison.” Sylvie quickened her pace down the long corridor, eager to escape the clutches of the American student.
“But, ma’am, they said I had a three month ban because I hadn’t returned a weeklong loan. I mean, how was I supposed to know it was a short loan? The whole thing was written in French.”
