As the storm continued to swirl around them, the wind howled, spray clobbered the sides of the harbour, and the windows constantly rattled. The candles flickered, projecting shadows across the room as they watched the wild weather take control of the harbour.
Nina took a sip of her wine. ‘As much as I love the sunny days in Lovely Bay, there's something quite magical about a storm like this if you ask me. It really is something…’
‘Yeah. It's a reminder of how powerful nature can be. We like to think we're in control. This puts everything into perspective. Know what I mean?’
‘It's humbling, in a way. We just have to sit, wait, watch and see what happens.’
‘It is,’ Robby said, pointing to the boats. ‘I wouldn’t want to be out there in a boat this evening.’
‘No! Imagine being out in that. I’d bepetrified.’
Robby chuckled. ‘I don't even want to think about it. I'm perfectly content right where I am, thank you very much. We have a ringside seat to the action.’
As they sat in silence watching, Nina felt more content than she’d been for a long time. She felt as if sitting on the sofa next to Robby, watching the eye of the storm, was exactly where she was meant to be. It hadn’t come soon enough.
7
Nina pulled the lever on the bath tap and swished hot water around with her left leg as she revelled in hot, bubbly water and the storm continued to rage outside. Resting her head back, she looked out over the harbour via the funny little floor-level window, watching the craziness going on outside. The window shook so hard, it felt as if at any given moment, it might fly off and take off across the harbour on its own.
She stared out at the angry-looking sea and couldn’t quite believe the storm was as bad as it was. As she watched boats rocking back and forth on their buoys, she was surprised at the severity of what was taking place right in front of her eyes. Part of her had thought that the whole preparation for the storm everybody in Lovely Bay had partaken in was rather over the top. She’d eye-rolled to herself a little bit. Now, as she watched the boats, at some points looking as if they were about to capsize or fly from their moorings, she realised that the people of Lovely Bay knew what they were doing when it came to storms. She could hear the wind absolutelyhowlingoutside, and every now and then, a clap of thunder made the old property seem to shake to its core. A flash of lightning lit up the sky and flashed on theglass. Inside, Nina felt safe enough, if a little concerned. She was very glad Robby was home.
She picked up her phone as it pinged with a notification from Sophie, who asked if she was free for a chat. Lying in the tub of hot water with the storm raging outside, she pressed the green button to call Sophie, who answered on the first ring.
‘Hey, how are you?’ Sophie asked.
‘Yeah, I’m good. Not too bad at all.’
‘How’s the weather going? It’s absolutely howling outside here. I haven’t seen weather like this for a long time.’
‘Yes, same here,’ Nina replied. ‘It’s some storm!’
‘Where are you? It sounds echoey.’
‘I’m currently lying in the bath with my feet hanging over the edge, watching the boats outside and lightning cracking the sky in half.’
‘Ahh, right. I might have to follow your lead. I’m downstairs. The huge thunderclaps sound like they could take the roof off any second.’
Nina laughed. ‘It’s that bad here, too. I feel as if the windows could shatter at any time. They really are rattling a lot.’
‘Yes, same here.’ Sophie agreed. ‘Anyway, what have you been up to, apart from getting ready for the storm? Anything else interesting going on with you?’
‘Not much, really.’
‘What’s happened with Robby and that Singapore thing?’
‘He’s put the tender in, so it’s just a case of wait-and-see now. From what’s been said, though, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion. This is just the red tape bit.’
‘Ahh, I see. Sounds good.’
‘So, yeah, he’s been busy.’
‘And what about the baby thing?’ Sophie asked, referring to the fact that, after many discussions between Nina and Robbynot long after they’d got married, they had decided to try for a baby.
Nina hadn’t really realised before that it had been something she wanted. Even though sometimes she’d daydreamed about it when she’d seen people with babies or when she was with Sophie’s children, mostly it had been something that she’d put aside after her first husband, Andrew, had died. But when Robby had brought it up and told her it was something he wanted, it had made her really confront her feelings. It hadn’t taken long for her to realise how she’d put it to the back of her mind and left it there to wither. After Andrew had died, she’d thought it would not be something that ever happened to her. That had changed.
Once Robby had flicked the switch and she’d started to consider it, it was as if she’d gone from one extreme to the other; sometimes, having a family was all she could think about. The problem was, despite quite enjoying the many trips to the moon and back to aid in the making of said family, nothing had happened. Despite having plenty of practice, which she couldn’t deny she’d enjoyed, there was no little line on a white plastic stick.
‘What about it?’ Nina asked with a little chuckle.
