Page 14 of The Secret Beach

He looked out of the window. Today, the harbour was coquettish, picturesque, with its gaily coloured houses painted pink, yellow and blue, the cobbled quay, the cliffs rising up in the distance, seagulls circling. The sun threw droplets of silver onto the water, sparkling so brightly it made your eyes hurt.

‘Maybe,’ he said eventually.

‘I’m heading to the secret beach for a swim later,’ she said. ‘If you want to come?’

‘The secret beach?’

‘Yep.’ She put her finger to her lips, her eyes dancing. ‘If I show you, you have to promise not to reveal its whereabouts to anyone.’

He nodded solemnly. ‘I’m very good at keeping secrets.’

‘Then you can come. We just need to grab some picnic stuff.’

‘I need to get some provisions anyway, for the boat.’

‘Let’s go to the mini-mart, then.’ She tapped her hands on the table to seal the deal, nodding to Melinda for the bill.

Wandering around the shop with Rik had a mundane intimacy that was strangely thrilling. Nikki threw Pringles and Cheesy Wotsits and pork pies into the basket as he took milk and coffee from the shelf then lit upon a packet of custard creams with glee.

‘You can’t get these in St Tropez.’

Nikki laughed. ‘I wouldn’t know.’

He dug her in the ribs with his elbow.

‘Ow,’ she protested, laughing. He inspected the contents of her basket, frowned, then walked off and came back with a French stick, salami and tomatoes, and grapes and oranges. Nikki realised they were being stared at by the other customers in the shop. She was mesmerised by how lightly he wore his allure, oblivious to the looks and the nudges as he wandered amidst the shelves, picking things up to examine them, rejecting some, tossing others into the basket.

When he took it from her and went to the till to pay, she protested.

‘I insist,’ he said. ‘I’d have paid a hundred quid for that bacon sandwich.’ He pulled out a battered wallet, refusing to let her contribute.

Kind, too. Did it get any better? She bent her head so he couldn’t see her smile. She was fizzing inside like a sherbet dip dab.

‘Come on, then,’ he said, picking up the carrier bag. ‘Show me this secret beach of yours.’

7

‘Bloody hell!’

Nikki’s heart swelled with pride as Rik stood at the top of the cliff surveying the view beneath them. The beach was looking its very best, the cliffs outlined in black against the bluest of skies, the sea twinkling an invitation, the sand glittering in the sunshine as if it had been scattered with diamond dust. There was no one else in sight. A private paradise.

‘I mean, the coast of Ireland is wilder than wild and the South of France is out of this world, but this is better than both of them.’

‘It’s pretty special,’ said Nikki.

‘Do a lot of people come here?’

‘Not really. It’s such an effort to get to. We usually have it to ourselves.’

‘So it really is a secret beach?’

‘Yes.’ In a moment of impulse, Nikki put a hand over his mouth and whispered in his ear. ‘You’re never to breathe a word, remember, or I’ll have to have you keelhauled.’

She could feel the warmth of his mouth on her palm. She could tell he was smiling. She took her hand away, surprised by her own boldness at such an intimate gesture.

‘Come on. Let’s get in the water.’

She led the way, bounding down the steps, and he scrambled after her, surefooted even though he hadn’t had the benefit of years of practice like she had.

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