Page 30 of The Secret Beach

‘Whatever you can pull together in the time,’ said Alec. ‘As long as it’s a happy day. That’s all we care about.’

Phoebe clasped her hands. ‘This is going to be amazing. I know you’re the right person. I asked the universe to find me someone who’d understand and here you are.’

Nikki suspected it was Google who’d found her rather than the universe, but she rather liked the idea of being manifested. She’d warmed to Alec and Phoebe, and felt excited. She always knew when the chemistry was right with clients when she began to visualise their big day straight away. She couldn’t wait to get started.

A loud siren made the three of them jump. Her pager.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, getting up. ‘I’m going to have to go. I’m lifeboat crew.’

That was the deal when you were on call. You had to drop whatever you were doing. On the spot. Crew members had walked out of teaching classes, cutting hair, mending washing machines … Nikki had a caveat on her website that she might be called away at short notice.

‘Wow,’ said Alec, jumping up. ‘That’s amazing. Like Saving Lives at Sea?’

‘Exactly,’ said Nikki.

‘Come on, Pheeb.’ Alec grabbed Phoebe’s hand and they followed her to the door.

‘I’ll text you as soon as I’m back and make a plan. Is that OK?’

‘Of course! You’ve been amazing already. You’ve totally put my mind at rest.’ Phoebe looked genuinely relieved.

Nikki smiled at them both. ‘Thank you.’

She herded them out and locked the door. In five minutes, she’d be at the station, ready to find out where the crew was headed, and what to expect. There wasn’t a minute to lose.

15

Twenty minutes later, she was in the back of a RIB, slicing through the waves across Speedwell Bay. She raked her eyes across the view ahead as they cut through the choppy water, leaving the town behind them. Eddie Newell was at the helm with Dan Hedges on radar and Nikki navigating, the three of them bound by a sense of purpose, each falling into their role and preparing for what they might find ahead.

They were looking for an exhausted kayaker, separated from the rest of his group who had all underestimated the stamina needed to round the headland and paddle to the next cove. An easy enough trip in high summer, with the warmth of the sun and the calmer water, but on a cooler day the cold seeped into your bones even if you hadn’t got wet, and this man had been dunked by a boisterous wave. His friends had called the coastguard for help as soon as they’d made their way to shore.

An indecisive sun bobbed out from behind the clouds to take a look at what was going on, turning the inky grey to a blue. The cliffs to the right soared skywards, craggy and imposing, topped with trees bent by the wind. Sometimes in summer when the sky was bright and the sea was a shimmering turquoise, you could imagine you were somewhere else, somewhere Mediterranean perhaps, but right now you could only be in the chill Atlantic on the south-west coast of England.

They could see three of the men on the beach, their kayaks dragged up on the sand. They began following the search pattern relayed to them by the coastguard. With luck, he wouldn’t have drifted out too far. Or worse, gone under. He had his kayak to cling on to, but if he got too cold, if hypothermia had set in, he might lose his grip.

People’s capabilities in the sea were always a fine line. The fittest person might get ill or get an injury, or the elements might spring a surprise on them. And it wasn’t just the foolhardy who got into trouble. The most experienced could be caught unawares. Which was why this job was so important. The crew didn’t ask questions, or judge. They were there to save lives.

It had taken Nikki some time, ten years after the disaster, to find the courage to join the lifeboat crew. Not physical courage – she knew she was fit enough. It was the mental stamina, the calm, the ability to assess a situation. And trust – not her trust in others, but their trust in her. Would they worry she didn’t have the grit, because of what had happened?

It turned out to be the very opposite. They trusted her completely, this motley crew made up from a random assortment of occupations – an optician, a brace of electricians, an insurance broker and a tattoo artist, amongst others, bound by their bravery and a desire to help people. They knew she had lost her dad, but somehow they valued her more for it.

They had been the saving of her. Before then, she’d been losing sight of herself and sometimes, she thought, her mind, and she wasn’t proud of the person she was becoming. Too many nights in the Neptune when Bill was at his dad’s. Not enough self-respect. Too much anger with nowhere to put it. She’d needed to change course, and joining the lifeboat was a kill-or-cure solution. People were surprised. It had seemed like the last thing she would want to do. But it was a tribute to her father. And her way of telling the sea it was not going to win. It was not going to destroy her as well.

Telling her mum had been difficult. Helen had been silent for a moment, gazing down into her cup of tea while Nikki held her breath. If her mum didn’t want her to join, she wouldn’t. Nikki didn’t want to cause her any more distress. But Helen had looked up with a small smile and said, ‘I think your dad would be very proud.’ Nikki threw her arms around her and they both had tears in their eyes. She was glad to have her mother’s blessing.

Her decision had served her well. She was a different person now from the one who had forced herself to pluck up the courage to fill out the application. It had given her the mettle to start The Seaside Wedding Company too. If she was brave enough to plunge into an icy black sea on a winter’s night, she could do anything.

There! There he was, clinging to a lime-green kayak, the waves out here so high he had been hidden at first. She gave a shout. Eddie changed course and the boat surged towards him as everyone got ready for the rescue. Nikki felt the adrenaline rush she got with every rescue. You never knew how a shout was going to turn out. Things could go badly wrong; miracles could happen. There was only so much they could control.

‘All right, mate? We’ve got you. Hang in there.’ Dan and Nikki were poised to grab him under the arms from behind as soon as they got close enough. Eddie steadied the boat, a difficult task with the swell. It would all be seamlessly choreographed. They all knew exactly what they were doing.

‘One two three lift!’

A few moments of effort and the kayaker was in. He stared up at the sky, stupefied as they put a lifejacket on him.

‘I’m Nikki.’ Nikki helped him into the double crew seat and sat next to him. ‘What’s your name? Can you tell me?’

There was an uncertain nod, a slow blink. ‘Phil.’

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