Page 71 of Deep Waters

“You’re here now,” Harry said, hugging him tighter. Christian always followed Harry’s lead when they embraced now, frightened of hurting him. Harry insisted his broken rib had healed, but Christian had caught the way he grimaced sometimes when he thought no one was looking.

“Something smells good,” he said, following Harry into the kitchen.

“I’m just sweating some shallots and garlic down. I’ve got some fresh mussels, all prepped and ready to go.” Harry went to the stove and turned off the heat. “You’re not hungry just yet, are you?”

“Only for you,” he quipped.

Harry raised his brows mischievously. “You might have to wait a little bit longer for that, too. Put your coat on. You’ll need it.” Harry pulled a dark sweater over his T-shirt and fetched his heavy jacket from the cupboard.

“What is this?” Christian asked, putting on his coat.

“A surprise,” Harry said, barely hiding his excitement.

Christian chuckled and patted his pert bottom as he followed him to the front door. As they stepped outside, he suddenly realised what this was about.

“It’s arrived?”

Harry grinned. “Collected her yesterday. Dad and I went down to Whitby and brought her back.”

“Oh, my God. Congratulations. Come on then. Don’t hang about. Show me.”

Laughing, they walked down to the harbour.

The new boat was berthed in the place he used to keep the old vessel.

Harry had been adamant last autumn that he would never set foot onThe North Staragain, not after what had happened to Tom and Niko. Though he loved the boat, it held too many bad memories. He’d sold it to a tour company in the Farne Islands. They intended to refit and renameThe North Starand use it to run seal-watching trips. Christian had expected Harry to be devastated when the boat had been taken away in December, but he had shown no emotion when the new owners steered her out of the harbour.

“Wow,” he exclaimed, looking down from the dock at the new vessel. “This looks a lot bigger.”

“Not massively so, but longer and a little wider. There’s more cabin space, too. She’s about twenty years younger thanThe North Star, so she should be more efficient and stable.”

“Looks beautiful. Can we go on deck?”

Harry nodded. “Let me get the lights first. It’s dark down there. I don’t want you slipping.”

Harry scooted down the ladder and crossed the deck to the wheelhouse. He unlocked the cabin door and turned on the lights, illuminating the whole boat.

Now Christian could see just how different this was to the old vessel. Everything from the deck to the fixtures and fittings looked new. He sat on the edge of the dock, swung his legs over and climbed down the ladder. Harry was waiting at the bottom to help him aboard.

“She’s beautiful. I’m so pleased for you.” Christian put his arm over Harry’s shoulder.

“She’s recently been refurbished, so there’s not a lot for me to do. Just a change of name and she’ll be ready to go.”

“What will you call her?”

“Absent Friends.”

Emotion welled and caught in Christian’s throat. “That’s lovely.”

“Come into the cabin.”

It was much larger than the old boat. The wheel and technical equipment were on a consul at the front, while to the left there was a bank of fixed seats, to the right a table and more seats.

“This is perfect. You’ll be so happy onboard her.”

“Sit. I’ve got something to help us celebrate.” Harry disappeared down a set of stairs to a lower deck.

Christian made himself comfortable at the table. There was a real sense of newness about the interior. The previous owners must have carried out their refit very recently. It was a stroke of luck that it had come on the market just as Harry was looking. After all the things he’d had to endure, Harry deserved some good fortune.

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