Page 46 of The Castle in the Bay

‘I know.’ Monty took a bite of his roll and chewed it. ‘We’re not defined by what other people think of us, but it’s hard to deal with when it’s family.’

‘Exactly.’

They sat in silence for a moment; the waves crashed against the rocks below, filling the gap with their soothing beat.

Iona broke the silence by opening a bottle of Fanta, then whipping it out of the way to stop it bubbling all over the rug. ‘I guess that got a bit churned up on the way over.’ She wiped her hands on the rug, then took a sip. ‘So, what do you want to do here? Do you want me to disappear back to the boat and give you some time alone?’

‘I don’t mind you staying. And I don’t have any plans. I just want to be here, existing in this place.’

‘We could collect some loose pebbles and build a little tower if you like. A memorial to your dad.’

‘Won’t it get washed away?’

‘It certainly will, but that’s ok. It’s transient art. The joy comes from making it, not keeping it. Process not product.’

Monty huffed out a laugh. ‘Ok, let’s do that then.’

They finished their food, packed away the blanket and made their way down to the edge of the rocks, looking for loose stones and pebbles, the crash of the waves growing louder as they approached. Monty crouched down, lifting a couple of flat stones, then returning to the picnic rock with them. He attempted to stack them, but each time he added another stone, his tower wobbled precariously and eventually toppled over.

‘You’re hopeless.’ Iona winked. She was also making one. It was perfectly balanced and looked in no danger of falling down. ‘Here, let me show you.’

She reached over and their fingers brushed together as she handed him a perfectly flat stone. The touch sent a small jolt through him, and he glanced at her, noticing the way the sunlight caught glints in her thick golden-brown hair. Her hand lingered for a moment longer than necessary before she pulled back.

When he made to put on another stone, she placed her hand on his, steadying it. This time the spark was unmistakable. Both pulled back, not wanting to meet the other’s eye.

‘I’m not very good at this kind of thing. Let me take a picture of yours. It can be the memorial cairn.’

‘It’s not that good.’ She shuffled back so he could get a clear shot.

‘I can post it on social media. I’ve been doing that a bit more recently.’

‘Have you? You don’t strike me as a social media lover.’

He scrolled through his phone to the site and uploaded the photo. ‘I’m not really. Hmm…’ He frowned. ‘I don’t think there’s any reception here.’

‘Do you get a lot of people looking at your photos?’

‘A few. Friends and some cousins.’ He let out a breath and stared into the distance. ‘I only started posting again to try and get Sophie’s attention. I thought the post about bodyboarding might have got her notice, but I don’t think she even looked at it.’

Iona looked at him and pulled a pout. ‘Why do you want to get back with her? Is it for yourself or for your family?’

‘Good question.’ He sighed. ‘And I don’t know the answer. I feel like I’ve got something to prove after she called me boring.’

‘But that’s crazy. You’ve proved you’re not boring.’

He picked at a thread on his jeans. ‘I’m not sure I have. So often I wonder if she was right. Maybe I am boring. Not just in my hobbies, but in everything.’ He pulled a face. ‘She said I was too vanilla. You know what that means?’

Iona laughed and covered her mouth. ‘Of course I know what it means. But what the hell was she into that she called you that? Did she have a kink you didn’t like?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe that was the problem. But she didn’t tell me and… I didn’t think to mix it up.’

‘Well, I kissed you, and it seemed fine. After you loosened up.’

‘Yeah, well…’ He swallowed and sat down on a large, flat rock. ‘That’s something.’

Iona sat next to him, blinking slowly, and he gave her a little smile. She looked like she was sizing him up.

‘Have you ever hooked up with anyone? Like casually?’

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