Page 51 of The Castle in the Bay

‘I don’t know, Iona. I’m not really—’

‘Come on.’ She folded her arms. ‘It’ll be fun! You said you wanted to try new things, right? This is your chance. Plus, you’ll have me as your personal instructor.’ She gave him a wink and dropped to her knees beside him. Leaning in, she whispered in his ear. ‘Call this a bit of foreplay. I haven’t forgotten about our other deal.’

Monty looked away, letting out a dry laugh. She was something else. She really was… And also, totally irresistible.

‘And’ – she leaned even closer, so her words were almost like a kiss, setting his insides alight – ‘you’re at a water sports festival. When in Rome, right? Just give it a shot. Go on.’

‘Ok.’ He turned so the end of his nose touched hers. How satisfying would it be to kiss her, here and now? Would anyone notice or care? She sat back on her heels and pulled out the top of her wetsuit, then put her hand inside it. ‘What are you doing?’

It looked like she was fishing for something. Monty’s imagination leapt up, along with another part of his body thatreally had no business doing so. But how could he help it as he imagined it was his hands in there? Hell, he had to stop.

She pulled out a key on a string. ‘Had to hide it in here. I’m scared I lose it.’

‘Couldn’t you have given it to someone to look after?’

‘Ah, maybe. Anyway. Take that and go get a wetsuit from the container. I’d come with you, but I better not. I’m supposed to be helping people.’ She pulled a face. ‘I’d rather get locked in the container with you and carry on… you know what.’ She winked and jumped to her feet. ‘Don’t be long. See you in a bit.’

Monty packed up his stuff and took it to the container. Once inside, he sighed and checked the wetsuits for one that was his size. This week was just one crazy moment after another.

Once dressed, he emerged from the container, wiggling his shoulders in the tight wetsuit, trying to make it feel comfier. How ridiculous did he look? But then, who here would even notice or care? Most of the people here were dressed like this. He made his way to the water’s edge, squinting against the glare of the sun. The sea stretched out before him, a glittering expanse of blue and white foam. Surfers dotted the waves further out and some beginners played at the water’s edge.

Iona was finishing up with a couple of them, showing them the basics of paddling the board. She glanced over and caught sight of Monty. With a quick smile, she excused herself and jogged over to him.

‘Looking good.’ She gave him a once-over. ‘Ready to become a surf god?’

‘As ready as I’ll ever be,’ he muttered, handing back the key chain.

‘Come on then.’ She hooked the key around her neck, grabbed a board, took his hand and led him into the water. The coolness was a shock at first, but he adjusted quicker this time than he had before. She placed the board in the water. ‘Ok, let’s startwith the basics. First, you need to lie on the board in the correct position.’

Monty lay on the board, trying to find a comfortable spot. ‘Like this?’

‘Almost,’ she said, lying on her own board. ‘Like this, so the nose of the board is just above the water, and your nose is level with the line on the board. Perfect. Now, keep your legs together and your feet on the board, otherwise you’ll fall off.’

‘The bodyboarding was easier. This looks impossible.’ He eyed the people around him. Most of them were barely managing a wobble on the board before falling off.

‘You can do more of that in a bit. Just give this a try.’

‘Ok.’ Monty clung to the sides, sure every bob of the water was going to knock him off. ‘Shouldn’t I try this on dry land first?’

Iona laughed. ‘Yeah, but I’ve not got long, so let’s just get you in the water. Now, use your arms to paddle out. Try it, just paddle with your arms at your sides. Freestyle. Push your way through the water.’

Monty dipped his arms in and started to paddle. It felt awkward at first, but he gradually got the hang of it, moving the board forward through the waves.

‘Good job.’ Iona paddled alongside him. ‘Keep your strokes even and steady. You’re doing great.’

They paddled out a bit further, the water getting deeper. Monty’s arms were starting to ache, but he was determined to keep going. After a while, they stopped.

‘Ok, now that you’ve got the hang of paddling, let’s try to catch a small wave,’ she said. ‘When you see a wave coming, you need to paddle hard to match its speed, then pop up into a standing position.’

‘No way, will I manage that,’ Monty shouted over the waves.

‘It’s fine if you don’t. It’s quite tricky, but I’ll show you, then you can have a go. Don’t worry if it goes wrong. Just have fun.’

Fun, huh?She was mad. ‘Well, ok… I’ll give it a shot.’

‘So, if you push up with your knee like this first, then move your back leg like this. Then just rise into a standing position. Keep your shoulder pointing to the nose of the board, look where you’re going and keep your feet flat. Ok?’

‘Is that all? Easy.’ He stared at her with his eyebrows raised, and she giggled.

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