Page 109 of Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon
Bon Jovi release their third album,Slippery When Wet.
Crowded House release their first album.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
While it’s still winter, the chill is coming off the days a little – or maybe it’s an unusually warm August. Or maybe Josie just feels warmer in Brett’s presence, because they’re sitting in her parents’ garden at five o’clock and enjoying the golden light of the day’s end.
She still can’t quite believe that he is at her home, and that her parents have even gone out and left them alone. Then again, she suspects it’s a ploy on Erin’s part to keep Josie living at home: if she ‘lets’ Brett come to visit, Josie won’t have any reason to move out.
Except her reasons for moving out include far more than Brett, and the reasons to stay are greatly outweighed.
The main reason to stay is the cost of living outside of home. Then there’s the fact that a big change is always hard and moving out would be the biggest change of her life thus far.
Or would it? The accident – being so badly damaged and having to recover – has shown her she can manage difficult things, and sudden change, and be just fine. As terrible as it was, it did her a favour.
Her reasons to leave – apart from being able to spend time with Brett more easily – are that she can determine the shape of each day, and her life, without constantly having reference to what her mother in particular wants her to do. She can eat what she wants, spend the weekend doing what she wants, even go away if that suits her, and she doesn’t have to worry about what Erin will say. Her mother will still have opinions,obviously, and she’ll still worry about Josie, but Josie won’t feel as overwhelmed by it all. The cloak of maternal love will not smother her the way it has thus far, even as she feels ungrateful for thinking it.
‘I love this time of year,’ Brett says, smiling to the sky. ‘The waves are still good but spring’s about to happen, so I can almost ditch the steamer.’
He’s talking about his wetsuit. She knows this now because they’ve talked a lot about surfing, even to the point that he’s offered to teach her how.
‘Girls don’t surf!’ she said, because she didn’t know any who did.
‘Sure they do,’ he replied. ‘Pam Burridge – she’s ace.’
Josie was barely aware of Pam Burridge but she agreed to learn, as soon as she was steady on her feet.
‘We can get you in the water soon,’ he says in the late-afternoon light, still smiling. ‘I’ll get you a spring suit.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Short-sleeve wetsuit. I reckon you’ll look great in it.’ He raises his eyebrows and laughs, as if he’s caught himself being suggestive. ‘But you look great in everything.’
She blushes; he probably can’t see it in this light even though their chairs are angled toward each other. They’ve been sitting and chatting for about half an hour. The temperature will drop as soon as the sun does, so they’ll want to head inside soon.
‘Did you get a surf in at lunchtime today?’ she asks.
‘Nah,’ he says lightly. ‘Too busy.’
‘Oh.’ She bites her lip. ‘You could have gone after work. Instead of coming here.’
He gives her a funny look. ‘Why would I want to do that?’
‘Because you love it. Because it’s fun.’ When she invited him to come over she didn’t mean to deprive him of his surf.
He reaches over and takes her hand. ‘This is more fun.’
‘Is it?’ She keeps doubting him when he says things like that, even though he tells her not to.
‘Absolutely. What’s nicer than this?’ Once more he lifts his head to the sky. ‘Look at it. Perfect colour.’ Then he looks at her again. ‘And my perfect girl.’
She laughs, surprised, and points to her cast-bound limbs. ‘Not so perfect.’
‘Of course you are. And they’ll be off soon.’
The day is indeed drawing closer when the plaster will come off and then she’ll start the rehab process. Which will be tedious and she won’t be able to move out until it’s over, but moving out gives her a goal to work toward.
‘Can’t wait,’ she says.
