Page 7 of The Island in Bramble Bay
‘Yeah. That’s the last thing I’m interested in.’ But then he paused and looked at Maggie as if he was about to clarify what he’d said. He exhaled, ‘I mean…’
‘Same for me,’ she interrupted. ‘Too complicated. Right, let’s see if we can turn the sofa into a bed, shall we?’
The next morning when she came downstairs, all the blankets were neatly folded on the sofa, and looking out of the window Maggie could see that Charlie’s boat had gone from the quay.
6
CHARLIE SAT ON the deck at the back of his house, freshly showered and enjoying a foamy espresso. He looked across the harbour towards Studland, a view that you didn’t see from Bramble Island and a view that no one else had.
His back ached from his night on Maggie’s sofa and the minute that dawn had broken and he could safely leave, he did, collapsing into his own bed for a couple of hours of more comfortable sleep.
He had to admit that he’d had a great evening, apart from Alice seeming to have a thing for him. The best part of the night had been once the volunteers had left because Maggie was really good company, their shared interest in nature gave them plenty to talk about. He couldn’t help but find her engaging and they’d bonded a little over being the older ones in the group. And despite his comment about not being interested in women, he was beginning to think that he wanted to be friends with her and hoped he hadn’t sounded as if that was off-limits too. She was a world away from the women he used to date where everything had been contrived, fake and over-done whereas Maggie didn’t seem to worry about her appearance, wearing little or no make-up and not bothering about her hair being windswept or her clothes being mud-spattered. It was refreshing and Charlie felt as if maybe, one day, a woman like Maggie could make him happy.
He got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, arching his back to try and get rid of the stiffness. After putting his cup into the dishwasher, he grabbed his bag and headed for the boat.
When he’d bought the island, which was tiny compared to Bramble Island, he’d intended it to be a secluded bolt-hole from his life in Silicon Valley. The island had been his sanctuary for the past two years. It had helped him heal when he had thought all was lost.
He’d had an architect re-design the uninspiring 1930s house which was now an open-plan space with a subterranean living area that opened out at the back of the house onto an expansive deck and lawns but where it was visible from the water it still looked like a normal house. He’d also had a traditional boathouse built to house his yacht which he hardly ever sailed but which he loved because it reminded him of summers spent on Lake Tahoe and that was where his little motorboat lived too.
He walked through the garden following the path of inlaid railway sleepers which dropped gradually towards the sea. Jumping into the boat, he pressed the remote control to open the door of the boathouse, started the motor and headed for Bramble Island. He narrowed his eyes against the wind and smiled. He was looking forward to the day ahead. Working with the volunteers would be fun if he could just get the Alice thing sorted out. This wasn’t the first day he’d looked forward to recently, but he noted that it had only started happening since Maggie arrived. Before that, every day had begun with a slight feeling of dread; a hangover from his previous life which he’d not managed to shake off until now.
Before he went to collect the buggy and his tools, Charlie called in to the office to see if Maggie was there. She was busy pinning pieces of paper onto one of the notice boards.
‘Morning,’ he said, slightly surprised at how happy he was to find her there.
‘Hi,’ she said, spinning around and smiling at him, her hair mostly caught in a messy bun which had clearly been an afterthought rather than a style decision. ‘Did you sleep alright? You must have left early this morning.’
‘I slept great, thanks,’ he lied. ‘I thought I should head home and freshen up. I didn’t want to wake you.’
‘It’s probably just as well. If you’d been there for breakfast I could only have offered you a piece of toast. I haven’t really got used to not being able to nip to the shops.’ She fiddled with a drawing pin as she spoke.
‘I take the boat over to Poole every week or so to get groceries. You’re welcome to come with me anytime you like.’ The invitation was out of his mouth before he realised. Don’t overthink it, he told himself. It’s just a ride to the store.
‘Oh brilliant, thank you. When are you going next?’
‘How about tomorrow after work, around four? Unless it’s raining,’ he added. ‘It’s not a great trip in the rain.’
Maggie grinned at him. ‘I think even that would be better than starvation, plus I’m almost out of deodorant so it’ll be to your benefit too.’ She blushed.
‘You smell just fine to me.’
Her blush deepened. ‘Are you still coppicing on the west side today?’
Charlie snapped out of the slight trance he’d gone into as he gazed at Maggie. ‘Oh yeah. Probably got another week or so over there. I have some wood ready to stack if you want some in your wood store? It’ll need a few weeks to dry out but you’re probably a little low after last night.’
‘That would be great, thanks. Oh, and we had a meeting this morning, me and the volunteers. I’ve sent them over to work around the churchyard today then tomorrow we’ll start on this rota.’ She indicated the notice board. ‘So, you and Josh tomorrow, if that’s okay.’
‘Great. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow? Down by the quay at four?’
‘Perfect. See you then.’
He turned and left, already looking forward to the trip the following day. For the first time in a long time, Charlie felt the fog of loneliness and anxiety begin to lift from him. He had something he was looking forward to and it felt good. For the first time in almost two years, he could allow himself to think about tomorrow without worrying about whether it would be a good day or one he would struggle to get through.Thistomorrow was going to be good; he just knew it.
7
AT FOUR O’CLOCK the next day Maggie was waiting down at the quay next to Charlie’s boat. After a couple of minutes, he emerged through a crowd of day-trippers who were waiting for the ferry, grinning a lopsided grin that automatically made Maggie smile. He really didn’t smile very often at all, so she felt a little bit special that he did for her and she took it as a sign that he seemed to have started to relax around her.
‘Ready?’ he asked, gesturing for her to board the boat. Maggie jumped in and shrieked as it wobbled dramatically, clinging to the sides as she sat down.
