Page 97 of Riding the Waves

“With a passion.”

“I thought it was yours.”

“It is. Anthony bought it for me. I had to pretend to like it so I wouldn’t offend him.”

Damian’s shoulders collapsed forwards. “Thank god for that.”

“Why?” she asked, chuckling at his expression.

“Because I love you,” he said casually. “But I don’t know if I love you enough to live with that monstrosity hanging in my house.”

Grinning, Amy gave his hip a hard shove with her own. “I’m sorry to tell you it’s going to have to come with us anyway.”

“Really? You’re going to hang that at my place to avoid offending Anthony?”

“Yes.”

“Surely he won’t know if we hang it or not.”

“He might ask about it. Or the kids might mention it.”

“Maybe it could have an accident?” Damian suggested. “Get damaged in transit or fall into a fire or the sea or something.”

Amy gave his hip another nudge but couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry. You’re going to have to figure out a way to hate the painting less, or love me more.”

“I suppose I could get the kids to draw eyes on the snakes. That might improve it.”

“Don’t you dare!”

Damian stepped behind her, circling his arms tightly around her middle and resting his chin on her shoulder. “We’re going to have to figure out some way to make the picture more bearable,” he whispered against her cheek. “Because there’s no way I could love you more than I already do.”

CHAPTER 47

The following four weeks were an absolute whirlwind. Amy couldn’t recall being as busy or as happy in her life. Once Anthony had given his seal of approval to the Hope Cove plans, Amy wanted to move forward as quickly as possible. When they got confirmation that the boys could move schools after the half-term break, it was all systems go with packing up the house and their life in Oxford.

Damian made several trips to Hope Cove to move their things, as well as many trips to the local tip to offload a lot of accumulated junk. He also enthusiastically organised selling many unwanted items online.

Anthony helped too, and more often than not he had Christina with him. She was keen to lend a hand, whether by helping Amy sort and box things, or by taking the boys out of the way.

It didn’t take long for Amy to see that she would be a permanent fixture in Anthony’s life. Not only was it a relief that Christina was the sort of person who would be good for Anthony, but also someone who Amy got along with, which would make life much easier.

When moving day came around Amy was exhausted. It was the end of the half-term holiday and she woke to an empty house. Void not just of most of the furniture and furnishings, but of people too. Billy and Marty had spent the last couple of nights at Anthony’s place, and Damian had gone back to Hope Cove the previous weekend. He had surf lessons lined up for the school holidays, and Amy had reassured him she was fine to finish up the remainder of the packing, then drive down with the boys at the end of the week.

With only a few items of furniture left, the house felt cold and echoey when Amy waited for Anthony to bring the boys over. Her car was all packed up ready for them to head to Hope Cove, but first she had to tackle her farewells. Saying goodbye to Anthony would be emotional, she knew that. But she’d see him again.

Leaving the house was a goodbye that she hadn’t expected to be so sentimental about. She was closing the door on an entire chapter of her life, and despite it not always being what she’d wanted, there’d been a lot of happy times, and memories that she’d cherish.

When Anthony arrived with the boys in the middle of the morning, Amy was thankful that Christina wasn’t with him. It felt right that their final moments in the house should be just the four of them. They didn’t linger, Anthony seeming even more emotional than Amy and keen to get the goodbyes over with.

Among prolonged hugs and kisses, they promised to see each other soon. Anthony suggested taking the boys for a few days during the Christmas holidays, which Amy didn’t feel she could say no to.

Having a plan seemed to make the parting easier for Marty and Billy as well as for Anthony, so Amy decided not to worry about the fact that she should probably have run it by Damian before agreeing.

They managed the journey with only one rest stop, so they arrived earlier than Amy had anticipated. Knowing that Damian would still be down at the shack, she bypassed the house and continued along the lane to the carpark at Thurley beach. Billy and Marty had their heads bent over their iPads and didn’t even register they’d arrived. Which meant Amy got a moment to admire her favourite view.

The sky was a piercing shade of blue and the sand seemed a brighter yellow under the intense sunlight. Waves churned white on the shore and the only signs that it wasn’t a hot summer’s day were the coats and fleeces on the people on the beach.

Amy’s blood pulsed harder as her gaze shifted to the surf shack. In front of the container, Damian stood with his hands nestled in the pocket of his hoodie, his hair billowing in the wind. He shifted his weight and she waited to see if he’d turn and catch her watching, but he only pulled his phone from his pocket. Seconds later, her phone buzzed with a message from him, instructing her to hurry up and get there. Another followed immediately saying he couldn’t wait to see her.

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