The Trouble with Love (7 page)

FOURTEEN

Polly was in a state of terror. There were too many people. . . She was going to have a panic attack right here, in the middle of the road. . .

And then she saw Sam.

He was walking a short distance ahead of her, the shape of his head distinct against a bright placard scrawled with a bright red peace sign.

It can't be
, she thought wildly.
I'm imagining things.

The guy was the right height, and his hair was cut the way she remembered Sam's was on Friday. The collar of a cherry-red polo shirt peeked over the top of his jacket. It was him, she would swear it. But how could it be? They were in London, miles from Heartside Bay. It was impossible that Sam would be here.

“SAVE OUR SEALS!” someone shouted down a loudhailer beside her. The blast of sound nearly made her leap out of her skin.
Seals
.

Polly came to life.

“Sam!” she screamed, fighting through the line of people marching in front of her. “SAM! Over here!”

Look back
, she prayed, trying not to tread on people's toes, holding on to her bag like a lifejacket, jabbed by arms and placards on all sides. Posters of seals waved over her head.
Please look back. . .

She stumbled sideways, catching her foot on an uneven cobble. Holding out her arms, she tried to right herself. If she fell, she would knock people over.
We'll all go down like skittles
, she thought a little hysterically.

“Save our seals!” roared the crowd, their feet stomping down the street in rhythm with their chanting. “Don't seal their fate!”

Someone caught her arm and pulled her upright. Stammering her thanks, she almost choked as she realized who had caught her.

Sam's face was a picture of disbelief. “Polly?”

Polly could feel a smile splitting her face in half. She was so pleased to see him, she couldn't speak. He was every bit as handsome as she remembered. “Sam!” she managed. “Yes, it's me. I. . . What are you
doing
here?”

“It's our protest,” said Sam, looking stunned. “The one I told you about on Friday. We're marching on Parliament because they're debating the bill today. Are you really here or is this a mermaid trick?”

His arm came round her, protecting her from the crush of the crowd. Polly sank against him, smelling his familiar smell. “I'm really here,” she said breathlessly. “I was shopping, and I got separated from my friends, and caught up in this – and then I saw you.”

“You saw me,” Sam repeated. He laughed in amazement, as if he still couldn't believe she was there. “I'm so sorry about Friday. The boat came loose – I hadn't moored it properly; I was a little . . . distracted, shall we say?”

Polly felt her cheeks getting hot at the look he gave her.

“And I was waiting on the beach for you and out of the corner of my eye I suddenly saw the boat drifting away, so I swam out to it, and that's when I got caught by the current.”

“Were you OK?” said Polly, feeling alarmed.

He grinned, patting himself down. “Well, I still appear to be alive. Of course, a dodgy current wouldn't have been a problem for you, would it, mermaid?”

Polly could hardly take it in. He hadn't left on purpose. His boat had drifted, and he'd been caught in the current. And now he was here, beside her, holding her.

“You wouldn't believe how hard I tried to find you,” he said, tightening his arm around her. “Apparently there are hundreds of Pollys in Heartside. I tried your school but they were closed for half-term. I tried everything.” He looked at her in wonder. “And now here you are.”

“Here I am,” she agreed, laughing. “Mermaid magic. I swam up the canal, didn't I say?”

He wrapped her in a hug. Polly wanted time to stop, so she could enjoy the feel of his arms round her for ever.

“So where are your friends, then?” he said, letting go.

“I don't know,” Polly confessed. “You're taller than me. Can you see them in the crowd? Lila has a pink jacket on, and Rhi's is blue.”

“Come this way.” Sam took her hand and towed her to the side of the road. Standing a little higher on the raised pavement, Polly scanned the crowd with one hand shading her eyes, with Sam beside her doing the same. She still felt as if she were in a dream.

“There's someone in a pink jacket by the statue over there,” said Sam suddenly.

Polly saw Lila the moment Lila saw her. They exchanged arm waves.
Wait until Rhi and Lila see who I'm with
, Polly thought, wanting to hug herself with delight.

Sam pulled her back into the crowd. “Excuse us, excuse us, mermaid coming through, they do so much wonderful work for the seals, you know,” he said, grinning back at Polly as they pushed through the crush. “Excuse us!”

“Polly!” Lila flew at her and hugged her so hard Polly thought her ribs were going to crack. “You gave me such a fright. One minute you were there and the next. . .” She trailed off, and looked at Sam in surprise. “Who are you?”

“Hi,” said Sam politely. He ran his hand through his short hair, making it stick up and look even cuter. “I'm Sam, pleased to meet you.”

Lila's mouth dropped open. “Sam?” She looked at Polly. “Wait,
the
Sam? Sam with the boat?”

Polly could feel herself blushing all over. “Sam from last week, yes. We just bumped into each other.”

Lila folded her arms and grinned. “Well, well,” she said, looking at Sam's long legs and wide shoulders. “It looks like you're real after all. And very nice too.”

“Lila,” Polly protested, laughing.

“What?” said Lila, grinning wickedly.

A warm smile spread across Rhi's face as Polly explained who Sam was. “Nice to meet you, Sam,” she said shyly. “Thanks for reuniting us.”

Sam squeezed Polly's hand. “Believe me, it was no hardship. Are you sticking around for a while?”

Lila looked regretful. “We need to catch a train home. Rhi has a crashing headache and I think we're all shopped out.”

“I'd love to stay,” Polly said honestly. “But I'm exhausted after everything and, to be honest, my feet are killing me.”

“That's the trouble with being a mermaid,” Sam said sympathetically.

Polly giggled at the mystification on Lila and Rhi's faces.

“I'm in town for the rest of the day with this protest,” Sam said. “But I'll walk you all to the station?”

They found a quiet side street away from the crush, taking a back route that Sam seemed to know. Polly tightened her fingers round Sam's, wanting to hold on to him, feeling sad that she was going already but unbelievably happy at the same time. Now they had found each other, they would see each other again.

“Text me your number?” said Sam as they reached the tube.

Polly messaged him, her fingers trembling a little on the keys. Part of her didn't want to take her eyes off him in case he vanished again, like a mirage in the desert. He sent a message straight back.

 

Go and put your tail up, mermaid.

I'll call you.

Sam x

 

Lila and Rhi took a polite interest in the tube posters as Sam stroked the back of Polly's head, his fingers sliding through her hair.

“Can we meet tomorrow?” he asked.

“I'd like that,” Polly said, smiling up at him.

And then he was kissing her again, lifting her off her feet and twirling her round.

“See you,” he grinned as he put her down again. He raised a hand at Lila and Rhi. “Nice to meet you guys.”

He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered away down the road. Polly watched him until he was out of sight, feeling happier than she had ever felt in her life.

FIFTEEN

True to his word, Sam called on Tuesday morning.

“How are the feet?”

“Good.” Polly grinned down the phone. “How are the seals?”

“In ever more need of our help,” Sam sighed. “We lost the debate. We made a good noise at the protest, though. And we're not defeated. We'll get the bill through in the end.”

“I really hope you do,” Polly said honestly.

“That's good to hear. Sometimes it feels like we're up against a brick wall.”

He sounded downhearted. Polly wanted to cheer him up.

“Well, you know what they say about bricks,” she said.

“What?”

“They're basically made of sand,” Polly explained, and felt rewarded by his laughter on the other end.

“So we're just up against a massive sandcastle?”

“Yes. All you need to do is keep stomping.”

“I like that,” he said. “You're wise for a mermaid, aren't you?”

Polly felt warm all over at the admiration in his voice. And when he suggested they meet at one of her favourite cafés on the Marine Parade in half an hour, she agreed at once.

Somehow her outfit came together really easily today. She chose a red and blue chevron-patterned dress, with her brogues and her new silver bird earrings. Grabbing her favourite old faux-leather jacket from the peg in the hall, she flew out into the blustery morning without a backwards glance at the mirror in her wardrobe.

How could she even
think
about moving to California with her dad now that Sam was back in her life?

No sooner had the thought crossed Polly's mind than she felt annoyed with herself. She had always laughed at girls who dropped everything for a boy. But it was hard to remember her plans for the future when all she could think about was Sam, and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and the way his lips felt on hers.

He was waiting for her at a corner table with a large mug of tea, a sky-blue shirt and a big smile. He got up at once, and kissed her in a way that made her head start spinning. Being in his arms felt so
right
.

“You look completely beautiful this morning,” he said when he released her. “I love what you do with your clothes.”

“Fish scales are easier,” she said, grinning. “They go with
everything
.”

The wind howled on the beach outside the fogged-up café window, but sitting snuggled on a padded bench with Sam's arm round her and a mug of hot peppermint tea, Polly didn't notice.

“Did you really go to my school to find me?” she asked shyly.

He put his hand on his heart. “I swear. And Facebook. And Twitter. And the phone book.”

Polly took a thoughtful sip of her peppermint tea. “What were the chances of bumping into each other in London like that, do you think?”

“About a million to one.” He took her hand and kissed her palm and Polly thought she might die of happiness.

They talked about the seals again, then moved on to the melting ice caps and the problems with shale gas fracking. Sam had strong opinions on all of it, and she loved that he cared so much.

“Humans are wrecking the world,” he said, shaking his head. “You know that Gandhi quote? ‘Be the change you want to see'? That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to be the change.”

Polly had never known a boy who she could talk to about really important issues the way she could talk to Sam. He was smart, and interested in her opinion, and his kisses made her melt. How could she take up her dad's offer of a life in California now she'd found him again? But was she mad to consider not moving, just for the sake of a boy? It went against everything she believed in. She felt hopelessly confused.

“You've gone very quiet,” Sam commented. “Is everything OK?”

Polly forced a smile. “Yes, sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was telling you about the fund-raising event at Heartwell Manor tomorrow evening,” he said. “You know, the smart hotel in the east of town?”

Polly did know it. She'd walked past its grand windows and elegant gardens a hundred times, but she'd never been inside.

“There will be a lot of influential people there, who might donate to our seal project,” Sam went on. “I have two tickets. Would you be my date?”

Polly felt consumed with delight. “I'd love to!”

He beamed. “I'll pick you up at seven-thirty tomorrow evening. Now let's go for a walk on the beach. I want to kiss you as close to the sea as I can.”

 

Polly couldn't wait to get started on her outfit for Heartwell Manor. It had to be something really special for tomorrow night.

She made a quick trip to her favourite charity shop in the Old Town on Tuesday afternoon. It specialized in vintage things that needed a little extra love to bring them back to life, and there was always something to catch Polly's eye.

She saw what she wanted immediately. A full-length dress in gold and black brocade, with a nipped-in waist and a neat bow at the back, from maybe the fifties or sixties. It was too long for her as usual, and the side zip was broken. She paid for it, went to another shop a few doors down for thread and a new zip, and hurried home.

The first thing to do was cut the dress down to size. Taking a deep breath – this was always the scariest part – Polly snipped the fabric away. Then she pinned and hemmed it to knee length. She gave it a quick press and tried it on for length, twirling carefully in front of the mirror, checking that nothing was too long or too short. Perfect.

She had chosen a bright blue zip, liking the contrast with the gold brocade. It was fiddly, but when she had finished, the dress slid on and fitted her to perfection.

Not bad
, she thought happily, studying her reflection. She would put a blue stripe in her hair to pick up on the bright blue zip, she decided, and add some extra blue ribbon on the bow at the back to bring everything together. With her high-heeled blue shoes and a small gold clutch, she would be Sam's perfect date for what promised to be a perfect evening.

 

Sam's eyes widened as Polly opened the door at seven-thirty on Wednesday evening.

“Wow,” he said, his eyes fixed on the gold and blue shimmer of her dress. “Where did you get your outfit? It's extraordinary.”

“I made it,” she said, pushing her new blue stripe of hair behind one ear. Suddenly feeling worried, she added: “Good extraordinary or bad extraordinary?”

“Very good extraordinary,” he said. He put his hands on her neat brocade waist and kissed her gently on her coral-coloured lips. “You will blow them all away.”

“You look great too,” Polly said, smiling up at him. “The tux is very James Bond.”

He tweaked his bow tie and his cuffs, and smoothed down the black satin on his lapels. “Only the best for you,” he said, smiling. “Ready to go?”

It was a twenty-minute walk across town to Heartwell Manor. Holding Sam's hand and snuggled inside her favourite faux-fur jacket, Polly hardly noticed. He was full of energy tonight, talking non-stop about the plans he had for the evening.

“Everyone who's anyone is going tonight. If I play this right, I could raise a lot of money for the seals.”

“Who's hosting it?” Polly asked as they walked.

“Mayor Somerstown.”

Polly almost stumbled on the kerb. “Mayor
Somerstown
?”

“Do you know him?” Sam said, looking at her.

Polly wanted to die. A glamorous party thrown by Eve's father? Eve would be there for sure. Maybe with Max. The thought made her feel a little ill.

“I know his daughter,” she said.

Sam brightened. “Excellent! Can you introduce me? Mayor Somerstown is an influential man around here. He could be just the kind of person to back our cause.”

Heartwell Manor glinted at them in the dark of the evening, strung about with lights and lit with flares down the drive. Big cars were swinging up to the front door, disgorging elegant men and women in gorgeous designer outfits. Polly tugged nervously at her dress, suddenly feeling completely inadequate. She'd never seen so many elegant people gathered in one place in her whole life.

“You'll be fine,” Sam said, noticing her nerves as they approached the front door. “You look a million dollars.” And he kissed her encouragingly on the cheek.

Sam seemed completely at ease. He probably went to events like this all the time, Polly thought. His private school clearly gave him an extra layer of confidence. Her own confidence was feeling a little thin.

The sounds of a string quartet floated in the candlelit hallway. People were talking and laughing, holding glasses of champagne everywhere Polly looked. The women's outfits were even more amazing close up.

“What on earth are you doing here, Polly?” said a familiar, drawling voice.

Eve was wearing a long column-style dress of dark blue satin with matching shoes. Her red hair fell sleekly on her shoulders, and small, clear gemstones winked in her ears. Polly knew without asking that they were real diamonds.

“Interesting outfit,” said Eve, smirking as she scanned Polly's dress. “Unique, you might say. But we can always rely on you for that.”

In her brightly coloured dress with its mismatched zip, Polly suddenly felt like a Christmas cracker. She nodded, wishing she had worn something else. Why did Eve always make her feel this way?

“She's with me,” said Sam. He held out his hand. “Sam Evans. How do you do?”

Eve shook hands, looking Sam up and down with her glittering grey eyes. “Eve Somerstown,” she said, smiling. “Goodness, he's lovely, isn't he,” she said to Polly, as if Sam wasn't there. “Wherever did you find him?”

Polly couldn't help remembering Eve's last words to her.
I'll get even. Don't think I won't.

“On the beach,” she blurted.

On the beach? She'd made Sam sound like a seashell.

“It's a wonderful party,” said Sam. He looked around the room. “Your father is a very generous man.”

“These things are never about the host's generosity,” said Eve, waving carelessly at the beautiful lighting, the waiters with their silver trays of canapés and the lilting sounds of the string quartet. “It's about the generosity of his guests. Don't you find?”

“I know how hard fundraising can be,” Sam agreed. “I'm trying to find sponsors for my coastal project, protecting the seals, actually. Perhaps you know some people I could talk to?”

“Absolutely,” said Eve. To Polly's horror, she slid a slim arm through the crook of Sam's elbow. “Come and meet my father. I'm sure he can introduce you to someone useful. You don't mind if I borrow him for a bit, do you, Polly.”

As usual with Eve, it wasn't a question. What could she say?
Yes, I do mind?

“I won't be long,” Sam promised as Eve pulled him away through the crowd, leaving Polly alone by a tray of champagne.

This is for Sam's cause
, Polly told herself, trying to smile and look as if she was OK standing there by herself.
I can't get in the way of that, even if it means he has to spend time with Eve.
She didn't like how Eve had looked at Sam as though he was something delicious to eat.

She took a glass of orange juice from a nearby tray and drank it. Then, after a short while walking around the grand rooms of the hotel trying to find Sam, she set down her glass on a window sill and headed into the garden.

It was dark and cool out here. Flares lit the corners of the garden, and several other people were strolling about in the darkness, arm in arm. Polly felt more alone than ever. She fiddled with her clutch, and tried not to panic about the zip on her dress, which suddenly felt loose. The music drifted through the trimmed hedges, light and elegant.

Her father's farm wouldn't be like this, she thought, trailing her fingers across the tops of the neatly trimmed privet hedges. It would be wild and natural, full of flowers and wildlife. She had a feeling any rabbits or squirrels that dared to appear in the Heartwell Manor gardens were immediately chased away by the army of gardeners. She closed her eyes, imagining the warmth of the California sun on her skin.

“Oh, sorry!”

She stopped, mortified. She had almost crashed into a couple embracing by the elegant stone fountain in the centre of the garden.

Then she realized who it was.