Water Lily in July (3 page)

She rolled her eyes. “We have a TV, but two hundred years ago when the lighthouse was built, they could only read in their spare time.”

He nodded. “Have you tried Rosa's apple pie?”

She shook her head.

“Then let me treat you.” Rob picked up the empty plates and carried them over to the bar. “Give my compliments to Rosa, Frank. That was excellent, as always.”

“Glad you enjoyed it. Can I get you anything else?”

“Two slices of apple pie and custard. And two coffees, please.” He handed over the money to pay. “At least I assume she drinks coffee. I didn't ask.”

Frank nodded. “Aye, she does.” He headed out back and came back with the bowls. “Here. I'll bring the coffee over.”

“Thanks.” Rob carried the bowls over and sat down. “Apple pie and custard. Coffee is coming.”

“Thank you.”

He picked up his spoon and pointed to his dish. “I dream about this when I'm out at sea.” He took a big bite and chewed slowly, enjoying every taste sensation blasting over his tongue.

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied with his mouth full. He swallowed and grinned. “Long nights, no food, all at sea, alone.”

“While visions of apple pies dance in your head,” she finished.

He laughed. “Exactly. What are your plans for tomorrow?”

Kaylie broke off a piece of the pie. “Church, first thing. I need to do something to the pond. The others don't touch it, and the water lilies have all died.”

“They killed the water lilies?”

“Yeah. I have no idea how they managed that. I always thought they were indestructible.”

“I guess they just don't have green fingers.” He scraped the bowl, not wanting to miss any of the custard.

“Nope. So that's tomorrow, and then Monday I need to food shop because, as always, the cupboards are bare.”

“Have to change your name from Rapunzel to Old Mother Hubbard,” he joked.

She scrunched up her nose playfully. “Less of the old.”

Frank arrived with the coffee and took away the empty bowls.

“Which church are you going to?” Rob asked.

“I go to Danky Street Chapel.”

“The one with the bells?”

She nodded. “You know it?”

“I know of it.” He sipped his coffee. That was something else he missed. Real coffee, not the instant stuff he had to drink at sea. “I've never been.”

Disappointment flickered in her eyes. “Oh.”

“I go to church,” he said, not wanting to disappoint her. “Mum attends St. Giles, so I've always gone there. I don't feel at home, but it's a church. And I guess it doesn't matter where we go so long as we worship God somewhere.”

“You could always come with me. We meet at half ten and again at half six.”

“Is that an invitation?” he asked. His heart thudded against his chest at the thought of going out with her, even if it was just to church.

Kaylie hesitated, hiding a yawn behind her hand. “Yeah, it is. Sorry, it's been a really long day, and I had the two to six nightshift, which is always a killer.”

“Did you drive here?” he asked, realizing how tired she looked.

“No.”

He gulped down his coffee. “Then let me drive you home. It's the least I can do.”

“Thank you.”

Rob led her out to the car and followed her directions to the keepers' cottage. “Sleep well,” he said as he pulled over.

“Oh, I will. There's no doubt about that. ‘Night.”

“'Night.” He waited until she had gone inside and closed the door before he drove off. He wanted to get to know her more. Having already tumbled in love with her voice, he wanted the chance to fall in love with the rest of her. Time to get to know the real her before she went back to the lighthouse.

He had four weeks. That was plenty of time in between fishing trips.

3

Kaylie picked up her bag as the church service ended. She was trying not to let her disappointment over the fact Rob didn't show up cloud the usual end-of-service high. And failing abysmally. She sat for a moment wondering what to do. She had no idea how to find him again and was reluctant to go to the bar and ask. That would make her look desperate. And that was one thing she wasn't.

She'd gone down the whole relationship route and it had taken her years to get to where she was now. Three years, to be precise. And as reluctant as she was to open up the possibility of that kind of loss again, there was something about Rob and his voice and…

She raked her fingers through her hair. Her head would just have to rule her heart from now on. Rising, she headed down the aisle and into the bright hot July sunshine.

The rich, deep voice she'd been thinking about suddenly spoke from behind her and a hand touched her arm. “Walk right past me, why don't you?”

She spun around, her heart jumping for joy. “Hi. Sorry, I didn't see you. I was miles away.”

Rob grinned. “I noticed. And hi to you, too. Sorry I didn't make it. Mum wanted a lift to St. Giles, so I figured as I was already there, I may as well stay.”

“You don't need to explain.”

“Would you…?” He shuffled his feet.

If she didn't know better she'd say he almost looked embarrassed or shy.

“Would I what?”

He looked at her. “Would you like to spend the day with me? Nothing special or fancy. Ummm, I thought we could go to the front. Get some chips and go on the pier, sit on the beach, have a cream tea somewhere, then come back here for your six thirty service.” He paused. “You don't have to.”

She smiled. “That sounds like a perfect day. I'd like that very much.”

Kaylie swallowed. Could he hear her heart pounding? Just the sound of his voice sent her pulse racing, and being in his presence was almost overwhelming. Despite her intentions to keep things on an even, relationship-free keel, it wasn't working.

“Then shall we?” His smile lit his eyes.

“I have the car,” she said.

“So do I…oh.”

“Follow me to mine, and I'll leave the car on the drive,” she suggested.

Ten minutes later, and having changed out of her church dress into a strappy sleeveless top and shorts, she settled into the passenger seat of his car.

He pulled away from the curb. “So do you all have a car each?”

She shook her head. “The company owns the car, and we're all insured to drive it. As there is only one of us around at any given time, it isn't a problem only having the one. Which is probably a good thing as the parking around here is dreadful. Crispin is the only one who owns a car, and his wife drives that whilst he's on duty.”

Rob drove to the pier and parked on the sea front. “I haven't been here for ages. Last time was when Tori came to visit when she was pregnant with Oliver and he is six now.” He locked the car and took hold of her hand.

Kaylie gasped as an almost electrical spark shot from his hand to hers.

Rob stopped and looked at her. “Whoa…”

“Did you feel that too?” she whispered.

His eyes widened as he nodded. “Yeah.”

She didn't move, just stood there, lost in his gaze for several long moments. Then she swallowed. “OK, so where are we going first?”

“Chips,” he said as his stomach rumbled. “In a cone with a wooden fork.” He led her to the kiosk on the prom.

“And ketchup and vinegar,” she added.

“And salt.”

A shaft of disappointment filled her as Rob let go of her hand to order and pay. Why were her emotions doing this to her? OK, they weren't total strangers, but they'd only met in person last night, despite having talked almost every day for the last several weeks.

She glanced out over the deep blue sea. Sunlight sparkled on the water; waves broke gently on the shore as children screamed and called to each other. Lifeguards sat in their towers keeping watch on the bathers, whilst scantily clad men, women and children played Frisbee, cricket, built sandcastles, or lay on towels soaking up the rays.

Far out on the horizon she could just about make out the lighthouse.

“Here.” Rob pressed a cone of fried potatoes into her hand.

She took a deep breath. “Mmmm, can't beat the smell of chips.”

They walked along the prom, eating in silence.

The heat of the potatoes along with the tartness of the salt and vinegar lined her mouth as the smell filled her nostrils. There was so much more to eating them than anyone would expect. But that probably went for everything.

Did relationships work like that? She'd been able to touch Phil, see him, hear him, smell his shampoo and aftershave…but that was only four senses. What was the fifth? She paused. Taste, of course.

Rob glanced at her. “You look deep in thought.”

“I was thinking about the chips.” She stabbed her fork into one and held it up. “I can see it, taste it, smell it and feel it. I can't hear it, obviously, but that kind of covers all five senses, doesn't it?”

He nodded. “Actually, when we cook, we
can
hear it. Water or fat bubbling, pans hissing and so on.” He tossed his empty chip cone in the bin. “It's a bit like you, really.”

She grinned as she ate her last chip and threw away the rubbish. “I was thinking that too.”

Rob took her hand. “I can see you, touch you, hear you, and smell your perfume.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “Taste you…and right now, you taste like chips.”

Kaylie laughed, and began walking with him, down towards the sand. She toed off her shoes and bent to retrieve them with her free hand. The sand was hot beneath her feet, almost too hot, but she wouldn't put her shoes back on. Sand was made for bare feet.

They walked to the water's edge, and Kaylie moved forwards, letting the waves lap over her toes. She jumped back almost in shock. “It's cold.”

Rob laughed. “I bet it would be compared to the heat of the sand.” He bent and removed his shoes and socks, then rolled his trousers up to his knees.

Kaylie stood tentatively just in reach of the waves. “I can remember Dad doing that on holidays when we were kids. I never saw him in a swimsuit, no matter how hot it was. Or without a shirt on.”

“What did he do?”

“Office job, nine to five, Monday to Friday.” She rolled her shoulders in the sun. “Sure is hot today.”

“It is.” He glanced down the beach. “Oh, look. Punch and Judy. I haven't seen that since I was a kid.”

“It's probably not the same. You'd never get away with that level of violence and wife beating today.”

He grinned. “Let's go check it out.” He tugged her over and paid for them.

She settled back into a deck chair. Actually, the show hadn't changed over the years. Punch still got rid of the entire cast with his swizzle stick, but it was still the same slapstick comedy it always had been. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun or laughed so much.

After the show, they went onto the pier and spent almost two hours working their way through the slot machines and penny arcade games. Kaylie spent a fortune trying to win a stuffed animal from the claw machine and finally gave up.

Rob did it once and won a fish. He gave it to Kaylie. “He looks like you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then I shall call him Robby,” she said, trying not to laugh.

“Why?”

“Because he's a fish and you're a fisher-man.”

He groaned. “That is terrible.” He led her back down onto the beach. Taking off his shirt he tied it around his waist.

Kaylie tried not to ogle him, but his tanned six-pack and toned muscles made it kind of hard not to do so. He may not be what most women would call a looker, but he was kind, humorous, and as charming in real life as he was on the radio. If not more so.

He took her hand and led her to the water's edge and into the waves. “There's your lighthouse in the distance. What would you be doing about now?”

“Depending on the shift pattern, I'd either be cooking the evening meal, doing nothing, or manning the radio. You?”

“Getting ready to go out on a night trawl.”

“Do you do that a lot?”

“It depends.” He looked out over the sea. “Depends on the weather, the tides, and what the fish are doing. Sometimes it's a week-long trip. Sometimes I'm just out during the day.”

“It must get lonely.”

He winked. “Why do you think I keep radioing you?”

Kaylie looked at him, and then back out towards the lighthouse. “I thought maybe because you…” Her voice tailed off as her tummy lurched, and her cheeks heated in response to him stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

“Because what?” he asked curiously.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, changing the subject.

Rob frowned, confusion running through his eyes. “A little, but…”

“Then let me cook you dinner.”

“O…K…but only after you tell me ‘because what.'”

She sighed. “The blokes tease me because you only call when I'm on radio duty, or you ask to speak to me. I thought perhaps…” Her cheeks flamed hot.

His eyes twinkled. He wouldn't make this easy on her, would he? “Thought?” He paused then continued. “You thought perhaps it was because I like you.”

She nodded, not daring to meet his gaze, but did because she didn't want him to think badly of her. Well, no worse than he already did after that performance.

“I like your voice.”

“Funny. I like yours too,” she replied.

He smiled. “Well, that's a good place to start.” He squeezed her hand. “Can I take a raincheck on you cooking and treat you to pizza instead? That way we can make your evening service as it's now almost five fifteen.”

She looked at him then glanced at her watch. Where had the afternoon gone? “Pizza sounds good.” But honestly, so long as she spent more time in his company, she didn't care what they did or where they ate.