On the other hand, might it be better, if she truly was ready for a new relationship, to pick a man with no associations to the past, no demons lurking in the background to rise up and scupper her happiness? Her thinking went round and round in circles as she tried on and discarded items from her wardrobe.
One thing was for sure, she’d felt her hackles rise when Mandy was flirting openly with Harry. She would bet her life savings that her friend would be prowling around him this evening and Mandy would no doubt be dressed to kill too.
Abruptly, she changed her mind about what to wear and pulled the tie out of her hair, allowing her newly washed curls to bounce uncontrolled around her face.
Tom gawped open-mouthed, as she came down the stairs.
‘Whoa, Mum. You look hot.’
‘Thomas Golden, I’m not sure it’s entirely appropriate to say such things to your mother.’ Secretly, however, she was pleased at his spontaneous comment. She was even more delighted when she answered the door to Mandy’s ring and got a similar reaction.
‘Goodness me, where has this Ellie Golden been hiding? I’ve got competition tonight, girlfriend!’
Ellie didn’t dare say a word. She smoothed her pink mini-dress over her hips, hoped her perfume wasn’t too strong and her silver heels weren’t too high.
Harry sat on his newly acquired second-hand leather sofa and examined the picture yet again. The splash of colour was very welcome in the bland room. He had a strange suspicion it was a painting of himself. Ellie must have painted it after she had seen him running on the beach one morning, or was it arrogant to think that? He would never dare to ask her.
Whatever the inspiration, the picture looked perfect on the wall and it suited him to have a reminder of his morning runs, the only time he could truly be himself. It was also nice to have a bit of Ellie here. He wished circumstances were different and that she didn’t keep giving him those searching, suspicious looks. It was unnerving that she had questioned him about Cornwall.
The picture aroused strange feelings in him. In it, he was immortalised and somehow linked forever with Ellie, as she’d painted it. The thought of her choosing paints and moving her paintbrush to create an image of him was incredibly arousing. One, because she’d been inspired to paint him and two, because of how she’d depicted him: athletic, tall, muscled, at home on a run.
Part of him longed to hold her, to be part of a couple, to not feel so utterly, heart-wrenchingly alone in the world. It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to be attracted to a woman.
Stop it! You don’t need the complication. It would only end in tears.
He had a horrible feeling that if he went to the barbecue, Ellie’s friend Mandy would make a play for him. She seemed a nice person, rather too exuberant for his taste, but he didn’t relish the idea of having to fight off her advances, perhaps alienating her in the process. Perhaps he should give the event a miss completely. He could tell them he’d fallen ill, food poisoning seemed a realistic excuse.
After half an hour of trying to concentrate on the thriller he was reading, the idea of another night in front of mindless television held no appeal. Better to flirt with danger, perhaps …
Ellie, Mandy and Tom arrived at the beach to a party warming up nicely.
Two huge barbecues were set up on the paving at the edge of the sea wall and a steel drum band was in full swing below on the beach. Ellie and Mandy immediately kicked off their shoes and began dancing on the sand. Tom raised his eyes heavenward when Ellie asked him to join them and slumped against the sea wall looking sulky to be left in charge of handbags and shoes.
Ellie beckoned him over again, but he just crossed his arms and looked the other way. His hair was getting longer and his blond fringe blew across his eyes. It struck her again, how quickly he was growing up and how closely he resembled his father.
She looked up into the darkening sky to let the tears resulting from this thought settle in her eyes rather than roll down her face.
The two friends danced with abandon, until Ellie suddenly realised Harry had joined her son, sitting next to him with his back against the sea wall. Her heart lurched and she became self-conscious and uncoordinated. She could no longer pick out the beat in the music, was hardly aware of the music at all, despite how loud it was.
‘Let’s go get a drink, Mandy.’
Mandy stopped flailing her arms and noticed Harry too. ‘Oh yes, let’s get one for Tom and Harry too. They both look as if they need cheering up. It’s a party for goodness’ sake.’ She rearranged her dress to display more of her ample cleavage.
After her earlier resolution to flirt with Harry, Ellie had completely lost her bottle. She was nervous about going over to speak to him, especially as he was playing with her discarded shoes.
There was something far too intimate about the way he was tracing along the silver straps of her sandals with his fingers. She felt a corresponding tingle on her feet as Harry played, experiencing the sensations as if he were touching her bare skin. An ache took up residence in her body.
He looked up, saw her watching him and smiled. It was a warm, genuine smile.
Mandy had no such inhibitions about her advances to Harry. She marched straight over to him and held out a bottle of beer.
‘Good evening, Harry. Drink?’
‘Thank you for the thought, Mandy, but I don’t actually drink alcohol. I’ll go and get myself a lemonade.’
He got to his feet and, with another smile for Ellie, headed for the bar.
Mandy was left with the unwanted bottle held in mid-air, her expression initially surprised and then tight-lipped.
‘You can’t have beer yet, Tom. I’d better find someone else to give this to.’
Ellie could almost see Mandy’s man-tracking antennae extend from the top of her head as her friend walked into the crowd intent on finding someone who would like the beer and give her some attention.
Ellie was transported back to a similar scenario in her own history.
In the mists of time, it had seemed like a dream, although all too soon it had turned into a nightmare. The conversation leading up to the event that changed her life was so clear even after the passage of years.
‘You’ve been lusting after Ben Rivers for ages.’
Ellie had been surprised that her inner thoughts had been read so easily.
‘You imagine yourself in his arms?’
She’d nodded.
Norrie had turned his back on her and she heard him take a bottle of beer from the cool box at his feet. He messed around taking off the cap. It seemed to take forever, but then he turned back to her, holding out the bottle.
‘There you go, lovely Ellie, give this to Ben and stay close to him. If you kiss him, he won’t be able to resist you. Trust me and my magic potion beer.’
Norrie had winked and pinched her bottom as she turned to walk away, thinking he was teasing her.
‘You can give him a message for me too.’
She’d walked down onto the beach to find Ben, repeating the message to herself so she didn’t forget the exact words.
Harry was glad to be able to step away from Mandy. As he had suspected, she had that predatory look in her eye and had singled him out for attention, beginning with the present of the bottle of beer and a flash of her cleavage. He hoped he’d foiled her approaches for the time being by admitting he was teetotal.
Ellie looked amazing. Her long, slim legs were tanned and toned. The mini-dress showed her figure to its best advantage and her hair was something else. Brushed out, its curls allowed to bush out naturally, the effect was stunning. Unlike Mandy though, Ellie had yet to properly meet his eye, despite the fact he’d smiled at her several times. Was she playing hard to get or just not interested in him?
It would help if he could remember any connection with her in Cornwall. Another trawl of his memory banks couldn’t find a trace of her.
He debated whether to go home. The thing with Mandy would undoubtedly com
e to a head at some point, but, if he was honest with himself, there was only one woman here tonight who could ignite his interest and she was wearing a pink mini-dress.
He bought two bottles of lemonade and took one to Tom. The lad had been joined by a girl he recognised from the art competition, Louise Stevens. The pair were talking animatedly in the late sunshine about art, of all things. Tom had acquired a drink from somewhere, so Harry gave the bottle of lemonade to Louise. She looked awe-struck that the new headmaster would speak to her, let alone give her a drink. He had the impression she might take the empty lemonade bottle home as a souvenir.
Leaning against the wall, he watched the dancers. Music for the middle part of the evening was being provided by a DJ, with sound blasting out of huge speakers. Harry was surprised at how many people he already recognised on the beach. His deliberate networking was beginning to pay off. He began a game, seeing how many names he could remember. He’d got to seven acquaintances, when he felt a warm arm slip through his own. His breath stilled, as for one moment he let himself imagine it was Ellie, but a waft of sharp perfume confirmed that Mandy had returned.
Having slotted her arm through his, she squeezed.
‘Aren’t you going to ask me to dance, Mr Dixon?’ Her eyelashes flicked her face; they were longer than eyelashes were supposed to be, he guessed they were false and being deployed in a seduction routine that left him cold.
‘Like most men, I don’t really do dancing.’
‘That’s why you should drink alcohol to remove your inhibitions.’
The mention of alcohol had the same effect as tipping a bucket of cold water over him. He would have to be cruel to be kind. Pulling his arm from her vice-like grip, he put a foot of space between them.
‘Look, Mandy, we’re both adults. You’re a lovely girl, but if I tell you I’m not interested, will you take the hint?’
Mandy looked as if she too had been doused in cold water. Her face assumed a scowl.
‘Are you gay as well as anti-alcohol?’
He paused before answering, trying to assess how much Mandy had drunk.
‘I think my sexuality and my drinking habits are my business. I was only trying to save you from wasting your time. I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you, Mandy. I like you very much, but, please, please, just be a friend.’
She stared at him for a moment. The way she swayed made him think that maybe she had been drinking quite heavily. She shot him a disgusted look, twisted round on her heel and stalked away. He hoped she’d had enough to drink not to remember their encounter.
It was then Harry realised that Ellie was standing close by and had probably overheard everything. He shrugged his shoulders and Ellie smiled, meeting his eyes at last. Great, now the woman he found most interesting and attractive in Borteen believed he was more focused on the men at the party.
Harry was aware of how small towns and rejected women worked too. Before the start of the new school term, if he was unlucky, this juicy bit of gossip about the new headmaster’s personal life could be all around town.
Ellie moved closer. In contrast to Mandy’s perfume, Ellie’s flowery, powdery scent bridged the gap between them and made Harry inhale more deeply. He wanted to get closer to her.
‘Is there a particular reason why you don’t drink?’ she asked. He had the distinct impression they weren’t talking about his alcohol consumption. He was trapped in a halo of her enticing scent. The pink of her dress shaded more peach in the fading light and he had a great desire to reach out and put his hands on her slender waist.
‘No medical reason, if that’s what you mean. I had a bad experience in the past that I don’t want to repeat.’
‘Hmm, we all have those…’
‘I think mine might be a bit more extreme than most people’s … unfortunately.’
She looked curious and he was grateful she didn’t press him for any more detail.
They stood side by side in silence and watched Mandy honing in on an unsuspecting tourist who was dancing with his mates.
Ellie shrugged in her friend’s direction. ‘That’s Mandy for you, fickle I’m afraid, a bit like a cat where men are concerned. I love her though. She’s been a loyal friend to me. I don’t think she really knows what she’s looking for in a man and, unfortunately, she seems to put most of them off.’
She didn’t need to elaborate and he wasn’t surprised or upset that he could be replaced in Mandy’s affections so easily, more relieved.
Ellie was the picture of loveliness. Her hair brushed out was doing strange things to his senses. He wanted to bury his fingers in her curls. Shaking himself, he wondered where his preference for wild hair like Ellie’s had come from. Could that be the link to Ellie? Was it her hair that had excited his interest before? It was a memory buried on the edge of his consciousness and, similar to many recollections from the early part of his life, it refused to become clear.
The music changed. An old track, one he could hum along to and his mood transformed with it.
How did a situation between two people change so quickly?
One minute she was standing next to Harry feeling rather disappointed that he preferred male company to female, the next they were slow dancing on the sand and her senses were on fire.
A glance at Tom confirmed he was far too busy talking to Louise to notice what his mother was doing. Mandy, however, was another matter. She’d seen what was going on and, after standing staring at the couple for a moment, she flounced off in the direction of the bar.
Harry’s breath was warm on her neck, his hands held her waist gently but firmly. It felt normal, natural and so lovely that her bare toes curled in bliss. She tightened her arms around his neck and he inched closer. Her legs brushed up against the warmth of his and now their bodies were resting against each other. They seemed to fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw. His hand moved to cup the back of her head, drawing her closer. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been handled so tenderly, had been so close to a man with her animal instincts kicking in.
Would he kiss her? Her lips burned in anticipation and her heart skipped a beat. How had this happened? There had been no words, simply a mutual closing of the gap between them and a united humming of a well-known song. Right now, she wanted the track to go on forever.
She fervently hoped Harry hadn’t danced with her just to quell Mandy’s inevitable rumour-mongering, but surely, the dance only replaced one rumour with another. She nuzzled her chin a little closer into the warmth of his shoulder. Did she imagine his sigh? The heat from his body was chasing away the slight chill that had enveloped her since the sun had gone down.
The only lights were from the disco equipment and the street lamps above the sea wall. The tide was edging in slowly. It would eventually bring a natural end to the party and right now that thought sparked panic as she didn’t want Harry to let go of her. She could hear the swish of the waves on the sand. This clinch had to stop sooner or later, but then what?
Stop it, Ellie. Enjoy the moment.
The track finished and Harry pulled gently away. Ellie couldn’t breathe. She needed to see the expression on his face.
He smiled sheepishly as they pulled apart.
‘Thank you for the dance,’ he whispered.
Right, so it was just a dance.
Ellie’s spirits sank as the warmth of his body faded.
‘I’m going to call it a night. Goodnight, Ellie.’
He turned abruptly away and began to walk off across the sand into the growing gloom.
As her disappointment grew, Ellie’s hackles rose and before she could stop herself, she had followed him across the sand and opened her mouth.
Chapter Nine
‘Ben!’
Her voice rang out clear into the night air. She was shocked that she had spoken aloud the name that had become sacred to her over the years. The name that had been on her mind again most of the time, ever since she had met Harry.
He froze,
a silhouette framed against the sky and then he spun round to face her.
‘Are you talking to me, Ellie? Have you forgotten? My name’s Harry.’ There was grit in his tone.
She stopped about a yard from him, stood her ground and stared.
He locked his gaze with hers and stared back, but he was the first to look away.
Had that moment of intimacy during the dance really happened or had she dreamt it? Her stomach churned. She was surely destroying the beginnings of something that could be special.
Harry appeared to be about to walk off again and his movement inflamed her anger even more.
‘Ben!’
He visibly jumped.
Ellie was certain she hadn’t imagined it.
‘What do you want me to say? You’re mistaking me for someone else.’ His voice was full of exasperation.
‘No. I don’t think I am. Now I’ve danced with you, I’m even more sure.’ It wasn’t actually true, but she felt the need to try and goad him into an admission. This ghost needed to be laid to rest once and for all.
‘Look, Ellie. I’ve no idea who you believe me to be or how you feel you’ve known me before, but you have to stop this fantasy. I’d hoped we could be friends.’
The way he emphasised the word friends suggested he meant much more.
She’d started, so she might as well continue. It was like being on a slide with no way of stopping on the slippery surface. She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot.
‘You have a mole two inches below your belly button.’ Her voice was quiet, but determined.
His hand moved to protect the area she’d mentioned and his shocked eyes widened. To Ellie, it was as if she had shot a gun at him, with the mole as her target.
‘Now you’re freaking me out. This is getting far too personal.’
‘Well, you have, haven’t you? You’ve a mole exactly where I said.’
‘That’s not really any of your business.’
She acted as if he hadn’t spoken.
The Girl on the Beach Page 6