by Holly Martin
‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry,’ Melody said, quickly running round to help him.
‘It’s fine,’ Jamie said, grabbing the empty plate and somehow scooping the toast and most of the beans back onto the plate in one swoop. She started picking up the stray beans from his crotch. ‘Oh I see, you did this just because you wanted to have a grope of me too,’ he teased.
Melody smiled. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve ruined your dinner.’
Jamie cut a bit of toast off on his plate, scooped some beans onto it and popped it in his mouth.
‘If the five-second rule applies to food that’s fallen on the floor, it sure as hell needs to apply when it’s fallen on your clothes too.’
‘Are you OK? You’re not burnt? Maybe you should take your jeans off.’
‘Oh, that’s your game,’ Jamie said, continuing to eat his toast. ‘It’s fine. I’m sure everything is still working down there.’
She sat down tentatively so she could eat as well and she watched him eat, hungrily. He wasn’t bothered at all and her heart swelled with love for him because of it. All their dates had been a total disaster so far and he didn’t seem to care.
He caught her looking at him. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Just thinking you must have the patience of a saint to put up with all this crap.’
He swallowed his mouthful of food. ‘What crap? I love spending time with you. So what if things don’t go exactly to plan? Life isn’t like that, perfect with no mistakes, why should love be like that too?’
Melody thought about this for a moment. In the books she read, love always seemed perfect, sweeping the heroine and the reader off their feet, but Jamie was right, real life wasn’t like that. Real life was beans on toast at midnight with your favourite person in the world.
She reached out and took his hand. ‘I really bloody like you, Jamie Jackson.’
He grinned. ‘I should hope so. I wouldn’t eat dirty beans on toast for anyone.’
‘You said it was fine,’ Melody laughed.
He laughed too. ‘It is, a bit gritty and fluffy, but that’s extra protein, right?’
She laughed, shaking her head.
‘It’s perfect, I promise. Because I get to share them with you.’
Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe it was time to redefine her perfect. He was right, being together was the only thing that mattered.
14
Melody looked out on the sea as she stood in the shallows. It was calm today, barely a ripple on the surface. The perfect day for teaching Elliot how to paddleboard. She had taken him out a few times before, sitting on her paddleboard while she did all the paddling so he had some idea about how the paddleboard felt on the water and that when it wobbled it wasn’t the scariest thing in the world. Today he was going to try it for himself.
She looked around as he stood next to her, ankle-deep in the water as he fastened the clips on his lifejacket.
‘You ready?’ Melody asked, kneeling down to check his lifejacket.
Elliot nodded keenly.
Melody pushed his child-sized board out a little bit deeper so he would be up to his knees in the water when he got on. Elliot followed her.
‘OK, hands either side of the board.’ Melody indicated where he should put them. She held the paddle for him; he would learn how to get on while holding a paddle at a later stage.
Elliot did as he was told.
‘Now place your knee here, that’s it,’ Melody said. ‘Now lean on your hands slightly and bring your other knee up next to the first one.’
She held the board steady for him as he got himself comfortable in a kneeling position.
‘OK, kneel up and we’re going to paddle for a little while on your knees. Hold your paddle like I showed you before. Dip the paddle straight into the water towards the front of the board and then pull it back towards you.’
‘Hey Elliot, you look good,’ she heard Jamie call from the beach. She glanced round and smiled at him, one hand still on the back of the paddleboard as if teaching Elliot to ride a bike. Jamie was wearing only shorts and her grip nearly slipped as she enjoyed the sight of his tanned, muscular body in all its glory.
‘Hi, Jamie.’ Elliot waved madly with the paddle and the board rocked precariously. Melody tightened her grip on the back, to stop it tipping over. ‘Look at me, I’m a paddleboarder.’
‘You certainly are,’ Jamie said.
To Melody’s surprise, he waded out to join them.
‘Want a hand?’ he asked quietly.
‘If you’ve got the time, an extra pair of hands wouldn’t hurt. Some of us need to learn that poise and balance is the key.’
Jamie smiled. ‘I’ve always got time for you.’
Her heart filled with love for him. She had mentioned the night before that she was looking after Elliot for a few hours the next day and that Elliot had asked if she could teach him how to paddleboard. She had also told Jamie that she was a little nervous about letting Elliot do it on his own for the first time, so she loved that Jamie had turned up here to support her.
‘Well, I’ll follow your lead,’ Jamie said. ‘You’re the expert.’
She’d had several lessons when she first moved down here and she had been out on her own many times, but she wouldn’t call herself the expert.
Jamie moved to one side and she moved round to the other.
She turned back to Elliot. ‘OK, put your paddle back in the water. No, the paddle is backwards, turn it round the other way. That’s it. Push down and pull backwards, gently, you don’t need to do it hard.’ She glanced over at Jamie as he stood opposite her and saw he was smiling at her. ‘Try to remain straight, you don’t need to lean into the paddle too much, it’s about finding your balance. OK, now swap sides with your paddle. Well done Elliot, you’re doing great.’
They moved up and down the shore for a while, still staying where she and Jamie could stand easily. After the first few shaky minutes, Elliot seemed to get into his stride. He was good at following instructions and Jamie kept giving him gentle words of encouragement.
‘Shall we try standing up?’ Melody said, gently.
‘Yes, I bet I will be brilliant at that,’ Elliot said, and Melody smirked at his confidence. This was a kid who had been raised to believe he could do anything.
‘So hand Jamie your paddle and lean forward and put your hands at the sides of the board.’
Elliot did as he was told.
‘Now bring each foot to where your knees are on the board so you are squatting and slowly stand up.’
She held the board steady as Elliot followed all those instructions at top speed. There was no worry in his mind that he might fall. He clearly trusted in his own abilities, completely.
Jamie passed him his paddle and Elliot went straight into paddling without any hesitation. Melody smiled. Children were completely fearless. They would climb trees and play in the sea and run through woods without any fear of falling or getting hurt. She wondered when those fears started to creep in, when getting hurt physically and emotionally was a worry with almost any activity, from paddleboarding to being in a relationship. Maybe this carefree, confident attitude towards the world was something to be adopted herself.
‘Straighten up a bit,’ Melody said.
She decided to release the board and see how well he could do on his own. For a few moments, Elliot glided across the water perfectly, holding a textbook stance. He really could do it.
‘Look, there’s Marigold,’ Elliot said, suddenly waving vigorously.
The board toppled in the water and, though Melody reached out to grab it, Elliot fell sideways and landed straight into Jamie’s arms.
Elliot laughed, completely unfazed by his fall, wiggled down from Jamie’s grasp and splashed ashore, then ran up the beach to greet Marigold and Emily. Melody noticed Isla was with them, obviously having returned from her shopping trip.
‘You’re so good with him,’ Jamie said, steadying the board between them.
&n
bsp; ‘Thanks. He has no fear, does he?’
‘That’s because he trusts in you.’
She didn’t think that was entirely true, but it was a nice idea. She looked up the beach and saw Elliot was chasing Marigold around with a water pistol Isla had just given him. Marigold and Emily had one each too.
‘I’m not sure if our lesson has finished or not. That looks much more fun.’
Jamie laughed. ‘Well, why don’t I go and get some ice creams for all of us and we’ll see if he wants to continue after?’
She nodded, and he helped her pull the board ashore, even though it was very light, before walking off to the little ice cream shack. She waved at Emily, who was definitely not going easy on the children in their water fight, much to their delight.
Melody took off her lifejacket, which she’d only worn to set a good example to Elliot, and sat down on the sand. Isla left Elliot to play with Marigold and Emily and came and sat down with her.
‘How was he, did he listen to instructions?’ Isla said.
‘He was very good at listening. He has so much confidence in his abilities. There is no slow and steady approach when it comes to Elliot,’ Melody said.
Isla laughed. ‘No, slow is not in his vocabulary.’
‘Did you get everything you needed at the shops?’ Melody asked. She knew if you wanted to go clothes shopping it involved a trip to the next town. Sandcastle Bay was too small to have any decent clothes shops.
‘Yes. Thank you for having him. I would have taken him with me but it’s much more fun for him if he can stay here. He loves spending time with you. And now Tori and Aidan are throwing this impromptu barbeque this afternoon, there was even less time for me to go shopping, so I needed to get round the shops quickly, not stop and look in toy or sweet shops.’
‘It was my pleasure. I love being with him too.’
Isla looked over to where Jamie was queueing. ‘It’s nice of him to come and help. How are things going with the two of you?’
Melody couldn’t help but smile. ‘Really good.’
She looked out over the waves.
‘But?’ Isla said, insightfully.
Melody looked at her. ‘There’s no but.’
‘Melody, I know you better than I know the back of my hand. I know when there’s a but.’
Melody sighed. ‘I’m scared I’m going to push him away.’
‘Why on earth would you think that?’ Isla said in surprise.
‘Because I’m a disaster zone. I’m clumsy, accident-prone, I spill things. I keep thinking he’ll tire of it at some point.’
‘Jamie knows you really well; he’s known you for a long time. This is not brand-new information for him. If he was really that bothered by stuff like that, he wouldn’t be going out with you in the first place.’
‘But before he got to witness it occasionally, now he bears the full force of it every day.’
‘He doesn’t care about stuff like that. He’s so laid-back, he’s practically horizontal. What kind of asshole would he be if he dumped you because you’re too clumsy.’
Melody opened her mouth to say her last boyfriend was that kind of asshole, but Isla got there first.
‘I know Kevin did exactly that, but he was an utter twonk.’
‘Twonk?’
‘I’m working on not saying swearwords around Elliot.’
‘Twonk works,’ Melody said, looking at Elliot who was way too far away to hear them. ‘Cockwomble is better.’
Isla nodded her agreement. ‘The point being, Jamie is a million miles away from assclown Kevin. Jamie is not going anywhere, he adores you.’
‘I just wonder if Jamie knew what he was letting himself in for.’
‘Don’t say that like he is dragging the bottom of the barrel going out with you. He knew exactly what he was getting when he went out with you. Someone who is wonderful, funny, kind and he’s very lucky to have you.’
‘Oh, I wasn’t putting myself down. I just meant the clumsiness is a lot to take. Even Mum’s patience wore thin with it eventually.’
‘Is that what this is really about? You know her negativity and anger had nothing to do with you and everything to do with her.’
‘I know,’ Melody said, sadly.
‘Don’t put those fears on him.’
Melody looked over at him as he got to the front of the queue. ‘Do you think he really knows me?’
‘I bet he sees more than you see yourself. Did you tell him what flavour you wanted?’
Melody shook her head
‘Let’s see if he passes the ice cream test,’ Isla said.
‘Because that’s conclusive proof?’ Melody said.
‘Do you think Shithead Kevin would know your favourite ice cream flavour? You guys were together for three months.’
‘No, he wouldn’t.’
Jamie came over with a tray loaded with different ice cream flavours.
‘I didn’t know what everyone wanted so I took a lucky guess with chocolate for the kids, and then I got a selection, coconut, honeycomb, pistachio, oh and rocky road for you Melody.’
Her heart leapt into her mouth and, as he sat down and placed the tray carefully in the sand, she leaned over and kissed him, ignoring the smug smirk on Isla’s face.
Jamie pulled back slightly and smiled against her lips. ‘What was that for?’
Because I love you, Melody thought. ‘Because I really love rocky road.’
He grinned. ‘You’re easily pleased, Melody Rosewood.’
She picked up the rocky road and the pistachio, as she knew that was Jamie’s favourite. She passed him his and leaned her head against his shoulder as she started eating her own.
Maybe Isla was right. Maybe they would be OK.
A drip from her rocky road landed on his chest but before she could apologise, Jamie immediately scooped it off with his finger and sucked it into his mouth.
She looked up at him and smiled.
I really bloody love you.
15
The barbeque was in full swing, Aidan was busy flipping burgers and Tori was going round making sure everyone had a drink. Everyone else was sitting back on their sun loungers, enjoying the warm weather and chatting to each other.
It was a very small family affair, Melody noted, just the Jackson brothers, Isla, Emily and her husband Stanley, Agatha and the two children. Melody suspected they were gathered there to hear Tori and Aidan’s big surprise news and, by the way that Agatha was fidgeting impatiently in her seat, Agatha obviously thought the same – although she didn’t know about the proposal so Tori and Aidan still had some surprises up their sleeve. Agatha had tried to corner Tori on several occasions to cut to the chase, but Tori had managed to sidestep her with hostess duties.
‘Stop fidgeting,’ Melody said to Agatha.
Agatha let out a sigh of exasperation. ‘Do you know?’
‘What?’
‘You know perfectly well what. Is she pregnant?’
‘I have no idea,’ Melody lied. ‘I’ve not really spoken to her.’
‘Why else would we be having this barbeque?’
‘Because the sun is shining and it’s nice to get us all together for a change. We’re all so busy that we don’t get the chance to catch up together very often,’ Melody said, innocently.
Agatha rolled her eyes.
Jamie came and sat back down next to Melody, which she was thankful for. He passed her a burger and she quickly took a bite before Agatha could ask her any more questions.
‘How are you two getting on?’ Agatha asked, and then carried on as if Jamie wasn’t there. ‘Have you looked at that book I gave you yet?’
Melody choked on her burger. Crap, she really didn’t want to have this discussion in front of Jamie.
‘What book?’ Jamie asked.
Melody quickly swallowed.
‘The Kama Sutra,’ Agatha said, simply.
Jamie stared at her and then burst out laughing. ‘I think we’ll be fine at that sid
e of things.’
‘I think we all could do with a little bit of inspiration now and again,’ Agatha said. ‘Spice things up a little.’
‘What’s a Kama Supra?’ Elliot asked as he stood nearby, working his way through an entire box of raspberries.
Agatha had the grace to blush. ‘It’s a book about… birds and, um… bees.’
‘No it isn’t,’ Marigold said. ‘I saw Agatha give it to Melody on the beach and it had a man and a woman on the front and they were kissing and cuddling and they didn’t have many clothes on. There were no bees or birds on the cover.’
Elliot giggled. ‘Is it a book about kissing and cuddling?’
‘Sort of,’ Agatha said.
‘What are you teaching my godson?’ Leo came and sat next to Jamie and stole a crisp off his plate.
‘About the Kama Supra,’ Elliot said, simply.
Leo arched an eyebrow and Melody couldn’t help giggling over how this conversation was going.
‘I think Mummy and Daddy have been reading the Kama Supra,’ Marigold said. ‘I saw them in their bed yesterday. Daddy was on top of Mummy just like on the cover of the book and he was kissing her and moving around. Mummy kept saying to him, “Harder,” and Daddy said he didn’t want to hurt the baby.’
There was silence for a few moments.
Jamie cleared his throat. ‘Well, that was information I really didn’t need to hear,’ he said, quietly. ‘What is it with my family and their oversharing?’
Melody laughed as she remembered the night before.
Emily came and sat down with her plate of food, completely none the wiser that her daughter had just been discussing Emily’s sex life.
‘What did I miss?’ Emily said, ironically biting into a sausage.
‘You don’t want to know,’ Leo said. ‘But maybe you should invest in a lock on the bedroom door.’
Emily paused with the sausage halfway to her mouth and then her cheeks flooded with colour as she looked at Marigold.
Marigold shrugged. ‘Come on Elliot, let’s go and see the dogs.’