As she smiled at him, a red and blue beach ball hit her on the back of the head before bouncing along the roadway between the cottages and the boardwalk. A child cried out, and Alessandro withdrew his hand from Sacha’s and ran after the ball, retrieving it for the little boy.
He brought it back to the railings above where Sacha was standing and, waving at the child, threw it down to him before re-joining Sacha. “Your head, it is okay?”
“My head’s fine, but I’m not so sure about my pride,” she laughed. “Right, where’s this symbol we’re supposed to be looking for?”
They walked down several more steps, studying the ends of the boards underneath the railings.
“I do not know what I must find,” Alessandro said, running a ringer along the wooden edges.
Neither was she. Sacha was about to give up when she spotted it.
“There, look.” She stared at the symbol. The circle with a horizontal crescent moon underneath reminded her of something, but she couldn’t recall what it was. “I’m not sure if it’s an odd shape on purpose, or if it’s because the person who did it found it difficult to keep their hand steady, carving into the wood.”
“It could be someone making a joke, no?”
The notion soothed Sacha. “Yes, you’re probably right. Come on, let’s get our feet onto the sand.”
They took off their shoes and ran onto the beach.
“Is still hot.” He reached the water’s edge and stepped forward to stand ankle deep in the sea. “Jersey has very good weather, like Italy.”
She stopped at the water’s edge and looked out at the small waves, the bright evening sunshine catching the tip of each one, making them appear silver. “Not all the time, but I can think of no place I’d rather be than right here when the weather is this perfect.”
Chapter Five
When Sacha woke the next morning, she didn’t need to check the weather to know that it was going to be another hot day. She closed her eyes, just as a text pinged onto her mobile. She rubbed her eyes, and awake enough to read it, picked up her phone to see who it was from.
It was Bella. Get your butt out here now!
Amused by her friend’s urgency, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a bikini top and hurried out to meet her.
Bella was waiting, and seeing Sacha, put her finger to her lips, indicating that Sacha shouldn’t speak. She waved her over to where she was standing, next to the railings over-looking the beach.
“Sorry,” she whispered, “but I couldn’t risk you missing this.”
Sacha followed Bella’s line of vision and spotted Alessandro swimming in the sea.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be looking at?”
Bella grabbed her arm and pointed at him. “Him, obviously.”
“He’s swimming. Is there anything wrong with that, or unusual, maybe?”
Bella grinned. “Just wait. Watch him. He’ll soon get out again and then you’ll see what I want you to see.”
Sacha tilted her head towards her friend and kept her voice low and her eyes on Alessandro. “If we were two older men, you’d say we were a couple of old pervs.”
“True, but we’re not. Now, shut the hell up and wait.”
Sacha gazed around her. Thankfully, the few other people out on the beach this early were mostly locals having their morning swim, or walking their dogs on the beach before work. None of them were interested in them and what they were doing.
She was about to go back into the café for her morning shower when Alessandro emerged from the water’.
“Oh, I see what you mean,” Sacha said, her voice raspy.
As he stood, the water ran in rivulets from his muscular shoulders, down his pecs and past his pillar-box-red swimming shorts. The two friends stared in transfixed silence as he raked his fingers through his wet, wavy hair, and shook his head to get rid of the excess sea water.
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Bella breathed. “Like something out of a movie.”
He was perfect, Sacha mused.
“You’re thinking about licking that water off his stomach, aren’t you?” Bella teased.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” Sacha knew she was staring like someone obsessed, but didn’t care.
“You are though, aren’t you?”
She sighed. “Oh, yes.”
A lady threw a tennis ball past Alessandro for her dog, but the ball fell in the sea and the small Jack Russell refused to go in and fetch it, despite the woman calling for him to do so.
Alessandro turned and strode back into the water after the ball.
“Look at that peachy bum,” Sacha said.
“Told you he was something else, didn’t I?”
He picked up the ball and threw it along the beach. The little dog raced after it, barking noisily.
Alessandro walked up the beach in their direction. Reaching the granite steps, he spotted them watching him. “Ah, good morning, lovely ladies. You are not going for a swim this morning?”
They shook their heads. “Not today,” Sacha said, trying to pretend she hadn’t been staring. “We were just having our morning natter.”
“Natter?” he frowned and ran up to join them.
Sacha opened her mouth to explain, when Alessandro bent forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. Sea water dripped onto her face and he moved back.
“Sorry, I forgot to bring a towel with me.”
Bella gave Sacha a sideways glance and grinned.
“If you wait there I can throw one down to you,” she said.
He shook his head. “No, it is okay. I do not wish to disturb you. I will walk to the cottage, it is very close.”
They watched as he walked away, his wet shorts clinging to his firm bottom.
“He is proper sexy,” Bella said. “Shame he’s only got eyes for you.”
Sacha watched him go. “If only,” she said, wondering if there ever could really be something long-term between them.
“That man is so damn hot,” Bella said. “He should come with a warning sign strapped to his head.”
“Or his bum.” Sacha crossed her arms. “What the hell is wrong with me this morning? We had a lovely evening with Alessandro. I like him, but he’s been through a lot, and I’m not sure if he’s as ready as I am to move things forward between us.”
“I’m so happy,” Bella smiled.
“Why? What did I say?”
“You sound like you’re finally ready to move on from Giles and give love a second chance. Go, you.”
Sacha mulled over Bella’s words. It had been far too long. She had a lot to lose, after spending the past two years working on her business and her self-esteem. She needed to know Alessandro a little better before really letting down the barriers she’d built up.
“I need to go and have a shower,” she said, crossing over to her front door.
“I think you’d better make it an extra cold one,” Bella shouted before waving and walking away.
Sacha’s red Fiat 500 rounded the brow of Gorey Hill, and Alessandro pointed when he saw Mont Orgueil Castle rising magnificently from the rocks ahead.
“Game of Thrones?” he said smiling. “It is magical.”
“It is pretty splendid,” she agreed. “We can go in there and have a look around if you like. But it’s probably better for another day, when the weather isn’t so good. I thought today I’d take you to see Le Dolmen du Couperon. I’ll take you the long way so we can drive along the coast, past the castle and Archirondel beach. There’s a Napoleon tower at Archirondel, it’s painted with a large red stripe and has beautiful views of the sea. What do you think?”
He looked impressed at her knowledge and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, this sounds perfect. Very different from a busy city, no?”
Happy to have come up with an idea that suited him, as well as managing to fit in places where he could hopefully take photos for his family back home, Sacha relaxed. She drove, explaining along the way, as they passed places with a history
that she could relate to him.
He asked her about the café and how long she’d worked there. She explained that it was initially her father’s business, but that he was slowing down now and not wanting to look after so many small outlets, so she’d been delighted to take over the running of the place.
“When I broke up with my partner nearly two years ago, I decided that I’d had enough of working in finance and came back, after years in London. Dad suggested I take over the café and I’m slowly buying it off him. I didn’t expect to enjoy the quieter life so much, especially after being desperate to get away when I was twenty. But I’ve loved being back here, and especially living down by the boardwalk. I’ve been made to feel as if I’ve been there forever.”
“You didn’t know these people before?”
She thought back to how strange it had initially felt to run the café, and how her relationships with the women she was used to seeing only a couple of times a year when visiting, had been so different when they were running businesses in the same area.
“They made me feel very welcome, especially Bella. My friends live and work around the area and we’ve become very close.”
Alessandro chatted and asked more questions while Sacha half-concentrated on checking road signs so she didn’t miss her turnings. She generally kept to the main roads when she came this way, and was usually in a hurry to get somewhere. It was a bit of a treat taking time to see so much of the country lanes and she found that she was enjoying herself.
Sacha spotted Rue des Pelles, turned right and kept going past green fields with horses grazing and the occasional Jersey farm house. Further along, she spotted Scez Street, almost missing the turning on the left that she needed to take. She knew that the notion of getting lost on this small island was amusing to those who’d never been here, but there were so many small lanes it was surprisingly easy to take a wrong turn, and spend ages getting back to where you intended going.
The lane twisted and turned and continued for ages, becoming very narrow. Sacha was beginning to wonder if she should have turned off somewhere. She’d never been this way before and had only discovered it when researching places of archaeological interest for Alessandro.
“Ah,” she said, relieved to spot a small parking and turning area at the end, where a few bicycles and a lone car had been left. On one side was a narrow opening between hedgerows that she assumed led down to a small bay, and on the other was a pathway up to an old brick building.
“I think that must be the Le Couperon guardhouse,” she said when she’d parked, fumbling in her bag for her mobile, so she could tell him more via an internet search.
The two of them got out of the car and, remembering how well he’d described the places he had taken her too, Sacha began walking towards the guardhouse, saying, “This place was built in 1689, apparently. It’s was a shelter for the Jersey militia who served the battery that commanded Rozel Bay, but the guns have long gone.”
He looked fascinated. “And the dolmen, is just there,” he said, sprinting over to study the 26-foot chamber, which was made up of large stones standing upright, and others resting on stones placed either side of the opening so that the chamber was covered.
She noticed Alessandro smiling. It cheered her up to know she had found somewhere to take him that he was enjoying. “You are doing well,” he said. “You are a good tour guide.”
“I try my best. Right, it says here,” she said, pointing to a plaque, “that these stones surrounding the actual stone covered chamber are known as peristaliths.” She got a bit tongue-tied as she wrestled with the word, but carried on. “And that it’s about five thousand years old.” Even to her that sounded impressive, and she’d never even bothered to take note of these things before.
He crouched on his haunches to study it more closely, taking many photos. He seemed thoroughly in awe of the place.
“There are many more of these on the island?”
Delighted to have made the right decision in bringing him here, she said. “Um, I’m not sure. There are loads, about fifteen maybe? They’re dotted all over the island.”
“It is incredible that I haven’t thought to come to this island before.”
Spurred on by his interest, she added. “The biggest one is La Hougue Bie. That’s up that way,” she said, pointing towards the north of the island. I can take you there if you like?”
“I would like that very much,” he said. “But only if it interests you, too.”
Not minding what she did as long as she was spending some time getting to know him better, she said, “Yes, it does, a little.”
“I may take a photo of you here?”
“What, in front the dolmen?” She stood in front of it with her back to the sea to give his photo the best background.
“Perfect,” he said, as she smiled and he took the photo.
She insisted on taking one of him and then they took a selfie with the sea behind them, the sun shining on its cornflower blue surface. “We could quickly pop down to that tiny beach, if you like?” she said, wanting him to see as much of the island as she could possibly show him in the time he was on holiday.
They had to walk in single file down to the beach. Early blackberries were swelling in the sun and Sacha decided to come back in a couple of weeks and pick a few punnets to make some blackberry syrup for her sundaes.
“It is very beautiful here,” he said. “And no one else is on this beach. We are alone. It is unexpected.”
She mulled over his strange turn of phrase, reminding herself that her Italian was non-existent and that she could learn a little of his language to be polite, if nothing else. “There are so many small bays and coves here that the tourists tend to go to the bigger more well-known bays, like the one at St Brelade, or Grouville Bay or St Ouen.”
“But the little beach by the boardwalk is always popular,” he said.
It was, she thought, relieved. “Yes, it’s much easier to get to.”
Sacha took off her sandals and waited while Alessandro removed his shoes. Then they walked down to the water’s edge, where it ebbed and flowed onto the white gold sand.
“You are very lucky to live in such a beautiful place,” he said, picking up a handful of sand and letting the fine, pale grains flow between his fingertips.
“I agree. When I was younger I didn’t appreciate it at all and couldn’t wait to get away,” she said, thinking of the months she’d spent dreaming of a life in London with all the excitement and adventure she imagined waiting for her there. “Now I’m glad to be back. I think I’ve had enough of trains, undergrounds and noise for the time being.”
“You don’t like London? It is a great city,” he said. “Very cosmopolitan.”
“No, I love it there,” she said. “And I go back occasionally to have a wander about, go to the theatre and catch up with a few friends. I’m just enjoying being back here where everything is closer and I can walk out of my front door and onto the beach. I love feeling the sand between my toes.”
He looked down at her feet and laughed. “I can see that you do.”
She followed his gaze, relieved she’d thought to redo her pedicure a few evenings before.
“Tell me more about your plans for your café, Sacha,” he said, as they walked along the water’s edge, their feet cooled by the damp sand beneath their feet.
She liked that he was so interested in her work. It wasn’t something she was used to. “It used to look very different, but I gave it a makeover a while ago, to bring it up to date.”
“Did you choose the name Summer Sundaes?”
“I did. It was known as The Café for years, but I wanted to make it mine with the focus on ice cream sundaes. Dad’s cafés are all about feeding people, I want to do that, of course, but also give them an experience they’ll remember and not just for the food. Does that sound odd?”
“No.” He thought for a moment, shielding his eyes against the bright sunshine reflecting off the sea. “Your caf
é is like a memory from a child.”
Buoyed by his understanding, she smiled. “Yes, I want all my customers to feel that nostalgia that I have when I recall summer holidays visiting the seaside. The food and drinks are important and need to be perfect, but even on a cold, blustery day if families pop in to the café before school, or after work, I want them to feel like they’re walking into a favourite childhood memory.”
“It is a clever idea and I see why it works well. I saw that your café was busy, is it always that way?”
“Mostly. I think it’s all about making people feel special. The ones that live alone have someone to chat to and laugh with over a treat, and the people with young families have a place to bring their children. I also like to offer the healthier options and sell home made fresh juices using what I can buy locally, so they’re seasonal rather than something you can get all year round.”
“And the ice creams?” He asked kicking the sand. “Your sundaes?”
“Rather than me telling you about them, you’ll have to come and sample one. We can stop off there on our way home after visiting La Hougue Bie.” She liked the idea of showing him how tasty her sundaes were.
She’d set up a couple of pages on social media a year ago and had been delighted by the response. She’d requested that anyone discovering her café via the internet let her know when they came in for a sundae, and she would give them a ten percent discount. It was an easy way to judge how well her posts were doing.
“I think we should get going if you want to visit La Hougue Bie today.”
Alessandro walked with her up the beach towards the narrow pathway back to the car. Half way up, she turned to him and said, “It really is lovely having you here.”
She turned to carry on her way, when he took her hand and pulled her gently towards him.
“I am also very happy to see you again, Sacha.”
Saying her name with his lilting accent made her stomach contract. She was about to reply, when Alessandro leant down and kissed her lightly on her mouth. She tried to speak, but was distracted by someone politely clearing their throat to let her and Alessandro know they were waiting to pass by, to get to the beach.
The Boardwalk by the Sea Page 9