‘Why don’t you two grab a glass and pour yourselves some of this?’
‘And I will repeat my instructions once again,’ Stefan said, obviously unimpressed with having to do so.
‘Shall we go down and start our cooking?’ Ed suggested to Izzy.
‘Good idea.’
It didn’t take them long to prepare their meal, but working close to such a big man in such a tiny space proved a little awkward at times. Izzy was constantly stepping past him and twice he had to grab hold of her when she nearly tripped over his feet.
‘Sorry, this is going to take a bit of getting used to,’ he said, helping her stand upright as they waited for the water to boil the pasta.
‘It doesn’t help that I’m incredibly clumsy,’ she admitted, enjoying being alone with him once again. She could hear the noisy chatter above them, and Nicolle’s voice above all. ‘I think Nicolle likes to be in charge.’
He nodded. ‘She’s very bossy.’
‘Have you known the others long?’ She might as well make the opportunity to get to know him a little, she decided.
‘Most of my life,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Nicolle and Loulou were old adversaries from when they were very little. I think one’s father blamed the other for some business transaction that went disastrously wrong in the eighties.’
‘That must have been difficult for them, especially if they were friends before.’
He sighed. ‘They have their moments. Both had a bit of a thing for Roman.’
‘Really?’ She thought of Loulou and Xavier with their hands all over each other on the way to the café. ‘I assumed Xavier and Loulou were more likely to become an item.’
He nodded. ‘Probably, come to think of it I did hear Xavier whispering to her earlier, so maybe things have changed since I was last over from Jersey.’ He stepped closer to her. ‘Izzy,’ he studied her face. ‘I really enjoyed riding out with you the other morning.’
‘It was fun,’ she said. ‘In fact it was exhilarating.’
‘I know it’s too confined on this boat for us to spend any quality time together, but I like you, very much, and I was wondering if you’d like to come out to dinner with me when we both get back to Jersey?’
‘I’d love that.’
His mouth drew back into a wide smile. ‘Good,’ he said quietly, before bending his head and kissing her lightly on the lips. He drew back and studied her face, his expression softening so that he looked less serious. ‘You really are very lovely,’ he said, almost to himself.
She could say the same about him, she decided, but before she could reciprocate the compliment, he took her in his arms and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, relishing his lips on hers and being held against his hard chest. Yes, she definitely wanted to get to know this gorgeous man much, much better.
‘Hey, the bloody pasta is boiling over,’ Catherine shrieked from behind them, causing Ed and Izzy to spring apart in shock when their intimate moment was suddenly interrupted.
Ed took the pan off the ring and cleaned up the mess. ‘It’s only water, Catherine, you didn’t have to scream like that.’
‘Didn’t have to spoil your moment, you mean,’ she said sashaying out past them, pinching his bum, Izzy noticed, as she did so.
‘This looks about ready,’ Ed said, tensing slightly before pouring the pasta into a colander. He looked at Izzy and smiled. ‘She really is a pain sometimes.’
Chapter Nine
Happy to see everyone enjoying their meal, Izzy placed her fork on her empty plate and rested against the low back of the deck where four of them sat. She took a sip of her wine and looked out at the horizon, feeling more contented than she had in a long time.
‘That was delicious,’ Jess said. The others added their compliments and Ed refilled the empty glasses. ‘No idea what we’ll make when it’s our turn.’ She nudged Roman, nearly knocking his fork out of his hand. ‘Have you got any suggestions about what we can cook for everyone?’
He shook his head. ‘We will make something of our choosing and if they do not like it they will not eat.’
‘Fair enough,’ Jess said, smiling at Izzy. ‘I like that way of thinking.’
Izzy was about to agree when Stefan shouted, the boom swung round, and everyone ducked. Everyone but Jess, that was. Jess’s plate dropped to the deck and she almost joined it as Roman grabbed her arm and pulled her down at the last minute, causing her to fall forward and hit her head on the deck. There was a brief stunned silence and then Roman, bent to help her back to sit next to him, concern etched on his tanned face.
‘Are you OK?’ Izzy asked handing her empty plate to Ed and hurrying to check on her friend, but Roman had got there first. Catherine howled with laughter further along the boat.
‘Bloody hell,’ Jess complained rubbing her head. ‘I’ve only just got rid of that sodding headache. This isn’t going to be much of a holiday if I’ve got to concentrate on stuff the entire time.’
Izzy glared at the still-laughing Catherine. ‘Do shut up, you idiot,’ she yelled.
‘I’m the idiot?’ Catherine laughed. ‘Didn’t you just see what happened to that dippy friend of yours?’
‘Right, I’ve had enough of this.’ Izzy stood up and went to confront Catherine, aware she’d been the one to tell Jess to rise above her derisory comments, but didn’t care.
Ed grabbed hold of her wrist and slowly pulled her back to sit next to him. ‘She’s really not worth it, Iz. Let her have her ridiculous amusements, she’s the only one who finds them funny.’
She glared down at him, not pleased to have been held back. Thinking through what he’d just said, she took a deep breath to try and calm her temper. It worked, slightly. ‘Bloody cow. Jess was right about her all along. I’ve had enough of her snarling. What the hell is her problem with us anyhow?’ She sat back down, reluctantly doing as he suggested.
He stared at Catherine briefly then shook his head. ‘No idea, maybe she’s jealous.’
Izzy groaned. ‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘Do you?’
What sort of question was that, she wondered. ‘Yes. What could Jess and I possibly have that she might want?’
He bent down and whispered in her ear. ‘Friendship. How many friends do you think she has?’
‘Lots of them,’ Izzy argued. ‘Didn’t you see the wedding guest list?’
He shook his head. ‘I mean real friends, Iz. Like you two are to each other. The sort of friends Catherine has probably wouldn’t give her the time of day if she suddenly found herself living in a small flat with no luxuries in her life.’
Izzy relaxed a little. ‘That still doesn’t give her an excuse to be so vindictive. Poor Jess could have really hurt herself if that boom had smacked into her head.’
He looked over at Jess. ‘You OK?’
Roman put an arm around Jess and hugged her. ‘She is OK. A big bum to her ’ead,’ Roman said. ‘It will go.’
‘Not a bum, it’s a bump,’ Jess said. ‘Bloody hurts.’ She rubbed it carefully. ‘I’m not sure I’m cut out for a yachting lifestyle.’
Happy to know her friend wasn’t permanently damaged by her fight with the boat, Izzy laughed. ‘It’ll be fun, just different to what we’re used to. Think how much you’re going to learn.’ Izzy couldn’t hide her smile when Jess replied by giving her a look that would floor most people. Her ‘death stare’, as Alex referred to it, was legendary among their friends.
‘Really?’ She rubbed her head and winced. ‘The only things I’m learning right now is how to put medicine in places I hadn’t considered before and that nearly connecting with parts of a boat can knock you almost senseless.’
‘Concentrate next time then and you’ll be fine,’ Izzy soothed.
After an uncomfortable night’s sleep sharing a small box-sized berth with Jess, Izzy was beginning to wonder if maybe sleeping up on the top of the yacht might not be such a dreadful idea. ‘You kick like a donkey, do you
know that?’
‘No I don’t,’ she argued. ‘Anyway, do you have any of those seasickness pills? I felt lousy yesterday.’
‘I thought you’d packed a box,’ Izzy said, handing her one.
‘Forgot, didn’t I?’
Typical, thought Izzy. Jess really needed to get more organized and stop relying on her for the boring necessities of life. ‘Hopefully we’ll get used to the motion before we’ve finished them all.’
Thankfully the weather was perfect, with the first few days at sea warm enough for them to make the most of tanning opportunities. Stefan was friendly and although all his instructions were in French, he made sure the two girls understood what he meant. Izzy managed to keep Jess and Catherine apart, mainly because Roman and Philip worked very hard to keep each woman entertained. Slowly, Izzy began to relax. They took it in turns to cook the meals, although Izzy was sure that by the end of the trip she would have had enough tinned food to last her a lifetime.
After a meal of rice, cold meats, and salad, washed down with bottles of wine. Ed whispered to Izzy. ‘Come and look at the sunset, it’s gorgeous.’
Happy to be alone with him again, she moved away from the others who were deep in conversation about what they would do if they won the EuroMillions. Izzy followed him to the front of the yacht where they were hidden from view of the others by the wooden housing.
‘Beautiful, don’t you think?’ he asked.
‘It is.’
‘I’m going to miss you when you go, Izzy.’
‘Me too.’
He reached out and leaning slightly forward, placed his palm against her cheek and pulled her face to him. ‘You’re so lovely,’ he said, bending down until his lips touched hers.
Putting her plastic glass down, she put her arms around his neck, kissing him back. Breathing in the warm salty smell of his skin as they lay back on the decking, she pushed her fingers into his short hair and held his head to her. ‘You’re pretty wonderful yourself,’ she murmured without moving her lips from his.
His right hand travelled down her back and resting at the top of her bottom as the pressure of his kiss intensified.
She couldn’t wait to spend some time with him when they both returned to Jersey. Maybe then they could shut out the rest of the world and find a way to be alone for a few hours without interruption.
Izzy woke one morning to hear voices that didn’t belong to her crewmates. She dressed hurriedly and went up on deck to see where they were.
‘Wow, it’s beautiful,’ she said looking at the huge marina they were moored in with sailing boats of every kind lined up. ‘Where are we again?’
‘La Ciotat,’ Ed said moving to let her stand closer to Stefan and the wheel of the boat.
‘Port Capuchin Port of St John,’ Stefan added. ‘It’s one of four ports here. ‘Beautiful, non?’
‘Breath-taking.’ She rubbed her eyes to try to wake up fully and leaning against the wooden rail she looked over at the row of creamy stone houses on the dock. ‘I love France; I should visit more.’
‘You should.’
Izzy looked up at him and smiled. She certainly would if he ever invited her, she decided. ‘Have you been here before?’
‘No, not here, but I’ve been to Monte Carlo and Nice a few times.’
‘I ’ave been here, it is not so well known to people out of France, but it is a good place to visit,’ Stefan said as he coiled ropes.
After struggling off the yacht to go and have a shower in the ablution block, they clambered back onto the boat to get ready for lunch with the others.
‘Catherine hogs the bathroom on this boat so often I’m beginning to think she believes it’s her own personal en-suite,’ Izzy groaned.
‘I hate it when they park the boat this way round. Why do they insist on tying it up with the pointed end nearest to the dock?’ Jess said later that evening, clamping her teeth together and determinedly hanging on to the rope from the front of the boat as she tried to reach the quay with her toes. ‘I nearly break my neck each time I try to disembark.’
‘Attend,’ Roman called from the dock. ‘I hold you.’ He reached out for her, grabbing first her leg and then her hips, and pulled her in one quick movement towards him, causing them both to nearly topple over.
‘Your turn now, Izzy,’ Ed called, smiling. He reached forward and took her arm as she leapt forward, narrowly missing the edge. Thankfully he quickly caught her and pulled her to him.
‘Oof,’ she groaned as she slammed into his chest. ‘Why didn’t they dock it the other way around, it’s so much easier to disembark that way.’
‘It can’t be helped sometimes,’ he said. ‘You OK?’
She nodded. How could she not be? They were in La Ciotat, a beautiful resort that she couldn’t wait to explore and the hunkiest man she’d ever kissed had his arms around her. He let go. She looked around, seeing that the others hadn’t bothered to wait for them and were already crossing over the promenade to the row of tiny restaurants.
Ed took her hand. ‘Come on, you must be starving, I know I’m desperate for a solid meal after all that mushy food the others keep serving for dinner.’
Izzy laughed. He was a big guy, used to working outside, and was no doubt fed huge meals by the cook at the manor in Jersey. If she found the meals on the yacht measly, what must he make of them? ‘I’m usually happy with something simple, but even I’m bored with the food we’re eating. I fancy a huge steak.’
‘What, only the one?’
They laughed and the sensation of being alone with him and walking in this beautiful place, with the warm setting sun still heating their skin, as the strings of the lights along the waterway slowly lit up. ‘It’s so beautiful here.’
‘It is.’ He looked at her. He seemed unsure what to say next. ‘Are you enjoying it so far?’
‘Yes.’ In more ways than one, she resisted adding. Izzy’s sole focus had been Lapins de Lune for so long that romance never entered her head. She hadn’t met anyone since David who she’d liked enough to spend time with. ‘I hadn’t expected it to be quite like this.’
He put his arm lightly over her shoulder. ‘Nor me. I’m glad you agreed to come along.’
‘So am I.’ She heard Jess’s loud giggle and smiled. ‘I think she’s enjoying herself too.’
Ed laughed. ‘Roman seems rather taken with your friend.’ His smile disappeared and he lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry Catherine ended up joining us, she can be a bit of a brat sometimes.’
He wasn’t kidding. ‘Hopefully Jess will keep a lid on her temper.’ Izzy smiled. ‘Roman is being very attentive to her and I think she quite likes him, so that might well keep her distracted.’ She wondered if Alex might be disappointed if anything did come of Jess and Roman’s friendship. ‘Your brothers are lovely.’
Ed raised his eyebrows. ‘They can be painful, but that’s because they’re my older brothers and love to make me the butt of their jokes. Xavier especially.’
She thought of yesterday morning when they’d bumped into Xavier in the corridor near to her bedroom. ‘I know that feeling,’ she laughed. ‘Alex is very protective of me because of my dad dying suddenly when I was ten.’ She didn’t add that his protectiveness had increased along with her mother’s after her first serious boyfriend had been killed only a few years later. She cleared her throat and forced a smile. ‘He’s always checking up on me when we’re out, but at home he’s a pain and we bicker quite a lot. It drives Mum nuts. She keeps saying we should have grown out of it by now.’
‘I can imagine wanting to be protective of a younger sister. I don’t see my brothers that often,’ Ed said, ‘which is probably why we all get along reasonably well. We used to fight a lot growing up though and my mother hated it.’ Ed hesitated. ‘Alex did mention something about your father dying young … but maybe you don’t wish to talk about it.’
‘I … I don’t mind you asking.’ She didn’t. It made a refreshing change from others avoiding the subjec
t. She loved being able to speak about him; her brother and mother hardly ever did. ‘Alex’s dad was away on business a lot and Mum got very lonely. She says he was seeing other women. She met my dad at a first night of one of her exhibitions that her husband hadn’t bothered attending. She was very hurt and when she and my dad were so attracted to each other he didn’t fight it and they ended up having an affair.’
‘Was he an artist too?’
She nodded. ‘He painted abstracts,’ she said thinking of the few she still had in Jess’s cottage to remind herself of him. ‘Mum left Alex’s dad. He was heartbroken and never quite got over her. She loved my dad very much, but he died when I was ten and left her paying the mortgage by herself. ’
‘How sad,’ he said giving her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘You must miss him too.’
‘I do, but thankfully I still have some of his paintings. Mum gave them to me, but ended up having to sell most of hers to raise money for my schooling and the mortgage.’
They walked in silence for a few minutes, slowing down as they neared the others who were now settling down on an outside table discussing what everyone was going to order.
‘I would rather have one big love in my life than many shallow relationships,’ Ed said almost to himself.
‘Me, too.’ Izzy usually held back from sharing anything about her dad, but somehow she wanted to tell Ed everything about her past. She could tell he’d never use it to hurt her. ‘Mum says she did feel bad for Alex’s dad for a bit, but when he told her he was glad when my dad died, she ended up loathing him. She never regretted giving up her luxurious lifestyle with Alex’s dad and leaving him for mine. It was a true romance.’
He stared at her. ‘Poor lady, losing him so young,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Is she with anyone now? Your mum?’
Izzy pictured herself kissing David goodbye. She’d joked with him, telling him not to be late to collect her that evening, never imagining that a few minutes later his life would be snuffed out when his motorbike collided with a lorry. She shook her head to rid herself of the painful memory. ‘She’s had a few boyfriends over the years. Mum’s attractive and very gregarious, but as soon as they get too serious she immediately backs off.’ She wondered for the first time if she and her mother reacted to romance in similar ways. ‘She mainly concentrates on her art now, making commissioned pieces and holding exhibitions of her work.’
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 73