New Bay

by Nell Dixon

  “So that’s the way the wind blows, is it? I knew there had to be more to your wedding being cancelled than you were letting on.”

  “If the only reason you’ve called is to attack me. I think I’d better hang up before we both say things we’re going to regret.” Cassidy’s voice wobbled as she tried to control her emotions at her mother’s ill-judged comments.

  There was a shocked gasp at the other end of the line, then the connection was severed. Cassidy replaced the receiver with shaking fingers. She’d never before had the nerve to speak to her mother like that, but her accusations had pushed her just a bit too far.

  “Cass, are you all right?” Josh wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her in his embrace.

  “I’m fine, really.” She allowed herself a few brief moments of comfort nestled against the broad solidity of his chest. “I just need a bit of space for a while.”

  He released his hold on her. “If you’re sure.” His brown eyes appeared troubled as she turned and walked away.

  * * * *

  Cassidy woke late the next morning to bright sunshine streaming in through her bedroom window. By the time she was dressed and downstairs, the house was empty. Josh’s surfboard was gone, and she guessed he’d headed for the beach with his friends.

  She made a cup of tea and carried it into the garden to sit at the table where she and Josh had eaten together just a few nights earlier. It was hard to believe the weather had changed so quickly from the mist of yesterday. Now the sky was crisp and blue with a brisk breeze blowing in from the direction of the sea.

  Josh’s gazebo stood in the centre of the lawn, reminding her of his plans for a party that evening. Yesterday she had been so sure that she wasn’t ready to face people, but if her mother’s phone call last night had done any good, it had at least made her realize she couldn’t hide away forever. All night long she had been thinking about the future and Josh’s offer.

  Not just his offer of a home and a promotion, but more the offer of Josh himself. With her eyes freshly opened to her true feelings toward Ethan and her cancelled wedding, it had no longer felt so wrong to want to be with Josh. She finished her tea and placed the cup down on the table. The question now was—had she blown her chance with Josh?

  * * * *

  Cassidy let herself in quietly through the front door of the cottage and hurried upstairs. The party was in full swing. Music played in the garden, and she could hear the hubbub of people laughing, chatting and having a good time.

  She ventured a quick peep out of her bedroom window, scanning the partygoers for a familiar head of untidy brown hair. Josh glanced up at her window just as she spotted him. Hastily, she ducked back out of sight and changed into one of the new sundresses she’d originally intended to wear on her honeymoon-that-never-was. There seemed a certain irony that she had put one on now for another man.

  Cassidy spent a few minutes styling her hair and reapplying her make-up. Her nerves were as tangled as the fine gold chain she wanted to wear around her neck. What would Josh’s friends think of her? How many of them knew about Ethan? She sat for a moment longer on the edge of her bed and took some deep, calming breaths.

  “Hey, Dudette, where have you been all my life?” one of Josh’s friends called out as she made her way through the crowded garden towards where she’d last seen Josh.

  He still sat on one of the low, stone walls that bordered the edge of the rose-bed. A small bottle stood at his side and two pretty girls appeared to be hanging on his every word.

  “Cassidy, you came!” He scrambled off the wall to meet her, leaving his companions to continue chatting amongst themselves.

  Josh caught her small hands in his large ones and gave the same hopeful look she had last seen when he’d asked if he stood a chance with her.

  “You asked me yesterday if I’d give you a chance. Is that still what you want?” Her throat was dry with nerves and made her voice sound husky.

  “More to the point, am I what you want, Cass? Already you know me too well to know that I won’t settle for being second best. I want all of your heart, not just part of it.” His tone was serious, and her hands trembled in his grasp.

  “It took me a while to realize, and for that you’ll have to forgive me, but yes. I’m sure.” Cassidy screwed up the courage to rise on to her tiptoes and kiss him gently on the lips.

  A broad beam of delight spread across his face and he claimed her mouth once more, reducing her to mush in full view of his friends.

  “Then come and meet everyone. Tonight is a new beginning.” He took firm hold of her hand and led her towards a group of people.

  Her heart brimming with happiness, Cassidy joined in the banter with Josh’s arm around her waist and her heart secure in his keeping.

  SEPTEMBER SONG

  Copyright © 2011 NELL DIXON

  For Alannah Mari, who loves the sea.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Aw, Kelly, please? These tickets cost a fortune and now Zoë can’t go. Won’t you come with me instead?” Erin pleaded, complete with puppy dog eyes, at her employer at the Surf’s Up Café.

  “Erin, it’s just not my scene, really. Who’d look after my kids? And I’d feel like a grandma going to see that type of rock band.” Kelly gave her a sympathetic smile as she wiped over the grey melamine surface of the counter with antibacterial spray.

  “I don’t want to go on my own, plus it would be a crime to waste the ticket. I guess it’s too late in the day to try selling it on eBay.” Erin sat down on one of the high chrome stools next to the counter and stared at the ticket in her hand.

  “You need somebody young to go with you. A nice young man, that’s what you need,” Kelly huffed as she began to gather dirty plates from a nearby table.

  Erin made a face. “Since when did you get old?”

  Kelly laughed and the cheeks of her round face dimpled. “Since you wanted me to go to a rock concert with you and fifty thousand screaming teenagers!”

  “What am I going to do?” Erin jumped off her stool and shoved the tickets into the rear pocket of her jeans.

  “Can’t you ask another friend to go with you?”

  “It’s the end of summer. Everyone’s either away or busy. The tickets cost a lot of money and anyone who is available is broke.” She had worked a lot of extra shifts at the café to earn the money for the concert. It wasn’t Zoë’s fault she was ill; she’d offered Erin the money for her ticket even though she couldn’t use it, but Erin hadn’t the heart to accept knowing her friend wasn’t going to be earning for a while. She wandered across to the window and gazed out at the sea.

  It looked as if the wind had changed direction as the waves had died down to ripples. The surfers would soon be up from the beach, dragging in sand all over the tiled floor and placing orders for cheese toasties and fries. Kelly carried her tray of dirty crockery across the café and placed it down on the counter. “It’s high time you found yourself a fella. Then you wouldn’t be doing all this moping around.” Erin shook her head. Kelly was always trying to pair her off with somebody. Ever since Erin had arrived in New Bay four months earlier at the start of her year out from college, her boss had taken her under her ample wing. She left the window and walked back across the café to help tidy up.

  Behind her, the café door swung open. “Hey, Dan, how do you fancy going to a rock concert tomorrow?” Kelly called. “If it’s the concert I think it is, I’d love to go. I couldn’t get a ticket.” Erin groaned to herself. Dan was a regular customer. He called in most mornings for a coffee and a chocolate fudge brownie. She wasn’t sure what he did for a living, just that he always wore a smart suit and didn’t talk very much. He preferred to sit in the corner near the window and read his newspaper, unlike the buff surfer guys who clustered around the counter, chatting and swapping jokes with Kelly. “Erin’s got a spare ticket to sell and she’s looking for some company.”

  Erin’s cheeks heated.

  “I’m interested! And I’d be happy to
drive you over to the concert.” Dan appeared at her elbow. Kelly winked and disappeared into the kitchen, whistling.

  Erin turned to see Dan busy studying the plate of brownies under the translucent dome on the counter-top. “Are you sure you want to come? I mean, the ticket is sixty pounds and if it’s not your scene…” She couldn’t picture Dan at a rock concert. Did he even own a pair of jeans?

  “No, it’s fine. I’d tried to get a seat but all the tickets were sold.” He made his choice of cake and placed it on a plate using the café’s metal tongs.

  Erin sighed and moved behind the counter to make him his usual cup of coffee. “There you go. One brownie and a coffee. I’ll bring the ticket across later.”

  “Thanks.” Dan handed her his money. Erin blushed again as he smiled at her. He had quite a cute smile. Funny, she’d never taken much notice of him before. The café door swung open and a crowd of surfers came in. Erin took orders and made drinks for the next few minutes. By the time she was done, Dan had folded his newspaper and stood ready to leave.

  “Um, if you were serious about the concert, I’ve got a ticket here.” Erin caught him in the open doorway. The sea breeze tugged at her hair as she felt in the back pocket of her jeans and passed him one of the tickets.

  “That’s great.” He glanced at it. “Good seat, too. Let me give you the money.” He produced his wallet and took out the notes.

  “Listen, you don’t have to give me a lift if you’d rather not, and if there’s someone else you’d rather go with I can always sell you my ticket, too.” Much as she wanted to see the band, she didn’t want to go with someone who’d been coerced into accompanying her. Besides, how much fun was she likely to have with Dan sober-sides?

  Dan’s brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “No, there isn’t anyone else I’d want to take. Do you want me to pick you up from here tomorrow?”

  Erin sensed his amusement at her discomfort, and her temper bristled. She resented feeling as if he had the upper hand over her. “Here, will be fine.”

  “Be ready by four. It’ll take us at least an hour to get to the stadium.” He tucked his newspaper under his arm.

  “See you tomorrow.” She resisted the urge to snap a salute. Who did he think he was? She was the one who’d got the tickets and now he thought he could order her about, telling her what time to be ready.

  “It’s a date.” Dan winked at her and left.

  “Hey, Erin got a date!” One of the surfer regulars whistled and clapped as he overheard Dan’s parting remark. The rest of the group whooped and laughed. Erin glowered at them as she stalked into the kitchen to confront Kelly.

  “Take out the last of these cheese toasties, please hon.” Kelly passed her two plates.

  “What were you thinking, asking Dan about the concert?” Erin took the meals from her friend.

  “Why? He wanted to go, didn’t he?” Kelly wiped her hands on a towel.

  “That’s not the point! Can you imagine Dan at a rock concert?”

  Kelly hung the towel back on its hook. “I think you should stop judging a book by its cover, Erin Peters. Dan is a nice young man. Now, get those sandwiches out of my kitchen before they get cold.”

  Erin stomped out of the kitchen and delivered the plates to the group at the counter. Maybe Kelly was right maybe she had been a bit harsh about Dan. She went to take an order from a couple of young mums with baby strollers who’d come in while she’d been in the kitchen.

  She scribbled their order on her pad and popped it through to Kelly.

  “So, Erin, are you going on a date with Dan?” Brad, the surfer who’d overheard her conversation, asked as she pulled clean cups from under the counter.

  “It’s not a date. He’s giving me a lift to the concert tomorrow, that’s all.” She prepared a tea tray for the mums sitting in the window seats.

  “Okay, cool. He’s a pretty righteous guy.” Brad nodded his head as he put the money on the counter to pay for his order.

  “You know him?” Dan didn’t look like the kind of guy someone like Brad would know. Then again, New Bay was a pretty small town.

  “Yeah, loads of kids know Dan.” Brad accepted his change and turned to join the rest of his group who were headed for the door.

  “Oh.” Maybe Dan was a teacher. Erin closed the till drawer and took the teapot and cups over to her other customers. It sounded as if Kelly might be right and there might be more to Dan than she’d thought.

  The café soon filled up for the lunchtime rush, and it wasn’t until the crowds dispersed later in the afternoon that Erin had another opportunity to ask Kelly about Dan.

  “He’s been coming in here for the last eighteen months. He’s single and lives on the far side of town in those new flats.” Kelly made them both a mug of coffee while she told Erin what she knew.

  “Brad said a lot of the kids know him.” Erin tore open a sachet of sugar and tipped it into her mug.

  “I’ve heard a few of them say hello to him when he comes in.” Kelly shrugged.

  “Brad said he was righteous – whatever that means.” Erin sat down opposite Kelly with her drink.

  Her friend laughed. “I can’t believe you’re still learning the lingo after a whole summer here! It means he’s an okay guy.”

  “I hope he doesn’t plan on wearing his suit to the gig tomorrow.”

  “You are such a stick-in-the-mud! The poor guy has to dress like that for his work. We’ve never seen him out of hours. He’s good-looking. If I were twenty years younger and minus three kids, I’d be after him for myself.” Kelly shook her head in mock despair making her beaded cornrow plaits shake and click.

  “Okay, point taken! But, please, Kell, no more matchmaking!”

  “You sold him a ticket, and he’s giving you a ride. Sheesh, you sound like my daughter.” Kelly finished her coffee and heaved herself up from her chair.

  “Well, now I’ve got some money I’m going to the sale at Beach Diva’s. There’s a top in the window I’ve wanted for ages.” Erin finished her coffee quickly. Part of the attraction of staying in New Bay had been the shops. The town had several trendy designer boutiques aimed at parting tourists from their money. When she first arrived, she had only intended staying for a few weeks before moving on to the bigger resorts. By chance, though, she’d seen Kelly’s vacancy card in the café window and somehow she’d stayed on.

  Erin said goodbye to Kelly and walked along the seafront to Beach Diva’s. The sandy beach, which had been so busy all summer, was now almost deserted. Only Brad and his friends were at the water’s edge catching the waves. A few toddlers with their parents played higher up the beach and a cool breeze blew in from the sea.

  Beach Diva’s had a sign in the window proclaiming the end of season sale. Erin was relieved to see the top she’d coveted still hanging at the front of the display. She tried it on and admired herself in the mirror. Even if Dan did turn up for the concert looking like her primary school head-teacher she could still look totally radical.

  * * * *

  Dan grinned to himself as he walked away from the café with the concert ticket tucked away safely inside his wallet. He hadn’t expected to get a ticket so late in the day. The gig had been sold out weeks ago and the prices on eBay had gone through the roof.

  Erin hadn’t looked too thrilled about his offer to accompany her, though. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he walked back to his office. It was a shame because Erin was the prettiest girl in New Bay – at least, he thought so.

  The brightest spot in his day was when he went to the café and saw Erin waiting tables. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t got a queue of admirers waiting to snap up the ticket and take her to a concert. All summer long he’d watched as various guys had tried to chat her up as she’d carried out her food orders.

  Dan glanced at his watch. His next client was due anytime. He signed himself back in and headed for his office. The receptionist would give him a call when his client arrived. A pile of folders s
at in his in-tray waiting for his attention. More papers from the court and reports to file.

  Still, he enjoyed working for the probation service. It was a challenge to keep the people he saw on the straight and narrow and out of trouble. The problem was, in a town like New Bay, which was filled all summer long with scantily-clad women and buff surfer dudes, he stood out like a sore thumb in his work suit. What chance did he have with a girl like Erin? The concert was like the answer to a prayer.

  The concert would give him a chance to get to know her better and maybe make a good impression. He would have to make sure he cleaned his car out. Normally it was spick and span but the other night he’d given some of his youth group a ride. At the moment it was full of gum wrappers and cola tins that his teenage passengers had left behind.

  The phone buzzed to let him know his client had arrived. Dan picked up his file and went through to the interview room. His client was one of the older teenagers who attended the youth group Dan ran in his spare time.

  Shane was one of the reasons Dan stayed in his job. He’d seen a lot of guys like Shane, who’d dabbled in drugs and then had a brush with the law. Guys, like his own brother, Will. It gave him a lot of satisfaction when his hard work paid off and they started to make something of their lives. If only Will would make the same kind of effort Shane had.

  “Hey, dude.” Shane shook Dan’s hand and took a seat. Dan switched his mind off Erin and focused on the task at hand.

  * * * *

  Erin checked her reflection in the plate glass of the café window for the fourth time that afternoon. The new top looked really cool with her fitted jeans. Kelly had let her finish work early so she could get ready for Dan to pick her up. She glanced at the wall clock. He was late. So much for him ordering her to be ready on time.