Learning to Love (New Zealand Sailing #1)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Ellie

I wake up with a pain in my shoulder after sleeping together cramped in my bed. Ouch. I try to massage the knot away, but it's of little use.

It's Christmas morning, and Sam's birthday. We have a big day today, as we drive back to Auckland to swap cars, and beyond three hours to get to O'Neill's Bay by lunchtime.

He's still asleep, and it's quite rare to see him in such a moment of vulnerability. His face looks peaceful, serene. No furrowed brow, or bitter set lips. He looks good enough to eat. I can't help myself and I kiss him softly. He automatically responds to my kiss and pulls me in.

“Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, my love. This one's going to be super special”. I kiss his nose.

His tender calloused hands stroke my face. “Merry Christmas and thank you. You make it special”.

“We have a long drive ahead of us today, time to get moving”. I get up and head for the shower, to the tone of Sam's protests who would like us to spend much longer in bed together.

We get ready in a whirlwind, managing to sneak in some more hungry kisses, and by the time we're downstairs, my folks are already pacing.

“Did you have a good sleep?” My mum asks. I fervently hope there isn't a double meaning there.

“Oh yes, lovely house you have. Very quiet”. Sam intervenes.

“Mum, we'll have breakfast and then be on our way because we need to be in O'Neill's Bay by lunchtime”. I try to cut things short.

We have some leftover Christmas ham sandwiches for breakfast, a strong coffee, then we're walking towards the car.

My sweet Daisy wags her tail, next to dad. “I'll come back soon for you, Daisy. Behave for nana and grandpa, alright? I'll bring you treats when I come to fetch you”. Her eyes seem to light up at the word treats, and she gives a short bark. I pat her head one more time, then we're off.

Of course, Sam isn't going to let me off with the issue we had with Dorothy the car coming up to Matakana. As soon as he sits down, he's full of smartass comments.

“Do you think we'll make it to Bella Vista at all? Will we need a rescue helicopter for Christmas Day? I wonder if this car would get towed in Bella Vista?” He's enjoying himself immensely, I can tell.

“Don't listen to him, Dorothy”. I pat the dash. “You've been a trusted companion. You'll retire to a good home”.

By hook or by crook, we get to his house in Bella Vista in an hour. I leave Dorothy the Ford Laser parked outside his house, and we change to his car, after we load up more presents and stuff. Sam is visibly more relaxed in his car. I suppose it's less likely to break down. In the New Year, I'll look at getting a new-ish car. Maybe a small Toyota Corolla.

“Tell me more about your family. What do they do? Anything I should beware?” I ask jokingly.

Sam tenses instantly. I hit a nerve. I put my hand on his knee, and he seems to relax somewhat.

“My mum Joan is a nurse. Loves kids. My dad Steve is a builder. “ He smiles fondly. “An unlikely match, you could say, but they work well together”.

“My older brother Tom is the local bank branch manager. He's married to Sophie, a Korean doctor who works at the same hospital as mum. She's lovely. My brother is… well. My brother”. He shrugs, but I can sense love there. I wonder why he's so reluctant to go back.

“Must be a huge thing for them that you're a bit of a celebrity”.

His sad smile breaks my heart. I'm coming around to the thought that his family must not be supportive, which is shocking for me. If I told my folks that I wanted to be a trapeze artist tomorrow, they'd support me unconditionally.

“They'd prefer I wasn't. I don't want to burden you with all this stuff. It's Christmas. You won't believe this but I messaged Tayla to ask her what you want as a present”. Sam smoothly changes topic.

“Oh yeah? And what did you get me in the end?” I can't imagine what Tayla said, whether she genuinely said something I might like, or she pulled a prank on me.

He winks. “You'll have to wait and see. Not long left”.

The landscape changes around us and beautiful wildflowers line the roadside. Going down from volcanic formations through hills, and gorges, we get closer to the sea again. When the first sign for O'Neill's Bay comes up, I start feeling nervous. What will his family think?

Sam takes the turn for the town centre, and drives slowly, giving me a quick tour of all the local landmarks.

“That's the fish and chip shop. They do the best Kumara chips, nice and crunchy. That's the bank where my brother works. The other side of the lake is the hospital my mum and Sophie, my sister in law, work at. And that one right there is the sailing club where I started out”.

It feels like he's showing me his whole world, slowly putting together more pieces of his puzzle. A few minutes later he turns down a driveway.

“This is us”.

It's a large house, but not a mansion. Roses adorn one side of the fence. It's so close to the sea, I can smell the salty air. Four cars are blocking the driveway, so Sam has to reverse and park on the street.

“Full house, I see”. He doesn't reply, he's so tense. “It's ok, babe, whatever will be, will be. If it gets too much in there, we can go out for a walk. Just tell me.” He nods.

The moment we get out of the car, the door to the house opens, and Sam's family bursts out.

“Sammy Boy, come here”. His mum, his dad and his brother all take turns at squeezing him hard. It's obvious they don't get to see him that often. Sophie, his sister in law, gives him a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Sam gently brings me forward. “This is Ellie, everyone. Ellie, these are my parents, my brother, and sister in law”. Joan, Sam's mum, hugs me tightly, and everyone else shakes my hand.

“Don't keep Ellie outside, Sam. Unload the car and come inside”. Joan ushers us inside, while the men bring our bags, and take them upstairs.

The house is so warm and welcoming, as are the people living in it. I take to his family straight away.

“Let's do presents now, we had to wait until you got here”. Tom, Sam's older brother, pouts. They look alike in some ways, the same auburn hair and inquisitive eyes, but Tom looks more approachable, less aloof.

Sam brings down one bag from upstairs, and we hand out presents. I helped him choose the ones for his family - a spa voucher for his mum, golf vouchers for his dad, wakeboarding lessons for his brother, and a merino shawl for his sister in law.

I wait nervously as he opens his presents. He's very hard to buy for, as he can just buy what he needs, doesn't have to save up, like me. His family joined forces and bought him an iPad Pro, which he seems to enjoy. He holds out the last two, looking surprised.

“One's a Christmas one, one's a birthday one”. I try to hide the emotion in my voice. He's taken aback, and gives me a lopsided smile.

“I don't celebrate birthdays, but this time I'll let you off the hook”.

Sam unwraps the first one, a small pendant with a wizened saint on it. He looks very puzzled.

“That's St Brendan, the patron saint of sailors. He's going to protect you so that you come home safe every time”. It feels like I've dropped a bomb in the room, and now we're dealing with the aftermath. He looks downcast, his mum is discretely wiping a tear from her eye, and everyone else tries to pretend they haven't heard or seen anything.

“That's very thoughtful, thank you. Let's see what this one is”. He shakes the small square package to check whether it makes a noise.

“I think it's a bicycle”. I ease the tension and everyone laughs.

Sam opens his present to find a book of ancient sailing maps, and how cartography changed through time. He starts flicking through the pages, fascinated.

Steve, his dad, chimes in. “Seems you know my boy very well”.

“Too well”, adds Tom, and looks away naughtily.

“Oi, you. Don't scare her off”. I love to see the banter between Sam and Tom.

“I'm not scared that easily”. I raise one eyebrow at them.

I start to open my present from Sam. It's the size of a large shoe box. I shake it, and it rattles. Who knows what Tayla told him to buy me. The box contains another box, to everyone's delight. I pretend huff, and open that box, to a smaller box. Everyone's laughing out loud now, and Sam is looking at me with a challenge in his eyes, daring me to continue.

I open the small box, and inside is the most beautiful bracelet I've ever seen. A wave of apprehension hits me.

“Are these stones real? I can't possibly accept this, Sam. It's too much”.

“It's vintage”. He silences my concerns in one go.

“The food's ready, time to eat”. Joan yet again shepherds everyone, this time to the dining room.

Sam and I sit next to each other and he squeezes my hand under the table.

“We give thanks today for this meal, for family being together, for new additions to the family, and we think of the ones we love who are lost to us”. After Joan's words, everyone holds a moment of silence, then we start eating. There's some traditional Kiwi Christmas fare, like Champagne Ham, but there are also some Korean dishes like Bulgogi, prepared by Sophie.

“So Ellie, tell us more about yourself. How did you end up with Sam?” Tom starts the grilling. I knew there would be plenty of that involved, like I knew they would compare me to Laura, Sam's ex-fiancee.

“I'm a daycare teacher on the North Shore, born and bred in Auckland. My parents have a small winery, Ako Wines, up North by Matakana”.

“We're having some of their wine now, actually”, Sam helpfully points out.

“I love it”. Steve's already on his second glass, and we all laugh.

“How did you guys meet?” Sophie, the sister in law, has been quiet until now, but she's engrossed in the story. Sam and I look at each other.

“How about you tell the story, and I'll pipe up if you're falling on the wayside?” After my words, everyone's attention is on Sam now. He smiles.

“We met at some mutual friends' house. We liked each other… maybe a bit more. I didn't call”. He picks up my hand.

Tom mock gasps. “You ratbag. My younger brother, the player, ladies and gentlemen”. Everyone laughs, because it's obvious Sam is anything but a player.

“But then I did see sense, and here we are”. He puts his arm around my shoulder, brings me closer and places a small kiss on my forehead.

“How about we go diving for some Kai Moana tomorrow, Sam? You, me, and dad on the boat, like the old times.” Tom's appeal to Sam makes him look at me to check whether it's alright. I nod.

“You guys go, I'll stay behind with Joan and Sophie, maybe have a look around. Looking forward to some yummy scallops and mussels tomorrow. I love seafood”. Sam seems relieved.

We finish the food, and help Joan with the tidy up, then I see Sam getting fidgety.

“I’ve eaten too much delicious food, I think. It's time to walk it off a bit”. Sam grabs my hand and starts walking so fast, I can barely keep up with him. Once we're past the corner, and his pace still hasn't let up, it dawns on me he's more wound up than I realised.

“Hey. Hey. I love you”. That made him stop in his tracks.

“I’m sorry. I love you too. It was getting too much in there”. He wraps his arms around me and kisses me in full view of the street.

“That's ok. We're a team, you and I. No man left behind”. He laughs at my sailing joke.

“You and I should go out on a boat together at some point”. He raises an eyebrow, knowing what I'm thinking. “No, the ferry to Waiheke Island for half an hour doesn't count. A sailboat”. He pulls me closer as we walk together around the block, and back towards his parents' house.

“You can see the wind on the ocean, did you know that, my sweet?” Sam's voice seems to come from far away.

“I had no idea. Is it in the waves or how the boat moves?” I sense this is one of his sailing secrets, that he's about to share with me.

“I can't explain it, but some of us see it, and some of us don't”. His gray eyes look at me intently.

“It's good you can see it, it means you can go faster than those who don't”. I wink at him, and he seems pleased. “If you'd lived 400 years ago, you'd be Captain Samuel Northcroft, exploring the world for five years at a time, and I'd be left at home, weaving and raising the children”. My words make him laugh again. It's great to see him so at ease and carefree, particularly after that tense moment earlier. His words echo my thoughts.

“Just like that, in a few minutes, you took away all the anxiety of being home. What am I going to do without you?” All of a sudden he's quite serious. I don't quite grasp the meaning, so I try to keep it light hearted, as we approach the door to his childhood home.

“You don't need to do anything, as I'm not going anywhere”. I kiss him quickly before we enter, and he pulls me closer, deepening the kiss.

“You're in time for a treat, some board games, followed by Die Hard on TV”. Tom knows how to keep the party going.

We play board games for a couple of hours, have some leftovers from lunch for dinner, then we settle on the sofas to watch Die Hard. Sam pulls me closer in an embrace, and I let my head rest on his shoulder for a while.

Half-an-hour into the movie, Tom and Sophie excuse themselves.

“We've got a big day tomorrow on the boat, need to get my energy levels up”. Tom teases Sam, who rolls his eyes.

“We don't mind, love, see you tomorrow”. Joan seems unconcerned.

“In that case, we're going as well. See you tomorrow, mum. Dad”. Sam makes a beeline to escape, holding my hand.

“These young'uns, eh, Joan?”. On the way out I see Steve and Joan hug. They seem like a lovely couple, and they love their children very much. I dare to hope that one day, Sam and I will grow old together and host Christmas at our house.