Second Chances at Hollyhock Farm (Hollyhock Farm #2)

Chapter 23

23

ZAC

Zac sat on the towel waiting for Melody to roll up her yoga mat and join him.

‘So,’ she said, grinning at him. ‘What did you think? Was it your first time?’

He laughed. ‘Couldn’t you tell?’

‘I could,’ she teased.

He rested back on his elbows next to Melody, watching the sky morph into deeper golds as the sun slowly slid below the sea on the horizon. He had watched sunsets many times from this beach but never with someone he liked as much as Melody. He had enjoyed the beach yoga more than he had expected. Maybe he should take it up regularly, he thought. He certainly had a great teacher to hand to show him how to do it.

He looked at her, his heart rate increasing. She really was special. He would have preferred to be sitting here by themselves, rather than with his family.

‘It’s a long time since I’ve sat and watched a sunset,’ Lindy said dreamily.

‘Rubbish, you watched at least two from the ship,’ Gareth argued. ‘Although both were during the sail-away parties, so you probably weren’t paying all that much attention to them.’

Zac thought how lucky he was that he had both his parents around to share special experiences like this one. So many of his friends growing up had fathers who worked away a lot of the time and mothers who were frazzled trying to keep everything going.

‘This is so beautiful,’ Melody said quietly, her voice filled with awe. ‘I’ve queued to watch the sunset in Santorini in the past but what they don’t show you when you look at the travel websites are the hundreds of people around you each vying for a photo. This is perfect. There’s hardly anyone else here but us and there’s nothing else to distract from the view.’

He was glad Melody was impressed. ‘It is special, isn’t it? Keep looking and you might see the green flash just before the sun disappears completely.’

She turned to him but he pointed at the sunset. ‘Don’t look away.’

‘I’ve never heard of a green flash before,’ she said, amusement in her voice. ‘Are you sure you’re not having me on?’

‘He’s not,’ Lindy said. ‘I’ve watched the sunset many times and I’ve only ever seen it twice.’

‘I’ve seen it once,’ Zac said, hoping that he might be lucky and see it again tonight.

‘Wow.’

‘It’s a mirage,’ Gareth said. ‘Where the sunlight disperses through the atmosphere like a prism.’

Zac wondered why he hadn’t ever thought to look up the phenomenon. ‘Is it?’ he asked, without taking his eyes from the view.

‘It’s something like that anyway,’ his father said. ‘Keep watching. If we’re going to see it, we need to try not to blink.’

Zac stared but the sun finally disappeared and there was nothing at all apart from the sea to look at. ‘Ah well,’ he said, trying not to show the depths of his disappointment. He had wanted to give Melody something special to remember their evening. Maybe next time, he thought, hoping there would be one. ‘We tried.’

Melody looked down at him and pouted. ‘That’s such a shame,’ she said, lying back on her elbows next to him. ‘Mind you, it’s so beautiful down here that it’s not as if we’re not already spoilt with the scenery around us.’

He supposed she was right. He stared into her eyes, deciding to bring her back down here another evening, just the two of them. ‘Would you like to come here again with me sometime?’ he asked, before losing the confidence to say what he was feeling.

‘Just the two of us?’ she asked as if she had read his mind.

He smiled. ‘Yes. We can bring something to eat and watch the sunset again.’

‘I’d like that,’ she said, smiling. ‘Very much.’

Zac didn’t think he had ever felt happier. He wished again that they were alone so he could kiss her, instead he moved his hand so that it rested on hers. ‘Then that’s what we’ll do.’

‘Let’s eat this food Lindy’s put together for us,’ Gareth insisted.

The words were barely out of his mouth when everyone moved. Zac pulled a face at Melody, reaching out his hand to help her to her feet. ‘We’d better get ours before it all goes. This lot seems hungry.’

He stood next to her watching their mother and father help serve food on to everyone’s plates. After an immediate move to the table, Brodie, Zac and Melody were waiting with Lettie for Patsy to get her food first.

‘This looks delicious,’ Patsy exclaimed, holding out her plate while Lindy offered her various bits of meat.

‘Gareth will serve you any salad,’ Lindy said. She pointed to the second trestle table. ‘You’ll find the condiments, cutlery and napkins there. Please help yourself.’

Zac motioned for Melody to follow her grandmother and select what food she felt like eating. Once seated again on the picnic rug, he sat eating and enjoying being among friends and family. Even with his disappointment not to have time alone with Melody, he knew he was lucky to have such a close family. It dawned on him that he hadn’t felt this settled and contented since, well, since forever, he mused. If only Melody could stay on the island and they could give themselves a chance to have a real future together. He looked at her for a few seconds before continuing to eat. If only they had met before now. Been together for more than a few weeks. Maybe then he would have the confidence to broach the subject of her staying for a bit longer. It didn’t help that she travelled with Patsy. He loved that the women had such a close bond and knew Melody must treasure her connection with her gran, but he couldn’t see why she would ever choose to stay with him rather than return to Scotland.

‘Something wrong?’

He hadn’t realised Melody was watching him and didn’t want her to think he wasn’t enjoying her company. ‘No, I was just thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed spending time with you here.’

She looked doubtful. ‘You didn’t look very happy about it though. Are you sure there’s nothing the matter?’

He appreciated that she kept her voice low. The last thing he needed was his mother to overhear and try to help by saying something that would end up embarrassing him. He looked into Melody’s beautiful eyes and saw concern.

Not wanting her to get the wrong idea, he gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Fine, I admit it. I was feeling a little sad.’

She rested a hand on his arm. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’

‘I was thinking about us,’ he said, wanting to be open with her and see if he could pick up anything in her reaction that might give him some hope that he meant as much to her as she did to him.

‘What about us?’ she asked, her expression not giving her feelings away.

Unsure what to say next, Zac hesitated.

‘Zac? What were you thinking that you didn’t want to share with me?’

He struggled to think how to reply. Glancing to his right past Melody, he saw Lettie and Brodie chatting. One of them said something and they both laughed. He could hear his mother’s voice a little way behind him chatting with Patsy and his father. Satisfied that no one was listening, he decided to be honest. What was the worst that could happen? Melody could rebuff him, he decided. Then again, what else could he do but tell the truth? To come up with something random might only end up confusing things between them and he didn’t want to do anything that might put her off him.

He sighed. ‘I was thinking what a shame it was that you’re not on the island for all that long.’

Her eyes lit up and he immediately knew he had done the right thing confiding in her. ‘I was thinking the same earlier today,’ she admitted. ‘Just when we’re getting to know each other, I’m also getting ready to leave.’ She turned from him and stared at the horizon for a moment before addressing him again.

He understood why she would worry – hadn’t he just done the same thing? He took her empty plate from her hands and lowered it with his onto the blanket behind them before putting his arm around her shoulders, happy when she snuggled closer to him.

‘That’s exactly what I hoped to hear you say, yet didn’t expect you to.’

He kissed her cheek, and she immediately turned her face to him and kissed him properly. Zac lost himself in her kiss, wrapping his arms around her and forgetting they were with other people until someone pointedly cleared their throat behind them.

Melody looked over Zac’s shoulder. ‘Oh, sorry, Gran.’

‘Maybe keep that sort of thing until you’re alone later,’ her grandmother suggested, leaning forward in her chair to address them. ‘Although I can see why the romance of this place might affect a couple.’

‘Pudding, Patsy?’ Lindy asked. Zac could tell by his mother’s voice that she was smiling.

Zac loved that his mother was trying to distract Patsy from telling them off. And he grinned at Melody who grimaced back.

‘Oops,’ she whispered. ‘Gran is very open about most things but I think she worries that I’m only recently out of my last relationship.’ She stared out to sea. ‘She worries about me.’

Zac shrugged. ‘I think apart from my mum she was the only other person to notice.’ He cocked his head to his right. ‘That lot are too busy chatting to notice.’

‘Good. That’s a relief.’ Melody sighed. ‘I won’t feel quite so embarrassed now.’

‘Don’t, it’s fine.’ Despite what he said, he wanted to kiss her again. Desperately. The beach went on for a few miles though, and unless they went up one of the slipways or stairs there wasn’t really anywhere for them to be alone without people seeing. Deciding that just being a bit of a distance away was probably good enough, he nudged her with his shoulder. ‘Shall we take that walk now?’ Hearing his mother calling the others for pudding, he added, ‘Unless you’d rather wait until we’ve eaten some of the sweet things Mum bought with her?’

Melody shook her head and smiled. ‘I can eat sweet things anytime I choose.’ She grinned. ‘Your mother always seems to have an abundance of delicious treats in her cupboards. Right now though I want to take a walk with you and, hopefully when we’re far enough away from my gran, kiss you again.’

Zac laughed. ‘You really are a woman after my own heart.’ He stood and held out a hand to take hers.

She took his hand and stood. Then, keeping hold of it, began to lead him away. ‘We’re only going for a bit of a stroll, Gran.’

‘Wait a sec and we’ll join you,’ Lettie answered.

Zac tensed, not wishing for his time alone with Melody to be interrupted by his sister and her boyfriend.

‘No, lovey,’ Lindy said quickly. ‘Why don’t you help me serve the tasty puddings we’ve brought with us. I don’t want to have to take them all home again with me. Come along.’

Zac caught his mother’s eye and gave her a grateful smile. She waved for him to make the most of the distraction and go.

His mum really was the best, he decided as he gave Melody’s hand a gentle squeeze and they began walking towards the La Pulente end of the beach.