A girls’ night out sounded perfect right now. ‘What about Nicholas? You could leave him with Mum and Dad.’
‘I’ll call them tonight. So we’re on? Cool. Now eat some bread with that soup. It’s good for you both.’
*
Grady hauled the rope in, hand over hand, straining as the weight of the dredge tried to defy him. ‘Reckon we’ve got a full load in this sucker.’
Ian leaned over the side and peered down into the murky water. ‘I see it. Look at all those lovely scallops. My mouth’s watering already. Sasha’s going to hate us for getting these.’
Sasha hates me already. A few scallops won’t make the slightest difference. ‘The blue cod will make up for not being allowed shellfish.’
‘You think?’ Ian’s eyes twinkled as he took one side of the dredge and helped haul it into the boat. ‘These are her favourite shellfish.’
Yeah, he remembered. She used to eat them raw while they were opening the shells, and then be back for a large helping when they’d been cooked on the barbecue.
Together he and Ian tipped their catch onto the deck, along with the seaweed and starfish also caught in the dredge. ‘We must have at least a hundred good scallops in that lot.’
Jack slowly lowered to his knees and began tossing the obviously too small scallops back overboard. ‘This is a good haul for so early in the season. Don’t tell anyone about it.’
‘This is Golden Bay. People will know before we hit the beach.’ Ian hunkered down too.
‘Want to do another run?’ Grady looked up at the sky. ‘I take that back. The weather’s starting to close in. Better head for home.’
He began coiling the rope attached to the dredge, making meticulous loops in the bin before placing the dredge on top. Then he washed down the deck with buckets of salt water, getting rid of the worst of the mud and mess. A good hose down back home would finish the job. It’d also help keep him occupied and his mind off Sasha. As if that was at all possible.
‘How’s the redecorating coming along?’ Ian asked, as he tossed a handful of large shellfish into the bucket.
‘I’m over watching the paint dry, that’s for sure. Painting in the cold winter air was asking for delays. I’ve got the plumber doing a refit of the bathroom next week.’ He’d never intended doing that but on Saturday he’d walked in for a shower and found a crack in the old glass panel. Then he’d taken a really good look at the room and gone to phone the plumber. ‘So much for just a lick of paint.’
Jack paused his sorting to ask, ‘You doing the place up for yourself, or putting it on the market?’
‘Probably selling it, if I can. I haven’t used it since Dad died. It’s gone backwards over the years. Needs someone living there most of the time to breathe life back into it.’ But a big part of him did not want to let the place go now that he’d had time back here.
Staring out over the sea as he directed the nose of the boat for the shore, he could hear the laughter of nights spent on the front lawn of the house with his family and friends. Eating barbecued fish and scallops, drinking beer, having plain old, carefree fun. His heart yearned for that again. Yearned to be able to get up in the morning, every morning, and pull back the curtains to reveal the bay spread as far as the eye could see. To know the sea and sand would be waiting when he got home from work. To have a family to enjoy it with. To share the barbecued food again.
To have the impossible dream.
It all came back to Sasha.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘ANOTHER WEEK NEARLY OVER.’ On Friday Sasha stopped in at home for a late lunch before heading out on the rest of her house calls. Thank goodness the weekend was nearly here. Unfortunately the week had been quiet, keeping her hanging around the medical centre more than usual, stocking shelves with bandages and syringes, cleaning out her kit, doing inventories. Ignoring Grady when he turned up to do a half-day for Rory on Wednesday and again on Thursday.
‘At least we had antenatal clinic this morning, eh, Flipper? Kind of fun being with other pregnant mums and doing their check-ups.’ Jess had gone with Nicholas and his playgroup to visit Natureland in Nelson. ‘Nicholas was so excited about seeing the monkeys he nearly wet himself. His little face was wide with excitement. Think you’ll like monkeys, my girl?’
No answer from in there.
‘Okay. What do you want for lunch? One of those fruit buns I bought yesterday or reheated tomato soup?’ None of it sounded very appealing. ‘I promise to go to the supermarket on the way home and get us some proper food.’
Her cell rang as Flipper nudged her. A glance at the screen and, ‘Hi, Mike. What have you got for me?’
‘Tamara Tucker, eighteen years old, has severe back and abdomen pains. She’s out at Totaranui Camping Ground and doesn’t have any way of getting into town to see us. I want you to head out there.’
‘Totaranui?’ About an hour away over a rough, narrow winding road that could be slippery at this time of year. ‘She had to have got out there somehow. It’s not on a main road to anywhere.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know. Apparently she and her boyfriend were dropped off on the other side by the charter boat and walked across to the camping ground where friends were supposed to have joined them for a few days.’
‘The friends haven’t turned up.’
‘You’ve got it. Now, Sasha…’ Mike’s tone changed, turned quiet and calm.
What was she in for now? Bumps lifted on her skin. ‘Ye-es?’
‘Can you pick up Grady on your way? He’s getting ready as we speak. Just in case this is an emergency.’
She’d seen it coming the moment Mike’s tone had altered but that didn’t prevent the punch to her gut. Grady. In the car with her. For an hour. And another hour on the way back. Suck it up, girl. This is your job. ‘On my way. Will keep you posted once we get to Totaranui in case we need outside help. Is the warden there?’
‘According to Tamara’s boyfriend, he left early this morning for supplies in town. There aren’t any other campers either.’
‘Who in their right mind would be out there at this time of year?’ Sasha asked Flipper, as she stuffed two buns in a plastic bag and filled her water bottle. ‘At least I don’t have to decide what we’re having for lunch.’
Outside Grady’s house she tapped the horn but he didn’t appear. Climbing out of the Jeep, she stomped up to the wide-open front door. The smell of fresh paint hit her. No wonder all the windows were also open. The house would be freezing inside but getting the paint dry was obviously a problem. ‘Grady? You ready?’
Silence.
She’d taken one step inside when Grady appeared, striding out of one room on the way to the kitchen. Rubbing his hair with a towel. Naked as the day he was born.
She stared, unable to even blink. Her mouth dried as she took in the sight of moving muscles, that wide chest with its sprinkling of fine black hair, of a washboard stomach, of his male tackle. Two weeks ago she’d slept with him, had had him inside her, and yet nothing measured up to the sight filling her eyes. He was stunning. He’d filled out into a very beautiful man from the teen he’d been last time she’d known him.
‘Grady,’ she squeaked, as he reached the kitchen doorway.
Unfortunately he heard her, because she hadn’t intended making her presence known.
>
Grady stopped, leaned back to look directly at her. ‘Sash. I didn’t realise you’d be here this soon.’
Obviously. ‘I’ll wait for you outside.’ She ran to her vehicle, leapt in and slammed the door. His image followed her, filling her head, sending her hormones into a riot of activity, heating the chill that had lain over her since she’d sent him away. Ten minutes ago she’d thought having to ride with Grady would be difficult. Now she knew it would be impossible.
What was she supposed to do? A young woman needed help from both of them. Somehow she’d have to dig deep and pull on a mantle to hide behind for as long as this job took. She couldn’t do it. She had to. It was impossible. Tough. Do it. Now. Before Grady comes out of that house and gets in beside me.
The passenger door opened and Grady’s large frame, fully clothed, filled the periphery of her view. ‘I’d been sanding the table and was covered in dust when Mike rang. Thought I’d have time for a shower before you turned up.’
As far as an explanation went she couldn’t fault it. Didn’t make the trip into Totaranui any easier, though. Funny how, even when concentrating hard on the difficult road, she still had that image of Grady firmly in the front of her head.
*
They hadn’t even come to a stop when a young man ran towards them from a nearby hut. ‘Am I glad to see you. Tamara’s in a lot of pain. Screaming and crying all the time.’
Grady hopped out and extended his hand to the young guy. ‘Grady O’Neil, doctor, and this is Nurse Sasha Wilson. You are…?’
The lad’s hand shook when he gripped Grady’s hand. ‘Sorry. Tamara’s boyfriend. Kevin Sparkes. She thinks it’s her appendix. She’s got a rumbling one or something.’
‘Right, Kevin, how long has Tamara been having pain? And where is it centred mostly?’ Grady took the medical kit off Sasha and ignored the scowl she gave him.
Kevin began filling them in with details as he led them to the cabin he and Tamara had hired. ‘Man, she’s hurting, curling up with the pain at times. I was real frightened, man. Especially when she started getting worse. Didn’t know what to do. There’s no one here.’ He waved a hand around the camp site. ‘No one.’