Page 83 of The Boathouse by Stepping Stone Bay
‘Dad told me we can play the pirates game in the summer if I get good at kayaking,’ Jonah informed Leo.
‘The pirates game?’ His mind flashed back to his childhood. ‘I’ll warn you Jonah, Adrian is good at it, he’ll probably win.’
But Jonah merely shrugged. ‘He said that about Frustration and I beat him loads of times.’
Adrian began to smile and when Jonah saw a boy he knew from school dressed up as a Dalek and begged to go say hello all Adrian said was to make it quick, it was almost time.
‘So the pirates game, eh?’ Leo smiled to his brother. ‘Might have to join in.’
They chatted about some more of the games they’d played as boys as the masses congregated ready to get into the water. Right now they were separated from the sea by a nice big stretch of sand but the cold made everyone anxious to get this done. Helpers hovered on the periphery with towels to wrap swimmers in as soon as they emerged, the scent of mince pies filled the air and the odd waft of coffee too.
‘Happy?’ Nina asked Leo who was watching his brother with Maeve, this family he hadn’t been looking for but had somehow found.
‘Happier than you know,’ he whispered into her hair. ‘But I’ll be even happier once this is done and I’m out of this costume and in a nice warm shower.’
‘We’re doing good,’ she told him, ‘the event has already raised a couple of thousand pounds and donations often come in afterwards apparently.’
‘Brilliant,’ he agreed. And when they heard an announcement that people should get ready for the off he looked at Nina, ‘Ready?’
‘As I’ll ever be,’ she grinned.
And as the countdown reached one and the crowds surged towards the water, some fast, others waddling in cumbersome costumes, Leo and Nina shared a look thatsaid this was it, this was what they’d been destined for as those two kids when they’d met and become firm friends, as they’d opened up their hearts to one another.
Nina and Leo.
Together today, tomorrow and for ever more.
