Worst Impressions

Chapter Forty Seven

By morning, I was convinced that William wouldn't come to my home.

He was just being polite in front of my father.

That being the case, I woke early, and escaped the house to go to the beach at sunrise. What with it being a Sunday, I was happy that Eric could join us. He wrapped me up in a hug that lasted too long when I arrived. It wasn't until Max helped set me free that I could greet the others. Lewis was clingy as ever and professed that it had been too long since I'd joined them for an early morning surf.

He was right, of course.

We left our things in a pile on the sand and ran into the biting water, shrieking and laughing as the icy waves met our bare skin. I had a wetsuit, but it was such a hassle to get it on when I was tired. I'd opted for a pair of skimpy board shorts and a short-sleeved rash shirt. It was so much warmer than a bikini when one was braving British waters.

While I knew how to stand on a long board, because you couldn't grow up beside a beach and not learn to surf as a kid, I'd been more in the mood for body boarding. As the others discovered, the waves just weren't high or powerful enough to carry them to shore at the speeds they enjoyed. We paddled out together, sat on our boards, and tried to knock one another into the water. The last one upright was the winner. It was a fun game but, given that I was so out of practice because of my time away at school, I didn't last long. Eric emerged triumphant every time.

The morning passed too quickly, as time was wont to do when one was having fun, and soon someone was calling out to us from the café at the shore. It stood high on stilts to withstand the approach of high-tide and had a wooden terrace out front so that diners could enjoy the fresh air and ocean view. It'd been a staple of the town for many years and showed no sign of closing down yet. Bill was getting on in years, but he'd not indicated that he was about to hand his business over to anyone else. He was eagerly beckoning us over so we could enjoy our usual weekend lunch together.

'Well,' Eric said, still sitting on his board as the winner of our last game, 'I was hoping to see Cassidy today.'

'You need to remember that she's married,' I said.

'And pregnant,' Poppy added.

'What? No way!' I splashed her. 'When were you planning on telling me?'

'I just did.' Poppy flicked some water back at me. 'Come on, let's go and ogle Oliver.'

'Pop', I am right here,' Max said.

'I know. You're cute when you're jealous,' she told her pouting boyfriend.

Lewis cleared his throat. 'Say, Beth? I was thinking, maybe I -'

'Maybe you should keep quiet,' Eric suggested. 'Beth wants to have a little lunch date with me. Right, baby cakes?'

'You were just saying you were going to hit on Cass',' I reminded him.

'I can't do both?'

'This is exactly why you can't get a girlfriend,' I said. 'You're such a perv'.'

'I like to think of myself as a lovable rogue.'

'I bet you do,' I muttered.

Too lazy to swim to shore, I pulled myself back up on my board and accepted the help of an oncoming wave. We were still teasing Eric as we returned to our belongings. Thankfully, Bill didn't mind if we trod sand and seawater into the café. It had been built with surfers in mind, and he wasn't about to ban his best source of income. Despite this, we did our best to dry off the worst of the water. It wasn't like we wanted to leave puddles all over the place and cause an accident if someone slipped in one. I was still rubbing my hair with a towel when I heard William's voice.

He announced himself by calling across the beach, 'Beth Bennett!' as he strode to us.

'Who's that?' Lewis asked.

'I don't know, but he's cute,' Poppy teased.

Max put his arm around her shoulders possessively. 'I don't like the look of him.'

'Me either,' Lewis added.

'Someone you know, Beth?' Eric asked. He elbowed me gently. 'Someone you neglected to tell us about?'

'Unfortunately, yes. And no. Get your mind out of the gutter, Eric.'

'Hi,' William greeted the others once he was close enough. It was an awkward introduction, but I could hardly blame him. He'd just marched up to a group of strangers, most of whom were half-naked young men and girls in swimwear.

'What are you doing here?' I asked. 'And how did you know I'd be here?'

'Your father said that I'd probably find you here. You're soaked.'

'That's an occupational hazard when you surf, kid,' Eric said. 'Gotta be in the water to do it. Water's wet.'

William looked him up and down, before offering a hand to shake. 'William Darcy. You are?'

'You don't need to go all formal on us, kid. I'm Eric, I work for Beth's Dad. The blonde girly is Poppy. The guy glaring at you is her boyfriend, Max. And the scrawny kid is her little bro', Lewis.'

'Nice to meet you all,' William said stiffly. 'Beth, my sister was hoping you'd come up to the house for lunch.'

'You want to eat lunch inside when it's this nice out?' Poppy asked.

'Where else would we eat?'

She motioned to the café. 'Ta-da!'

'What? No way,' I said. 'Look, I know what Dad said, but it's fine. Don't make yourself hang around me, okay? I'm going to eat up there with the guys, so apologise to your sister for me, and -'

'I'll text her,' he interrupted.

'Come again?'

William took his phone from his pocket. 'I'll send her a message and tell her to meet us here.'

I groaned and didn't try to hide my irritation from William. He knew that he wasn't my favourite person in the world, and I knew that I wasn't his, so I didn't know why he wanted to torment himself by being in my company. It wasn't like I was going to complain to my Dad if he didn't uphold his agreement to spend time with me. And even if I did, it wasn't any concern of his. He'd made it clear what he thought of me and my family.

Neither of us stood to gain anything from sharing lunch.