Mermaid Hair and I Don’t Care: A romantic comedy about shoes, surf and second chances

by CJ Morrow

  Lily perched on a grey rock to finish the ice cream; it was already running down the cone and onto her fingers. She pulled her bottled water from her bag and used it to clean her hands before taking a generous swig; she was glad she’d brought it with her, it would save the hike back up towards the café she could see beyond the surf shack.

  She spread her towel out and made herself comfortable. It was hot, much hotter than she had expected. After ten minutes she looked around for toilets, or anywhere she could use to change into her bikini, but could see nowhere close and she wasn’t going all the way up to the café. So she began the tug of war that is changing on a beach while trying to maintain decorum and modesty. Ten minutes later following a quick slathering of sun cream she was settled. She lay back, closed her eyes and slept.

  Bliss.

  When she awoke – and she had no idea how long she’d been asleep – her hangover headache was starting to creep back. Or maybe it was the sun. She sat up; the beach had filled with families and surfer groups spreading across the sand. The tide had turned and the sea was closer. It looked even more inviting than before. Lily drank what was left of her water, checked the time on her phone, calculated she’d been asleep for at least two hours, and wondered how cold the sea would be.

  She stuffed her belongings inside her bag, then pushed the bag under the top of her towel so it looked like a pillow. She called over to a family with a baby and asked if they would watch her stuff. The mother nodded her yawning agreement.

  Lily was surprised at how hot the sand now was, she stepped back into her flip flops for the walk down to the sea, she could leave them at the water’s edge. She was aware of the sun’s strength as it hit her back. Oh well, it would match the front eventually; despite the sun cream she had slopped on herself she could feel the familiar tingle of sunburn.

  She left her flip flops well above the tide line and walked on the cool, wet sand. It felt so good. She screamed as the sea lapped at her toes; a little boy swimming in his water wings, giggled at her distress. She laughed back at him.

  It was cold. So cold it made her feet ache. How could she think it would be otherwise? This wasn’t Spain or Florida. Florida? Was Will going there? No.

  She braved a few more steps, went in deeper then stood and shivered. She heard the little boy giggle again, she turned, he was swimming away, almost completely immersed. If he could do it, she could. She took the plunge and waded in deeper. As the water slapped against her thighs the cold took her breath away. The only way to cope with it would be to dunk herself up to her shoulders. She squealed as her chin hit the water, she immediately jumped back up, but lowering herself a second time wasn’t nearly so bad. She smiled over at the little boy; he waved back at her before swimming back towards the shore.

  Lily floating on her back, her arms and legs spread like a starfish, closed her eyes and let the waves lull her. The water was soothing and now her teeth had stopped chattering she was luxuriating in the soft ebb and flow of the lapping water. This was what holidays were for – forgetting your worries, chilling out. The sea rocked her, its rhythm soporific.

  She heard the long roar before she realised what it was. The wave that hit her tossed her about like the flotsam she was. She struggled to breath, she couldn’t see. The salt water stung her eyes and forced its way up her nose, down her throat, into her lungs.

  She struggled to get her head out of the water; she didn’t know which way was up. She stopped herself from breathing, from inhaling any more water. How far had she drifted? She scrabbled around trying to reach the ocean floor but felt nothing. Was it already too late? Was this the end? Was she drowning?

  There was silence.

  There was darkness.

  There was nothing.

  There was peace.

  ‘You’re okay. Just breathe. Just breathe.’ The voice was male and reassuring.

  Lily coughed and spluttered, her arms flailing.

  ‘Keep your chin up. Breathe. Breathe.’ A firm hand was supporting her chin, saving her life.

  She opened her eyes as she coughed water into the face of her rescuer. His bright blue eyes showed concern.

  ‘Okay?’ he asked.

  Lily blinked her agreement, she couldn’t speak, her throat was sore, her lungs ached. She would have cried if that were possible. She’d nearly died. Nearly drowned. Floated out of her depth and taken by a wave because she wasn’t paying attention. She wondered how far she’d floated out.

  ‘Okay?’ the voice asked again.

  Lily managed a nod.

  ‘Let’s get you up,’ he said, grabbing her arms and pulling her.

  Her feet scrabbled around, panic set in. What was he doing? She was going to drown again. She flapped her arms, trying to shake him off, but he was strong, much stronger than her and he pulled her upright.

  ‘See, you’re okay.’

  Lily stood up, her feet firmly planted on the sandy sea bed.

  The water lapped gently against her waist.

  Five

  ‘You’re shivering,’ he said, as they waded out of the sea.

  Lily nodded. She wanted to speak but her throat was so sore she didn’t even try. With difficulty, she attempted to swallow. It would have been very easy to cry, but she most certainly wasn’t going to humiliate herself further.

  ‘Let’s get a towel around you.’ He guided her up the beach back to her towel and bag.

  How did he know where she’d been sitting?

  He bent down, whipped her towel from the sand, shook it and wrapped it around her; he pulled it tight and rubbed her arms. She winced.

  ‘Sunburn? Sorry.’ He stopped rubbing and just held the towel tight. ‘It’s shock as well as cold,’ he said as her teeth chattered. His teeth shone white against his bronzed skin. She noted his bright blue eyes again, or was that also an optical illusion caused by the tan? ‘I’m Jackson, by the way,’ he said.

  ‘Lily,’ she croaked. ‘Thanks for helping me. I’m okay now.’

  ‘You’re getting there,’ he gave a soft laugh.

  She wished he would leave, go away, leave her alone with her embarrassment, but he showed no signs of doing that. He still held the towel tight around her body, still appraising and assessing her condition.

  ‘I think you need a hot drink.’ He spoke with authority and bent down to pick up her bag. She held her hand out for it; he gave her a sharp look that said he wasn’t stealing it even if she thought he was. ‘Come on. I know just the place.’

  He guided her up the beach and past the surf shack where a guy polishing a board nodded and grinned at him. Lily felt uncomfortable, but she also felt shaky and ill.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said, showing her into the Sunset Cove beach café and sitting her at a table in the window.

  While he went to the counter, she dabbed herself as dry as she could and fished in her bag for her dress, hastily pulling it on. Her hair had unravelled from its up-do and hung in wavy rats tails around her shoulders. She dabbed it with her wet towel then pushed it back behind her ears.

  Jackson had a quick word with the two women serving, then came back with cutlery and napkins which he laid on the table. He sat opposite her and smiled. She offered a quick smile back. He was being kind, she shouldn’t be so grumpy but her throat still hurt and her eyes were smarting and she felt stupid and humiliated.

  ‘This will help,’ he said, as the waitress put a jug of iced water and glasses down. ‘It’ll help clear the salt from your throat. It’s hell when you drink half the ocean.’ He smiled again, his eyes crinkling at the sides. ‘I’ve done it enough times myself.’ He poured her a glass of water and waited while she drank it.

  It soothed, it lubricated, it washed away the vile taste. She poured herself another glass and downed that one as quickly as the first.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice sounding more normal.

  ‘You were probably dehydrated too. Ah perfect, thank you Marnie,’ he said as the waitress put a bowl of soup and a hu
nk of bread in front of them both.

  It smelled delicious. Lily peered at it, inhaled its soothing vapours.

  ‘It’s chicken,’ he said. ‘Best cure for everything.’ He laughed, then his tone changed to one of alarm. ‘You’re not veggie, are you?’

  Lily shook her head. ‘No. And thank you.’ She picked up her spoon and began to eat. It tasted so good. Her stomach rumbled its appreciation.

  Smiling, he ripped off a piece of bread and dunked it, and Lily did the same. She savoured every mouthful, every morsel; she hadn’t realised she was quite so hungry. Eating soup on a hot day was so wrong, and yet it felt so right.

  ‘Thank you. I feel much better now,’ she said when they’d finished. ‘How much do I owe you?’ She fumbled for her bag.

  ‘Nothing. Really nothing. My treat.’

  She opened her mouth to argue, saw the look in his eyes and instead said, ‘thank you, you’re very kind.’ She turned away, uncomfortable, embarrassed, and looked out to sea. She could see surfers standing on their boards, riding the waves. ‘It’s quite rough,’ she said, musing, almost to herself.

  ‘Yeah, that’s why it’s so popular with surfers.’

  ‘It seemed so calm when I went in. I got that wrong, didn’t I? Good job you were on hand.’ She gave him a shy smile.

  ‘You were in the wrong lane. I was coming to get you anyway.’

  ‘Wrong lane. What do you mean?’

  ‘The beach is sectioned off. Between the black and white chequered flags it’s surfers only, between the yellow flags it’s swimmers. You were in the surfers’ section. Though the red flags will go up soon because it’s getting too rough now, and that means no going in the sea for anyone.’ He stopped speaking and looked away. ‘Of course those who think they can handle the waves will still go in.’

  Lily felt her face colour up, not only had she nearly drowned, she hadn’t even noticed the flags. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled.

  ‘You were lucky a surfboard didn’t knock you unconscious. These beaches look idyllic, and they are, but the sea can be treacherous at times. There are several drownings every summer. If only people would pay attention to the flag system.’

  ‘Are you the lifeguard or something?’ Lily was tiring of the lecture. She’d nearly drowned, wasn’t that punishment enough? She wouldn’t do it again.

  ‘No. Just spend a lot of time here.’ He looked out of the window, far out to sea; he was miles away, a forlorn look on his face. ‘I help out at the surf shack too.’

  Lily nodded. That explained the smirk from his mate when they’d walked past.

  ‘Devonshire cream tea?’ he asked, suddenly shaking himself back to the present and smiling over at Marnie. She came scuttling over.

  Lily gave a nod and smile to the offer; she was tired and couldn’t be bothered to disagree. Anyway, why not?

  The teapot was a big Brown Betty, Lily guessed it would hold six cups. The teacups were bone china and came with saucers and matching plates. The scones were still warm, the cream clotted, the jam strawberry. Lily took her scone and cut it in half. Then reached for the jam.

  ‘Whoa,’ Jackson said, laughing. ‘You’re in Devon now, it’s cream first then jam.’

  ‘Okay, if it matters that much.’ She shook her head and allowed herself to laugh before taking a generous dollop of cream while Jackson poured tea.

  They ate their cream teas in silence.

  ‘Where are you staying?’ he asked as he wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin.

  Lily hesitated for a moment. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure what the address is. All I know is it’s up a path behind the beach and then miles of tromping through fields. I almost got lost getting here.’ The thought of the hike made her shudder; thank God Josh had pointed the way. ‘It’s a little cottage with a terrace overlooking the sea, but I think it’s miles away, took me ages.’

  ‘Pub at the end of the lane?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Key left on the top of the window ledge for you?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Lily said, dragging out the word.

  ‘I know that place. I also know a better way back. I’ll give you directions. It’s no more than a ten minute walk.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Lily said, feeling humbled. ‘Am I so obviously on holiday?’

  He laughed. ‘Yeah,’ he said, sipping his tea and looking at her over the rim of the cup with those damn startling eyes.

  ‘What about you? Let me guess.’ It was her turn to appraise him now, to make him feel uncomfortable, but he didn’t seem bothered as she scrutinised his face, ran her eyes up and down his body. He was tall, but not too tall, certainly not as tall as Will. He was muscular, probably from swimming and surfing, where Will was gym built. He was clean-shaven; Will favoured the designer-stubble look. His hair fair and straw-like, burnt by the sun and far too long, almost touching his shoulders; Will’s hair was dark and definitely on trend. He wore beads around his neck and wrists; Will would never wear beads. Beneath the beads on his left wrist Lily could see a tattoo poking out. She frowned as she stared at it, trying to make it out.

  ‘Well?’ Jackson smiled.

  ‘I was wondering about your tattoo.’

  ‘My mermaid.’ He pulled the beads aside and showed her the tattoo. ‘Had it done in Ibiza when I was a teenager. It’s not that good really.’

  Lily leaned over to get a closer look, the tail flicked to one side, the hair spread across his wrist. It looked amateurish.

  Seeing her face he said, ‘a large enough watch covers most of it if I need to hide it.’ He pushed the beads back into place.

  ‘Why a mermaid?’

  He shrugged. ‘When I was a kid I thought I saw one.’ He half laughed. ‘Every kid who lives near the sea thinks they see a mermaid. Anyway, you were analysing me.’

  ‘You’re a surfer-type,’ Lily said. ‘I expect you bum around the world chasing the waves.’ She sounded dismissive. ‘I bet you’ve been to Oz and Hawaii and all those other places. Summer here, winter there.’ She waved her hand about.

  ‘You’ve got me pegged,’ he laughed. ‘You’re right, I’ve been here since April, before that I was in Oz and New Zealand.’

  ‘There you go,’ Lily laughed.

  ‘In my defence,’ he said, leaning in. ‘I was born here, grew up here and still have family here.’ He nodded at Marnie. ‘My aunt,’ he said.

  ‘Lucky you. Growing up here, I mean.’

  ‘Yep.’ He smiled. ‘What about you? Let me guess. You live in a city, in a penthouse flat. You don’t have a boyfriend because your career is too important. You meet with the girls for glasses of wine and a meal out once a month. You’re studying to be an accountant.’ He sat back and grinned.

  ‘Ha ha,’ Lily said. ‘I don’t live in a penthouse flat, I live in a house, a small one. My career is important but not too important. I am an accountant, but I finished studying quite some time ago.’

  ‘Whoa,’ he said. ‘Well done you.’

  Lily narrowed her eyes, was he patronising her or taking the piss?

  ‘I mean it. I’m impressed.’

  ‘Thanks very much,’ she said, not meaning thank you at all.

  ‘I didn’t mean…’ his voice trailed away. ‘I thought we were playing a game. I didn’t mean to offend you. If I have, I apologise. I’m sorry, Lily.’

  When he said her name it was as though a shot of lightning coursed through her body. She shook herself and sat upright.

  ‘Are you okay?’ His eyes narrowed in concern.

  ‘I’m fine. Really.’ She fished her phone out of her bag and checked the time. ‘I need to get back,’ she said, thinking of the hot water that should be awaiting her. ‘My friends will be back soon. They’ll wonder where I am.’

  ‘Of course.’ He stood up. ‘I’ll show you that quick way back.’ He waved at Marnie, she laughed back at him and shook her head.

  As they stepped outside the sea breeze caught her hair and blew it wildly about. She grabbed it with both hands, pulli
ng it up and away from her head. ‘Damn, messy hair,’ she cussed. It felt like gritty, dry rope.

  ‘Mermaid hair,’ he said and she could feel his breath on her neck; she hadn’t realised he was so close.

  ‘What?’ She spun round, frowning.

  ‘Your hair, it’s like mermaid hair.’ He laughed. ‘Come on, I’ll show you that path.’

  Had he been flirting with her?

  They started to walk across the beach but instead of taking the rough path she had come by he guided her to a neat tarmac lane. ‘Up there, straight on, then take the right fork. You’ll come out just behind your cottage. Ten minutes tops.’

  ‘Thank you. I’m so glad I won’t have to tramp over those fields again.’

  ‘You should probably put your shoes on to walk up there,’ he said, looking down at her bare feet.

  Lily’s hand went up to her mouth. ‘My flip flops,’ she said. ‘I left them at the water’s edge.’

  ‘Before you went in the sea?’ Jackson glanced towards the shoreline and shook his head. ‘We can go and look but…’ His voice trailed away.

  ‘The sand was so hot,’ Lily said, trotting behind him as he strode down to the water. The sand had cooled off now making her explanation sound trite.

  ‘Whereabouts?’ He called, marching on ahead of her.

  Lily glanced at where she’d been sunbathing then pointed to where she guessed she’d left them. Jackson strode on. Lily almost cantering behind him – most undignified.

  ‘Here?’ he said, standing on the wet sand.

  Lily looked up and down the beach. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Okay. Let’s split up. You go that way as far as the rocks. Don’t go beyond the rocks, it’s dangerous. I’ll go this way.’

  Lily nodded and started her search by heading for the rocks, which were more like mini-mountains. There was no sign of the flip flops and, annoyed with herself, she headed back towards the spot where they’d started. Jackson was still marching across to the other side of the beach, scanning the water’s edge, his hand shading his eyes. When he reached the farthest point he turned back. Lily met him half way.