Reluctant Date

by Sheila Claydon

  “Not a problem. The leaflets have always been the priority. And the educational programme too. We need them both for the summer visitors.”

  She nodded moodily. She could still see the image of the tiny limp poult hanging from the hawk’s sharp talons.

  “Are you okay?” Daniel could see something was wrong.

  “I’m fine,” she said, and then she burst into tears.

  “Hey, it’s not that bad,” Instantly his arms were around her. “It’s just a wild turkey, not someone’s dog. That hawk has a brood to feed, too, you know.”

  “I know it does! It just shocked me, the way it came out of nowhere. And now I feel such a fool,” she sniffed, scrabbling around in her chinos for a tissue.

  “Here, let me,” he produced a wad of tissues from his pocket and, lifting her chin with one finger so that she was forced to look at him, wiped away her tears.

  Coming to her senses she grabbed them from him. He was way too close! She couldn’t cope with this as well. Her plan didn’t work quite as she intended though, because he kept his arms around her as she scrubbed at her face, and didn’t remove them until she gave him a watery smile.

  “Better?” he asked, taking a step away from her.

  She nodded. “Better, but very embarrassed.”

  “Well don’t be. You’ve had to take in a lot since you arrived in Florida, and there’s a way to go yet. You’ll probably see worse than a dead poult before it’s over.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  After their trip to the State Reserve, Claire didn’t see much of Daniel for several weeks. According to Beth another crisis had surfaced in the family business, and in the short periods when he was at home he spent most of his time meeting up with project teams from other conservancy organizations in order to swop ideas, and to try to identify new funding.

  Part of her was glad he was away so much. It not only meant she could continue to visit his parents without worrying about him suddenly showing up, it also meant she could concentrate on her work without that permanent flutter in her stomach whenever he was around. The contrary side of her missed him however, so she often found herself glancing out of the window halfway through reading a document, hoping he would walk by and come in through the door behind her with a cheery greeting. It wasn’t any better in her apartment either. When she wasn’t busy meeting up with Scott, or Beth, or with one or two of the volunteers who had become her friends, she spent far too much time on her balcony watching the boats sailing by as she searched in vain for the one that had Daniel at the helm.

  When he did finally turn up it was in a totally unexpected way. It was at the end of a long and busy week and she had just returned home from work and taken a shower when the doorbell rang. Wrapping a towel around her she went to answer it. A girl with long blonde hair was standing outside looking distinctly nervous.

  “You must be Claire,” she said. Then, without waiting for an answer, she rushed on. “I’m Taylor-Ann, Daniel’s sister…you know, one of the ones still at college.”

  “I know who you are,” Claire smiled at her. “Come on in while I put something on. Then I’ll make some coffee.”

  “Oh no! I don’t want to hold you up or anything. Really! I just want to invite you to a lunchtime barbecue tomorrow. Melanie and I are home for a few weeks now and…well we’ve persuaded our parents to let us invite all our friends around so that we can catch up with the news…and my mother thought you might like to come too. She talks about you quite a lot,” she added.

  “That’s so kind of you, but please come in just for a moment,” Claire pleaded, liking her instantly whilst also wishing she didn’t look quite so much like Daniel.

  “Well…okay. But I told Dan I wouldn’t be long. He’s downstairs talking business with the manager of the apartment block. He said I could come too as long as I was quick.”

  Hiding the twist of pain she felt when she learned that Daniel was downstairs, but that he wouldn’t be coming up to see her, Claire nodded. Then she held the door wide for Taylor-Ann and followed her inside.

  With a cry of delight the younger girl made straight for the balcony and stood looking over the railing at the blue waters of the bay. “What a great view. You must love it here. I always forget how much I miss the sea until I’m back home again.”

  “I do…love it I mean,” Claire called out from the bathroom, her voice muffled as she pulled a clean T-shirt over her head. Then, fastening her shorts, she padded barefoot back into the sitting room and out onto the balcony.

  “Oh look, dolphins!” Taylor-Ann cried, gripping Claire’s wrist in her excitement. “Wow! Daniel must think a lot of you to let you stay here and hog this view. This is his best development in Dolphin Key. I’m surprised he has an apartment available.”

  Claire stared at her but the other girl was too intent on the dolphins to be aware of the shock wave she had caused with her innocent remark. Not at all sure how to respond she finally opted for a safer subject.

  “Daniel told me I would get used to the dolphins,” she said. “But I haven’t yet!”

  Taylor-Ann turned to her with a grin. “Nor have I, and I was born here! Let’s persuade him to take us out in his boat so we can follow them. It’s tied up at the pier. Come on!”

  She was halfway out of the door as she spoke and within moments Claire heard her voice echoing up through the stairwell as she ran down the stairs, calling out to Daniel as she went.

  Unsure whether she should follow or not, Claire delayed making a decision by the simple dint of taking the time to brush her hair and put on some lip-gloss. By the time she had finished Taylor-Ann was calling up to her from beneath the balcony.

  “Come on Claire! Daniel’s waiting.”

  Leaning over the railing she looked down and found herself staring straight into Daniel’s eyes. For a moment his expression didn’t change, then he gave her a slow smile. “I see that my little sister has taken you in hand too!”

  She smiled back, her heart thumping against her chest in an unseemly fashion. “Apparently so.”

  “You’re coming then?”

  “Of course. You know me and dolphins!” She thrust her feet into her thongs as she spoke and then, with a brief wave, disappeared from view.

  By the time she reappeared on the beach, Daniel had managed to control the surge of feeling that had threatened to overwhelm him when she first peered over the edge of the balcony. He had deliberately kept his distance over the past weeks, only meeting with her when absolutely necessary and leaving everything else to Scott and Beth. He was glad for once to have the excuse of the family business to keep him away because, after the day they had spent together at the State Reserve, he no longer trusted himself.

  Crouching next to her watching the wild turkeys had taught him that. Even as he talked about them and showed her where to look, he had been unable to tear his gaze away from her profile, or to ignore the fact that her body was pressed close to his as they attempted to remain out of sight behind the fallen tree. And then the hawk had swooped and she had surprised them both by bursting into tears.

  Even now he cringed at his over-the-top response but he hadn’t been able to help himself. His instinct had been to hold her close and he could still recall the warmth of her skin against his arm and the dewy softness of her cheeks as he wiped away her tears.

  It had taken him a long time to get to sleep that night, and by the time the first fingers of dawn started to creep over the horizon he had decided he wasn’t going to risk being alone with her again. If she had responded in any way when he held her in his arms, then things might have been different, but she hadn’t. And with Scott in the picture it wasn’t likely to happen any time soon either. So he had bitten the bullet and just got on with his life, immersing himself in work in much the same way he’d done before she arrived. He hadn’t asked about her either, even though Scott had kept him up to date with the work she was doing.

  The only person he’d discussed her with was Carl, and that
was when he saw the finished leaflets. The pictures were stunning and they both agreed she’d been right to persuade Scott to pose for them.

  “Beth tells me that female visitor numbers are up already,” Carl said with a grin as he handed Daniel a stack of leaflets to put in his car. “I don’t believe her of course, she just said it to wind me up, to rub in the fact that Scott beats me on all counts…looks, brawn, and brains. And on top of that he’s Mr Nice Guy too!”

  Daniel laughed. “As if that would make any difference to Beth. And you know it!”

  “I guess. It’s a shame that Claire can’t photograph herself as well though! A picture of the pair of them together would really bring in the punters, even people with no interest in wildlife whatsoever.”

  Daniel hid his misery as he smiled in agreement, because he knew that everything Carl said was true. Then, unable to help himself, he asked the question that had been hovering on the tip of his tongue from the moment he first entered the print shop. “Is there anything going on between them? Scott and Claire I mean.”

  “Don’t ask me, ask Beth. She’s the expert on such matters and I know she’s hopeful. The only thing I’ve noticed is that whenever one of them comes over for a meal, the other one comes too. I haven’t seen much sign of romance though. It’s more a case of good friends I think, but I could be wrong.”

  Daniel couldn’t bring himself to ask Beth, however. Instead, he just kept away from the office as much as possible, unwilling to see anything that might blow away his gossamer thin hope that he still had some sort of a chance with Claire once he found the time to work on it. He even tried to persuade himself that he was keeping out of her way for a reason. That if he left her and Scott to themselves for a while, then they would tire of one another and Scott, as so often before, would start looking for a new conquest.

  And now here she was standing in front of him, totally delectable in a striped T-shirt and white shorts, her long legs tanned to a pale biscuit colour by the sun. Next to her his pretty little sister looked just what she was, a college kid who was still experimenting with her identity; while Claire was all woman, someone who knew exactly who she was and who didn’t need clothes and make-up to define her. He dragged his eyes away from her curves and pointed towards the pier.

  “If you two climb on board I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes. I just have to sign a few more things for the manager.”

  * * *

  The trip was very different from the first one he and Claire had taken together. With Taylor-Ann on board it was impossible to make a peaceful loop around the bay searching for dolphins because every time she thought she saw one she shrieked her excitement.

  “Look! Dan, look! There’s one over there…can you see it? It’s in a direct line out from the pier. Here, give me you binoculars.”

  Snatching them from his neck she held them up to her eyes, breathless with anticipation, only to lower them again with a dejected pout when she realized she had been looking at a pelican diving for its dinner, or a seagull bobbing on the water.

  In the end Daniel lost patience with her. “For goodness sake, be quiet Taylor-Ann! Any dolphin we might have seen will have hightailed it out to sea by now, frightened away by the sound of your non-stop chattering.”

  Chastened by his sharp tone, she looked about twelve years old as she handed back his binoculars with a sigh. “I’m sorry! It’s just I get so excited when I first come home. You know I do. So does Melanie.”

  He reached over and gently pulled a long strand of her hair. “I know. But being excited and seeing dolphins don’t go together. Now just be quiet, there’s a good girl, and I’ll see if I can find some for you.”

  Picking up an old baseball cap that was rolling around at the bottom of the dinghy, Taylor-Ann rammed it on her head, tucked her long hair up inside it, and did as she was told.

  Claire watched, fascinated. Daniel might be Taylor-Ann’s brother but he acted more like her father. True there was a really big age difference between them but it was something more than that. It was as if she expected him to take charge and tell her what to do. She guessed it was because his mother and father had more or less stopped functioning as proper parents years ago, leaving Daniel to shoulder almost every responsibility. She wondered how it made him feel. She was still pondering it when he slowed the dinghy almost to a standstill and pointed silently ahead.

  At first Claire didn’t see a thing but then the water sprayed into a million sparkling droplets as a pod of about eight dolphins leapt out of the water together, their skin like pewter in the late afternoon sunshine. Taylor-Ann, still silent, sat hunched at the front of the dinghy, her T-shirt pulled down over her bare legs, her eyes shining with excitement.

  Claire’s eyes met Daniel’s and they smiled at one another. Then they looked back to where the dolphins were heading at speed across the bay. Nobody spoke until the final fin had disappeared from view in a splash of rainbow coloured spray. Only then, and without turning around from her lookout point at the stern, did Taylor-Ann break the silence.

  “That was magical,” she sighed. “Thank you Dan. Now I truly feel I’m home again.”

  “My pleasure,” he said, pointing the dinghy back towards the pier and, as he did so, realizing that he suddenly felt very happy. Pleased as he was to have his sister at home again, he was under no illusion that his happiness had anything to do with her. No! It was because of the smile he had exchanged with Claire, out there amongst the dolphins. It had been a smile of mutual understanding, as if she somehow knew what his life was like, knew about all the responsibilities he had, all the balls he had to juggle, and understood and sympathized. And, unless he was deluding himself, there had been something else too. He was sure her gray eyes had held an invitation, and it was something he was going to follow up, Scott or no Scott, as soon as he had done his duty by his family.

  * * *

  When they arrived back at the pier they were greeted by Taylor-Ann’s double. “That’s Melanie,” she told Claire, with an airy wave of her hand towards the girl leaning against the railings that surrounded the pier.

  “I think I would have guessed that,” Claire told her, laughing as she climbed out of the dinghy to say hello.

  “Don’t be fooled,” Daniel called up from below, trying to concentrate on securing the dinghy instead of looking at Claire’s legs disappearing up the ladder above him. “They might look alike, but Melanie is the sensible one. She doesn’t talk as much as Taylor-Ann either.”

  “That is so not true!” Taylor-Ann pulled a face at him as he joined them on the pier. Melanie, however, merely smiled.

  He kissed her cheek. “Where have you been? It’s not like you to disappear when you first arrive home. I was expecting the pair of you to pester me until I agreed to take you out in the dinghy.”

  “Oh around and about…I had a few people to see,” Melanie’s voice was quieter than her sister’s, her eyes more solemn. “I’m ready to go home now though. Do you think dinner will be ready? I’m starving!”

  “Probably. Come on then.” He clambered back down into the dinghy and held it steady while they joined him.

  Claire watched them go with a smile. “Don’t forget the barbecue tomorrow,” Taylor-Ann called as Daniel started up the engine. “It starts at twelve.”

  “I’ll be there,” Claire waved goodbye, her eyes locking with Daniel’s one last time before he turned away and headed out into the bay. Even as her heart flipped she wondered whether he had noticed that Melanie’s answer had been elusive, and that she had changed the subject as to her whereabouts very quickly. Somehow she didn’t think he had.

  She walked away from the pier deep in thought. What was his sister up to, and did Taylor-Ann know? Had she deliberately kept Daniel occupied so that Melanie could visit someone she knew he wouldn’t approve of, or was she just imagining the whole thing?

  It wasn’t long before she found out because when she got back to her apartment Scott was sitting on her doorstep waiting
for her. She stared at him in surprise.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you said you had a date tonight.”

  “I did…have one I mean…except she had to go home early to have dinner with her family.”

  Claire frowned as everything clicked into place. “It was Melanie wasn’t it? She was your date. How come you never told me you were dating her?”

  Then, remembering Melanie’s behavior when Daniel questioned her, she shook her head. “It’s a secret isn’t it? You and Melanie are meeting in secret.”

  He leapt to his feet in horror. “How did you know? I didn’t think anyone knew about us. Melanie is so paranoid about her family finding out that I’ve had to promise to keep it under wraps. It’s not something I’m happy about either, especially as far as Daniel is concerned.”

  “I’m sure you’re not…but don’t worry, as far as I know your secret’s safe. I just guessed Scott.”

  He groaned as he tugged at his hair with anxious fingers. “If you’ve guessed then it won’t be long before someone else does too.”

  “Not necessarily. I just happened to meet up with her a few minutes ago, and there was something about the way she spoke to Daniel that made me think she didn’t want him to know where she had been and what she had been doing. If you hadn’t turned up on my doorstep immediately afterwards and told me your date had gone home early, then I would never have put two and two together.”

  “Well now you do know it makes it easier for me to ask a favor.”

  She unlocked her door and held it wide. “Come in and have a beer. You look as if you need one.”

  He followed her inside and threw himself down on the couch while she busied herself pouring out two beers and tipping some nuts and olives into a couple of bowls.

  “Bring those out onto the balcony,” she told him. “I want to watch the sunset even if you don’t.”