Page 66 of Suddenly Beck
‘Shut up, wanker.’ Quinn punches his arm.
‘Quinn, language,’ Mel murmurs. ‘The reason you don’t remember is because they stopped running it. You were really little, and it was before the girls were born.’
‘Why’d they stop it?’ Juni asks curiously.
‘Lots of reasons; the economy, not enough businesses getting involved, not enough tourists, take your pick.’ She shrugs.
‘But things are different now,’ I interject.’
‘How?’ Juni frowns.
‘Well, social media for one.’ I nod in her direction. ‘You should know what a powerful tool that is, and we also have the internet. It’s easier to reach people and bring them in. I’ve spoken with several local business owners, some of which have been here a long time, and they all say the same thing. The bay’s losing tourists to the bigger more commercial towns like Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth, and Penzance. The bay needs to start hosting more events to bring the tourists back in.’
‘What are you suggesting?’ Reed asks quietly.
‘We’re going to relaunch the Festival of the Sea.’ I smile widely. ‘Mel’s spoken to some of the local council members, and I’ve talked to several local businesses. If we can get enough people signed up they’ll relaunch the festival at the end of August.’
‘Are you kidding?’ Jesse grins. ‘That’s going to be awesome!’
‘Georgie.’ I turn to her and Ryan. ‘It would be great if you could get the surf school and the swim shack involved. Ryan if you’d like the chance to get many innocent and unsuspecting people drunk on that beer of yours, you can get involved too, maybe set up a beer tent at the event. God help us,’ I mutter under my breath.
He grins widely. ‘I think this calls for a celebration.’ He stands slowly.
‘Not if it’s your beer.’ I shake my head. ‘I think I’ve made enough bad decisions for one lifetime.’
‘No.’ He bellows out a laugh, ‘Trust me, you’ll love this one. It’s calledwhere the hell am I?’
Chapter Eighteen
Beck
Why is it human nature to feel mistrustful when everything feels too perfect...
The last few weeks have passed quickly, and we all pitched in to paint Sully’s before it reopened. By general consensus, I got roped in to painting a huge ocean themed mural across one of the smaller walls. I didn’t mind, it meant I got to spend even more time with Nat as he bustled around the restaurant, creating, and testing new meals, and organising everyone to within an inch of their life. It was easy to see he was in his element; he was like a force of nature.
I love watching him, and he’s so happy and relaxed now. He’s gaining confidence, and he’s so kind, everyone just gravitates toward him. He’s a world away from the thin and tired man I dragged out of the sea that first day. Now, he’s tanned and toned, and relaxed, and when he smiles, it’s like the sun coming up.
But it’s more than that. Since he came to the bay nearly a month ago, so much has changed, and he makes my mum smile. It’s easy to see she’s fallen completely under his spell, just like the rest of us. The hell of it is, that he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. It’s just his innate warmth and humour.
We all stayed away from the restaurant after Dad died, and we’re all a little responsible for the fact that slimy bastard Scott nearly managed to ruin Sully’s, but it was the hardest on Mum. She and Dad built this place up from the ground together, and to her, he’s in every single brick, lightbulb, tablecloth, and plate. For the longest time, she couldn’t bear to be here, but since she’s been working with Nat, she smiles more, and gradually she’s started opening back up and talking about Dad. We all do now. We share little stories about him with Nat, and it’s been healing for all of us. I wonder if Nat even realises the impact he’s had on us, or how he’s woven himself tightly into the fabric of our lives to the point where I can no longer imagine the bay without him.
Which is why I’m parked at the counter, on a stool, in the middle of a busy restaurant, staring at him like a lovesick teenager as he hustles around the kitchen with his new sous chef, Hayley, and their line cook, Toby.
‘You’re drooling again.’ My sister Juni smirks as she clips an order to the carousel. Both her and Joss volunteered to waitress throughout the summer season to keep costs down and so Mum could hire some bar staff. Which means they’re here most evenings to witness me shamefully stalking Nat. ‘I suppose I can’t blame you though,’ she adds as she slips her order pad into the pocket of her apron. ‘Your boyfriend is hot.’
‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ I mumble as I stare at his gorgeous dark curls held back from his face by a bandana, and those vivid blue eyes that just slay me. ‘He’s just…’
‘A hook up?’ she snorts. ‘Yeah, nice try, Beck.’ She shakes her head. ‘You’ve practically got property of Nathan Elliott tattooed on your forehead, and that stool now has your bum permanently imprinted on it where you sit every night at the end of the counter waiting for your BOYFRIEND to finish work, so sell it to someone else because I ain’t buyin’.’
I watch her wander off into the crowd of tables, smiling at the customers and checking they’re happy with their meals, and why wouldn’t they be? Nat’s an amazing chef. Oh my God, I mentally face palm myself. I can literally hear myself, and I want to punch myself in the face. Juni’s right, I’m fucked. I’m so hung up on Nat I can’t see straight. He’s the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night. I’m here in the restaurant waiting for him every night and after, we spend hours at my place, laughing, talking, or wrapped around each other naked.
I haven’t fucked him yet, and I know he wants me to, believe me I’m desperate for that too, but a part of me has been holding back because, somehow, I know it will be the final nail in my coffin.
As it is, we’re desperately trying to keep some sort of boundaries between us. He never stays the night, no matter how late it is, which is really dumb when you think about it. We barely spend three or four hours apart at night. He’ll leave me in the early hours of the morning to return to the B&B and I’ll pick him up at dawn to head down to the water.
That’s another thing we share. He not only embraced surfing but is now rivalling my love of it. We spend every morning on the waves, and he’s a natural and loves being on the water as much as I do. We’ve progressed him up to a bigger board, and although he still needs a bit more practise, he’s got some serious skills developing.
It would make more sense for him just to sleep at my place, but this is only supposed to be a fling. We’re not supposed to be surgically attached to each other day and night, but he seems to have just as much trouble staying away from me as I do him.