Page 19 of Bay of Plenty

Sarge huffed and puffed, but with a cackle, as though he was enjoying winding himself up. “Bloody well ruining the game,” he stormed. “I might be old-school, but you can’t keep everyone safe all the time. Accidents happen. Have to accept it.” He paused and rearranged his angry expression. “As part of the game, I mean.”

Declan nodded. “Ah, to be sure, to be sure.”

Good work, Declan, well done. Sarge was old-school, and this might be a hint this carried over to his policing.

Declan smiled at Dad. “I told all my family Ohope Beach is stunning. It’s like I’ve arrived in paradise.”

I exhaled. Again, he’d said the perfect thing.

“Why would you want to be anywhere else?” Dad’s pale face flushed happily. Snow, Sarge, and Mum agreed.

“You are in for a treat. Did you know Ohope is one of the first places in the world to see the light?” Dad asked.

Declan looked confused. Mum, Snow, and Sarge smiled at one another proudly.

“That’s got you thinking, all right,” Dad said. “The first place Isla needs to take you? Up the top of the cliff at five forty-eight a.m. to see the sunrise. Because Ohope is one of the most easternmost edges of the globe.”

“That’s incredible.” Declan looked amazed. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Speaking of the cliff track,” Snow squeezed Dad’s hand, “the two blokes from the Department of Conservation say hi, and they miss seeing you walking up there every morning. They were working away at the cliff steps again. Man, that job never finishes.”

“Oh, mate. I love hearing that.” Dad folded his hands over his chest contentedly. “Those guys up there every day, and they’ll always be up there. That does my old heart better than all those blasted pills in that tackle box.”

Another reason I couldn’t live in a small town. Dad loved the certainty of knowing those DOC guys were doing this Sisyphean task every day. That sounded like a terrible existence to me, to have your day clearly laid out, the same as yesterday, rather than being forced to think on the fly, having to respond to a plot twist.

“The DOC guys were pretty concerned about this high alert,” Snow said. “You know, Motu erupting.”

Hmm.That could be a cover story if I needed to pretend I was writing a piece. I was already pretending with Bevan,but this was a better story than looking into the gangs. Safer, less controversial.

That made Dad even more cheerful. “What a load of rubbish. That’ll be the day.”

“I’ll say,” Sarge spluttered. He moved closer to Declan. “Funny, I never heard Isla’s parents mention a man. How long have you been courting?”

“Four months,” I blurted.

“Seven months,” Declan said at the same time.

I rushed to cover myself. “It feels like four months, like we’ve just met.”

“It’s like we’ve known each other forever,” Declan said, again at the same time.

Sarge trained his eyes on both of us. It was pointed enough to be unnerving. I worried he was suspicious. I’d never trusted him, but Mum and Dad did, and if he wanted to, he could convince my parents that we were acting, which would raise the natural question: Why?

“Well, anyway, Declan, you’re a good man,” Sarge said. “Dropping everything for Isla’s family.”

Declan pulled me in with one arm. I lost my balance and dipped in front of him. He caught me by the waist to steady me.

“I’d do anything for Isla,” he said simply. He angled his face to mine. “You.”

“You, you, you.” I gazed up at him intensely, hoping I looked in love rather than constipated. This was not going well. I looked out the corner of my eye for Dad’s reaction. But he and Mum were makingawwfaces at each other. What a relief.

“What is it that you do, Declan, that you can leaveLondon so quickly?” Sarge asked. He was asking a lot of questions in a town that didn’t.

“Landscape gardener,” Declan replied.

What?No, no, no.Kiwis were obsessed with gardening.

“He’s more Cotswold roses,” I explained. Was that a thing?

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