Page 43 of Bay of Plenty

Rina returned to the table, yawning, and Bevan insisted on taking her home. Mum got a ride with a golf friend.

I rose to search for Declan.

The sunset blazed a fiery pink, replaced swiftly by deep darkness as the men lit a fire, grabbed their guitars, and started strumming and singing.

Declan gestured me over, and I squished in beside him. He leaned into me, his hand on my shoulder. “Wow. I haven’t seen that smile before.”

“I feel so happy.” I closed my eyes. “I’ve missed all this, the food, the culture, the songs.”

Still seated, he lifted me over—whoa—to sit between his legs. “More room here,” he said.

This felt different from when I’d been this close to other men. Deeper, scarier, like with every interaction, the stakes were high. His legs around me sparked an electric field between us, raising my every nerve on end. I rested my hands on his knees. He ran a hand through my loose hair, then rubbed my shoulders. I held my breath, not wanting it tostop, and he rested his hands on mine, and we rocked a little from side to side.

Soon I was swept up by the many levels of harmony in the singing. The women took turns to raise their voices above the rest, then returned to the main tune. One of them might sing the words before the others. But the overall sound was beautiful, made more special by hearing each of their voices. Everyone who sang, like the men who performed the haka, had a chance to shine, do something different. But ultimately it was about one song, one people.

I’d believed I had to be alone to be strong. But relying only on myself had become exhausting, as if the sun were out day and night, and I could never shut my eyes.

I joined in with all the songs that I remembered from my childhood. Declan leaned over me. I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. The thought of his tenderness awoke a similar softness in me, opening up my heart.

“Sorry.” I swiveled back to Declan, wrinkling my nose. “I’m not a brilliant singer. And I sing kind of loud.”

He laughed softly. “You throw yourself into things with abandon.” His eyes shining, he gave me a wide grin. “I like that about you.” He said it simply, honestly. Like a friend. Still, I blushed at his attention.

I turned to the front. I could feel his lips on my ear and his scruff against my neck, sending tingles down my spine.Notlike a friend.

“You feel things fiercely,” he said. My heart lurched. I was glad we weren’t face-to-face. No one had ever said anything like this to me. One boyfriend told me I was like Teflon. Another used to act like a robot and recite that my internal security system could not be bypassed. I did feel things. I just didn’t let myself show it.

“I see it.” He gathered my hair in his hand and twisted it, resting his cheek against my neck. “I see you.”

I see you.Back in London, I’d have spluttered with cynicism over this as an earnest therapy phrase. His tone, strong and sweet, cracked open my heart a little. I was still for a beat, enjoying the roughness of his bristly cheek.

Shimmying my bum against him, I smoothed my hands down his thighs. His quads tightened, warming my blood.

With the same strength he’d used to pull me over, he put his hands around my waist and lifted me forward.

“Ah, yeah,” he said in a strained voice. “I know it’s dark, but I have to stand up after this.”

I smiled to myself and folded against my knees.

After we’d helped pack up, Kui and Rangi walked Declan and me to the car.

“Good girl,” Kui said in my ear as she hugged me, our faces lit by the headlights of cars starting up. “You followed my advice, I could see that.”

“It’s been great to meet you.” Rangi hugged us too. Something caught his eye. His surf friend, Petey, returning to his car.

“Night, brah,” Rangi called to him. “See you on the waves. Big weekend.”

I remembered Rangi had a long weekend every month while Snow did the export.

Petey jogged up to us and slapped Rangi on the back. “Last one, eh? Let’s make it epic.”

Rangi did a double take. “Last one? Why? What happened?”

“Your four-day weekends are over, brah. We can’t do the surf trips we planned.”

Rangi looked as puzzled as I felt.

“Your wine export is finished after the next shipment.” Petey searched Rangi’s face. “Didn’t Snow tell you?”

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