Page 52 of Summer at Harbour View House
He seemed happy to escape the clutches of his mother, who mumbled something about going up to the pub to see Lizzie, before stalking away across the beach.
‘It’s a decent turn out,’ he said, looking around. ‘I could get used to this again. It’s a shame it only lasts a month before we’re thrust back into darkness.’
‘And we all go back to our jobs,’ Natasha said with a sigh. ‘The kids will be missing me. Well, actually, they won’t. I’m a living, breathing symbol of everything they hate about life.’
‘Don’t beat yourself up about it. I imagine you were exactly the same when you were at school. I know I was.’
‘You’re right,’ Natasha said with a smile. ‘I didn’t actively torment any of my teachers, but I certainly laughed when someone else did. I remember this time one of my classmates put a rubber snake in our maths teacher’s bag. She had a phobia or something. She started screaming, then started stabbing at it with a compass. She somehow managed to pierce a can of Coke she had in her bag. We had a whole class detention for a week for that one.’
‘What’s the worst anyone’s ever done to you?’
‘Nothing too bad. I had a kid a couple of years ago who liked to move stuff. He wouldn’t steal anything, he’d just move it around so you couldn’t find it. He’d put my bag in cupboards, hide all my pens, that kind of thing.’
‘It sounds like you’ve got off lucky. There was this one time me and a couple of other guys—’
‘What is it?’
Ben’s easy smile had abruptly dropped. He stared past Natasha towards the car park at the top of the beach.
‘What’s the Weasel doing here?’
Paul Stoat climbed out of his car, dusted down his suit jacket, then opened the back doors to allow a couple of other suits with clipboard to get out. Together, they made their way down to the beach.
‘I hope he keeps his distance,’ Ben said. ‘I don’t think anyone wants him around.’
‘Do you know him?’
‘He was a year above me at school. No one liked him. He had a massive chip on his shoulder. He somehow got elected school president in the Lower Sixth. It turned out later he’d literally paid for some votes, and fixed others. He spent the next year trying to remove as many student privileges as possible. No more shorts in summer, no coffee in the Sixth Form Common Room, a dedicated detention room, that kind of stuff. He tried to cancel Activities Week. I think that was what turned most people against him. Those who weren’t already.’
‘It sounds like he lived up to his nickname.’
‘And then some. No one would have cared if he’d just stayed away. But he came back down here with the intention of destroying his old home town.’
Paul Stoat and his companions were making a beeline for the barbeque area, clipboards in hand.
‘I’m going to go and shoo them away,’ Ben said.
‘Wait for me.’
A couple of other locals had seen Paul Stoat and fell into step behind Ben. As they converged, Paul spread his hands.
‘Trewin! What a lovely surprise. Did you fall off again and get washed all the way back to Britain?’
Ben tensed. Natasha saw his fingers clench into a fist. She found herself moving a little closer, reaching for his hand. She wrapped her fingers over his closed fist and gave it a little shake.
‘Did you come for a hamburger?’ Ben said. ‘I’m afraid we’re a few short. But if you go up to the village, the pub might still be serving food. Useful to have places like that in a village like this.’
‘Useful for who?’ Paul said. ‘Once my company owns that old barn, we’ll be implementing a new menu, and I doubt you could afford anything on it. I heard you’re not riding the big waves anymore. Must be quite a comedown to be back here.’ He grinned. ‘How the mighty have fallen. Like Icarus fallen to earth, but you didn’t even get lucky enough to die. Instead, you got left a cripple.’
Ben’s arm tensed under Natasha’s fingers. Looking at Paul Stoat’s smug grin, she was tempted to smash him one herself.
‘This is a private party,’ Ben said. ‘You weren’t invited, Paul.’
‘Enjoy it while you can,’ Paul said with a sneer. ‘By this time next year, Penkoe will be a gated community. Although, we might need a lifeguard. We’ll offer you a competitive salary, over minimum wage. Better than working on your old man’s farm, I imagine.’
‘You’re a—’
Natasha leaned on Ben’s arm as he tried to lift it to throw a punch. Paul took a step back, but suddenly Jago stepped forward.
