Page 72 of Summer at Harbour View House
The dryness started to tickle, and she found herself bent double, coughing into her hands. Ben jumped up and started patting her gently on the back.
‘Are you alright?’ he said, as she finally got herself under control. ‘Quite the attack you had there. A good job I was on hand with my first aid expertise to help out.’
‘A good job,’ Natasha croaked. Then, as Ben stepped away and looked at her like she had just emerged from an egg, sure she had humiliated herself enough, she said, ‘I’d better get back. I have some, um, things to do.’
‘What time?’ Ben asked, as she started to turn away.
Natasha paused. ‘What?’
‘For dinner? What time should I come round?’
At the sight of his expectant look, Natasha’s embarrassment melted away. ‘Whenever you’re ready,’ she said. ‘You can come over on your way back, if you like.’
‘It’s a date,’ Ben said, giving Natasha a wink which made her cheeks bloom. She turned away and hurried up the beach before she could ripen enough to be picked and chopped up for a salad.
‘Hi, Tina. Yes, it’s been quite the experience. The house really, um, lived up to our expectations. We’ll be sorry to leave.’
‘Really? I mean, there were a few things I forgot to mention about the place, now that I think about it….’
‘We’ve had a good time. It would be nice to see a little more sun from time to time, but we can’t have everything, can we?’
‘No, this is true. I imagine you’re chomping at the bit to get back to teaching.’
‘Oh, absolutely. You know I’d be nothing without those kids making my life a misery.’
‘When you sign up for a life of eternal damnation, there’s no point trying to avoid it, is there? Did I tell you about my ingrowing toenail? It looks like I might need surgery in September.’
‘No, you didn’t, but you can tell me all about it when term starts next week. Listen, there was one thing I wanted to ask you. It’s about the house….’
Ben was just walking back down the path when Natasha finally got down to the front door.
‘Sorry, she called, throwing the door wide. ‘I was up in the loft. You know, just doing a bit of tidying up.’
Ben grinned. ‘I thought you’d gone out. I was just going to do a sweep of the pub and the chip shop in search of you.’
‘Nope, I’m right here.’
Natasha spread her arms wide, wondering if the floral dress she had put on made her look fat. The smear of dust down one side from the loft floor didn’t help, but by this point she figured he either liked her or he didn’t.
‘You look great,’ he said. ‘Did you cut your hair?’
‘In the two hours since I saw you on the beach, with no access to the outside world? Nope. But thanks.’
‘The windswept look suits you.’
‘How windswept?’
‘He leaned closer. I think you have a piece of tissue in your hair.’
‘What?’
‘No, sorry, it’s spider web. Oh, it’s moving. It must be a nest.’
‘Get the hose!’ Natasha shouted, but Ben stuck out a hand and swiped whatever it was away, shaking it off on the ground.
‘Just a bit of leaf,’ he said. ‘Phew. Why don’t we have a glass of wine to calm down?’
‘Wine?’
