Their Secret Spring Fling - chapter one
‘Acostume party? Did you have to?’ Polly adjusted her black mask to make sure it properly covered her face.
She stood next to her brother, Brendan, in the pub of the Diamond Bay Hotel. The bar in the hotel was the perfect place for a party: a cosy room, opening onto a wide balcony, with white wicker chairs, battered leather lounges and the smell of sea spray. The sun had recently set and the moon was rising large and bright over the bay and the Pacific Ocean.
‘It’s my birthday,’ he said. ‘And my favourite sister is home.’
‘Your only sister.’
‘You’re here. No point complaining now.’
Costume parties were not Polly’s thing. People tended to act up when they were dressed as someone else and in her experience that was not necessarily a good thing. Add a generous deposit on an open bar and it was a recipe for regret. Costume parties might, for instance, make someone do something silly, like flirt with their brother’s best friend while in character, completely misread the situation and then find themselves brutally rejected.
Despite her reservations, Polly had come. She could hardly miss her brother’s birthday because she had a conscientious objection to dressing up. She’d flown halfway around the world for this party, and her grandparents’ seventy-fifth wedding anniversary in two weeks’ time.
Polly was dressed as Catwoman, mostly because it was easy. Black leather pants, black bodysuit, both of which she already owned. Add a black mask and ears, and it was the easiest costume to pack.
There was a man standing a few metres away, apart from the rest of the crowd. Like Polly, he was dressed head to toe in black. Also like her, his face was covered with a black mask. He looked like he didn’t want to be here either.
Polly took a generous sip of her wine.
‘Who are you hiding from anyway?’ Brendan asked.
‘No one. Catwoman wears a mask.’
Brendan snorted. He was dressed as a troll, while his wife, Sarah, across the room, was dressed as an elf. Neither of them had outgrown their fantasy role-playing youth. Brendan smiled at Sarah like she was the only woman in the room. Diamond Bay produced loved-up couples the way other nearby towns produced bananas. Or milk. Brendan and Sarah. Polly’s parents. Polly’s grandparents who were about to clock up seventy-five years of marriage. The happy couples of Diamond Bay were just a bit too much for Polly to take; it was much easier to be single in New York than it was in this sleepy town on New South Wales’s north coast.
Not everyone got happy endings.
‘Take your mask off, then.’
‘Nope. Life’s too short to get stuck talking to boring people at parties.’ That may have been true, but there was someone who might be coming tonight she really didn’t want to talk to.
Polly loved her brother, but she preferred to avoid his best friend, her childhood tormentor, Archie Thompson. It was Archie who had pushed her into the pool, fully clothed, the summer she had started going through puberty. It was Archie who had ganged up with Brendan to beat her every time at board games. And, worst of all, it had been Archie who had flirted with her at Brendan’s twenty-first birthday party and tricked her into thinking he actually wanted to kiss her.
Archie was now a stockbroker and had been living in London for the past few years. Polly had heard he was expected back for the anniversary party, though she wasn’t sure if he’d arrive in time for tonight. Either way, her life would be much simpler if she didn’t have to talk to him.
‘He’s not here yet, you know,’ Brendan said.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Polly replied, but inside, every single one of her muscles stood to attention.
‘And he’s coming as a zombie.’
Polly shrugged, like that piece of information was irrelevant, but a wave of relief rushed through her. A zombie. A blond-haired, blue-eyed bloodied zombie. At least she’d be able to spot him. Still, she wasn’t about to take off her mask.
***
Brendan drifted away to speak to other guests, leaving Polly standing alone, playing with the stem of her wine glass. The room was full of Brendan’s workmates, some people Polly may or may not have known from school. Many people looked familiar, yet after close to twenty years away from Diamond Bay, she couldn’t be sure.
On her left, the man in black was still there. Still on his own. He turned his head slightly and Polly saw that, in addition to the black mask across his eyes, a black scarf was tied around his head. Noticing her watching him, he bowed extravagantly. Like a musketeer. With that motion, she noticed the sword. Thin and shiny and attached to his slim hips. She chuckled and moved towards him.
‘I know who you are. You’re the Dread Pirate Roberts. Admit it,’ she said.
He bowed again. ‘With pride.’
A grin rose slowly over his lips. They were nice lips. Full, pink. Something in her stomach twisted and all she could think was I’d like to kiss those lips.
‘Impressive,’ he said.
‘Who doesn’t know The Princess Bride off by heart?’
He grinned again and Polly’s chest warmed. The Princess Bride was her favourite movie growing up. It probably still was.
The man in black looked her costume up and down, heat sparking in his gaze, prickling her skin in its wake. If he was a fan of The Princess Bride, Polly could spare him a few more moments of her time. ‘How do you know Brendan?’ she asked.
‘I kidnapped him. I hijacked his ship and it went from there.’
‘Right. Why didn’t you just make him walk the plank?’
‘I thought he might be useful.’
‘So you’re not going to tell me who you are?’
‘It’s for the best, trust me. This way I won’t have to dispose of you when this party is over.’
‘How chivalrous.’
‘We pirates have a code of honour to uphold. Besides, I could ask the same of you. Who are you really?’
‘Catwoman.’
‘Yes, of course, sorry. Are you hiding from someone?’
‘My mortal enemy.’
He laughed. ‘You have a mortal enemy?’
‘You’re a pirate. You must have many mortal enemies.’
He nodded. ‘True. How did this person become your mortal enemy?’
She let out a deep sigh. Where to begin? ‘He once pushed me into a swimming pool fully clothed.’
‘A capital crime.’
‘Yes. And he cheated constantly at board games.’
She stopped. She didn’t want to tell him the other things.
Like the time Danny Mars asked her out, but not long after she saw Archie speaking to him one afternoon, Danny cancelled their date and never spoke to her again. Sure, she had no proof that there was any connection between the two events, and sure, Danny had turned out to be a first-class jerk. But still. Archie Thompson was a piece of work.
Even without counting what had happened at Brendan’s twenty-first. How for a few moments she’d let herself believe that Archie was more than the silly pranks.
‘He sounds awful. When we find him, what are we going to do to him?’
‘You could challenge him to a duel. I hear you’re the best swordsman in the world.’
The man nodded. ‘Where can we find this villain?’
‘He’s dressing up as a zombie.’
They looked around the room and there was more than one person wearing ripped and bloodied clothing and face paint. But none of them were as tall as Archie. Or as blond.
‘Some of these people did not put in any effort at all,’ the pirate said.
‘Agreed. I came halfway around the world and I still managed this.’
‘Really? Where do you live?’
‘New York.’
‘That’s a long way from Diamond Bay.’
Yes, she thought. And sometimes not far enough. He asked her about her life in New York, her work as a chef in several high-end restaurants, her friends. Brendan caught her eye. His eyebrows rose and wiggled a little. If only he could signal her the name of the hottie she was talking to.
You don’t know if he’s a hottie. You can’t see his face.
It didn’t matter. She could hear his voice, deep, resonant in her gut. She could smell his body, feel him next to her, warm and strong. She could see his eyes. Blue, curious and intelligent.
She knew everything about his appearance she needed to know. And besides, he was easy to talk to. And fun. He got her another drink and they talked more about all sorts of things—movies, music, books and podcasts. And then she got the next round of drinks and she forgot that there was a chance that Archie Thompson might be there tonight, dressed as a zombie.
The crowd got thicker and the music got louder. The man looked down and noticed Polly’s feet tapping. He bowed again and offered her his hand. Feeling like she was finally on holiday, feeling her stress of the last few months slip away and not being able to remember the last time she danced, she took his hand.
He pulled her into the heaving crowd. The first few dances were fast, they were surrounded by other revellers, bouncing up and down. Then the music slowed and he held out his hand again.
She took it, wordlessly, and he pulled her into his arms. His embrace was as strong as she imagined and it was impossible not to let her body fall into his and be caught. After a while, he asked, ‘Are you single?’
Perpetually, she almost said, but instead replied, ‘I’m in between boyfriends.’
She felt him chuckle.
And then after a few more beats, she asked, ‘Are you single?’
‘I’m between girlfriends.’
So they’d established their relationship statuses, but when would he take off his mask?
‘I’d like to kiss you,’ he said.
The words connected with her solar plexus. She’d never been asked outright like that before. First kisses were always a cautious dance, with both individuals inching gradually closer to one another.
‘Do you always ask first?’
‘Pirate Code of Honour.’ He shrugged. ‘And I haven’t even seen your face.’
She wanted to say, No, it doesn’t matter. Kiss me first. I want to kiss you before we see one another. But before she could speak, he pushed back his mask and her blood froze.
He was gorgeous, she’d been right about that. But she’d been wrong about everything else.
‘Archie Thompson! You rat!’
***
Polly pushed him away with not insignificant force, turned and ran off the dance floor. He lost sight of her when she slipped into the main room of the pub. He followed in her wake, through the crowded bar and out into the dark night, hoping she wasn’t about to walk home by herself. Or drive.
He found her sitting on a low sandstone wall overlooking the park above the bay. She was facing away from the pub, but he’d recognise her straight back and defiant shoulders anywhere. He’d seen enough of them over the years.
When he sat down next to her, she groaned. ‘You’re meant to be a zombie!’
‘I changed my mind.’
‘Why?’
How was that relevant? He was hardly about to tell her that when he’d walked into the costume shop looking for face paint, he’d spied the black mask and scarf and remembered that The Princess Bride was her favourite movie. At least it had been once. A lifetime ago. He was hardly going to tell her that his hand had wavered over the black mask as he contemplated whether it was the right thing to do.
Like it always had been with Polly Walsh, he spent more time than he should wondering if he was doing the right thing.
She was his best friend’s younger sister. His surrogate grandparents’ granddaughter.
It had always been difficult to know what to do with Polly. His instinct had always been to protect her, but she wasn’t his sister. Besides, she didn’t appreciate Brendan’s interference in her life, let alone his.
His other instinct had been to do something like kiss her, just like he had moments ago on the dance floor. The last time they’d come close to doing that, he’d luckily remembered at the last moment that she was Polly and kissing her would change everything.
‘How long are you staying?’ She crossed her arms.
‘Until your grandparents’ anniversary party.’
‘I can’t believe you’ve come for that,’ she said, almost a whisper.
‘Seventy-five years. Of course I’ve come. They’re the only grandparents I’ve ever known.’
When he and his mother had moved to Diamond Bay, they were on their own. Archie’s father had long since skipped out on them. His grandparents were gone. Brendan and Polly spent so many weekends and school holidays with their grandparents, that when he and Brendan became best mates, it was natural for Archie to go along as well. Everyone took it as written that the invitation to their grandchildren also extended to Archie.
‘They were good to Mum. And good to me.’
Polly nodded. But she didn’t look any happier.
‘You’re not driving home, are you?’ Archie asked. They’d had quite a few drinks. He was walking back to his mother’s, but Polly’s parents’ house was a short drive away.
She glared at him. ‘No.’
‘And you’re not walking by yourself?’
‘Quit the big-brother routine.’
He honestly hadn’t realised that she hadn’t recognised him. ‘I thought you’d figured out who I was. I thought you were just pretending.’
‘You knew I didn’t know!’
He held up his hands in surrender. ‘Not at first. And I thought you were messing with me.’
‘Me? Mess with you? You’re the messer.’
She’d said he was her mortal enemy. How could two peoples’ memories of their past be so widely different?
Polly hadn’t been his nemesis. She’d been… Well, there was no real word for their relationship. He’d always thought they were friends. It wasn’t an easy friendship, at times it was outright awkward, but he’d always assumed she knew she could trust him. With anything.
Not after the night of Brendan’s twenty-first, you dope. Being back home was strange, but seeing Polly, holding Polly as they danced, was strangely overwhelming.
Looking at her now, with her mask removed, he could properly see her gorgeous face. Her long dark hair framed her face, her brown eyes gleaming with annoyance. Those things hadn’t changed over the years, he still saw strong glimpses of the girl who had been her brother’s shadow growing up, though her demeanour had changed. She was stronger. More confident.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, and he meant it. ‘Is it strange being back?’ he asked, wanting to move on from this awkward place they seem to have landed.
‘Yes, and no.’ Her shoulders lifted and then dropped heavily. ‘It’s the same…but I’m not.’
He got that.
‘Some things are different. Some are the same,’ she said.
‘Have you been to Five Mile Beach? Or the lighthouse?’
‘No. Have you?’
‘No. We could…we could check it out together?’
Her eyes widened, shocked at his request. But would she say yes?