a hundred people, but it was only half full. They sat on the upper deck and James pointed. ‘Look, some of your friends.’
Sarah shaded her eyes with her hand and watched four pelicans riding a thermal current in the sky above some more waterside houses. ‘It’s amazing to think that such huge birds can be so graceful.’
The boat took them down one of the residential canals and stopped. ‘Ladies and gentleman, a shoal of fish must be up here today, because there’s a group of cormorants fishing and if you watch very carefully, you’ll see some pirates attack them.’
Sarah looked at James in puzzlement. ‘Pirates?’
He grinned. ‘You’ll see.’
Suddenly several pelicans landed and pushed into the group of diving cormorants. One took hold of a cormorant by the neck and shook it till it dropped its fish.
Sarah gasped. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!’
James chuckled. ‘They don’t only mug humans, they mug other birds as well.’
‘And here was me thinking how romantic it was to see them.’
The boat set off again, stopping at a waterside restaurant, where they had lunch.
‘I’ll never eat again,’ she said as she pushed her empty plate aside. ‘It was so kind of you to buy me crayfish. Such a luxury.’
On the way back she said, ‘Do you live in one of the flats, or were you just visiting someone when I bumped into you.’
He hesitated.
‘You don’t have to answer if I’m being too nosy.’
‘No, it’s all right. Only don’t let it put you off me. I own the block of flats, actually. I was just checking that some repairs had been finished properly.’
So he was rich. Well, he was by her standards, which put him way beyond her reach. And wasn’t she silly even thinking that sort of thing about a man she’d only just met?
‘You looked a bit sad then. Are you all right?’
She forced a smile. ‘Yes, of course.’
When they got off the boat, he walked back to the flats with her and hesitated. ‘Would you come and have dinner at my house tomorrow? I’ve got to go up to Perth during the day but I’ll be back by five.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Certain. I’m quite a good cook, actually. Is there anything you can’t eat?’
She hesitated. So far she’d managed to hide it, because some people got upset when they found you were a coeliac. She explained that she couldn’t eat wheat and was lactose intolerant, and he nodded.
‘A friend of mine’s the same. I’m used to catering for that.’
The evening seemed too quiet after her lovely day so she put the television on. But she spent more time daydreaming about James than watching the programme.
The following day as five o’clock approached, she got ready, determined to enjoy this brief holiday flirtation. She wondered what James’s house was like. He hadn’t told her anything about it.
The knock came just before five and there he was, beaming at her. He had such lovely brown eyes. ‘Are you ready?’
‘Yes.’
His car wasn’t large but it was luxurious. Her son-in-law would have known what make it was, but she hadn’t a clue.
‘This is the most comfortable car I’ve ever ridden in.’
‘That’s exactly why I bought it.’
He stopped at a large house, a strange-looking place, with a garage and high walls being the main street features. It was like a miniature fortress. The garage door lifted up and he drove in.
When they went into the house she couldn’t help exclaiming as she realized it was on the water. ‘This is one of the houses we sailed past!’
‘I’m afraid so. Don’t hold that against me. Let’s go and have a cocktail on the patio.’
‘Nothing too strong.’
‘OK. I’ll do a strawberry surprise. Help yourself to some nibbles.’ He pulled a platter out of the fridge and set it on a low table outdoors, right on the edge of the water.
The only thing wrong with the evening was that James didn’t kiss her. She’d have liked to have Prince Charming
Sarah shaded her eyes with her hand and watched four pelicans riding a thermal current in the sky above some more waterside houses. ‘It’s amazing to think that such huge birds can be so graceful.’
The boat took them down one of the residential canals and stopped. ‘Ladies and gentleman, a shoal of fish must be up here today, because there’s a group of cormorants fishing and if you watch very carefully, you’ll see some pirates attack them.’
Sarah looked at James in puzzlement. ‘Pirates?’
He grinned. ‘You’ll see.’
Suddenly several pelicans landed and pushed into the group of diving cormorants. One took hold of a cormorant by the neck and shook it till it dropped its fish.
Sarah gasped. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!’
James chuckled. ‘They don’t only mug humans, they mug other birds as well.’
‘And here was me thinking how romantic it was to see them.’
The boat set off again, stopping at a waterside restaurant, where they had lunch.
‘I’ll never eat again,’ she said as she pushed her empty plate aside. ‘It was so kind of you to buy me crayfish. Such a luxury.’
On the way back she said, ‘Do you live in one of the flats, or were you just visiting someone when I bumped into you.’
He hesitated.
‘You don’t have to answer if I’m being too nosy.’
‘No, it’s all right. Only don’t let it put you off me. I own the block of flats, actually. I was just checking that some repairs had been finished properly.’
So he was rich. Well, he was by her standards, which put him way beyond her reach. And wasn’t she silly even thinking that sort of thing about a man she’d only just met?
‘You looked a bit sad then. Are you all right?’
She forced a smile. ‘Yes, of course.’
When they got off the boat, he walked back to the flats with her and hesitated. ‘Would you come and have dinner at my house tomorrow? I’ve got to go up to Perth during the day but I’ll be back by five.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Certain. I’m quite a good cook, actually. Is there anything you can’t eat?’
She hesitated. So far she’d managed to hide it, because some people got upset when they found you were a coeliac. She explained that she couldn’t eat wheat and was lactose intolerant, and he nodded.
‘A friend of mine’s the same. I’m used to catering for that.’
The evening seemed too quiet after her lovely day so she put the television on. But she spent more time daydreaming about James than watching the programme.
The following day as five o’clock approached, she got ready, determined to enjoy this brief holiday flirtation. She wondered what James’s house was like. He hadn’t told her anything about it.
The knock came just before five and there he was, beaming at her. He had such lovely brown eyes. ‘Are you ready?’
‘Yes.’
His car wasn’t large but it was luxurious. Her son-in-law would have known what make it was, but she hadn’t a clue.
‘This is the most comfortable car I’ve ever ridden in.’
‘That’s exactly why I bought it.’
He stopped at a large house, a strange-looking place, with a garage and high walls being the main street features. It was like a miniature fortress. The garage door lifted up and he drove in.
When they went into the house she couldn’t help exclaiming as she realized it was on the water. ‘This is one of the houses we sailed past!’
‘I’m afraid so. Don’t hold that against me. Let’s go and have a cocktail on the patio.’
‘Nothing too strong.’
‘OK. I’ll do a strawberry surprise. Help yourself to some nibbles.’ He pulled a platter out of the fridge and set it on a low table outdoors, right on the edge of the water.
The only thing wrong with the evening was that James didn’t kiss her. She’d have liked to have Prince Charming
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