I felt my heart spike in not so much fear, but in a surge of excitement. Okay, there was an ounce of fear involved. I was with Sean, the same oaf that used to fling me around on rollerblades, the very same boy who used to get great delight from hearing my screams of terror. Except that was then. This boy seemed different. When he held me before, there was no joy in seeing me suffer; there was only strength and an unexpected tenderness. I quickly wiped it from my memory.
“Just get going, Grandpa.”
“Grandpa?” he said incredulously.
I cringed inwardly for a moment at the potential dangers of taunting the likes of Sean. Teasing him would make him react in a way that would no doubt propel us across the water like a bat out of hell. I swallowed deeply and grasped my blanket tighter.
He turned the boat key to blast it into life, shaking his head with a laugh.
“What?” I said.
He smiled, cleaning his sunnies on his shorts before sliding them on and placing his hand on the throttle.
“You’re a bloody lunatic.”
Chapter Forty-One
Sean didn’t go fast – well, not as fast as I’d expected he would.
Sure, he had picked up the pace, but it wasn’t in a water-churning, charge of thrill-seeking, death-defiance speed. He probably thought my little episode was enough of an adventure for both of us in one day.
I still didn’t feel wholly comfortable on Sean’s boat, surging across the mass of water, the spray of the lake water cooling my face. Diving into the lake with a ‘let’s conquer my fear head on’ tactic wouldn’t completely erase my worries, but it had been a start in the right direction … I guess.
Sean steered the boat around a tight bend and then another. It was commonly known as S-Bend Junction and it led into the mouth of another lake system. Yeah, I know, S-Bend; it wasn’t very imaginative but like most things in Onslow it was simple and to the point. We travelled out onto the widest stretch of the lake, into open water. My memory pre-empted the boat as it veered right towards the shore and tree line a little farther along the bank where I knew the Ellermans’ lake house would be, or rather Sean’s lake house now.
I shifted forward in my seat and the blanket fell around my waist as I became distracted by the sight in front of me. I had seen it a hundred times before – the times I’d gone fishing with Dad and my cousins we always passed by the Ellerman lake house. Those fishing trips were always kind of boring for me, talking about footy and tackle, but every time we went past the Ellermans’ place, my interest piqued for a moment.
The large, two-storey house was set amidst gum trees. By way of greeting, the first thing to see as boats rumbled past was the large dock as it floated seamlessly over the water’s edge. I had seen traces of envy even in my dad’s eyes each time we had passed. There was no doubt that it was an impressive space and every local’s dream home. Fishing, swimming parties – we had all dreamed what it would be like. Although, being a rather understated man, Mr Ellerman probably never much used the house to its full social-gathering potential. Not like I was sure Sean did.
I didn’t even try to hide my goofy smile as we edged closer to the private mooring that led out across from the decked platform. Sean secured the boat to the jetty with practised ease, and I could have appreciated the view as his muscles flexed and body arched, but my attention lay elsewhere, my gaze fixed firmly on the house.
I had never been this close before and I could hardly believe I was actually going inside for a sticky beak.
My mum would be so envious; she had often talked about what the inside might be like and I couldn’t wait to tell her what I found. And then, I wondered as to how I might explain that I was at Sean Murphy’s house in the middle of the day, on my own, for no good reason. Maybe I’d skip telling her about it at all.
Sean helped me onto the jetty and helped me gain my land legs. I dropped the blanket and took his hand as he steadied me onto the deck.
I squinted up at the house, frowning. Something had changed about it but I couldn’t quite put my finger on exactly what. I moved forward, my eyes feasting on the massive structure. Then it clicked and I spun around to face Sean.
“You’ve changed the windows!”
Sean was crouched near the deck, tying up his boat, his back muscles rippling under his smooth, tan skin. I was momentarily distracted from anything to do with windows before he answered.
“Indeed I have,” he said, straightening to his feet. He towered over me. I suddenly felt incredibly small and surprisingly uneasy as I tried not to look at the wall of flesh I was faced with.
Sean smirked, deliberately brushing against me as he passed. I rolled my eyes. The landing wasn’t that narrow; I was on to him. God, he was unreal.