While Bill gives out a loud laugh, Dan seems to be lost in thought.
'I'm sorry I didn't come out when it happened,' he says quietly.
Bill's laugh is silenced.
'It's okay. You didn't have time.'
'I could have made time.'
'No need to worry. You had your reasons.' He studies Dan. 'We all go through periods when we forget about our friends, when we obsess over things that do us no good. And most of us manage to snap out of it. I think you have. Perhaps Maya here has made the difference.'
'Maya has made the difference.' He runs a finger around the base of his wine glass. 'And from now on, I'm going to find time for all the important things in life.' He looks at me, his eyes glimmering in the torch light.
'Hey!' Bill calls. 'Here comes the food.'
Charles and Kathy appear in the doorway, each carrying a silver platter. Unsure of what to do, I simply watch as Dan and Bill spring to their feet and lend a hand, taking the platters and laying them on the table.
'It's pretty simple,' Kathy explains. 'I didn't have time for no fancy stuff.'
I gaze at the food. It doesn't look that simple to me.
'You got fresh tuna and salad.' Kathy points to the platter in front of me. 'And you got Hoppin' John.' She waves a hand at the second platter which seems to be piled up with rice, mixed in with a selection of black-eyed peas, onion and some sort of meat.
'Aren't you eating with us?' Dan asks.
'Not tonight, Danny boy.' Charles shakes his head. 'There's a storm coming on. We've got to get home and batten down the hatches. Tomorrow maybe.' With a touch on Dan's arm, Charles takes himself back inside the house, and Kathy follows behind.
'A storm?' I turn my face to the sky, my stomach clenching. I haven't noticed the clouds creeping in overhead.
And, for once, Dan doesn't seem to pick up on my unease. Running his thumb across his bottom lip and gazing into the night, he's preoccupied with something else. We're both startled into action by Bill's voice.
'Eat! That storm's not coming yet.'
Half-soothed by Bill's words and suddenly aware that I'm ravenous, I push all thoughts of bad weather to one side. Piling up my plate with fresh fish, salad and Hoppin' John, I finish off the entire lot and dive in for more. This might be Kathy's idea of simple food, but it's incredible. While I clear my plate for the second time, I listen in as the men chat amicably between mouthfuls: Dan sketching out the last few years at Fosters; Bill telling stories of his life on Bermuda. At last, with the meal finished and a comfortable silence descending between us, I sit back, noting that the wind is getting up now, that the torch flames are beginning to veer to one side.
'I need to ask you something,' Dan says at last.
It's not aimed towards me. I wait for Bill's answer.
'Anything.'
'You knew my parents well. You helped them with the business.'
'I did.'
'What would you think … ' He dries up, swallows hard.
'If you sold it?'
I gape at Dan. Suddenly, my pulse seems to be racing and I don't know whether it's because of the sudden charge in the air or the turn in the conversation.
'How old are you now?' Bill asks.
'Thirty-six.'
'And you've been running for Fosters for how long?'
'Fourteen years.'
The old man considers his words for a minute or so before he finally gives his verdict. 'From what Norman tells me, the company consumes you, and that's not good. John and Lydia would have been proud of what you've done, but Fosters is … a different animal now. And more than anything, they would have wanted to see you happy.'
The two men watch each other, neither giving away anything much. At last, Bill moves things on.
'Are you happy, Dan? Having your energy sapped by this beast of burden?'
I'm thoroughly surprised when Dan shakes his head.
'Then I'd say it's time to think of yourself. You owe nothing to no one. And if you ever thought you did, you've paid your dues.'
I hear a distant rumble, notice that the air has cooled a little more. Sitting bolt upright in my chair, I grip the arms and look up at the sky. It's darkened further.
'The storm, Maya,' Bill smiles. 'It's coming in a little faster than I thought. It'll be cleared by morning. Don't you worry.'
Don't you worry? Tightening my grip, I glance at Dan, relieved to see that he's now fully alert to the situation.
'We have to go back to the guest house,' he says, suddenly rising to his feet. 'I'm sorry, Bill. We'd like to stay longer but … ' He clamps his lips shut and widens his eyes at me.
'Of course,' Bill nods. 'I'm sorry. I forgot. Maya's not too good with storms.'
'And it's best that we go back.' Holding out a hand, Dan beckons for me to move.
With an apologetic smile, I get up.
'I'm sorry, Bill.' I shrug. 'It was a lovely meal.'
'No worries, Maya. I'll see you tomorrow.'
Leaving Bill to clear up the dishes, Dan leads me down the steps, back to the guest house. Within a couple of minutes, we're inside the bungalow. Closing the French windows, Dan takes me straight to the bedroom and draws the shutters.
'Get into bed.'
Struggling out of my clothes, I do as I'm told.
'No tent?' I ask.
He glances round the room, at the over-sized antique furniture. Making a tent in here would take a serious amount of effort and probably cause a hernia. Instead, shaking his head, he strips off and joins me under the sheet. I'm wrapped in his arms, trembling like an idiot when the first real crash of thunder arrives.
'Shit.' I squeeze my eyes shut. Adrenalin begins to pump.
'It's okay,' he whispers, smoothing my hair. 'Thunder can't hurt you.'
'No, but lightning can.'
I hear him chuckle.
'By the time you hear the thunder, the danger's already gone. Light travels faster than sound.'
Another crash resounds through the house. The tremble mutates into a judder.
'I don't need a fucking physics lesson.'
Shit. I'm swearing again.
'But there's no danger anyway.' Ignoring the petulance, he pushes on, still smoothing my hair. 'Lightning hits the highest point. The trees are far more likely to cop it.'
Through the shutters, I catch the flash of a lightning bolt. The crash comes almost immediately. It's deafening. My body convulses.
'Jesus,' Dan breathes, tightening his grip. 'That was close.'
'This isn't working,' I wail.
'I know. I'm moving on to plan B.'
I have no time to ask what plan B involves. I'm manoeuvred onto my back. Moving on top of me, he leaves my hands free, rests on one elbow and coaxes my legs apart, positioning himself between them.
'You're not going to fuck me?'
'No.' He plants a gentle kiss on my lips. 'I'm going to make love to you.'
'That won't distract me.'
He grins.
'It might take the edge off a little.'
Another flash of lightning spills through the shutters. Tensing every muscle, I close my eyes, waiting for the thunder clap. Again, it's almost immediate. Letting out a quiet sob, I feel a finger at my clit. Slowly, he parts the folds of skin, finds my spot and sets about working me up into a mess down below.
'Oh, Jesus,' I groan. 'I'm telling you, it won't work.'
'Open your eyes.'
'I can't.'
'Do as you're told, woman. This is sex. I'm in charge.'
Reluctantly, I comply. Watching me tenderly, he slides the finger inside, easing me open.
'I'm here with you,' he informs me.
'That's pretty fucking obvious,' I cry. 'But you know what it's like.'
'It's a day for conquering fears, Maya. I've got you. You're perfectly safe.'
Slipping an arm beneath me, he nudges my legs further apart and enters me, pushing inwards, filling me completely.
'Feel this, Maya. Concentrate on this. You and me. When we're together, we can get through anything.'
He adjusts his position, sending a spark of electricity right through my abdomen. I see a flash, count the seconds as Dan continues to move. And while the thunder rumbles across the ocean, my insides quake.
I glance at the shutters.
'Hey.' He strokes my hair. 'Don't look at that. Look at me.'
I do as I'm told.
'That's it. Keep it there.' He withdraws slowly, kissing me again. 'Stay with me. Feel this.'
'I can't … '
'Yes, you can.' Proving the point, he drives back into me and I feel it straight away. A glowing sensation takes hold deep in the pit of my vagina. 'You're doing it now.'
I moan, let out a jittering breath.
'I'm still fucking terrified.'
'Just like our first night together.' Buried deep inside, he comes to a halt and studies my face. 'Shall I tell you a secret?'
'You might as well. What is it? No, don't tell me. You used to be the Pope.'
He laughs.
'You've got me rumbled. No. That first night we spent together, when I made you a little tent … I was terrified too.'
I hear another laugh, and it's mine.
'Oh come off it.'
Looking straight into me, his shakes his head. 'I wasn't scared of the storm. I was scared of the way you made me feel. It was something I didn't understand. All I knew was you'd walked into my life and I never wanted you to walk out of it again. That's pretty terrifying for a man like me.'
His admission works like a treat. Somewhere outside, thunder echoes through the darkness but all I can think about is what he's just told me. The first time I went back to his apartment, I had him down as an arrogant prick, and all the time he was simply putting up a front, building his own walls.