Page 122 of Washed Up

‘Well, I’ll be forever grateful,’ said Brian when he could speak again. ‘I wasn’t ready to check out just yet.’ He gave a weak chuckle.

Frankie laughed unnecessarily loudly at his joke. It felt good to laugh, but even better to hear her father making terrible jokes.

They chatted for a while, until Dylan and Frankie had reached the beach, in fact. And then, ‘I’ll see you soon, darling girl,’ said her dad, as he signed off.

‘Love you, Dad,’ said Frankie, tears still flowing freely.

‘Love you.’

Her mum’s voice was back on the line. ‘See, he’s fine. Now off you go and try not to break that new man of yours while we’re away.’

‘Oh my God, Mum!’ said Frankie.

‘What? I’m just saying. When will you ever get another chance like this?’

‘I don’t know what you’re getting at.’

‘Just. Get. On. With. It.’

‘Bye, Mum,’ said Frankie, still wiping the tears from her now red cheeks.

‘Everything okay?’ said Dylan, as she hung up.

‘Lily being Lily,’ said Frankie, shaking her head. ‘Or should I say, my mum being Mum. But Dad is fine.’

‘It’s cool to hear you calling her Mum.’

‘It’s still a bit weird. It’s been a while.’

‘You’ll get used to it. Shall we walk a bit further?’ he said.

Shell Beach was almost deserted. Blondie raced away across the sand, her happiness infectious. Dylan and Frankie bent to remove their socks and shoes, Frankie grateful for the chance to hide her face as it calmed down. And to gather her thoughts. Miracle or not, she said a little silent prayer of thanks that her dad had made it. The millionth prayer she’d prayed in the last twenty-four hours alone. She had proof now that at least one of them had been heard, after all.

CHAPTER FIFTY

‘What do we do now?’ said Frankie, as they walked along the beach, shoes in hand, the sand warm and soft between their toes.

Dylan stopped suddenly and bent to pick something up. It was a tiny yellow shell, perfectly formed and the most exquisite colour.

‘Hence, “Shell beach”,’ said Frankie, wryly. ‘Those things are everywhere.’

‘Small but perfectly formed,’ said Dylan thoughtfully. ‘Just like this place.’ He slipped it into his pocket. ‘Sorry, Frankie, what were you saying?’

‘I was wondering what we do now,’ she said, staring out across the sea, hues of pink, purple and blue spreading across the water in the setting sun, the breeze caressing her face as she walked, enveloping them in the scent of the ocean, fresh and clear and briny all at once.

‘In what way…?’ said Dylan.

‘In every way,’ said Frankie.

He huffed a laugh. ‘Well first, we eat. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry in my whole life.’

‘Fair play.’

‘And then, we go back to yours and, you know, make the most of having the place to ourselves?’

A little shiver of pleasure ran down her spine at his words, at the low tone in his voice. ‘Is that right?’

‘Yup,’ said Dylan, staring ahead down the beach, a smile playing on his lips. ‘Trust me, you are never going to want to get out of bed ever again.’