Chapter Eight

“Dad, can I get my face painted? Please.”

AJ stared with wide eyes as a boy about his age walked by with his face made up as a lion.

It was Sunday afternoon and the annual lifeboat fair, a large-scale gala designed to raise money for the station, as well as its profile. The fair had been a Nyemouth tradition for as long as Arnie could remember, though he couldn’t recall there ever being as big a crowd as had turned out today. The weather played a large part in it. It was a glorious day and would have brought hundreds of tourists to the town without the draw of the fair. Arnie suspected the dramatic rescue of Sandy Costello last weekend, together with the national publicity it had generated, was another contributing factor to the increased attendance.

For some it would be idle curiosity, a chance to see the town and the boat that had featured in the headlines. Arnie liked to think that most people had been drawn by a desire to contribute to the worthy cause. Either way, as long as they spent money, it was all good.

The marina and the surrounding streets were adorned with flags and bunting. There were stalls set up around the station, selling cakes, homemade jams, official merchandise and used goods. There were tombolas and raffles and volunteers moving through the crowds with collecting buckets. They had erected a stage where local bands played live music and there were pop-up fast food stalls and ice cream vans. Beyond the waterfront, they had turned the town square into an amusement park with fun rides and games. Everyone was doing good business.

Arnie held AJ’s hand as they made their way into the square in search of the face-painting stall. He didn’t want to lose him in the crowd. He knew it would be impossible for them to go unrecognized today, given all the publicity this week, but he’d been determined they would not miss the fair. It was too important for them to stay away. He endeavored to keep a low profile, dressed in navy chino shorts and deck shoes, a white linen shirt, straw hat and shades. Apart from his towering height, he looked like dozens of other guys milling through the crowd.

They had recognized him, though. People smiled and said hello, others pointed and stared, but there had been no trouble. He returned the smiles, waved and kept moving. Most folk seemed to appreciate that he was with his son and left them alone.

“Oh no,” AJ said when they located the face-painting artists. “There’s a queue.”

“Well,” Arnie informed him, “if this is what you want, you have to wait your turn. Is it?”

AJ nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay, let’s join the queue.”

It was lucky, he thought, not for the first time, that AJ’s temperament was more like his own than his mother. Tara didn’t believe in waiting for anything. She considered celebrity status, however minor, gave someone rights above ordinary people. She used her fame to push, bully, snatch and grab her way through life. It would kill him should AJ grow up to have principles like that.

Arnie did his best to raise him with the attitude that everything had to be earned.

There were three face-painting artists on the stall and the queue moved fast. Within twenty minutes AJ stood proudly before him, made up as a tiger. He growled and hooked his hands into claws.

Arnie laughed. He was so cute. He got out his phone and took several photos while AJ crouched and snarled, completely into the part.

“Now what?” Arnie asked.

“Let’s go and show Grandma.”

“Grandma is working today.” His mother was running the merchandise stall outside the station.

“She’ll still want to see me. C’mon.”

AJ grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the waterfront. More people had arrived and the town was swarming. The lifeboat must be well on the way to an afternoon of record takings. They needed it badly. The public only had so much money to go around and the boat was often overlooked, forgotten until someone required the service. He understood why people were more willing to donate to hospitals and children’s charities—he supported those causes himself, which made days like this so important. Every penny collected was essential.

Slowly, they picked their way through the crowd to the station.

“Grandma, Grandma,” AJ shouted, rushing to her stall to show off his tiger face.

Elizabeth squealed with delight and told him how fierce he looked, before snapping some photos on her phone. AJ growled and adopted tiger poses. The boy was a natural performer.

“How’s it going?” Arnie asked.

“Excellent,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve already beaten last year’s total.”

There were four other people behind the long merchandise stall, all busy as customers bought tea towels, toys, stationery and Christmas cards.

“Do you guys want anything?” he asked. “I can cover while you take a break?”

“You could get us some more cold drinks,” she said. “It’s roasting out here.”

They had taken the lifeboat out of the station for the day and the interior was being used as pop-up café. As Arnie joined the line to buy drinks, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was his sister Sophie and her husband, Cyrus. He kissed Sophie on the cheek, while Cyrus, wary of a hug, thrust his hand forward for a shake.

“Arnie,” he said curtly. His handshake was stiff and unnecessarily tight.

Cyrus was an exceptionally good-looking black man in his late thirties. Sophie had met him in her last year of university, and they’d been together since then. In the early days of their relationship, Arnie had gotten on well with him. Cyrus had been good-natured and funny back then.

A lot had changed. Cyrus worked at a law firm in Newcastle, and as his career took off, he became increasingly arrogant. Working in a cut-throat, city-center business had made him harder and less friendly, and he’d become aloof around Arnie, especially since Arnie had gained full-time custody of AJ.

Arnie had never asked Sophie about it, but suspected her husband had issues regarding an openly gay man raising a child. Either that, or he was such an alpha-male that he couldn’t handle the fact that his queer brother-in-law was wealthier than him. Toxic masculinity or outright homophobia—Arnie couldn’t decide what Cyrus’ problem was. Either way, he had no time for his bullshit.

“Cyrus,” he replied. “It’s been a long time.” When Arnie and AJ had come to visit last Christmas, his brother-in-law had had numerous excuses to avoid all the family events they’d attended. Arnie resolved not to let him off the hook so easily today. “How are things with you?” he asked, the question directed at Cyrus.

“All good,” he replied, avoiding eye contact.

“Is work going well?” Arnie persisted.

“Brilliant. I’m a senior partner now.”

“Yes. I’d heard that. Congratulations. You must be very pleased.”

“I work more hours than anyone else at the firm. I’m the highest earner. I deserve it.” Finally, Cyrus looked Arnie in the eye. “I’m buying a motorboat, a yacht, to celebrate.”

“Okay,” Arnie said, bemused.

“Cyrus has always wanted his own boat,” Sophie said. The joy in her voice struck a false note.

“I’ll moor her in the South of France,” he said, animated now that he had something to brag about. “We’ll sail her around the Med. Spain, France, Italy. I can’t wait to take her to Portofino. It’s one of the most spectacular harbours in the world.”

As are the billionaire super-yachts that moor there. He didn’t know what kind of boat Cyrus intended to buy, but he knew it would not be in that class. “I’m pleased for you. I just hope you’ve factored the time off into your busy schedule. There’s no point owning a yacht when you’re all about work and no play, is there?”

Cyrus’ nostrils flared. “It’s stuffy in here. I can’t bear it. I’ll wait outside.” He turned his back on Arnie and headed for the door.

“Where’s AJ?” Sophie asked, overly bright, as though her husband hadn’t just served her brother a huge diss.

“Outside with Mam. I’m just getting drinks for everyone.”

“We’re taking the kids on a boat ride. There’s an old steamer in the harbour running trips. It takes about an hour and the next one leaves at four. Do you think AJ would like to come?”

Arnie knew his son would enjoy the adventure of a boat trip, but he didn’t like the idea of spending five minutes at sea with Cyrus, let alone a full hour.

As though reading his mind, Sophie added, “You don’t have to come. We’ll take AJ off your hands for a few hours. It’s the least we can do after all the free child-minding you’ve done this week. How about it? It’ll give you the chance to relax for a while. You could go for a pint. Enjoy the sun.”

The idea had its merits. “All right,” he said. “If AJ wants to go, that would be great.”

When he reached the front of the line, Arnie bought a dozen cans of Diet Coke and, with Sophie’s help, carried them to his mother’s stall. AJ leapt at the chance to join his cousins on the boat trip. Arnie gave him money for the fare and any snacks he wanted onboard.

“I’ll tell you what,” Sophie said. “We’ll take them all for something to eat when we get back ashore. That’ll give you a few more hours’ peace. How about we drop him at the house around seven thirty?”

AJ and the other kids looked thrilled by her suggestion, Cyrus a lot less so. Arnie tried to give her some extra cash to cover AJ’s dinner, but Sophie refused to take it, saying it was her treat. As she took the kids toward the pier, Arnie found himself with time to kill.

Now what?

The fair would run for at least another hour before winding down. Knowing his mother, as long as there were people around the station, she would keep her stall open. His dad was somewhere in the crowd with a collection bucket. Sophie’s idea of getting a drink and enjoying the afternoon sun seemed like a good suggestion. He decided to take a walk around the marina first.

He’d seen nothing of Dominic since arriving. There was no reason that he should have. For the crew and volunteers, the fair meant constant work. Whether running a stall or an information booth, or getting into the crowd with a collection bucket, there was a job for everyone. Dominic would be out there, doing whatever it took to raise money, making him near impossible to locate on a busy day like this.

The waterfront was as packed as everywhere else. He managed to squeeze to the front in time to see AJ and his cousins board the tourist boat with Sophie and Cyrus. He ran excitedly to the bow of the craft, still beaming with his tiger face. Arnie laughed and tried to take some photos, though they were too far away for anything decent to come out.

Behind him, someone said, “Look, there’s Arnie Walker. The guy in the straw hat.”

Time to move.

Arnie slipped back into the crowd and walked in the opposite direction to the voice. He didn’t want to draw attention, not with so many people about. He knew how it would go. One selfie would lead to another twenty and he’d be stuck there for an hour. Arnie usually had a lot of time for people who recognized him, especially when they were polite and civil, but not today. Too much had happened this week, with the attack on Sandy Costello and Tara’s shenanigans in Ibiza. He wanted to avoided being asked about it. Most people were well-meaning. They were just naturally nosey. Today, all he wanted was to be a regular guy.

He slipped away unnoticed. As he walked in front of the shops, he saw Gabriel standing outside The Lobster Pot. Arnie came up short, unprepared. He’d come this way without much thought.

Gabriel—Dominic’s boyfriend. There was no reason that should change anything between them. Should it?

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” he asked cheerfully.

Gabriel turned, seemingly surprised. “Arnie. Good to see you. I thought you might have left town.”

He didn’t go in for a hug, given how uncomfortable their last one had been. “No, I’ve been lying low, that’s all. I couldn’t miss today though. Are you kidding? This is our childhood right here.”

Gabriel smiled. “I know. Fair day holds a lot of memories, right? It was always one of the highlights of summer growing up. It didn’t matter how bad the weather got, we always enjoyed ourselves.”

“I’ve got a bonus now. Being able to relive it all over again through AJ. He’s so excited, just like we used to be. I know I’ll get some peace tonight ‘cause he’s going to be so exhausted.”

“Where is he? With your mam?”

“No. Sophie took him out for a boat trip.”

“Cool. So, what are you doing now?”

“Nothing really. Just wandering. I thought I might stop for a drink soon.”

Gabriel put a hand on his arm. “Come on inside. Have one with me. We’re in that lull between afternoon service and evening.”

“Thanks. I’d love to.”

The restaurant was about a third full when they entered as visitors enjoyed a late seafood lunch. Gabriel told Arnie to take a seat in one of the neat leather booths in the bar. As well as serving some of the best seafood for miles, The Lobster Pot also had a smart cocktail bar overlooking the marina.

Arnie settled in a corner booth, glad Gabriel had asked him in. Something had been missing when they had seen each other earlier in the week, as though the old spark of friendship had gone out. Maybe he’d imagined it, or Gabriel had something else on his mind at the time. At least now they would get a second chance.

Gabriel returned a few moments later with champagne served in two long, narrow tulip glasses.

“What’s all this about?” Arnie asked. “A beer would have done.”

“I feel like being extravagant. It’s fair day, after all.” He slipped into the booth beside him. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They clinked glasses and smiled. Like the best of friends, Arnie found it easy to slip back into Gabriel’s company.

“I didn’t notice the other night, but you’ve given the bar area a refit,” Arnie remarked, pointing out new furnishings, artwork and mirrors behind the bar.

“Little touches,” Gabriel said. “Just to keep it fresh. In the winter, we can’t rely on the tourist trade, so the cocktails bring in the locals. We have live music too, every weekend. You should come down and check it out. We just do what we can to stay open all year round. It’s not always easy in a seasonal town like this.”

Arnie nodded, understanding. When he was young and his mother had run a B&B, she’d go for weeks on end without a booking in the winter. It was often the time they would take their family holidays. The summers were too essential to the business for her to take time off then.

“It looks great,” Arnie said, sipping the champagne appreciatively. It was delicious and cold. Condensation misted the sides of the glass.

They chatted about work and the success of the fair, about Arnie’s career and the upcoming parts he was due to play, about life in the town and how Sandy Costello was still in an induced coma. They spoke about Gabriel’s family and AJ’s progress at school. They even discussed Tara and the latest batch of photographs to hit the newspapers that morning. There was only one subject they didn’t speak about.

Dominic.

Gabriel didn’t volunteer any information about his boyfriend and Arnie didn’t ask. He didn’t begrudge Gabriel a relationship with the sexiest man on the coast. Why should he? Gabriel deserved to be happy. And they seemed perfectly matched—living and working in the town, they had a lot in common. They would look great together too. Dominic, smoldering and dark, and Gabriel, golden and handsome.

He couldn’t imagine a better-looking couple.

But Arnie wasn’t ready to hear all about that. Not yet. Having met Dominic and read his book, Arnie’s crush on him was too strong. He’d get over it, in a day or two, then he’d want to hear about them.

Dominic was Gabriel’s man. Arnie had to deal with that.

“I need to get back to work,” Gabriel said, draining his glass. “Do you want another?”

“No. I’ll leave you to it. I might wander along to The Fisherman’s Arms for a drink before I go home. I haven’t been in there since last summer. I want to see if anything has changed.”

Gabriel laughed. “You know better than that. Nothing has changed in there for fifty years.”

“I’d be disappointed if it had. There are some things I never want to change.”

They said goodbye at the door. A little of the earlier awkwardness returned. Gabriel told him to come back on Saturday night. “Check out the live music I told you about.”

“I will do,” he said. “As long as I can get a babysitter.”

It was after five when he stepped back onto the waterfront. The crowds had abated somewhat but there was still a huge number of people about. All the stalls were open and looked to be doing great business. He headed along the marina in the direction of The Fisherman’s Arms, an old public house that had become an institution in Nyemouth.

Dominic stood in the harbor where the fishing boats were moored, with a collecting bucket and a dynamite smile.

Arnie’s heart lurched against his ribs and he stopped at the sight of him, his pulse quickening.

Dominic looked incredible. The navy polo shirt with the official lifeboat logo on the chest suited his tanned skin and displayed the broad lines of his torso and shoulders. His strong forearms appeared golden in the natural light. He wore pale blue shorts turned up to mid-thigh, revealing powerful leg muscles and deliciously hairy calves.

His smile was radiant as a young family walked over to him. The kids took turns to put money in his bucket. He rewarded them all with stickers.

Though he’d read his book and had been thinking about him all week, the sight of Dominic proved that memory and imagination were no match for reality. Dominic was even hotter than he remembered. And his memories were smoking.

Gabriel was a lucky bastard. A very lucky bastard.

Arnie considered his options for getting past without being noticed. There were none, other than abandoning his plan to visit the pub and retreating the way he’d come. Should he? Yes. No. Why do you want to avoid him? Because it’s dangerous and I don’t trust myself. It’s the only way to stop thinking about him.

The young family moved away, then it was too late. Dominic glanced in his direction and spotted him immediately. Even with his hat and shades, Dominic recognized him and smiled, raising his hand in greeting.

“Hey there.”

Oh God, that smile. It was enough to melt him.

“Hi,” Arnie said, tightening his stomach and pulling up his chest. He approached, all reservation gone. “You must have been busy today.”

“Crazy. This thing weighs a ton,” he said, shaking the bucket. “And I’ve emptied it twice already.”

Dominic had caught the sun across his forehead and nose. Beneath the tan, his skin seemed to glow. And so did Arnie. Being close to Dominic sent a surge of heat throughout his body.

“Where have you been all day? I thought I would have seen you around,” Dominic said.

You did? The question meant Dominic had been thinking about him too. And what does that mean? Thinking about me in what way?

“Oh, I’ve been around. I took AJ to the fair.” He found it difficult to say anything meaningful or funny. Arnie could hold his own on live TV or radio interviews, but face to face with Dominic, he was inexplicably nervous. There was no reason for it.

Other than chemistry.

“Where’s the little man now?”

“With my sister. She granted me a few hours of freedom. She must have thought I needed it.”

“You look great. People aren’t bothering you, are they? There’s a lot of folk around today.”

“No. Everyone has been polite.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

They looked at each other, both smiling, their eyes connected. Neither of them spoke. The chemistry was strong, rendering words unnecessary. Arnie removed his shades and tucked them into the neck of his shirt. Without them, Dominic looked even better, more vivid. The hues of amber and gold in his eyes sparkled in the late afternoon sun.

Arnie glanced away, knowing he shouldn’t look at him like that. “I just saw Gabriel,” he said.

The sound of his name did nothing to lessen the brightness of Dominic’s smile. “Okay,” he said.

There was another awkward pause before Arnie added. “We had a drink together. In the restaurant.”

Dominic nodded. “You guys went to school together. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“We did. From nursery to high school.”

Dominic’s gaze flicked over him uncertainly. “Gabriel’s a nice guy.”

A nice guy! He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he? Is that the best you can say about him?

“He’s one of the best,” Arnie said, watching Dominic carefully for a reaction and failing to see one. It was funny that Gabriel hadn’t mentioned him either. Were they keeping it a secret? Playing down their relationship? Could be. Gabriel’s waters had always run deep. Arnie had to remember that not all gay men were as open as him, especially in small towns like Nyemouth.

It wouldn’t be the first time his mother had put about information people would rather not share. He’d shut his mouth on the subject before he embarrassed them both. If Dominic and Gabriel want to be discreet, it was their business and no one else’s.

“Where are you heading now?” Dominic asked.

He pointed at the pub behind him. “The Fisherman’s Arms,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to revisit an old haunt. AJ would be bored to tears in there, so I figured I’d grab a quick drink while I have the time.”

Dominic glanced at the pub then back to Arnie. His smile was at full wattage. “Would you mind a little company? The heat out here is killing me. A cool beer in the shade sounds like heaven right now.”

“Love to,” he answered quickly.

“Great. How about I meet you there in five minutes? Just let me hand this bucket in to the collecting team at the station, then I’ll be all yours.”

“What are you drinking? I’ll get them in.”

“A cold pint of lager would be perfect.”

Arnie watched him walk away, carrying the heavy bucket of change. His back, his calves, his bum—it was some sight.

It’s a dangerous situation, he warned himself. Dominic is Gabriel’s boyfriend. You shouldn’t do this.

There was no harm in it. Two men enjoying a pint together—that was all it was. Dominic was taken and he had every respect for that. They wouldn’t do anything other than talk.

Nothing untoward would happen.