Nina Harrington - The Boy is Back in Town

She sucked in a deep breath, chest heaving. ‘There. I’m glad I finally got that out. It’s been a nightmare keeping Ethan a secret for these past few days but I was so sure that you would see him around and it would all be fine. And why are you shaking your head like that?’

Mari took hold of her sister’s shoulders and forced her to make eye contact.

‘I saw Ethan this afternoon on the way back from my walk. He was coming into harbour in a boat smaller than your bath tub and he frightened the living daylights out of me. There. Satisfied?’

She gave Rosa’s shoulders a gentle shake before dropping her hands back onto the chair. ‘What were you thinking? You should have told me.’

There was a hiss as Rosa bared her teeth. ‘I know, but you were always so intense when he was around. And when Kit died … you were so hard on him, Mari. And now, with all of this media interest … Stay there; I kept the article for you.’

Rosa dived back into the living room and rooted around in a basket overflowing with yarn, knitting paraphernalia, old newspapers and unopened mail until she finally found the magazine she was looking for.

She flicked through the pages, her eyebrows tight with concentration, and then she grinned with delight and held up the page with a thumb and forefinger at each corner and waved it from side to side in front of Mari’s face.

Splashed across two pages of the colour supplement of a national newspaper was a stunning photograph taken of a racing yacht in full sail on a choppy sea under hot blue skies. And standing at the helm was a tall imposing man, broad-shouldered, tanned, with handsome features and body language that screamed of total confidence in what he was doing. Ethan was wearing an impossibly clean white T-shirt with a designer logo on the breast, navy shorts and baseball cap. No shoes.

His tanned sinewy legs were spread for stability, his bright blue eyes focused on the sea in front of him, alert and intelligent, and his arms stretched out on the wheel. Mari scanned his left hand for a wedding ring without even realising what she was doing, but it was covered up with an article praising him for his work on a charity for disadvantaged teenagers.

‘Isn’t he dreamy?’ Rosa was almost sighing with delight and swaying from side to side.

Mari breathed out slowly, blinked several times to break out of his hypnotic gaze, then peered at the page and almost snatched it from Rosa’s hands. ‘And you forgot arrogant, bossy and the bane of my life. As far as Ethan Chandler was concerned I was the nearest geeky girl with her head in a book who he could tease and torment whenever he pleased. And then ignore the rest of the time. Oh, yes, I certainly made a big impression on Ethan.’

Then she took a closer look at the date on the newspaper. ‘Wait a minute. Ethan never lived here. He only came for the summer holidays with his parents. That hardly makes him a local.’

Rosa took the magazine back with a cough and smoothed out the page. ‘His mother came from around here, which makes it close enough. Besides, his parents are building a retirement bungalow in the next bay and Ethan is certain to visit them now and again. That makes him a local as far as we are concerned. And the really good news is that he’s back in town for a while working on his parents’ house.’

Rosa paused and tapped one finger against her chin. ‘The way I see it, it would be a very friendly gesture if someone would invite him to the Valentine’s Day party at the yacht club. Just to welcome him back to Swanhaven, you understand. I would do it myself but, seeing as you had such a special relationship … well, it does point one way. And now where are you going?’

Mari wound one of Rosa’s hand knitted scarves around her neck a couple of times before replying. ‘Down to the harbour to clear my head. I’ve started to hallucinate. For a moment I thought I heard you suggest that I ask Ethan Chandler to the Valentine party. Which is obviously ridiculous. And no. We did not have a special relationship. Okay? I don’t want to go there.’

Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on her cardigan and Rosa came over and fastened them for her. ‘That was a long time ago, Mari.’

Mari swallowed down a denial but couldn’t. ‘I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that Ethan Chandler always has to win. No matter what the risks are or who gets in his way.’

Rosa smirked in reply, then tipped two fingers to her forehead. ‘He always did make you frazzle. There are plenty of girls around here who think men like that are God’s special gift to women on earth because we deserve treats like Ethan now and then.’

‘Ethan does not make me frazzle,’ Mari chortled. ‘I am a goddess, and as a goddess my special power is that I am immune to handsome men. My problems are far more to do with the sixty-five e-mails which have come in since three this afternoon, and all of them are desperately urgent.’

She glanced back at the magazine and gave Rosa a faint smile and a gentle tap on the nose to wipe away the sadness in the room. ‘So let’s forget about Ethan and start on the really important business of planning party outfits and organising a date for Aunt Alice, shall we?’

Rosa winced and flicked a glance up at Mari. ‘Drat. Um … there is one more tiny thing. I sort of promised Ethan that I would help him decorate his parents’ house if he agreed to open the summer Sailing Regatta. And he said yes, thank you. More hot chocolate?’

Mari grabbed Rosa by the waist as she stood to go back to the jug warming on the hearth of her open fire. ‘Oh, no, you don’t. Sit. Do what your older sister tells you.’

Rosa faltered, but sat back down and looked at Mari sheepishly over the rim of her mug before shrugging a little as she replied. ‘It seemed like such a good idea at the time. He was in town ordering building materials and hanging out at the yacht club just after he arrived. We got talking and it was pretty obvious that Ethan might be brilliant at carpentry and the like but he had no clue whatsoever about colour charts or layouts. So I sort of took pity of him and traded a week’s work for two days of his time in July. His folks will be here over the summer and he’s happy to have his photo taken for the TV cameras and the whole media circus. The publicity would be amazing. Swanhaven needs celebrities like Ethan more than ever. And the sailing club needs a boost.’

Mari sat back on the arm of the sofa, stunned. ‘Rosa the interior designer? Well, this day is turning out to be full of surprises. I think I need to sit down.’

The doorbell sounded. ‘Who can that be at this time of night in this weather?’

Mari stood to clear away the cups as Rosa chatted to someone at the door, then turned at the sound of footsteps.

‘I can always make myself scarce if it’s a customer or one of your new boyfriends,’ she said, and turned to find herself staring into the chest of Ethan Chandler, who was grinning down at her.

Mari crossed her arms and glared at Ethan, stone-faced.

The sheer bulk of him seemed to fill all of the space in the cosy living room, and she had to fight the urge to step back into a corner so that she had room to breathe.

He was overwhelming in every way possible.

This was not helped by the fact that Rosa was peeking out at her from behind Ethan’s shoulder and nodding with her head towards Ethan, flapping her face with her hand and fluttering her eyelids. Oh. Yes. Apparently she had to be polite. She could do polite.

‘Hello, Ethan. Nice to see you again so soon. Is there anything that we can help you with?’

He bowed slightly. ‘First, I just wanted to make sure that you got home safely. And secondly, the snow is still falling and I’m on my way to the clubhouse. Thirdly, I’m here to warn you that you may be accosted by the local TV station on your way out. So, if my favourite two ladies require an escort, personal security or a lift home, I am at your service.’