Free What Happens at the Beach... by T A Williams Page B

right?’
    â€˜Very definitely. Thank you.’ Natalie hung her bag on the back of the chair and sat back, surprised, shocked even, but definitely very, very pleased to see him. ‘There are times when alcohol definitely has its uses.’ He lifted the bottle out and filled her glass. After replacing it in the bucket he picked up his own.
    â€˜Well, Doctor Dryden, here’s to you and apologies once more for my name confusing you. Blame it on my dad.’
    Natalie raised her glass, clinked it against his and then tasted it. It was delicious; a pure golden colour, cool, crisp and dry. She took a second, bigger mouthful and then set the glass down once more. ‘Want to tell me more about your plans?’
    â€˜Of course, but I suppose it might be a good idea to order first.’ He pointed to the menu on the table in front of her. She opened it and immediately realised that meals in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Collioure, on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, didn’t come cheap. She hesitated, not wanting to order something outrageously expensive. He must have sensed her hesitation. ‘For what it’s worth, I was planning on having a plate of fresh anchovies as a starter. According to the menu, these are served raw, marinated in lemon juice and herbs. They are the local speciality, after all. And then I rather fancy the lobster. How does that sound?’
    â€˜That sounds wonderful.’ And expensive. She scrutinised him surreptitiously as he called the waiter over and placed the order. Today he wasn’t wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Instead, he was wearing a lightweight linen blazer, faded jeans and a crisp white shirt. Natalie thanked the instinct that had made her relinquish her normal shorts for a light summer dress. Just then she felt a cold wet nose against her ankle followed by furry warmth as the dog laid his head on her feet. She smiled to herself as Mark returned his attention to her. He started with a confession.
    â€˜I’d better come clean and tell you that I’m only starting out as a writer. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve never had the time before.’
    â€˜And now you’ve retired?’ She was joking. He could only have been a few years older than she was, maybe mid-thirties at most. She was surprised to see him nod.
    â€˜Yes, in a way.’ He took another sip of wine. ‘Look, I’d better explain. The full story goes like this. I did engineering at university. I got lucky when I was doing my PhD and I hit upon something I’m sure you’ve never heard of. It’s a tiny little piece of technology that ensures that aircraft can consume about ten to fifteen per cent less fuel while maintaining the same speed and range. I had the good sense to patent it and then I set up a company to produce the thing. For your information it revels in the rather snappy name of GN23c.’ He grinned at her. ‘See, I told you you’d never heard of it. Anyway, it’s fair to say that ninety per cent of all international airlines are now using GN23c, happy to pay my company a load of money for the privilege, while at the same time saving themselves millions of pounds every year as a result.’
    Natalie was impressed. ‘So you have a company that makes these… things. How come, then, you’ve the time to think about writing books?’
    â€˜Well, the company’s grown quite a bit. We no longer just make little old Genie and we’ve expanded into all sorts of other fields. Anyway, last year our accountants turned the company into a corporation and I now have a board of directors and a very clued-up CEO running things, so I can take time out.’
    â€˜I see. But why the Cathars?’
    â€˜Although I did engineering, I’ve always had a thing about history. I came on a camping holiday with my family to the coast not far from here when I was a teenager and there was something