Free Reluctant Date by Sheila Claydon Page B

relationship with hot water and a flannel, and had worn next
to nothing for days on end until even her normally pale skin had turned biscuit
brown in the sun.   A summer of alfresco
meals on riverbanks; of non-existent bedtimes; of watching the stars rock to
and fro as she slept on the cabin roof with only her old dog Barney for
company. To her surprise she was overcome with a feeling of sadness. Where had
it all gone, all that freedom?   Why had
she buried herself in a city and lived most of her adult life through books?
    Her reply, when it came, was thoughtful.   “A lot of it was really good.   In fact it was probably what started my
interest in photography. I was about ten years old and I remember I spent hours
walking along the towpath picking wild flowers and searching for bugs and
butterflies. I can remember getting really frustrated too because I couldn’t
draw well enough to record them. Then, one day, Dad disappeared for ages, and
when he came back he presented me with an old camera he’d found in a
second-hand shop.   I thought it was
fantastic and…well I’ve never stopped taking pictures since. ”
    “There you go.   You
obviously benefited from your crazy childhood far more than you realize.”
    “I guess,” Claire agreed.   Then she changed the subject.   She
didn’t want to think about her childhood anymore, particularly not now that
Daniel had made her feel guilty about her attitude towards her parents. After
all, if she had a bit more of their adventurous spirit then visiting Dolphin
Key and working with Daniel wouldn’t be such a big deal.

 
 
 
 
 
    Chapter Eight

 
    They didn’t say very much for a while after that.   Daniel was too busy guiding the dinghy round
the pier and out into the bay, and Claire was too busy absorbing everything
that came into view.   Only when she
laughed out loud at the sight of at least twenty brown pelicans perched every
which way on a derelict wooden structure that had collapsed into the sea, did
Daniel speak.
    “It’s the local doss house,” he told her with a grin. “Once
upon a time it was part of an old landing stage but most of it disintegrated
years ago.   These guys took this bit over
a few years back and now it’s one of the iconic images of Dolphin Key.You’ll
see it everywhere.   On postcards, books,
posters…even on letterheads.”
    “I can see why.   It’s
just so funny, and yet picturesque at the same time,” Claire turned her head as
he steered the dinghy away from the pelicans and their dilapidated roost.
    “The white pelicans are a bit different,” he told her,
opening up the throttle in a noisy burst as they sped across the bay. “Much
more stately; they are almost aristocracy compared to their common
cousins.”  
    But Claire had stopped listening to him. Instead she was
looking over his shoulder, her eyes wide with disbelief.   He turned his head to follow her gaze and was
just in time to see a pod of dolphins flip into the air before arcing back into
the sea.
    “Hunting for breakfast,” he said.   “Same as the white pelicans will be.   Everyone eats early around here.”
    After looking in vain for another sighting, Claire brought
her gaze reluctantly back to the boat. Daniel smiled at her.   “Your first time?”
    She nodded.
    “It gets everyone the same way.   Soon you’ll be used to it though.   There are so many of them around here that
before long you will start to recognize individual dolphins because they swim
in a particular place at a regular time each day.”
    Claire stared at him.   “Are you serious?   This just gets
more and more like fantasy land!”
    He grinned at her.   “You’d
better believe it. Was I right that you will love living here?”
    “Maybe.”
    Claire wasn’t prepared to commit herself completely, not
until she had met her colleagues and started work, but she had to admit that so
far, if it weren’t for the complication of how she felt about Daniel, then