Alice Cove

CHAPTER ELEVEN

11.

I walked through the park and it was almost empty, just a few elderly couples in their vans, happy to be here once all the children were back at school. It was quiet, it hadn’t been quiet for months. And it was cooler too, the sun wasn’t bringing the heat like it once was and the sea breeze didn’t need to fight against it. By the afternoon I had a light cardigan on. The office was quiet so I decided to take a walk around the sites, make sure there wasn’t any damage that needed addressing.

“Hey,” I found Brody on an empty site, sitting in a camping chair, just watching the world go by.

“Hey yourself,” he said back.

“You all good?” I asked, he seemed spaced out.

“Yeah,” he smiled, still not looking at me, more like looking through me, “just taking in the peace and quiet.”

“So how was your first season?” I asked, “everything you hoped and dreamed of?” I added sarcastically.

He chuckled, “it was more work than I thought it would be. So many complaints over nothing.”

I laughed, “entitled city folk for sure, they forget they’re camping and not at a five star hotel.”

“Did I do well?” He asked.

I nodded, “if Roy was here I’d be run off my feet, but you barely called me, you got everything done yourself.”

His face tensed, “you and Josh helped a lot.”

“Yeah, but you still seemed like you still knew what you were doing.”

He laughed, “thanks.”

I patted his knee, “I’m glad you’re here. You really helped us.”

His eyes sparkled. I almost got lost in those green eyes, remembering the first time I saw them.

The corner of his mouth tugged in a smile, “me too.”

I felt like we were having an odd moment, so I shrugged it off.

“Do you think you’ll stay?” I asked.

“I think so, I have nothing else going.”

“Okay, well I’m just having a look around, checking everything over. I’ll see you later.”

I rushed off.

I checked the last few rows of bays at the back of the park and then walked out towards the beach. I had stopped swimming when it started to get colder towards the end of summer. It was when it started to get choppy, and being far from the city we didn’t had life guards. I did still come down here in afternoons and days off to watch the surf, and watch for rips just in case small children did get caught. At least I could save someone if I needed to, it wasn’t unheard of. But I wouldn’t be much help if I was caught myself. I wasn’t sure how Brody was with swimming, but most of us that worked here, even the cleaners, knew how to swim well if we needed to.

I walked along the sand, with thongs in hand, feeling the sand underneath my toes. There wasn’t anyone swimming, but a few still lying on the beach trying to get the last of the sun rays, or sitting and reading a book. I kept walking, further and further down the beach, until I got to the choppy reef at the end of the cove.

Bright orange stuck out from the blue ocean and green weeds surrounded it, water swirled and formed white wash and it was beautiful, deadly but beautiful. Further out I could still see a few surfers waiting for the swell. It was the perfect spot for surfing, between Harbour Hill and Alice Cove. There wasn’t another reef that created something like this for hours.

I squinted and looked at the surfers. One I thought was Hanson’s business partner Trey, it wouldn’t be surprising. He was probably out there with a student.

I sat down for a while and watched. There was only small waves forming so it wasn’t super excited, but enough for them to catch a few barrels.

“I thought that was you,” I was so engrossed in watching the surfers I didn’t even notice Hanson walk up to me.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked. It was a closer walk to here from Alice Cove than it was from Harbour Hill. It was maybe half an hour from there.

He pointed to the surfers, “was coming out to get Trey.”

“You walked?” I asked, looking behind him and not seeing his car.

“Yeah,” he walked to the shore line and waved his hands at Trey and the other surfer. He did a few other hand signals and in return got a thumbs up.

“What’s that all about?” I asked as he walked back towards me.

“There’s a big storm coming through, and the swell is about to get hectic, not safe to stay out much longer if the radar is correct.”

I looked up at the sky, “doesn’t look like it.”

Hanson pointed out to the ocean but to the left towards Harbour Hills. There was dark clouds beginning to form.

“Seems ages away,” I said. I looked back out to the ocean and saw Trey and the other surfer finally catch a wave back in.

“Better to be safe than sorry, especially since we’re liable if anything happens,” Hanson said.

“True.”

“I reckon you should head home, just in case, you don’t want to get stuck out here running home in wet sand. Looks like it’s coming in hot.”

I looked back out to where he once pointed and sure enough the dark clouds were already bigger than before coming towards us.

I got up, “yeah, thanks for the heads up. I’ll catch you later.”

“See ya!”

I walked back towards Alice Cove, getting my phone out to message Brody the weather news so he could prepare if he didn’t already know.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later as I got closer to the park the rain started to spit. I warned the few people left on the beach who quickly got up and packed their stuff. I could see a few back at the park hurry to bring their washing in or close up their annexes. It reminded me I had to do the same, and close the van sky lights and windows. It was a disaster if you forget those.

I did so then sat out under my gazebo with a couple beers, I loved the rain just as much as the ocean, maybe it was just water in general. I loved the sound, especially on the tarp above me. There was no other vans on my lane so I just looked ahead at the grass and the sky. I played some music and put on my parka ready for the rain to go hard. It was cold enough now to wear it anyway. I crossed my legs under me and opened a beer.

After a couple beers I saw Candy run up the lane towards me, it wasn’t pouring but the rain was steady for sure. By the time she got to me, assuming from the office, her clothes were damp and her hair was pretty wet.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her, she took a seat next to me and took one of my unopened beers.

“I just finished at the office, and I walked here, thought it’d be quicker to get shelter here than actually run home,” she declared, “better start driving down.”

“Surely this is random, it’s still too early for rain storms,” I said.

She shrugged, “who knows these days. Can I grab a jumper?”

“Sure,” I nodded.

She went inside and not long after she was wearing one of my larger hoodies and threw her wet top on the table. She brought out two more beers and handed me one.

“So what’s new? I feel like we haven’t talked for ages,” I said to her.

A huge grin came across her face but she downplayed it, “yeah cause you’re always with Josh.”

“Bullshit,” I exclaimed, “tell me!”

“I’ve been hanging with Dan a lot more,” pink came across her face instantly.

“Has someone finally tamed ‘the beast’?” I quoted.

She ummed and ahhed, but I could see the happiness in her face.

“It Had to happen sooner or later, imagine working here at 60 trying to find widowed men in tents.”

She lost her s**t at the thought.

“I don’t know, I do like him, but I don’t know if I’m ready to settle down,” she said.

“Bullshit,” I said once again, “plus he’s loaded.”

“I wouldn’t mind being a Real Housewife,” she laughed.

I scoffed, “you barely work as it is.”

“We could double date,” she smiled.

“Oh my god,” I rolled my eyes.

She chuckled and shrugged, “we’re still casual. Who knows if he’ll even want to commit to me.”

“He’s been in love with you from day one. And I don’t care what he says, there’s no other girls. Just work.”

She looked up like she was thinking, wow she really did like him. And she really did want to stop her hoe life and be with him.

I was so happy for her, even though Candy was a couple years older, I was older than her in maturity and felt as though she was my little sister. Also she was shorter. Never the less, I felt super proud of her and wouldn’t mind Dan as a brother in law. I’d learn to get past all the f*****g around with Candy’s emotions these last couple years.

“Do you know that guy?” Candy made me lose my train of thought.

“What?” I looked at her confused.

She pointed down the lane to where we were facing. In the middle of the grassed area was a patio where all the public bbqs were. Sitting on a picnic table was a man. Well, looked like a man, you couldn’t see him very well. He was in a black hoodie and black pants. That’s all I could tell, considering it was dark now.

I squinted. Trying to see further.

“I don’t know, I can’t really tell,” I said.

As I spoke the man got up and walked off towards the Chalets at the back of the park.

Candy shrugged, “weird. You know I’ve felt like I’ve been being watched a lot lately.”

“Really?” I frowned at her, “I haven’t had that feeling.”

“Well people are always looking at me,” she laughed.

“True,” I shrugged one shoulder, “maybe it’s because you’re not looking back anymore.”

“f**k off,” she jokingly punched my arm.

I looked back to where the man was. There was something strange about him, I wondered who it was. It wasn’t like there was many people here, so I would know if someone strange had checked into the park. He didn’t seem like an elderly person which was who was mostly left. A random thought came into my head, it reminded me of the person I thought I saw when I was leaving to go to the Dawson Farm. The more I thought about it the more I put two and two together. I randomly thought it could be Harry, was that crazy? Wearing hoodies to cover what I recognised about him most, his hair.

Could he really be back to claim me? He was crazy towards the end but surely not. Come to think of it, even today, who was that guy out in the water with Trey. It was too far to see but I did feel like they had longer hair.

Maybe Harry came back, to Harbour Hills instead of Alice Cove, to keep tabs on me and f**k with me.

“Earth to Elody,” Candy waved her hand in front of my face.

“Sorry what?” I blinked at her, completely spaced out.

She laughed, “you’ve become worse with that lately. Anyway it stopped raining, I’m going to try and get home before is starts again.”

“Okay no worries,” I took a swig of my drink.

“I’ll leave you to your imagination,” she leant down and gave me a quick hug before briskly walking off.

“What the f**k,” I said to myself. Once again looking back to where the man was. Where Harry was. Was my imagination running wild again, it was believable after the s**t he pulled before he left. I contemplated going for a walk trying to find this man and see for myself. But it was dark and if I was correct, who knows what he’d do when no one was around to see.

I decided to finish my beer and have a shower then go to bed. Showering in my own van out of paranoia tonight, I did something I didn’t usually do as well and locked the van behind me when I went in.