her, then it edged ahead, its lane clear.
She pulled into the slow lane behind the lorry and set a steady pace fifty feet behind. She still had her phone in her left hand. She texted with her thumb, looking up to the road then back at the screen.
Don’t worry. Wait, I’ll be there soon.
She pressed send. The IKEA lorry turned off at Straiton and she pushed forward into the gap. She still had the phone in her hand when it rang. She looked at the screen – Ben. She breathed a couple of times then pressed answer.
‘Hi,’ she said.
‘Hey, where are you? You were gone when I woke up.’
‘Just out and about,’ Ellie said.
She’d caught up with a Tesco van in front. Kept her distance, but then two cars slid in between them from the slip road. She eased off the accelerator.
‘Sounds mysterious,’ Ben said.
‘Just shopping,’ Ellie said.
‘Are you driving?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ll keep it quick then. I’m going out in the boat, wondered if you wanted to come, I could use an able seawoman.’
Ellie noticed her speed had gone up and took her foot off the pedal. Her right hand was tight on the steering wheel, her left gripping the phone. Her ear was warm with the phone pressed against it.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ she said, her voice level.
‘I checked the weather reports,’ Ben said. ‘Don’t know what you were on about last night, conditions are perfect.’
‘Must’ve got the wrong end of the stick.’
‘So you want to come out? Clear our heads?’
Ellie had to brake as another truck came in from the next slip road. ‘OK, when I get back.’
‘How long are you going to be?’ Ben said. ‘Don’t want to hit the turning tide.’
‘An hour, maybe.’
‘That long? What are you shopping for?’
‘Bits and bobs.’
‘Fine,’ Ben said. ‘I’ll go down to the Porpoise, get her ready for action.’
A string of brake lights up ahead, Ellie too close to the car in front, had to brake hard.
‘Don’t do that,’ she said.
‘Why not?’
Doubt in his voice.
‘Just wait for me at the house, yeah? I want to go over to the marina with you.’
‘But I could be getting her shipshape.’
‘Just please wait for me at home. Promise.’
Silence for a second. The cars in front were speeding up again. This traffic was shit, same as always on the bypass.
‘What’s going on, Ellie?’ Ben said.
Ellie’s ear burned. Her hands were sweaty and the tremor in her stomach was spreading to her chest. She imagined pushing the accelerator to the floor and crunching into the car in front.
‘Just please promise,’ she said.
Maybe he heard something in her voice, a desperation.
‘I promise,’ he said.
‘Thanks, I’ll be home soon.’
‘Take it easy,’ Ben said.
She hung up and threw the phone on the seat. She indicated and slipped into the fast lane.
*
Port Edgar was busier than earlier, old men tinkering, some more-serious crews busying themselves on the decks of the bigger racers. She scurried along the pontoon, nodding at the folk she knew, and clambered on to the Porpoise, then down below.
Sam was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, checking his phone and sniffling, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Ellie was halfway across the room, arms wide, about to hug him when he looked up and shrank away from her. Of course, too intimate, stupid thing to do. This boy wasn’t hers, she had to get a grip. She changed her body shape at the last second, dropping an arm and rubbing his shoulder, a gesture of reassurance.
She sat down next to him, their legs touching on the narrow bench. Sam was still wearing Logan’s clothes. Couldn’t he have picked up some of his own stuff when he was at the house seeing Libby? Maybe he didn’t get the chance.
‘How are you?’ Ellie said.
He put his phone down and shook his head. ‘I don’t know what to do.’
He began sniffing again, tears in his eyes. Ellie put a hand on his thigh.
‘I’ll take care of
She pulled into the slow lane behind the lorry and set a steady pace fifty feet behind. She still had her phone in her left hand. She texted with her thumb, looking up to the road then back at the screen.
Don’t worry. Wait, I’ll be there soon.
She pressed send. The IKEA lorry turned off at Straiton and she pushed forward into the gap. She still had the phone in her hand when it rang. She looked at the screen – Ben. She breathed a couple of times then pressed answer.
‘Hi,’ she said.
‘Hey, where are you? You were gone when I woke up.’
‘Just out and about,’ Ellie said.
She’d caught up with a Tesco van in front. Kept her distance, but then two cars slid in between them from the slip road. She eased off the accelerator.
‘Sounds mysterious,’ Ben said.
‘Just shopping,’ Ellie said.
‘Are you driving?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ll keep it quick then. I’m going out in the boat, wondered if you wanted to come, I could use an able seawoman.’
Ellie noticed her speed had gone up and took her foot off the pedal. Her right hand was tight on the steering wheel, her left gripping the phone. Her ear was warm with the phone pressed against it.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ she said, her voice level.
‘I checked the weather reports,’ Ben said. ‘Don’t know what you were on about last night, conditions are perfect.’
‘Must’ve got the wrong end of the stick.’
‘So you want to come out? Clear our heads?’
Ellie had to brake as another truck came in from the next slip road. ‘OK, when I get back.’
‘How long are you going to be?’ Ben said. ‘Don’t want to hit the turning tide.’
‘An hour, maybe.’
‘That long? What are you shopping for?’
‘Bits and bobs.’
‘Fine,’ Ben said. ‘I’ll go down to the Porpoise, get her ready for action.’
A string of brake lights up ahead, Ellie too close to the car in front, had to brake hard.
‘Don’t do that,’ she said.
‘Why not?’
Doubt in his voice.
‘Just wait for me at the house, yeah? I want to go over to the marina with you.’
‘But I could be getting her shipshape.’
‘Just please wait for me at home. Promise.’
Silence for a second. The cars in front were speeding up again. This traffic was shit, same as always on the bypass.
‘What’s going on, Ellie?’ Ben said.
Ellie’s ear burned. Her hands were sweaty and the tremor in her stomach was spreading to her chest. She imagined pushing the accelerator to the floor and crunching into the car in front.
‘Just please promise,’ she said.
Maybe he heard something in her voice, a desperation.
‘I promise,’ he said.
‘Thanks, I’ll be home soon.’
‘Take it easy,’ Ben said.
She hung up and threw the phone on the seat. She indicated and slipped into the fast lane.
*
Port Edgar was busier than earlier, old men tinkering, some more-serious crews busying themselves on the decks of the bigger racers. She scurried along the pontoon, nodding at the folk she knew, and clambered on to the Porpoise, then down below.
Sam was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, checking his phone and sniffling, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Ellie was halfway across the room, arms wide, about to hug him when he looked up and shrank away from her. Of course, too intimate, stupid thing to do. This boy wasn’t hers, she had to get a grip. She changed her body shape at the last second, dropping an arm and rubbing his shoulder, a gesture of reassurance.
She sat down next to him, their legs touching on the narrow bench. Sam was still wearing Logan’s clothes. Couldn’t he have picked up some of his own stuff when he was at the house seeing Libby? Maybe he didn’t get the chance.
‘How are you?’ Ellie said.
He put his phone down and shook his head. ‘I don’t know what to do.’
He began sniffing again, tears in his eyes. Ellie put a hand on his thigh.
‘I’ll take care of
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