Chapter 42

Why hadn't I just come out and told Kathryn that I was thinking about breaking up with Debbie? I had meant to, bringing it up, but something stopped me. Perhaps I was just scared that if I talked about my relationship I wouldn't be able to stop myself any longer from telling her how I felt about her. In any case, it was probably best that I didn't; it would've put the rest of the day off to a strange start.

As it was, things went well. Jonas eventually emerged from bed and after breakfast and a rousing game of Danish (at which Kathryn trounced us both) we set sail again, heading back.

The wind was stronger today, and less gusty, and we got a good speed up, Jonas once more 'hogging' the wheel although neither Kathryn nor I minded. Between the two of us we manned the sails, coaxing the yacht until she was gliding along faster than I had ever gone on a sail-powered ship. Kathryn whooped and hooked an arm through the rigging, her dark hair swept back from her face, and I know it's a cliché to say it but I had never seen her looking so beautiful. Perhaps she felt me staring, because she suddenly looked over at me, and our eyes locked, and I swear - I swear - there was something deeper there, beyond the thrill of nearly flying. And then she grinned, and pulled her gaze away and shouted for Jonas to take us closer in, and the moment was gone.

The rest of the day happened like a series of snapshots. I know that I took the wheel again at one point, and that there were more dolphins, although at a distance this time. I remember Kathryn and Jonas bickering over lunch and thinking how fond it was, how well they got along. I remember a nasty spot of wind as we rounded the home stretch that suddenly threw all three of us into a deep concentration, the past day's work together culminating in the discovery that I was now as much a part of their well-oiled unit as Kathryn and Jonas were, even if my skills weren't as honed.

I remember too the drive home in the encroaching darkness, Jonas asleep in the backseat once again and the still, almost sacred silence between us that was only broken when Kathryn pulled into a McDonald's drive-through as a surprise (and perhaps a bribe) for her son.

Eventually, as we neared my flat, I cleared my throat and spoke, all too aware that Jonas was now awake in the back, although he did now have a large pair of headphones over his ears attached to his iPod.

"I know I've said this already," I said, "but I'm going to say it again. This weekend has been wonderful."

"Yes, it has been," Kathryn agreed. "Having you along has been, well.... Perfect."

It didn't escape my notice that she'd used the same superlative I had the previous night, and I found myself turning to look at her, wondering that she would be so pleased to have had what was, after all, a 'friend-from-work' along.

Was there the slightest hint of nerves behind her smile? I couldn't tell, and I knew that the longer I looked for it, the more I'd read into it. Eventually she cleared her throat. "Well. I suppose it's an early night for all of us - big day tomorrow."

"Yeah... Excited? Nervous?" Maybe that was all it was - thinking about tomorrow.

"A little of both?"

"You must have done stuff like this a thousand times..."

"Ah, and I've always been a little nervous each time," she said, smirking and shaking her head.

"Well, you've got me now," I said, assuming the mantle of confidence. "Everything will be great."

"I know it will."

 

"Okay, sign ups are over by the door, if you have any special dietary requirements you need to visit the hatch and fill out a little form over there, and the learning packs are available at the back of the hall..."

The lobby to the auditorium was packed - turnout was much, much better than I had expected. Students milled around, shuffling the hefty packet of papers they had received upon registration, and I was in the middle of it all. And to my enormous surprise, I loved it - the running around like a mad thing, sending people here or there - even the kids themselves, all of whom wanted to be there, chosen by teachers and keen to learn.

Eventually the opening speech was about to begin and things died down, just for a few minutes. People filed into the auditorium, settling down in squeaking chairs, and I leaned against the wall outside just for a breather. It was then that Kathryn approached, dressed in a smart suit and wearing high heels for one of the first times I could remember. "Hey there, Dr Webb. Is this where I sign up?"

You couldn't have wiped the smile off my face if you punched me. "Professor Sinclair," I greeted her with a nod of my head.

"I saw the turnout - quite impressive," she said, grinning. "Are they all inside now?"

"Looks like - I mean, I'm sure there'll be stragglers, but..." I trailed off as a low buzz came from Kathryn's bag, and she shot me an apologetic look before reaching to check her phone. When she glanced down at the screen, she made a face and immediately hit 'ignore', shoving the phone back in her bag.

"Well then. I'm going to go listen to the speaker - care to join me?"

"God, d'you know, I think I'm going to listen from here," I said apologetically. "Taking the air out here."

"Fair enough." She flashed me another smile. "You're doing great, Alex. Keep it up."

Still grinning, I nodded, folding my arms and leaning against the open door to watch the opening speaker. She was a former student of Kathryn's who had gone on from her time at university to work within a high-ranking sustainable development think tank for the government, and she was great. The kids loved her stories of fieldwork and the tidbits she shared with them about the impact her work now was having on things like international policy and energy funding. At the end, to uproarious applause, she called Kathryn up, crediting her as 'the woman who started her on the path to green advocacy'. My boss, sitting at the back, bashfully declined at first, but eventually made her way down to the front, hugging her former student and waving her hand to quiet the room.

I straightened a little, stepping into the room and leaning against the back wall to get a better look at her as the keynote passed her a mic.

"Thank you everyone - not for your recognition, but for being here today. The work that Kate does, the work that I do means nothing if there are no more dedicated, passionate people out there to keep it going, to continue what we and all who have come before us have started. That is why we are thrilled to see so many of you here today, eager to learn and to hopefully one day surpass us in achievement and innovation. So thank you, thank you all for coming and thank you for all the hard work I know you're going to be putting in over the next few days." she paused as the students began to clap again, and then motioned for silence once more. "And while we're on the subject of thanks, let me thank my amazing assistant, Dr Webb, for all her hard work in putting this together. Without her none of us would be here right now."

As the applause started again and the crowd turned to look in the direction in which Kathryn had gestured I found myself blushing furiously, although in honesty, it wasn't really anything to do with the hundreds of faces on me. The only face I saw was Kathryn's.

 

Not long afterward the auditorium emptied and the crowd dispersed, splitting into smaller groups in order to meet with the undergrad facilitators I had assigned them. Most of my morning was spent flitting from room to room, checking up on everybody and diffusing any potential problems before they derailed the schedule. The staff I had helping me, mostly postgrads and few volunteer honours students, were enthusiastic and mostly pretty competent, so although we had our work cut out for us everything seemed to go like a dream. So much so that when the end of the day came and the student left for home I could barely believe it: still on the adrenaline high I had been floating on all day I headed back to my office to pack up.

I didn't even realise I wasn't alone in my tiny little room until I heard Kathryn clearing her voice behind me.

"Well, I think we can safely call the first day a success," she said, giving me a grin from where she stood next to the door. She looked different, and it took me a moment to realize she had taken off her heels in favor of her lunchtime workout trainers.

"Let's not relax just yet," I said with a returning smile. "There's the rest of the week to get through..."

"Who said anything about relaxing? We should celebrate!"

My smile widened into an amused grin as I looked back down at my cluttered desk, and back at Kathryn, "We just spent the past weekend celebrating," I teased. "Does this continue through the whole Summit?"

She sobered slightly, as if my reminder of the weekend had given her pause. "Well, I suppose you have a point... you must be exhausted from all your running around today."

"Hah, not really - kind of energised, actually," I said. "I was just teasing."

"Well, in that case... You're right, we have celebrated already, but I think this calls for at least a drink. On me."

Stomach fluttering as it always did when the prospect of spending time with Kathryn arose, I shrugged and nodded. "Why not?"

 

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