A Starlit Summer by Kate Frost (best manga ereader txt) 📕

of looking after herself and navigating the steps, she liked chivalry and that he was looking out for her. She loved the feel of his hand in hers, the way his strong arm supported her until they jumped the last couple of steps, landing in the soft sand. They walked across an almost pristine beach, leaving their footprints in a meandering line behind them as they headed around a rock closer to the sea and then back up the beach a little way to a sheltered rocky outcrop.

They didn’t have a windbreak or an umbrella; they’d travelled light with just a rucksack each and a picnic blanket tied on to Finn’s. He laid it out on the sand in front of the rocks and kept it down with a couple of stones at the edges. Jenna sat down, resting her back against the hard smooth rock.

‘This is the life.’

Finn sat next to her and leant his arms on his knees. ‘I try and get to the beach every weekend.’

‘I’ve been on a beach nearly every day since I got to Cornwall, but it’s different being on location and filming on a beach rather than just being able to enjoy it.’ Jenna stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles, her bare feet already covered in sand. ‘It’s the weirdest thing. Lots of people would consider the job I have to be the best in the world and yet I find myself moaning about it so much. I should get over myself really. I’m acting in a big movie on location in a beautiful part of the world and I can still find fault with it.’

Finn leant back against the rock, his shoulder brushing hers. ‘It’s only natural, isn’t it, to complain about your job, even if deep down you love it?’

‘Do you love what you do?’

‘Yes, although I love surfing more, but as a job it’s a decent one. I’m not stuck in an office; I get to work in different places on different projects, meet new people all the time. I’m good at what I do. It’s pretty sweet really but I complain plenty enough. Some jobs are just boring, they don’t challenge me, then I start to wonder what the hell I’m doing. Then others I get to work somewhere interesting or I get to completely renovate a property. It’s a good feeling seeing a place transformed from a dump to a beautiful place to live.’

‘Okay good, I’m glad I’m not wrong in feeling like that.’

‘But getting to work on a big movie... I have friends who’d kill to have that opportunity.’ He winked and nudged her shoulder. ‘I’m teasing you. But I do know people who’d love to do what you do.’

‘This movie is a bit of an exception, but most jobs aren’t like this. People see acting as this amazingly glamorous job – and in part it is, getting hair and make-up done, getting to wear some amazing costumes. But most people don’t see the reality of every day – the long hours, the boredom of hanging about waiting to be called to set. Unless you’re a main actor and are in every scene or have a trailer to escape to, the downtime between scenes can drag. There’s all the setting up, the lighting, sound checks, walk-throughs and then numerous takes.’

‘I guess I’ve never thought of it like that.’

‘I mean, working on location here, we do get to relax on the beach between takes – although we’re in costume and have to sit under a tent, no sunbathing for us. But I’ve done jobs where I’ve spent about four hours filming and another six or seven hanging about in a warehouse with nothing to do. There are people to chat to and you can read a book or a magazine but after that length of time it can be soul-destroying. I guess what I’m saying is I’ve seen and experienced it all, the good and the bad.’

‘But this film is good, right?’

‘Yeah, this film is great. I’ve properly lucked out this time. Trouble is, it’s given me the taste of the good life now.’

‘Something to strive for, right?’

‘Right.’ She gazed across the unspoilt sand to the sea shimmering in the sunshine. ‘But hey, today I don’t have to sit beneath a tent out of the sun or wait for someone to call action. We shouldn’t talk work.’

‘I agree.’ Finn sat upright away from the rock and looked at her. ‘We should go for a swim.’

‘We should?’

‘Absolutely. You’ve got your swim things on, right?’ His fingers brushed the bikini strap tied around her neck.

‘It’ll be freezing.’

‘It’ll be refreshing.’

‘I was kind of imagining lounging about and sunbathing...’

He stood up, kicked off his beach shoes and peeled off his T-shirt.

‘Come on.’ He gently pulled her off the picnic blanket. ‘You’ll love it. Refreshing remember...’

She took a deep breath and followed his example, easing off her top and shorts and leaving them in a pile next to his. Her bikini was new, one she’d bought especially for this summer, but she’d only worn it once so far at the hotel pool the other evening.

She felt Finn’s eyes on her and she realised although she’d seen him shirtless plenty of times before, he’d never seen her in anything as revealing as a bikini. He held his hand out and she took it. They walked down the beach, imprinting their footsteps on the sand as it changed from dry to damp the closer they got to the sea.

The waves were much bigger close up, rhythmically churning on to the beach. Even with just her feet in the water the sensation made her toes curl.

‘Seriously, Finn, refreshing? It’s freezing!’

Finn pulled her further into the water. She didn’t resist; secretly she loved that he wanted to go swimming, that he didn’t just want to stay on the beach lying around doing nothing, even if that’s what she’d imagined. He wasn’t one for posing – he was a grafter, that was evident from watching him