She did as he bid then clutched the sides as the kayak rocked wildly under his weight as he climbed in behind her. He paddled them away from the shore. Natalie glanced back and realised there was only one paddle.

“You’re doing all the work,” she said.

“It’s not hard.” His strong arms dipped from side to side.

Natalie turned away. They were paddling parallel to the shore now, their four-wheel drive like a discarded toy on the vast expanse of sand, and beyond it the pale blue sky was brushed with hints of pink as the sun sank lower.

“This is so beautiful.”

She trailed her fingers in the water. Gabe was easy to be with and she found herself so much more relaxed in his company now than she had been the first time they’d kayaked. Perhaps it was silly but she felt as though life AA had given her permission to test the boundaries. When she was with Gabe she felt different, younger and freer, and she was enjoying those feelings. He knew little about her personal life, nor she about his except that he was divorced, a result of being away from home too much on tours, he’d said, but not whether there was anyone else in his life.

A fin cut the water a few metres away. She pulled back her hand.

“Dolphins,” Gabe said and she relaxed again.

He stopped paddling and let the kayak drift. Two more appeared and swam under them, broke the surface and disappeared again. The sun dropped lower and slipped behind clouds, turning everything golden. They continued to drift.

“How can you bear to leave this place?” she asked.

He didn’t answer. She twisted round to find him studying her. “It’s not easy.”

They floated further, lulled by the gentle rock of the kayak, with the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean beneath them as if they were the only two people in the world. She thought of her family and turned her gaze back to the expanse of bay ahead of her.

Behind her Gabe dipped the paddles once more and with the help of the current swept them towards the shore. They worked together to get the kayak back in the vehicle then drove across the sandhills to the community in silence. It was a companionable quiet but with a slight edge to it as if they were both waiting for the other to speak. Natalie’s elbow rested on the door and she turned her face to the wind, enjoying the sense of freedom she felt as it blew through her hair and billowed her loose shirt around her shoulders.

Back at her cabin she shut the door and leaned in through the open window.

“Thank you for taking me. Can I offer you a lemonade, cool water?”