Chapter 33
Bea practically skipped back to the car after her meeting with the small business advisor at the bank.
She was doing it, really doing it! She had wasted no time in getting in touch with Mr Pritchard and expressing her interest in the shop.
Malcolm, as he’d told her to call him, had been every bit as lovely as Anya had described.
He was thrilled with the idea of the Pink Ribbon becoming a bookshop, and was happy to keep the rent fixed at the same price Anya was paying.
Bea would have to pay the first two months in advance, plus a security deposit, but, he assured her, he’d be happy to draw up the paperwork as soon as she had her finances in place.
So, as long as the bank agreed her loan application, the shop was as good as hers.
Mrs Watson, the branch manager of the Barclays in Hastings, had talked Bea through the paperwork she needed to complete and confirmed that, if successful, it was likely she would have an agreement in principle by the end of the week.
As Bea climbed into the car, her phone began vibrating and she smiled when she saw it was Jess calling.
‘So, how did it go?’ she asked, as soon as Bea had accepted the call.
‘Good, I think. I’ve submitted the application and they reckon I should have the offer within a few days.’ Bea grinned.
‘That’s bloody brilliant news,’ squealed Jess. ‘When can you move in?’
‘Well, I need to have the money, first, before the landlord will draw up the paperwork, so it’s not going to happen overnight.’
‘God, I can’t wait! Are you going to start telling people?’
‘Well, I’ve already told you, Mum and Dad, Archie, Tori, oh, and I’m telling Nathan tonight before the awards thing.’
‘Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that. I really hope he wins.’
‘Me too. It feels like there’s a lot going right now for all of us really. I can’t believe it’s only a few months since I was stuck in that shitty temp job.’
‘God, I know, right?’ Jess agreed. ‘Well, have fun tonight, and wish Nate good luck from me.’
‘Will do, speak tomorrow,’ said Bea.
Bea pulled up at Three Acre Farm, just after six-thirty, checking her makeup in the rear-view mirror and smoothing out the edges of her lipstick one final time before getting out of the car.
‘Stay there,’ said Nathan, striding towards her in Archie’s borrowed tux. ‘There’s cow muck all over the yard and I don’t want you ruining that outfit,’ he said, admiring the long midnight blue satin dress she was wearing.
‘Me neither,’ Bea agreed, ‘it took me hours to look like this.’ She did a double-take when she saw just how good he looked, too.
He looked nothing like the Nathan she was used to, Nathan the farmer in his dirty jeans and checked shirts, his hair an untamed mop of tangles, his face always sporting a few days’ worth of stubble.
The Nathan standing in front of her was clean shaven, well-groomed and devastatingly handsome.
There was simply no other way to put it. Her heart did an unexpected flip.
‘Wow! Don’t you scrub up well?’ she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.
God, he smelled good.
‘You’re not looking so bad yourself, Miller,’ he said, stepping back to take in the full effect of her dress.
Miller? Nathan hadn’t called her by her surname, his pet name for her, in years. She felt her stomach somersault in spite of herself.
For goodness sake, Bea, get a grip.
‘How are you feeling about tonight?’ she asked.
‘Oh, you know,’ he shrugged, ‘either way it’s a free night out, I guess.’
‘Exactly. Try not to think about it too much, we’ll just have fun.’
‘I’m planning on making full use of the free bar, seeing as you’re driving,’ he said with a cheeky grin.
‘Hey, it’s your night, that’s why I offered to drive.’
‘Shall we hit the road?’ he asked with a smile that showed off his dimples.
‘Let’s do it!’ said Bea, climbing back into the car and pulling on her seatbelt. ‘Brighton here we come!’
‘Wow, this is gorgeous,’ said Bea, as they walked through the entrance to the Empress Suite at the Grand Hotel. There were uniformed waiting staff handing out champagne cocktails, and the organizers came straight over to shake Nathan’s hand and congratulate him on making the shortlist.
‘We’re so pleased to have you as one of our finalists,’ said an elegant woman, with perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. From the name tag she was wearing, Bea could see she was Cece Smith from the East Sussex Chamber of Commerce. ‘There’s been some stiff competition this year.’
‘Thank you, I’m chuffed to be here,’ said Nathan, shaking her hand enthusiastically.
‘I’ve had some of your cheese before, and I have to say it’s out of this world,’ said Cece, miming a chef’s kiss.
‘Thank you,’ replied Nathan, with a shy smile.
‘Do you sell direct, by any chance?’ Cece asked.
‘Not at the moment, I’m afraid, no. I have thought about opening a shop on the farm, but it’s not very practical, really, I’m too busy with the animals to staff it myself and we’re quite a bit off the beaten track anyway,’ he explained.
‘That’s such a shame. I’m sure lots of people would travel to buy direct from you, rather than at a marked-up retail price,’ said Cece.
‘Maybe,’ said Nathan, nodding. ‘It’s definitely something to think about.’
‘You should, and if you need any help, we at the Chamber of Commerce are always here for any guidance you might need,’ said Cece. ‘Lovely to meet you in person, Nathan. Have a wonderful evening, and best of luck!’
‘Thanks,’ said Nathan.
‘She seemed nice,’ said Bea. ‘I wonder if she knows who’s won?’ she whispered.
‘Maybe, but I’m sure she’s nice to everyone,’ Nathan replied, replaying Cece’s advice in his mind.
‘Shall we head to the bar or sit down?’ Bea asked, scanning the seating chart by the entrance to find their table number.
‘Bar! I need a proper drink,’ he chuckled, draining his champagne cocktail. ‘What do you fancy?’
‘Just orange juice for me, thanks.’
As Nathan headed to the bar, Bea found them a couple of bar stools to sit on.
‘Why I am so bloody nervous?’ he laughed, returning with a pint in one hand and tumbler of juice in the other. ‘I can’t stop sweating!’
‘It is pretty warm in here, to be fair,’ said Bea, fanning herself with her spare hand. ‘It’s just the adrenalin kicking in, you’re going to be fine.’
‘I didn’t realize there were going to be so many people here,’ Nathan said, looking anxiously around the function suite.
‘There’s bloody hundreds of them,’ he continued, taking a healthy glug of his lager.
‘I’m kinda hoping I don’t win. The thought of getting up in front of this lot is terrifying,’ he said.
‘Hey,’ said Bea, resting a hand on his shoulder. ‘Forget about everyone else; you’re never going to see any of them again anyway, so who cares what they think? Even if you make a total idiot of yourself and fall off the stage, who cares?’
‘Jesus! I hadn’t even thought about fall—’
‘I’m just saying, it doesn’t matter,’ said Bea, squeezing his hand. ‘You’re Nathan Chambers. You make the best cheese in Sussex! You’ve got this, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Nathan nodded, some of the colour returning to his cheeks. ‘What’s going on with you, anyway?’ he asked. ‘Tell me something to distract me.’
‘Well,’ said Bea, realizing she hadn’t let go of his hand yet. ‘I have got some news, actually.’
‘Go on?’ said Nathan, gazing up at her with his bright green eyes.
‘I’ve applied for a bank loan to get the lease on the Pink Ribbon, to open my own bookshop!’
‘Oh. My. God. That’s brilliant news!’ said Nathan, leaning in to hug her and almost toppling off his bar stool.
‘Steady,’ said Bea, grabbing his shoulders to keep him upright.
‘Woah!’ he chuckled, holding on to her for support. ‘I hate bar stools!’
‘I know, right?’ Bea agreed. ‘Try hoisting yourself up on one in heels and a dress!’
‘Rather you than me!’ he said, his eyes dancing with amusement. ‘Your own bookshop though, Bea? That’s massive,’ he said.
‘It’s not finalized yet, I’m waiting to hear about the loan, but, if I get it, the landlord’s promised me the lease at the same rent Anya was paying.’
‘I’m so proud of you,’ he said, placing his hand on her knee. Electricity coursed through her. She stared into his eyes and found she couldn’t – and didn’t want – to look away.
‘Bea, listen—’
‘Ladies and gentleman!’ a voice announced over the tannoy system. ‘Please take your seats! The East Sussex Business Awards 2025 are about to begin!’
Nathan snatched his hand back, standing up abruptly. ‘Shall we?’ he asked, holding an arm out for her to take.
What had he been about to say?
‘Let’s,’ she replied, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to loop her arm through his and lean in close.
According to the order of service, Nathan’s category was going to be one of the last to be announced.
The ceremony was being compèred by a local radio host, Mike Gibson, who did a great job of keeping the guests amused with funny anecdotes during the lull between awards presented to other category winners.
The dinner itself was delicious and Bea had enjoyed every mouthful of the three-course meal, although she noticed that Nathan barely touched his food.
It wasn’t until coffee was being served that Mike finally announced the next category, ‘Best Local Food Supplier’, and Bea watched the colour drain from Nathan’s face.
‘So, folks,’ said Mike, microphone clutched in his hands, ‘the nominees are…’ The LCD screen behind the stage flashed the logos of all the nominees in order. ‘Manor Park Dairy, The East Sussex Brewery Company, Sizzling Hog. And Three Acre Cheeses.’
Bea cheered at the top of her voice at the mention of Nate’s cheese company.
‘And the winner is…’ said Mike, pausing for dramatic effect as he opened the envelope, ‘Three Acre Cheeses!’
‘Whaaaat?’ whispered Nathan, looking stunned.
‘Yessss!’ cried Bea, grabbing his hand, ‘You’ve won!’
‘Three Acre Cheeses?’ Mike repeated. ‘Where are you? Come on up!’ he said, his eyes squinting in the bright light to scour the room.
‘Go on,’ said Bea, nodding encouragingly. ‘It’s you, Nate!’
‘Bloody hell!’ he said, getting to his feet and heading to the stage.
The applause was loud as Nathan climbed the steps, and Mike clapped him on the back and handed him an oval-shaped, glass award.
The look on Nathan’s face was priceless; Bea didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so flabbergasted.
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket as Mike handed him the microphone, urging him to say a few words.
‘Wow,’ said Nathan, puffing out his cheeks.
‘I genuinely didn’t see this coming. I don’t know what to say…
I honestly didn’t think I had a chance in hell of winning,’ he continued, much to the amusement of the crowd, ‘but I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that voted for me, and congratulations to all of the other businesses who were shortlisted.’ He paused.
‘I’d also like to say thank you to someone very special, who is here with me tonight. ’
Bea felt her heart pound in her chest.
‘Bea,’ said Nathan, his eyes locked on hers. ‘This is for you.’
Bea could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes as Nathan returned to the table, and, when he finally sat down, she thew her arms around him and pulled him in close. ‘I knew it! I knew you’d win!’ she said, holding his face and kissing him hard on the cheek.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Nathan. ‘I need a drink,’ he said, reaching for the last wine bottle in the ice bucket on the table before realizing it was empty. ‘Champagne?’ he said to Bea, wiggling his eyebrows.
‘I can’t, I’m driving,’ said Bea, kicking herself that she hadn’t suggested they book a taxi instead.
‘Sod it!’ said Nathan, ‘let’s get a cab home tonight and I’ll drive you back tomorrow to pick up the car. What do you reckon?’
‘Are you sure?’ said Bea, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth. ‘It’ll cost a fortune in an Uber.’
‘Abs-a-bloody-lutely! It’s not every day I win a business award!’ Nathan grinned.
‘True,’ said Bea, with a shriek of delight.
Once all the winners’ photographs had been taken, the music ramped up and almost everyone made a beeline for the dancefloor, Bea and Nathan included.
Nathan took off his jacket and threw it down next to the DJ stand, along with Bea’s heels, which, despite looking good, were instruments of absolute torture.
As ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers faded out, it was replaced by Florence and the Machine’s ‘Cosmic Love’.
Bea murmured, ‘I love this song.’
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world when Nathan pulled her in close to him and they started to move together as the music played on. Bea could feel Nathan’s heart pounding against her chest, her skin tingling where his touched it.
She lifted her head, they locked eyes, and Bea felt something pass between them – a moment of intense tenderness.
She shut her eyes, lips parted—
‘And that’s all we’ve got time for this evening, folks,’ Mike Gibson’s voice rang out through the tannoy, bringing them back to reality with a thud as the music stopped abruptly. Bea took a step backwards, blinking, confused, embarrassed.
‘Sorry,’ she apologized. ‘I need the loo.’
‘Bea, wait!’ Nathan called after her, as she darted off the dance floor.
But she couldn’t stop, couldn’t turn back. Guilt warmed her neck as she dashed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, dropping her head in her hands.
What the hell had just happened? Had she just been about to kiss Nathan?