The Old Lighthouse in Sunny Shore Bay (Sunny Shore Bay Book 8): Escape to the British seaside with t

Chapter Thirteen

The discordant din from the music room suggests that Mia is in the middle of a piano lesson (by the sounds of it, this kid needs a lot more!), and Penny is happily watching TV with Hettie. I’d love to settle down next to them but I’ve got a shift at Kat’s Creams tonight, and I expect it will be a busy one. Mia has kindly offered to watch Penny while I’m at work, it’s only a four-hour shift, so I’ll be back well before bedtime to read her a story and tuck her in.

I gulp down instant coffee for energy, kiss Penny goodbye and make my way out the door. When I pass the little mirror in the hallway and catch sight of myself, I gasp in horror. Oh God, my red roots are starting to come through, along with a scattering of silvers. I’ve dyed my naturally ginger hair black since I was a teenager, and I’ve never allowed my roots to get this bad before. How embarrassing, surely Noah must have noticed them during our little chippy picnic too!

Cringing, I pull my locks into a messy low bun. Not so long ago, I was a regular at Marie Rose Hair Design, the most upscale salon in town, but there’s no way I can afford their prices right now, I can barely afford a supermarket box dye. Ugh, this new lifestyle really isn’t working for me, I’m too high-maintenance for modest living!

The boardwalk is slippery with afternoon rain as I stroll along to the ice cream parlour. I’m so proud of my sister for building her business into what it is today. She went through a divorce herself, years ago now. She and her ex Mark bought this place together, and she thought she might have to sell it when he left. But she picked herself up, gave the parlour a lick of paint and made it all her own.

If only I’d done something with my life instead of marrying the first guy who took me out to dinner. I don’t regret my marriage with Jerry, it gave me Penny, but I do regret not finishing my studies, or throwing myself into a trade. Now I’m skilless, jobless and completely hopeless …

An unseasonably cold wind cuts my wallowing short, rudely and firmly shaking me back to reality. I need to buck up, to find myself again. Classic Claire wouldn’t mope around in raggy joggers with her roots showing, Classic Claire would spruce herself up and face whatever the world threw her way. It’s just I’m having a little trouble catching all the crap that’s thrown these days …

As expected, the parlour is full of noisy school kids, jostling and teasing each other, and I just know I’ll have a mess of soupy ice cream to clean up when they’re gone. But I refuse to let that dampen my freshly bucked-up spirits, and I stride over to the counter, where Kat is serving a chocolate and orange waffle cone to a young girl.

‘How are you holding up?’ she asks me as she hands over the cone.

I can’t stand the pity in my sister’s eyes. She’s not the type to relish in other’s misfortune, I know that, and yet, her genuine sympathy for my plight has me feeling terribly ashamed.

‘I’m okay.’ I raise my head high, trying to muster up a second dose of Classic Claire. ‘I’m thinking of taking up sewing again, you know, since Penny’s birthday dress went down a storm.’

‘Hey, that’s great news!’ I’m treated to a punch to the shoulder which I’m given to believe, in Kat-land, is a token of affection. ‘We should celebrate your new-found surge of inspiration! Auntie Winnie is down for the weekend, she and Mum are going to check out the Sea Foam Spa for treatments and afternoon tea. They’ve asked me to come, but you know it’s not my thing. It might be less painful if you came along too, though.’

Once upon a time, I enjoyed a bi-monthly massage and a facial with the girls at the Sea Foam Spa. That feels a lifetime ago now, I don’t even have a bathtub of my own, let alone the cash to splash on a dip in a jacuzzi. Wishing I was wrapped up in a fluffy robe sipping champagne right now, I shake my head forlornly.

‘Yeah right, as if I could splurge on that.’ I tug listlessly at the part-red, part-black strand that has tumbled down over my forehead. ‘Though God knows, I could do with a pamper. My hair is in a right state.’

‘Oh, well you know Maddie, who used to work here? She’s a mobile hairdresser now, really reasonably priced too. Get your phone and I’ll give you her number.’

‘Hang on, then.’ I rifle in my bag through old receipts and sweet wrappers, but my hand comes out empty. ‘Oh, bum! Penny was playing with it earlier, I must have left it at home with her.’

‘No worries, I’ll text you her number later.’ With a cheeky grin, she shoves a lilac and white striped apron into my hands. ‘But for now, get to work!’

I salute her and stamp one foot like a solider. ‘Yes, boss!’

*

Twilight settles over the town and as I walk along the pier after the shift’s end, the stars twinkle over the sea, dancing upon waves of indigo and deepest blue. And off in the distance stands the lighthouse, a dark shadow watching over the beach, missing the glow of it’s once functional beacon. My thoughts drift to Noah and his research, his obsession with getting to the bottom of his family history, and thereby, the history of the town.

I picture his wild dark curls, his bright eyes full of excitement and I find myself giggling. He’s such a unique character, chaotic and keyed-up and magnetic in a weird sort of way. I’ve never met anyone so … passionate about a causebefore. I couldn’t even stick out three years at university, yet he’s dedicated his entire career to chronicling the rich history of this little seaside town. The only dedication I have is to my daughter, which I guess is no bad thing at all. Still, I wish I had something that was just for me.

It’s sort of strange coming home to Mia’s place instead of our mock Tudor detached house, but I’m getting used to it. It’s actually kind of nice to have some company on an evening, more often than not, Jerry would head straight for his home office after work and I wouldn’t see him until he crept into bed hours later. It’s a welcome change to be greeted the moment I walk in.

‘Hey, how was the shift?’ Mia calls out from the living room.

I discard my key in the bowl by the door and hang up my bag. ‘Busy, but fast.’

‘Well, if you’re hungry, there’s some pizza in the kitchen, Penny and I decided to order in tonight. She’s in the bedroom, playing with Hettie.’

Although I’m starving, I decide to check in on Penny before I chow down. As I traipse down the hall, I can hear her talking to herself or perhaps to Hettie. But when I draw closer to the door, I catch a snippet of her conversation.

‘Yes, Daddy, we’re having a lovely time. Hettie is my new best friend!’

My stomach drops to the floor, my jaw along with it. ‘Penny?’

I stagger frantically into the spare room, where I find Penny perched on the end of the bed, chatting happily away on my mobile phone.

‘Do you want to come round for dinner soon?’ she asks cheerily. ‘We could have pizza and ice cream from Auntie Kat’s, and -’

‘Penny, give me the phone!’ I snatch the mobile out of her hand and press it to my ear. ‘Jerry?’

But there’s no sound, not even a dialling tone. She was just pretending to have a conversation with her dad. My eyes sting and a sour lump lurches from my gut into my throat.

Penny gazes up at me, her face pale and pinched, like she’s about to start crying herself. Feeling awful, I pull her onto my lap and hold her tight.

‘I’m sorry, sweetie,’ I whisper gently. ‘I didn’t mean to shout like that.’

‘I’msorry, Mummy,’ she mumbles into my neck. ‘I was just playing.’

I hold her before me and look straight into her eyes. ‘You’ve no need to be sorry, Penny. I’m just being silly old mummy, aren’t I?’ I pull a daft face and manage to raise a little giggle from her.

‘Mummy?’ Penny nibbles her lip. ‘Daddy’s not coming back, is he?’

I hesitate, wondering how much I should reveal. She’s so young, and yet, I don’t want to lie to her. ‘Well, he might come back to visit, sweetheart. But no, he - he doesn’t live here anymore.’

‘Is this where we live now?’ She gestures to the small room surrounding us. ‘With Mia?’

‘Not forever,’ I assure her. ‘But for now.’

Her little nose wrinkles as she thinks hard. ‘I do like it here lots. But I miss our old house, too.’

All choked up, it’s my turn to nod. ‘So do I, darling. And it’s okay to be sad about that. I just want you to talk to me when you feel that way.’

Her shoulders slump and she snuggles back up to me. ‘I am sad, Mummy. But I was trying to be brave.’

I hug her so tight, it’s a wonder she doesn’t start gasping for air. ‘You don’t ever have to be brave for me, Penny. Ever. I’m your mum, it’s my job to be brave for both of us. All you need to do is promise that you’ll tell me when you need something, okay? Even if it’s just a cuddle or a cry.’

I can feel her nod against my chest. ‘I will.’

‘Good. Because you and I are starting a brand new adventure together.’

She lifts her chin and grins at me. ‘I like adventures.’

‘So do I.’

And this is the scariest, most unpredictable one yet …