Chapter 6
Hannah couldn’t begin to count the number of times she’d done this walk in her lifetime. Back when she was little, she’d wandered along with her hand clasped tightly in Aunty Millie’s. They’d swung their arms and chatted away about sweets and fairies, beach finds and paint.
Sadly, her walks into Seabury in more recent years had been very different.
They’d usually been coloured by anger or upset from her most recent argument with Gareth.
Even back when they’d been relatively happy together, Gareth had made it clear he’d rather be anywhere else other than Seabury.
He’d treated their visits to Aunty Millie as a duty to endure rather than a treat to enjoy.
Hannah shook her head and blew out a loud raspberry, swinging her arms as she strode along in an attempt to clear her mind and body of the sad memories. Sure, it had happened… but that didn’t mean she had to drag it all around behind her, did it?!
A little trail of tingles ran down her spine, and for a second, Hannah could swear she could feel the ghost of a warm, gloved hand wrapping around hers. And… was that the faint scent of lavender in the air?
Aunty Millie.
Hannah smiled. Suddenly, the bright, crystal-blue autumn sky was more vivid, and the prospect of being back in the town she’d once adored felt as cosy as a patchwork blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Today, she’d dive back into Seabury and seek out that joy one last time.
Hannah was practically beaming by the time she reached the bottom of the hill and rounded the bend onto the seafront at North Beach. It was such a shame that Nanna’s Ice Cream Parlour had closed down… it had often been her first port of call with Aunty Millie.
Now, the space had been turned into a cute little wool shop.
Hannah paused in front of the window to admire the display.
There was a vast leather trunk, full to the brim with balls of wool in every shade of autumn.
Overhead, a strand of fairy lights doubled as a washing line, with an array of hats and mittens pegged along its glowing length.
She’d have to nip in there later for a rummage around.
Hannah couldn’t knit for toffee, but Aunty Millie had taught her some simple crochet one disastrously wet summer.
Perhaps it would be a nice thing to try to pick back up while she was in town…
after all, there wasn’t much to keep her occupied in the evenings other than binge-watching more romcoms to keep her mind off things.
Right now, though, she was going to head into the Post Office to see Doris. Hannah turned and marched across the street, pushing the door open before she could change her mind.
‘Well, good morning!’
‘Hi,’ said Hannah, smiling at the woman behind the glass partition. She wasn’t sure if Doris had actually recognised her, or if that was simply her customary greeting. ‘I don’t know if you remember me, but…’
Doris hooted out a laugh. ‘Hannah, my dear girl—you’ve not been gone that long, and I’m not that senile! Besides, even if I didn’t remember you, there’s no mistaking who you’re related to. You’re the dead spit of your Aunty Millie when she was your age.’
Hannah smiled at that. Frankly, she’d take it as a compliment. Even in her old age, Millie had been striking.
‘It’s nice to see you.’
Doris hadn’t really changed much over the years. Those eyes were still full of their customary twinkle.
‘You too,’ said Doris. ‘I had a feeling you’d be back.’
Hannah felt her smile stiffen slightly. ‘Well, I need to sort out the house… and…’ she trailed off.
If she told Doris she was planning to sell, it’d be all over Seabury before she’d even left the shop. Then again, was that really a problem? It wasn’t like she was going to change her mind.
‘I’m afraid I’m not here to stay,’ she said. ‘I’m back to clear the house ready for the estate agent to do their thing.’
‘Oh,’ Doris’s face fell. ‘Well. That’s a real shame. I did wonder, but I always hoped you might be back to stay one day.’
Hannah shook her head, wondering why the movement made her feel so sad. She had a life to get back to.
‘How long are you here for?’ said Doris.
‘At least two weeks,’ said Hannah, trying to recapture her joy rather than sinking back into sadness.
‘Well, don’t forget I’ve still got a set of keys to your place!’ said Doris.
‘You do?’ Hannah blinked in surprise.
Doris nodded. ‘Your aunt left them with me years ago, just in case she ever locked herself out. Then, towards the end, I used them to take her shopping in to her.’
There was that damn lump in her throat again. ‘Thank you… I didn’t realise.’
Doris shook her head and smiled. ‘You don’t need to thank me. I adored Millie. But if you’re selling the place, you’ll no doubt be wanting them back.
Hannah nodded.
‘Actually,’ said Doris, ‘can I suggest something? Why don’t you leave them with me a little longer? You might misplace your set before you leave—especially if you’re going to be busy packing.’ Doris cocked her head, watching Hannah intently.
‘That’s an excellent idea,’ said Hannah with a smile. It was just the sort of thing she’d do!
‘If you like that, I’ve got another one for you,’ said Doris, ‘and hear me out before you say no…’
‘Okay…?’ Hannah frowned, wondering what was coming. She could do without Doris trying to talk her out of selling the place. As well-meaning as it might be, she simply wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for her flat in London and keep the house in Seabury now that the trust had come to an end.
‘Well,’ said Doris, ‘I was just thinking that you could leave the spare keys with me when you head off back to London. I could hold onto them for the estate agent. Then, if they need someone local to check on anything or to unlock for viewers, I could keep an eye on things. It’s easy enough for me to pop up the hill and deal with it. ’
‘I can’t ask you to do that!’ gasped Hannah.
‘You didn’t,’ chuckled Doris. ‘I offered. Besides, it’s the least I can do. Millie was my friend, and I know she’d want me to help you in any way I can.’
Hannah swallowed. ‘That’s really kind of you.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Doris, waving her words away. ‘Anyway, there’s no need to decide now… but the offer’s there. It might just save you a bit of hassle, that’s all.’
Hannah nodded. ‘I’ll need to check with the estate agent, but if they don’t have any objections—yes please.’
‘Perfect,’ said Doris with a beaming smile. ‘Now then, anything else I can help you out with? I got a new jar of Rhubarb and Custards in yesterday. It’s almost like I sensed you were back in town!’
Hannah glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was the shelf with jar after jar of old-fashioned sweet treats, along with a pair of metal tongs, a scoop, and a selection of pink and white paper bags waiting to be filled.
‘Now you’re talking!’ she breathed. ‘I’ll definitely have a big bag of those, please. They’ll keep me going while I’m cleaning.’
Doris nodded and bustled out from behind the counter so that she could do the honours.
‘Can I have a few Parma violets too, please?’ she said, as Doris unscrewed the top of the first jar.
‘Your aunt’s favourites,’ she said with a smile.
‘Yeah. Hey, you don’t happen to know if Mr Eaves has a sweet tooth, do you?’
‘Well, the man’s very fond of his honey,’ chuckled Doris, ‘so I’d say so. He always goes for these.’ She pulled down another jar and rattled the pieces of what looked like golden honeycomb.
‘Cinder toffee?’ said Hannah, reading the label. ‘Okay, great. Can I get a bag full of those, too, please? A big one.’
Doris nodded, though Hannah didn’t miss the curious look on her face. She quickly turned away before the older woman decided to subject her to the third degree. Hannah had no idea why Mr Eaves had decided to help her out… but she could do without the rest of Seabury speculating!
Grabbing a basket, Hannah started to hunt along the modest shelves of groceries.
Scrubbing brush… bleach… bin bags…
She quickly filled her basket with everything she could think of to help her make a proper start on things at the house when she was ready.
Hannah returned to the counter just as Doris joined her with a pair of paper bags, full to bursting with sweets.
‘Would you like to leave everything here while you’re in town?’ said Doris, ringing up the shopping and loading everything into a bag as she went.
‘That’d be great,’ said Hannah. ‘Thank you… but first, I just need to…’ She reached into the bag of rhubarb and custards and snagged a couple of sweets.
‘One for the pocket… and one for the road!’ she said with a grin.
Hannah was so busy unwrapping a sweet as she stepped back out onto the seafront that she almost missed the tricycle as it whizzed past.
‘Kate!’ She returned the wave as Kate doubled down on her pedalling efforts, clearly keen to build up some momentum before she reached the hill.
Hannah grinned. She really liked the smiley café owner. She’d met Kate several times over the years. In fact, The Sardine had become a bit of an oasis for her, somewhere she could escape for cake and coffee whenever Gareth’s behaviour simply got too much.
Hmm… maybe that could be her next stop! It was a shame Kate wouldn’t be there for a chat, but with any luck, there would be plenty of opportunities to catch up with her before she left town.
Maybe Stanley would be there for a tickle, though.
He hadn’t been riding in the little trailer on the back of the trike, so perhaps he was still snoozing in the café.
Hannah turned in the direction of West Beach and picked up her pace, suddenly very keen on the idea of cake, coffee and Stanley cuddles.
Reaching The Sardine, Hannah paused outside the tiny café to peer through the window. Blimey, it was heaving in there! She wasn’t going to let that put her off, though she was suddenly very grateful that Doris had offered to babysit her shopping for her.
Pushing her way inside, Hannah smiled and nodded at the round of greetings from the chattering groups of women piled in around the tables. The volume was loud, and the tone was more than a little bit giggly… clearly, everyone in there knew each other.
‘Hi! What can I get you?’ The girl was pink in the face, but that didn’t stop her from beaming a smile at Hannah.
‘Sarah?’
The girl nodded, then her eyes lit up. ‘Hannah – you’re back!’
‘So are you!’ Hannah grinned. ‘I thought you were off at college, taking the baking world by storm?’
‘Just back for a break,’ said Sarah. ‘We’ve got a couple of weeks off, and I wanted to see Dad and Kate.’
‘Bet they’re chuffed to have you back,’ said Hannah, peering distractedly at the cake display.
‘So chuffed, Kate’s got me working in here!’ laughed Sarah.
‘You on your own?’ said Hannah in surprise.
Sarah shrugged. ‘Kate’s just left on the delivery round, and Lou’s taking over from me in about ten minutes, so of course this is the moment the whole of Seabury decided to descend on me. I might be able to find you a spot to squeeze into if you don’t mind sharing?’
Hannah smiled and shook her head. As lovely as that sounded, right now she was craving fresh air. ‘I’ll grab a takeaway if that’s okay?’
‘Sure. What would you like?’
‘What’s that?’ she said, pointing to a large, golden, gooey-looking loaf.
‘That’s King’s Nose Honey loaf,’ said Sarah, tossing her long dark plait over her shoulder and fanning her face.
‘Mr Eaves’s honey?’ said Hannah.
That’s right!’ said Sarah. ‘So… tempted?’
‘Yes please,’ said Hannah. After all, her day had started with a good dollop of Mr Eaves’s honey… it might as well carry on like that!
‘And to drink?’
‘Latte please.’
Hannah watched as Sarah quickly got to work, then she glanced behind her. Maybe she had time to find Stanley for a quick cuddle…
‘Oh!’ she gasped.
In the few seconds they’d been chatting, a queue had materialised behind her. Most of them were busy chatting and laughing with each other, clearly more than happy to wait for their caffeine fix.
‘Right, here you go,’ said Sarah, popping a takeaway cup and cardboard cake box down onto the counter. ‘Best of luck.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Hannah in surprise.
‘I mean getting past that lot without spilling your coffee!’ chuckled Sarah.