Chapter 13
In the cold light of day, Hannah could see her statement about not selling the house for what it was - a way to irritate Gareth and nothing more. It was daft to think she could keep Aunty Millie’s house when her entire life was in London.
That’s why she’d just got off the phone with Grace, her contact at the estate agent’s over in Dunscombe Sands.
Hannah had let her know that she was in town as planned, and she’d given her the landline number while she was at it, considering her mobile signal was so poor in the house.
They’d made an appointment for the end of the following week.
Grace had practically been vibrating with excitement by the end of the call.
According to her, it would be a quick sale because properties in Seabury hardly ever became available.
The thought made Hannah feel slightly sick.
‘Don’t be daft,’ she muttered, perching on the edge of the study desk. It was probably just a rush of adrenaline from finally taking the first real step… something Hannah had forced herself to do. She had a feeling that if she left it any longer, there was a good chance she might not do it at all.
Things felt different this morning. Hannah didn’t know if it was because she’d had such a lovely time at the hotel last night, or because she’d finally stood up to Gareth.
Whatever the reason, she’d woken up with a strange sense of freedom.
She could do whatever she liked… and perhaps even muster the courage to chase her dreams again.
Hannah’s hand went to her acorn necklace, and she peered around the study, taking in the boxes of paperwork that desperately needed sorting through.
Back when she’d thought this house might be their forever home, she’d dreamed of turning this room into her studio…
somewhere she could work on her jewellery designs and slowly create an entire collection inspired by Seabury.
Swallowing down a massive dollop of regret, Hannah sighed. Well… she was going to have to let go of that specific dream once and for all. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t look into doing it somewhere else, did it?
Hannah shrugged. The idea didn’t feel right… but maybe that was just because she’d spent too much time that morning cleaning, clearing and scrubbing.
Before she’d called Grace, Hannah had felt like she needed to make a token start on the house.
So she’d cleared all the rubbish off the kitchen surfaces, lining up several bulging bin bags by the back door.
Then she’d filled her new washing-up bowl, pulled on a pair of marigolds, and spent several hours scrubbing the kitchen until it gleamed.
It looked so much better that Hannah was excited to see how the rest of the house scrubbed up after a bit of TLC. Right now, though, she needed a break. It was time for a treat to cheer herself up!
Closing the door of the study carefully behind her, Hannah dashed upstairs to change out of her grubby cleaning clothes. After grabbing a quick shower, she changed into a clean pair of jeans and pulled on one of the jumpers she’d bought from All Things Woolly.
‘Now for the treat,’ she grinned. Shooting one last glance at herself in the mirror to check she hadn’t managed to smudge mascara all over her face, Hannah turned and grabbed David’s jacket from the hook on the back of the door. She only just managed to resist the temptation to bury her nose in it.
Nope. She needed to be sensible.
David was lovely… but she needed to keep things simple between them. For one thing, they were neighbours—at least for a couple more weeks. For another thing, David was her friend… and she needed friends more than she needed complications right now.
All very sensible… but it didn’t stop a delicious little shiver from creeping down her spine as she remembered the sensation of his lips on the back of her hand last night.
‘Enough!’ she laughed, giving herself a little shake before hurtling down the stairs. It was time to give David his jacket back… and finally hand over the bag of cinder toffee she’d bought for him. Perhaps she could tempt him with a cuppa while she was at it!
Pulling the front door closed behind her, Hannah strode along the path.
It was another perfect Seabury day. The sky was clear, and the breeze held the tang of salt and the scent of falling leaves.
Autumn was in full swing, and it wouldn’t be long before the flowers disappeared until the springtime.
Soon, Seabury would be twinkling under its Christmas lights.
Hannah had spent a few Christmases there with Aunty Millie when she was little.
Her parents and grandparents had all descended on the house, which had practically burst at the seams with joy and laughter.
It had been magical. The thought that she’d never see a Seabury Christmas again was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes…
but that was just daft, because she hadn’t seen one for years now, anyway.
Hannah shook her head. If she wasn’t careful, she was in serious danger of getting a bit soppy today.
Pulling the gate closed behind her, Hannah headed along the hedgerow and let herself into next door’s garden. With a broad smile, she made straight for the front door and knocked loudly, her heartbeat echoing the rhythm with excitement.
No answer. Hmm…
She gave it a couple of seconds and then knocked again, pressing her ear against the door to listen for any signs of life. There was clearly no one home.
Maybe David was out in the back garden tending the hives, or keeping an eye on Bernard? She knew Jason was at work at the bike shop because he’d mentioned it last night, but she could have sworn David had said he’d be around all day. Maybe she’d have a quick peep at the back garden, just in case?
Clutching David’s jacket like a comfort blanket, Hannah headed around the side of the house. Just like on her side of the hedge, a narrow path led to the back garden. The wooden gate stood open, and she sidled through, feeling vaguely like she was snooping.
Finding herself on a cobbled patio, Hannah stared around in wonder.
It was full of seaside treasures. Worn buoys in oranges, yellows, blues and faded pinks lined the space.
She even spotted a couple of really old glass spheres, still encased in their weathered netting.
Terracotta pots boasted not only plants, but all sorts of pebbles and shells.
Here and there, wide bowls filled with multicoloured sea-glass made for the most unusual water-features she’d ever seen.
Hannah bent to admire a twist of driftwood, doing her best to swallow a good dose of jealousy when she spotted a perfect sea-urchin sitting in one of its hollows.
Her long-dormant designer’s eye coveted these treasures!
Maybe now that they were friends, she’d be able to talk David into taking her beachcombing.
‘You’ve got to find him first!’ she chuckled, tearing herself away and heading deeper into the garden.
‘Hello?’
She didn’t want to stray too far. After all, she was there unannounced and uninvited. Plus, she knew from recent experience that someone just appearing in your garden was a bit of a shock to the system!
‘David?’ she called again. ‘You out here?
No sound. Huh.
Well, maybe she’d just say hello to Bernard while she was there.
With a quick glance over her shoulder, Hannah followed the path a little further up the garden, admiring the flowers as she went. David’s style was a bit more wild than the carefully tended beds at her place. Flowers peeped up from every available crack and crevasse.
Hannah paused for a moment when she spotted three large beehives off to one side. Was it safe to walk past without any kind of protection?
‘Hello bees,’ she said quietly, taking slow, careful steps. ‘Don’t mind me, I’m just checking on your lodger!’ The bees didn’t seem to mind her presence… they just kept going about their business.
As Hannah neared the end of the garden, she spotted Bernard’s makeshift enclosure, with its borrowed metal hurdles that David had been telling her about the previous evening. Unfortunately, it was completely empty. One of the hurdles was on the ground, and the naughty sheep was nowhere to be seen.
‘Uh oh… looks Bernard’s done a bunk!’ she muttered, hurrying over to double-check that he wasn’t hiding in a corner. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the woolly blighter anywhere.
‘Oh no… the side gate was open!’
Hannah quickly turned on her heel. She dashed back past the hives—muttering a hurried apology as she went—and then let herself back out of the garden. She carefully closed the gate on her way out, just in case Bernard was lurking in a corner somewhere and she simply hadn’t spotted him.
Right. Now all she had to do was give someone a heads-up that the escapologist had struck again. How, though? She didn’t have David’s number.
‘I know, I’ll go and find Jason at work,’ she said, turning to head back inside her house to grab her car keys.
Hannah got as far as the gate when she paused.
Was there any point in taking the car? Sure, it would mean she’d get down to town a lot quicker, but that didn’t mean there would be anywhere to park.
In fact, it would probably be quicker just to walk.
Plus, she might bump into David on her way through town and save herself from having to go all the way out past West Beach to the bike shop.
Good plan!
Hannah practically jogged down the hill onto the seafront at North Beach, all the while keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of David. It had dawned on her that he might be doing something with his hives on the King’s Nose. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to get onto that piece of land.
‘I know—I’ll ask Lionel!’ she puffed, speed walking her way along the seafront towards the hotel. It felt a bit wrong to head inside Pebble Street in her current sweaty, breathless state after her beautiful dress’s triumph the previous night, but needs must when there was a Bernard on the loose!
‘Hannah!’
It wasn’t Lionel sitting at the reception desk, but Lou. Hannah had got to know her pretty well over the years. The pair of them had chatted plenty of times when she’d sought sanctuary in The Sardine, nursing a coffee to avoid heading home to Gareth.
‘Lionel told me that you’re back in town!’ said Lou. ‘Hey, are you okay? You look all hot and bothered.’
‘I’m on a bit of a mission,’ said Hannah, rubbing her hot hand over her slightly sticky face. ‘I’m on the hunt for David… Mr Eaves…’
‘Oh yeah?’ said Lou, wriggling her eyebrows.
Hannah rolled her eyes. ‘Nothing like that. Bernard’s gone awol.’
‘Bernard?’ said Lou, looking lost.
‘The sheep?’ said Hannah.
‘Oh, the one that was abandoned?’
‘Yes, that one,’ said Hannah with a little nod. ‘I went next door to return David’s jacket, and Bernard’s just… gone.’
‘What were you doing with David’s jacket?’ said Lou, her eyes alight with mischief.
Hannah shook her head. This woman was incorrigible. It was what had made her the perfect tonic whenever she was in the depths of Gareth-shaped despair. She realised now how much she’d missed her.
‘Mind your own beeswax,’ said Hannah with a wink.
‘Beeswax,’ chuckled Lou. ‘Nice one! Very Bee Daddy appropriate.’
Hannah couldn’t help but grin at that. It looked like David’s newly dubbed nickname was going to catch on without her help!
‘Have you seen him?’ said Hannah, trying her best to get the urgency of the situation across.
‘Sorry,’ said Lou, shaking her head.
‘I was wondering if he might be on the King’s Nose,’ said Hannah, ‘but I’ve got no idea how to check.’
‘I can help you with that,’ said Lou, fiddling with the mouse and waking up the ancient reception computer. ‘He always parks his truck in our carpark.’ She peered intently at the screen for several long moments. ‘Nope, he’s not there.’
‘How can you tell?’
‘We’ve got a camera out there,’ said Lou with a little shrug.
Hannah blew out a breath. ‘Right. Thank you, that’s saved me a massive wild goose chase! I guess I’d better head over to Moore Bikes and let Jason know instead.’
‘Want a glass of water first?’ said Lou. ‘You look rather warm!’
‘I’m good, ta,’ said Hannah, shaking her head. ‘The minute I’ve dobbed Bernard in, I’m going to head straight to The Sardine for a treat.’
‘Very good call,’ said Lou with a nod. ‘Can I recommend making it a cold treat, though? Ice cream… or maybe a large cup of ice cubes?’
Hannah chuckled and headed for the door, then she paused and peered back at Lou. ‘Hey… do you fancy getting together for a glass of wine one evening?’
Lou’s eyes lit up. ‘I’m there with bells on!’