Chapter 6
Bea couldn’t quite believe it. Within the space of a few days, she’d got a job at the Cosy Cat, was about to start her own business and she had a new place to live.
And the best thing about all of it was that she’d made it happen.
Admittedly, her decision to buy the horsebox had been fuelled by alcohol, but she was finally creating a future that excited her – what did it matter how she got there?
Charlotte Bronte’s words in Jane Eyre felt pretty apt right now: ‘And your will shall decide your destiny.’
Jess had been over the moon when Bea had told her about her move to Blossom Heath, and Nathan had offered to help on moving day.
‘Surely that must be the last box?’ Gordon shouted from the hallway, as Bea made her way downstairs.
‘Erm… I think there’s a couple more on the landing,’ she said, sheepishly.
‘I don’t understand how all this has come out of that tiny room?’ said Gordon, scratching his head. ‘It’s like a Tardis.’
‘Ha! I wish,’ said Bea, setting her suitcase down by the front door.
‘It’s all books,’ said Carol, peering over the top of the box she was carrying.
‘Wordsworth, will you get out of the way?’ Gordon grabbed the little Cavalier’s collar as he made to dart between Carol’s legs. ‘The last thing we need this morning is to trip over you.’
‘Oh, that might be Nathan,’ said Bea, as a horn sounded in the street outside.
‘About time,’ Gordon huffed. ‘We could have done with his muscles half an hour ago.’
‘All right, love,’ said Carol, testily, ‘he’s doing Bea a favour.’
‘Exactly, Dad. He didn’t have to give up his Sunday morning to come and help,’ said Bea.
‘Thank God he did, we’d never get this lot in the back of the Fiat,’ said Carol, eyeing the boxes.
‘Nathan, hi!’ said Bea, swinging open the front door. ‘Thanks so much for helping!’ She hugged him tightly.
‘Steady on, I haven’t done anything yet!’ said Nathan, grinning widely at her. ‘Wow! Is this all yours?’ he asked, looking at the stack of boxes surrounding him.
‘Erm… yeah,’ said Bea. ‘Sorry, I’ve got tons of stuff. If there’s not enough room—’
‘Oh, we’ll get this lot in, no problem,’ said Nathan, bending down to fuss Wordsworth, who was jumping around giddily at his feet.
‘Would you like a cuppa, Nathan?’ offered Carol.
‘Best not, Mrs Miller, I’ve got to get back for milking,’ said Nathan.
‘Oh, call me Carol. I’m putting the kettle on anyway, love, are you sure you don’t want one?’
‘Mum, if Nathan’s busy then—’
‘It’s fine,’ said Nathan, ‘I can squeeze a quick cuppa in.’
Carol’s ‘quick cuppa’ turned out to be closer to an hour, and Bea practically had to drag Nathan out the front door to escape.
‘I’m so sorry about Mum,’ Bea groaned, as they finally drove away from her parents’ house. ‘Honestly, you didn’t have to answer all her questions, she’s so nosy.’
‘She’d fit right in in Blossom Heath; everyone knows everybody’s business there,’ Nathan chuckled.
‘And I thought Rye was bad for gossip.’
‘It’s just village life, you’ll get used to it.’
‘I’m sure I will,’ said Bea. ‘I’ve not got any exciting secrets to uncover anyway…’
‘I still can’t believe it, you know,’ said Nathan, glancing sideways to smile at her.
‘Believe what?’
‘You. Moving to Blossom Heath.’
‘I know!’ said Bea, returning his smile. ‘I can’t believe I’m moving in with Archie… we might kill each other by the end of the first week.’
‘Ha! If you’ve survived living with both your parents these past few months, living with Archie will be a breeze.’
‘True. Speaking of parents, how’s your dad? Is his knee any better?’
‘It’s improving, but it’s still slowing him down a bit. He’s much less hands on at the farm these days.’
‘Is it his seventieth soon?’
‘Next year, yeah,’ Nathan nodded.
‘Ooooh, I meant to tell you,’ she said. ‘I saw your cheese in that posh deli in Rye. Mum won’t buy anything else now.’
Nathan had started producing cheese a few years earlier to help boost the dwindling income from the dairy herd, and ever since business had been booming. His Blossom Heath Blue was a local favourite.
‘Pleased to hear it. I never imagined it would take off so well, if I’m honest,’ he said. ‘We’re stocked by some local restaurants and cafés now, too; I’ve got a regular order from the Cosy Cat.’
‘Oooh, that’s great! I guess I’ll see you next time you deliver.’
‘Of course! Jess told me you’re going to be working there.’
‘Tori’s been a lifesaver, I couldn’t have gone ahead with the book wagon without some regular cash coming in each month.’
‘No, I get that. Tori’s great. She’s been really supportive of the cheese business. I can’t believe how much she manages to sell!’
‘I’m so proud of you, Nate,’ said Bea.
‘Of me?’
‘Yes, you! What you’re doing at the farm is amazing, and you love it, don’t you? I can tell.’
‘Of course, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t.’
‘I’ll have to pick your brains about business stuff, too, Tori’s given me some pointers, but you must know loads, what with the farm and the cheese business.’
‘A bit,’ he replied. ‘I make most of it up as I go along, to be honest, but you can always ask.’
‘Thanks. You know, I’ve always envied you a bit,’ said Bea, sheepishly.
‘Why?’
‘Well, we’re both twenty-seven and you’ve always known exactly what you were going to do with your life. And there was me, clueless, bouncing from one dead-end temp job to another.’
‘That’s different, though, Bea. I grew up on the farm, I always knew I’d take it on one day, there wasn’t really anything to figure out.’
‘Even so I—’
‘And look at what you’re doing today? Moving out again… that’s a big step.’
‘Technically, I’m moving out of my mum’s to live at my brother’s,’ said Bea, with a half-smile.
‘I’m still living with my parents, remember? You’re one step ahead of me.’
‘But—’
‘And you’re about to start your own business – that takes courage. I should know, I started the cheese business from scratch.’
‘But that’s different—’
‘Things are looking up for you, Bea, trust me,’ said Nathan, nodding.
‘Well, when you put it like that,’ conceded Bea, ‘who am I to argue?’
Bea spotted Jess as soon as she entered the pub on Tuesday evening.
The Mermaid was one of her favourite places in Rye.
Situated in the citadel, the six-hundred-year-old inn was full of so much history you could almost feel it pouring out of the walls.
The landlord’s tales of the ghosts that walked the hallways always sent shivers down her spine.
Although many of the pub’s overnight guests claimed to have encountered the Grey Lady or the twelfth-century monk that was supposed to pace the rooms, Bea had never seen or felt anything herself, which left her a little sceptical.
‘Bea!’ called Jess from one of the corner booths. ‘I’ve got you a rum and coke.’
‘Ah, lovely, thank you!’ said Bea, pulling her friend into a hug.
‘Thanks for coming into town. I had a meeting with a new client this afternoon and we’ve not been out in Rye for ages!’
‘Don’t be daft, I love The Mermaid. How’s freelance life going?’
‘Yeah, good, I think. I’ve been designing a few logos and some corporate branding. My clients seem happy, so I’m hoping they’ll recommend me to some other local businesses.’
‘That’s great, Jess. You’re such a talented artist; I loved that logo you did for the Cosy Cat Café. The mural on the wall is stunning.’
‘Thanks,’ said Jess, blushing slightly. ‘It’s still early days, so I’m still working in the shop most of the time, in lieu of paying Mum any rent,’ she laughed.
‘How’s things with you?’ she asked, taking a sip of her drink.
‘It’s great your parents took the news about the wagon better than you expected. ’
‘I know, I can’t believe it. They’ve been wonderful. I think Mum’s quite excited about it to be honest.’
‘Well, she is a librarian, so I’m not surprised,’ said Jess.
‘I hadn’t really thought about it like that.’
‘Have you heard anything from Rory?’
‘Nope, nothing. My life in London feels like forever ago, really. We were so well-suited, I just don’t get it,’ Bea said, shaking her head.
‘Well, you’d only known him a few months.’
‘We were together for nearly six, actually!’ Bea protested.
‘That’s no time. You think every guy you meet is your perfect romantic hero and fall head over heels in a hot minute.’
‘I do not!’
‘Oh, come on, Bea, you fall in love at the drop of a hat.’
‘That’s not true!’
‘What about Dillon?’
‘Well, Dillon was different,’ said Bea, casting her mind back to the semi-pro footballer she’d dated last year. ‘Things got really intense really quickly, that’s all.’
‘And Max?’
‘That was different, too,’ Bea insisted, ‘I mean, we met on Valentine’s Day, that had to be a sign.’
‘It’s a lot of pressure…’
‘What is?’
‘To live up to your high expectations. Not everyone can be a character from a romance novel. It’s just not real life.’
‘Who said I—’
‘Come on, Bea.’
‘Okay, you may have a point,’ Bea conceded. ‘I guess I’m just looking for my happy-ever-after; there’s nothing wrong with that.’
‘No, of course there isn’t. You know what you want. Whereas I expect every man I meet to be a let-down,’ Jess laughed.
‘You’re going to have to let your guard down one of these days.’
‘Who says?’
‘The universe? The law of attraction, I don’t know. But one day, you’re going to fall head over heels; it’s bound to happen.’
‘Not if I can help it,’ said Jess, determinedly. ‘Anyway, how’s living with Archie again?’ she asked, keen to change the subject.
‘Good, I think. We haven’t killed each other yet.’
‘He’s earning mega bucks, isn’t he? What does he do again?’
‘Don’t ask me,’ laughed Bea, ‘software developer, I think. I know it’s got something to do with coding, but I haven’t got a clue, really.’
‘You and me both,’ agreed Jess.
‘Well, we can’t all be good at the same things, can we?’ laughed Bea, ‘Archie’s the IT specialist and I’m the…’
‘Literature legend?’
‘I was going to say flaky one, but literature legend sounds much better.’
‘You are, though! I mean, the book wagon idea is so creative and really leans into your skills.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Bea.
‘Well, look at all the books you’ve persuaded me to read over the years. It’s a real talent to convince people to try reading outside of their comfort zone. You even got Dad into that Ann Cleeves series, and I don’t think I’d seen him read a book in years. He’s totally hooked now.’
‘Oh, I’m so pleased!’ said Bea, her face illuminated with a smile. ‘I’m glad he’s enjoying them.’
‘He absolutely is. Mum’s loving it, too; she said she’s never had so much peace and quiet. She’s thinking of getting him a Kindle for his birthday.’
‘You know,’ said Bea, her drink held in mid-air, ‘there might be something in that…’
‘In what?’
‘Recommending books – like a dating service, only for your perfect read rather than your perfect partner.’
‘Great idea! I’d prefer a date with Seb, if I’m honest, but I’d give a book a go, too.’
‘It could be totally personalized – you tell me about your favourite reads, hobbies, movies, TV programmes, stuff like that, then I’d recommend a reading list to choose from, or send a surprise each month, or something, like a subscription service.’
‘See? Totally creative! That sounds brilliant,’ said Jess, raising her glass.
‘It does, doesn’t it?’ said Bea, a smile edging onto her lips as she added the idea to the long list of points already on her business plan.