Chapter Twenty-Seven
Laurie
We took West out for breakfast on Sunday morning to Peace, Love, and Pancakes, a little American diner-style place Theo adored because they made chocolate and banana pancakes bigger than his head.
He’d had a stack of them topped with whipped cream and a side of crispy bacon while happily chatting away to the owner, Faith, who was originally from Georgia, and her wife, Louise, and introducing West to everyone we knew.
West had easily tackled the restaurant’s breakfast special, which came on two plates, while trying to teach Theo the basics of rugby.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a losing battle since more than one person had tried and failed to explain the rules to my beloved.
But either the endless repetition was paying off or Theo was finally paying attention, because by the time we’d finished, he seemed to grasp more than he had previously.
I watched the pair of them as we sat in our booth, almost missing my mouth several times because I wasn’t concentrating on where I was putting my fork.
At a glance, it would be hard to find two people who looked more different: Theo was soft and petite with swept-back blond hair and a puckered mouth, and he was dressed in a white jumper and a blue gingham overall skirt with a beret perched jauntily in his hair.
West was tall and broad, his blond hair slightly darker, his jawline sharper, and his nose slightly crooked.
His Lincoln Knights T-shirt was stretched over his wide chest, highlighting his muscles, which seemed less chiselled and more the result of a lot of physical work.
But they both had those cornflower blue eyes that sparkled with joy and mischief.
They’d spent the whole evening chatting about everything and anything. They hadn’t stopped until they’d gone to bed, and then they’d just picked up again as soon as they’d gotten up.
They were similar in personality too, although Theo was more outgoing and West a little more reserved.
I’d done my best not to let any of my nerves show. I’d promised Theo I’d trust and support him, but it was easier said than done because under the surface, I was still worried West would say or do something to hurt my darling.
Reconnecting with your brother was one thing, but when your brother was Theo, it was a different matter. I’d never, ever want Theo to change who he was, but there were many people in the world who wouldn’t view his fashion or his work with anything less than horror and disgust.
Theo knew it too. He’d experienced it for himself from former boyfriends who’d tried to snuff out his light to online trolls who had nothing better to do with their lives.
He’d even gotten the occasional odd look in Heather Bay as well, largely from tourists, and while he’d never acknowledged them, I saw every one and I remembered their faces.
West seemed to have taken everything in his stride, but my doubts still lingered.
Showing up with the taxidermy mouse meant he clearly had done an intense amount of social media stalking, and he’d openly talked about watching Theo’s Twitch stream regularly, so he had to know the sort of person his brother was.
But it would take more than one night to lower my guard.
After all, it had taken months before I’d fully trusted our friends and that moment had only come when Spencer had physically had to restrain Alex from smacking some guy in the middle of The Sleeping Goose for making a lewd comment.
Luckily, Theo hadn’t heard it and we’d never told him, but Alex’s reaction had been the reason why we all lovingly referred to him as our pet honey badger.
“Are you still okay to go down to the beach?” Theo asked when there was a lull in the conversation for a second after our plates had been cleared.
“Of course,” I said. “Why don’t you and West go ahead, and I can go back to the flat and find some towels in case you want to paddle.”
“Are you sure? I can just rinse my feet off on the front.”
“I’m sure.” I wanted them to have a little time without me hovering over Theo’s shoulder, which was hard to do when we were in the same house. “It won’t be difficult for me to find you.”
Theo squeezed my thigh under the table and smiled at me. “Okay. We’ll see you there.”
As predicted, it wasn’t hard for me to find Theo and West again.
I’d taken my time going back to the flat and collecting some towels, my umbrella in case it rained or suddenly turned obnoxiously sunny, and some spare clothes for Theo, who would say he didn’t want to go in the water and inevitably end up soaked from head to toe.
I’d even spent ten minutes answering a few emails and messages, even though I tried not to work on Sundays unless we had appointments or arrivals.
When I got back to the beach, I heard them before I even saw them because I’d never be able to forget the sound of Theo’s laughter.
He and West were already in the water despite the autumn chill in the air.
Theo was stood by the edge, ankle-deep in the waves lapping against the shore, watching West wade farther out in his shorts.
I assumed the cold water was good for his muscles because that was the only reason I could think for anyone to want to go into the North Sea in October.
“Laurie!” Theo yelled as he spotted me, waving his hands and then shrieking as a wave washed over his feet and splashed his calves.
I waved and walked towards the steps at the end that would take me down to the sand.
As I did, I looked at the line of colourful beach huts, most of which were now closed up for the winter.
I’d always thought they looked attractive despite my general objection to bright colours.
My grandmother had always wanted one, but they didn’t come up for sale very often and their numbers were strictly controlled by the local council.
It was like trying to win the lottery, only with worse odds.
Which was why it surprised me to see a small paper notice being pinned to the door of the second to last hut by an older woman I vaguely recognised.
Then I remembered we’d done her father’s funeral two weeks before.
The hut’s paint was a chipped and faded buttercup yellow, and there were remnants of dark blue detailing around the roof and the door.
It had definitely seen better days but had obviously been well loved at some point.
It just needed a little bit of care and attention to bring it back to life.
It felt like a sign.
“Excuse me,” I said and the woman jumped. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, you’re fine. I was just off in my own world,” she said, giving me a tired smile. “It’s Mr. Winchester, right?”
“Please, call me Laurie. I don’t think even my grandfather went by Mr. Winchester. He was just John,” I said. “And you’re Sarah, Amos Lafferty’s daughter.”
“That’s right.” She nodded. “Finally started sorting through all his things last night and found the deed to the hut. I didn’t even realise he still owned it.
” She looked at the shabby yellow door fondly.
“We used to come here all the time when we were kids. I think we spent more time here than at home in the summer.”
“You must have some wonderful memories,” I said.
“I do.” She sighed sadly. “I can’t keep it, though. We just don’t live close enough to make use of it. I’m sure there’s some proper way to sell them, but I haven’t looked into it. My daughter offered to post it on Facebook, but I don’t really know much about that.”
“Usually, these days they go through estate agents,” I said. “At least, the most recent ones I’ve seen for sale do.”
“Really?” She seemed shocked and then laughed. “I’m so behind the times. I remember Dad saying he bought it for about fifty pounds in the early fifties and my mother was so cross she threatened to make him live in it. That was a lot of money for them.”
“If you are selling,” I said, the words falling out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“I’d be interested. Obviously, it’s worth quite a lot more now but if you’d like to get it valued, I’d be happy to pay what it’s worth.
” I dug into my jacket pocket and pulled out one of the business cards for the funeral home, then added my personal mobile with the pen I kept in my inner coat pocket.
“You don’t have to sell it to me, obviously, but I’ve always loved them and I’d be very interested.
Think about it. I won’t be offended if you decide to keep it. ”
Sarah took the card and nodded. “Thank you. I’d love it to stay with someone local if it could. Someone who’ll love it as much as Dad did.”
Theo called my name again and I lifted a hand to indicate I’d heard him. Sarah glanced across the beach and smiled before reaching out to pull the notice off the hut door. “I think someone’s waiting for you.”
“Yes, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s because he wants me to go in the water with him.”
Sarah laughed. “Have a paddle for me. I’ll give you a ring during the week to sort out the details.”
I thanked her and said goodbye before walking across the beach. Theo ran up to me, windswept and grinning wildly, clutching his beret to his head. “What was that about?”
“I think I might have just offered to buy a beach hut,” I mused, glancing back over my shoulder to the battered yellow and blue hut. “Amos Lafferty’s daughter, Sarah, is selling his.”
“Really?” Theo clapped his hands gleefully. “That would be amazing! I’d love a beach hut! Oh, is it the yellow one? Could we keep it yellow? It looks like sunshine!”
“It’s not certain. Sarah’s going to give me a call,” I said, leaning down to kiss him fondly. “But yes, if she wants to sell it to us, we can repaint it yellow.”
“Look at us,” Theo said. “We’ve only been dating two weeks and we’re already buying a little house together!”
“Together?”
“Well, yeah, if you don’t mind. I’m happy to share the cost with you. It’s not like I don’t have savings.”