Chapter 4
On Monday evening, it was nice to be going out to the local cinema to take my mind off things even though I knew that the deadline time was flying by.
I’d been helping Emma with setting up some events for The Lonely Hearts Club and posting about them on social media.
Today the club was heading out to watch a film.
The cinema was not somewhere I visited very often.
Demetri and I had once gone, but he’d not long finished a shift and shortly after the film started, when I looked across at him, he was fast asleep.
He apologised, saying that it was comfy and dark and he was shattered. We didn’t attempt it again.
I was picking up Jacqui, a new member of the group, on the way to the cinema.
She had got in touch via social media asking about the group, and after she declined the invitation as she didn’t have a car available, I offered her a lift instead.
I figured the drive would also give us some time to get to know one another; she had only recently moved to the area and didn’t know anyone.
I pipped the horn outside her house and she walked out to my car smiling.
‘Hi,’ she said, bending down to the lowered window. ‘I presume you are Michelle and I’m not just getting in a car with a serial killer.’ She had a lovely face with eyes that crinkled as she laughed, and I already felt like we were going to get along well.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
‘Well, yes I am, but then if I was a serial killer, I probably wouldn’t admit it anyway.’
She laughed at my response.
‘Very true, but hey! You only live once.’ She opened the door and climbed in.
‘Indeed. Especially when you get in the car with someone who is about to kill you.’ I faked a creepy laugh, surprising myself, at which we both burst out laughing.
‘It’s so kind of you to give me a lift. I’m hoping and praying that my car passes the MOT tomorrow or I’ll be spending my weekend car shopping which is probably one of my worst nightmares. Did I say that I was Jacqui by the way? Jacqui Martin.’
‘I gathered you were from our social media chat, and it’s nice to meet you, in real life. And you already know that I’m Michelle. So you’re new to Sandpiper Shore then? What brings you here? If that’s not being too nosey.’
‘Not at all, as long as I can be nosey back and ask you everything there is to know about this gorgeous little seaside village.’
‘Deal.’ I pulled out of the parking space and headed towards the next town where we were meeting the others for a drink before the screening.
‘So, I’m recently divorced and at the same time my work, where my husband and I both worked, suggested I take retirement when we split, I was offered a job in the local GP practice here.
And I thought, hell, why not? I’m just short of sixty-five and I’m not ready to retire for a long time yet.
And before you say it, please don’t mention what everyone else does.
No. I’m not the receptionist. I’m the new GP. ’
‘Welcome to Sandpiper Shore, Doc Martin. Oh!’ I could feel my eyebrows rise as I stared at the road ahead trying not to smirk.
‘Shall we stick to Dr Martin?’ She gave a tinkly laugh. ‘Actually, let’s just go with Jacqui. Far less hilarity.’
‘OK by me. Jacqui it is. It’s a gorgeous little village. I’m quite a newcomer myself so I’m still learning lots but what I don’t know the answer to, I’ll know someone who will.’
When she asked me if I was a patient with the practice and what my thoughts about it were, I said that I was but that I didn’t think old Dr Hobbs would be very sympathetic to my menopausal moans and groans.
‘Oh, pop by and visit me. I’m an expert.
I realised while I was going through it myself that there weren’t that many doctors or nurses out there that had a good understanding of it.
Don’t know why really. Every woman goes through it.
Even people like Jennifer Aniston. J Lo too.
I bet they patch. The difference is that they’ll be seeing a specialist because they can afford to.
I wanted to be able to offer that service to normal women, like you and me. ’
‘Speak for yourself. I don’t always feel normal.’ I laughed but it must have appeared to be bitter.
‘Come and see me at the practice. We can chat through some options. Now I’m going to stop because I’ll talk about it all night otherwise. So tell me all about you and what brought you to Sandpiper Shore.’
Jacqui was so easy to talk to and I decided there and then that I would go to see her. But right now, I knew that I needed to get away from topics like this. If I didn’t make it a more enjoyable night out for her, I didn’t think she’d want to come again.
‘Well, we’re only going to be in the car for about fifteen minutes so I’ll try and keep it brief.
Basically, I worked as the PR and marketing director for a large advertising agency up in the Midlands but somehow worked myself into a bit of a burnout.
I was advised by my own GP that I should take some time out before I ended up having a nervous breakdown. ’
‘That must have been a tough time for you. Did you have family nearby who were supportive?’
‘I didn’t. I lost my mum many years ago now, my dad six months later,’ I replied.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. And you don’t have any siblings?’
‘I have a brother but he lives in Canada with his wife and children. We’re not close,’ I explained.
‘Ah, that’s a shame. Even more tough for you to have to go through all of that alone. Are you married? Divorced? Single? Any of the above?’
We both smiled.
‘Erm… I suppose in a relationship.’
‘You suppose?’
Gosh. She was full of questions.
‘OK, that’s an interesting face you’re pulling. So, here’s another. Why Sandpiper Shore? What was it about here that made you end up here? Was it the man? It’s normally a man. Or woman. I shouldn’t assume these days.’ She laughed again.
I shook my head.
‘No, I came here originally on a work appointment and loved it so took a few days off while I was here to have a look around. I was lucky enough to meet two people who have become wonderful friends and the rest, as they say, is history. Once I’d spent time here and went back home again, things just didn’t feel the same.
There was nothing really to keep me there, so I took a leap of faith. ’
‘Brave.’ She nodded. ‘Impressive.’
‘Yeah. Someone else said brave to me recently but I had already connected with a couple of people who lived in the area so I suppose that made it easier really. How about you? Do you have connections to the village at all? Know anyone here?’
‘Not a soul. In fact, you are the person I know the most, Michelle. So thank you.’
‘Wow. Now that’s brave.’
I filled her in on some of the best places to go and things to do.
It was nice to tell her more about The Lonely Hearts Club and what we hoped to achieve, and she loved the idea.
She even offered to put some leaflets out in the practice.
She said that there were an awful lot of people who were lonely in life right now and thought it would be the perfect tonic for a lot of them, both male and female.
She told me she’d like to join some of the events – she was a keen walker and so the cliff walks in particular were appealing to her.
When I introduced her to the rest of the group, she fitted in wonderfully, chatting away, and after I dropped her back at home that evening, I was thinking how she’d be a brilliant addition to Sandpiper Shore, both as the new village GP but also as a lovely person to spend time with – someone who, in time, I felt would be a friend to us all.