Chapter 6
6
C ally inhaled as she walked along the high street and made her way in the direction of Lovely Bay Coats. There was a slight crispness in the air but with the promise of a nice day on the horizon by way of a blue sky without a hint of a cloud. She inhaled the Lovely smell as she strolled; the scent of salt, seaweed, and the time of year in the air. Walking past the chocolate shop, she stopped to linger outside the front window for a bit, fantasised about a salted caramel truffle, said hello to Nancy, who was coming out of the pub, and then, as she got towards the war memorial, bumped straight into Colin from the riverboat. Colin was hustling along with a shopping bag in his arms coming the other way.
‘Afternoon, our Cally! Long time no see. How are things with you? All good, I hope. You’re looking well. Keeping well, are you?’
Cally beamed. ‘Thanks. I’m feeling great as it happens.’
‘Good to hear.’
‘You?’
‘Can’t complain, as they say. Everything is good my end.’
‘What have you been up to?’
Colin gestured in the direction of the lighthouse. ‘Not a lot. We’re off to Spain next week, so I’m trying to finish everything off. You know how it is before you go away. Up to my eyes in it, to be honest. I can’t wait to get on the plane, sit back, have a drink and relax.’
‘Ahh, yes, sounds like you’re busy.’
Colin lifted his chin. ‘Where are you off to?’
‘Actually, I’m on my way to have my first fitting for my Lovely coat.’
‘Ooh, congratulations are in order for you then,’ Colin joked. ‘You really are part of the furniture now. There’s no going back. You’ve been locked in by way of a blue coat.’
‘I’ve been on the waiting list for a long time.’
‘Ahh, you’re a real Lovely now. It’s worth the wait, that’s all I can say.’
'I suppose I am. It's been a long time coming.' Cally laughed.
Colin chuckled. 'Well, well. Our Cally, all grown up and getting her very own Lovely coat. I remember when you first arrived at the back of the chemist there. I bet you wondered where on earth you’d ended up, what with all our strange ways. I bet you thought we were all a bit bonkers. You would have been right.’
‘It wasn't that bad, but yeah, there have been quite a few odd things to get used to. The three things beginning with C, don’t they say? Coats, chocolate, and chowder.'
‘You picked it up well enough.’
‘Ha, I did.’
Colin winked. ‘Now look at you now – a proper Lovely Bay local. Once you get that coat, you’re not allowed to leave. You do know that, don’t you?'
'It does feel like home now,' Cally admitted. 'I can't imagine being anywhere else.'
'And we wouldn't have it any other way.' Colin gave Cally a fond pat on the shoulder.
‘Thanks, Colin.’
‘So, what else has been happening? What have you been up to?’
‘Actually, I'm going to Scotland soon. To Logan's family estate.'
Colin's eyebrows shot up. 'Blimey! Meeting more of the Henry-Hicks family, are we? That's a big step. It’ll be wedding bells soon enough.'
'No, no, not for me anyway.’
‘You’re all going up there, are you?’
‘I think so. They’re all coming out of the woodwork for it. Apparently, it’s a real old family tradition.’
‘Right, you are. Well, with that Lovely coat, you'll look the part, too.’
‘I will. If it’s made up in time.’
‘Oh, you should be okay. Once you’re in our Molly doesn’t mess around. Those girls know what they’re doing. They’ve been schooled in making those coats since they first started to walk. I think they could make them with their eyes closed if they had to.’
Cally nodded. ‘Hmm. Yes, I’ve heard that. Birdie said the same.’
‘It’ll be done in no time. I bet our Birdie is jealous that you got an invite to go to Scotland.’
‘Ha, she did say that.’
‘She’s had an eye on going up there for years.’
‘I’m getting in first.’
‘I like it.’
'Right, you are. Well, thanks, Colin. I’d best push on or I’ll be late. Nice to bump into you. I'll see you later.'
‘See you. Next time I see you, you might be showing off your new coat.’
‘Yes, hope so, see you later.’
As she got to the end of the road, Cally felt ridiculously excited about the coat and going into the shop for her fitting. She’d walked past the shop many times, but never actually gone in. She’d got on the waiting list itself by way of Molly, who owned the shop, coming in the chemist. The shop stood out at the end of a long row of similar buildings. Its exterior a bright white teamed with a deep navy blue that matched the famous coats it was known for. Cally stopped on the other side of the street and looked at the window displaying several of the coveted coats, and blue and white bunting strung along the top of the window. The bunting fluttered back and forth in the breeze next to an old-fashioned sign hanging just above the door.
After waiting for a few cars to pass, she crossed the road and peered in the window for a moment, then stepped up the little front step and pushed open a heavy wooden door. A small brass bell tinkled overhead, and she stopped in her tracks as her eyes adjusted to the light. A new to her but somehow familiar scent filled her nostrils. A gorgeous mix she’d smelt many times before as she’d gone about her business in Lovely; an amalgamation of waxed cotton, leather, and something indefinably old. The shop and its smell were something else, as if tradition, craftsmanship, and old-school Lovely had fused into one gorgeous hit and landed in a tiny little boutique at one end of Lovely Bay.
‘Hello?’ Cally’s voice sounded muffled in the quiet, packed-to-the rafters shop.
‘Just a moment!’ came a cheerful reply from the back.
Cally looked around, drinking in every detail. Lovely Bay Coats was much smaller than she'd imagined, but somehow, that only added to it. Old timber floors, polished to a soft matte-like sheen, creaked under her feet as she stepped towards the back. The walls were lined with glass-fronted cabinets, their brass fittings tarnished with age, and floor-to-ceiling shelves stood in a row on a far wall. Inside the cabinets, neatly folded stacks of waxed cotton fabric in the Lovely navy blue looked as if someone had taken a lot of care to line them up perfectly. Spools of thread and old-fashioned cutting tools were neatly arranged on a side cabinet. To her right, a long timber counter stretched along the wall, its surface marked with the patina of years of use. Behind it, more shelves reached the ceiling, laden with more perfectly aligned bolts of fabric.
In the centre of the shop, a large wooden table dominated the space, its surface covered with a partly unrolled length of waxed cotton. Beside it, a half-finished coat was neatly folded with a label on its top. Nearby, a beautiful old sewing machine sat ready for use with a chair tucked underneath and a little sewing lamp beside it pooled light onto the table. Several dress forms were scattered around the shop each draped with a Lovely Bay coat in various stages of completion. A large bolt of the Lovely signature striped lining was laid out on another smaller table together with an old-fashioned timber utensils basket full of tools. Cally wanted to have a cup of tea and stay for the night.
A small seating area tucked in the corner with two worn leather armchairs was flanked by a low table and a leather-bound ledger of some sort took pride of place. In every nook and cranny, little lamps lit the tiny shop and every available surface seemed to hold some treasure – vintage buttons in glass jars, ancient-looking scissors, and well-worn measuring tapes neatly rolled up here and there. Cally couldn’t quite get enough of it. Even the air itself appeared imbued with history. She whirled around, taking everything in as motes of dust danced in shafts of sunlight streaming through the front bay window.
‘Ah, there you are!’
Cally turned to see Molly emerging from the back of the shop. In her thirties, with blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun and eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled. ‘Hello.’
‘Hey, our Cally. How are you?’
Cally clapped her hands together. ‘I’m good, thanks. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here. A bit pathetic, but true.’
Molly's smile widened. ‘Not at all! I can imagine. You've been on our waiting list for quite some time, haven't you?’
Cally nodded. ‘I'd almost given up hope.’
‘Ah, well, good things come to those who wait,’ Molly said with a wink. ‘Right, let’s get you fitted. I hear we might have to do an express job for you.’
Cally laughed. ‘Ha, who told you that?’
‘Who do you think?’
Cally put her finger to her lips and pretended to think for a second. ‘Hmm. Let me guess.’
‘It might have been in a certain shop around here and we might have been accompanied by the dulcet tones of the Shipping Forecast.’
Cally shook her head. ‘I can’t get away with anything, can I?’
Molly chuckled. ‘You most certainly can’t if you work in there. I hear you’re going to Scotland.’
‘I am.’
Molly whistled as she led Cally to a small raised platform in front of a three-way mirror. ‘Best we get on with it then.’ As Cally stepped up onto the platform, Molly bustled around her, pulling out a measuring tape and tapping on a laptop.
‘Now, let's see what we're working with,’ Molly chatted away as she began to take measurements. ‘Oh my. Well, this won’t take us long. You’re tiny.’
Cally laughed. ‘I've been told that once or twice.’
Molly clucked her tongue. ‘We'll make sure it fits you perfectly. These coats are meant to last a lifetime, as you know.’
‘No room for me to pile on the pounds then,’ Cally joked.
‘There is that.’
As Molly worked, Cally again peered around the shop, taking in more details. It felt as if Lovely history was speaking directly to her from the beautiful old timber shelves lining the walls. ‘So, how long have you been doing this?’
‘Ahh, my whole life, and when I say whole, I mean since I was this high.’ Molly held her hand out in front of her.
‘Right, ages then.’
‘Yep.’
‘It seems like a badge of honour to have a Lovely coat. A sign that you're really part of the community.’
Molly nodded. ‘That’s about the long and the short of it. My family's been making these coats for generations. Each one is a little piece of Lovely Bay history.’
‘I love that. I’m grateful to be part of it.’
‘The coats all started with my great-grandfather’s father, so what would that make him to me? Anyway, he was a fisherman, like most men in Lovely back then. He got tired of coming home soaked to the bone after every trip, so he started experimenting with waxing his own jackets and the lining and all that.’ Molly continued her story, moving around Cally to measure her shoulders and back. ‘Word spread, and soon, other fishermen asked him to wax their coats, too. Before long, he'd set up shop right here in this very building, though the pictures show that it was a bit different in those days, but not a lot.’
‘That's amazing. So the shop has been here all this time?’
Molly nodded. ‘Yep, generations of my family have worked within these walls. Sometimes, I think I could have done something a bit more exciting, but there are a lot worse ways to make a living, I reckon. Even though I have qualifications up to my eyeballs, I make coats for a living.’
Cally thought about how she’d had the same feelings regarding Birdie’s offer. ‘Yup. I hear you.’
Molly stepped back, consulted her laptop and squinted. ‘Right then, I think I have all the measurements I need. I’ll get you to try on a sample so I can have a look at the fit. Hang on a second. I’ll go and get one.’
Molly disappeared out the back and Cally ran her hand along the smooth wood of the cutting table, wondering how many coats had been crafted on its surface over the years. A few moments later, Molly reappeared, a coat draped over her arm. ‘Here we are. This is one of our smaller sizes; it’s a short, but we'll still need to cut yours a bit differently. That’s why it’s made to measure, obviously. Though many places say that these days, it's actually not true, but it is here. Your coat will fit you like a glove and last you forever.’
Cally slid her arms into the sleeves of the sample coat and was enveloped in the scent of waxed cotton – earthy and slightly sweet. It felt solid, dependable, and oh-so Lovely as she shrugged it onto her shoulders. She couldn’t wait to get her own.
Molly chuckled. ‘Don't you look like a proper local? You want the coat before you go away?’
‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s not ready. I’ve managed up to now.’
‘It’s cutting it a bit close, but I think we can manage it. You’re off to the estate?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Gosh, we’ve made some coats for the Henry-Hicks lot over the years.’
‘I know. I’ve seen them stashed all over the place.’
‘There are probably a load of old heritage ones up in Scotland, too. You’ll have to keep an eye open for them.’
‘Oh, right, yes, of course. I might have to bring one home with me.’
‘Well, if you do, I'll be able to tell you who it was made for and when.’ Molly pointed to the ledger on the table. ‘We keep a record of everything that goes out of this shop, even back to the old days.’
Cally sighed as she looked around. The coat was another component of her story with Lovely Bay. She was so very pleased to be part of it. It had ultimately changed the trajectory of her life. What she didn’t quite know was that there was much more to come. Some of it not what she was expecting at all.