Chapter 13
Nina hastened along the High Street past the chocolate shop on her way to The Drunken Sailor pub. It had been a typical Lovely Bay day, with four seasons in as many hours. The day had started off with a bright blue sky and sunshine, then clouded over and got really windy. The sun had intermittently come out again at lunchtime, and as late afternoon had progressed, big black clouds had rolled in from the sea, culminating in a persistent drizzle dousing Lovely Bay in a layer of rain.
She dodged out of the way of umbrellas as she made her way to the pub. Once she was under the porch, she put her umbrella down, shook it off in the street, and opened the door to the pub to be hit by a nice pub smell; the aroma a mix of aged wood, a hint of ale, and the scent of burning logs from the fireplace. The warmth enveloped her as she stepped in from the rain and shrugged off her coat. She heard the clinking of glasses and occasional laughter coming from the direction of the bar. It was like stepping into a comfy world. Just as she was wiping her feet on the mat, Colin from the boat opened the inner door and stepped into the entrance porch on his way out.
‘Hey, our Nina. Nice to see you. How are you getting on?’
‘Yes, fine, thanks. What have you been up to?’ Nina asked.
Colin looked up at the ceiling for a second in contemplation. ‘Nothing really, just the same old, same old. How about you?’
‘Same here. Working and keeping myself out of trouble,’ Nina joked.
Colin smiled. ‘Always good to hear. Oh, you’re off to Thailand soon, aren’t you? Our Robby was telling me all about that contract he’s won.’
‘Yes, yes we are. Not long to go now. I can’t wait.’
‘Wow, so exciting,’ Colin said, jerking his thumb out towards the street. ‘Bet it’s going to be a bit warmer than it has been here for the last few weeks. We’ve had everything today, haven’t we? We’ll get snow later!’ He rolled his eyes.
Nina laughed. ‘Yes, it was bright this morning, then rain, then wind, and now we’ve got this drizzle that seems as if it’s never going to stop. That’s Lovely Bay for you, isn’t it?’
‘All the seasons in a day. You’re used to it now.’ Colin wiggled the collar of his coat. ‘That’s why we have these coats, right? They always keep you safe in any and all weathers.’
‘Yup.’
‘You”ll need to be getting yourself one soon then, won’t you?’
‘Well, yes, I’m on the list. I’ve been waiting long enough.’
‘Right you are.’ Colin opened the outer door and peered out. ‘There is no sign of it letting up. Look at the colour of that sky. Criminal. Okay, I’ll see you later.’
‘Yep, see you. Stay dry.’
As Nina walked through the pub, she was also hit by what she now knew was the smell of one of The Drunken Sailor’s special chowders. She peered quickly around the pub, looking for Birdie and Nancy, and spied them sitting in the corner, not far away from the fire. Approaching them, she took her bag off her shoulder, put it on the back of the chair, and smiled.
‘Hi ladies, how are we? Everyone good?’
Nancy stood up and kissed her on the cheek, and Nina leaned down and kissed Birdie.
‘Yes, good, thanks,’ Birdie replied. ‘We’re sitting here putting the world to rights.’
‘Same with me, I am glad to report,’ Nancy replied, pointing to a gin and tonic sitting on a beer mat next to an empty chair. ‘There you go. We got one in for you when we arrived.’
‘Perfect. How are things at the station? Busy?’ Nina said, addressing Nancy.
‘Yes, not too bad. Things are starting to get busier. Two people are off sick, we had loads of trainspotters today, and there was a glitch in the moveable platform, just to keep me more busy than I thought I was going to be. Oh and someone vomited in the bin. Never a dull moment in my job.’
Nina widened her eyes. ‘A glitch in the moveable platform? Oh my gosh, you’re lucky you’re still alive! I bet it’s all over the trainspotter Reddit boards.’
‘I know, right? When I saw that happen, I was scared for my life, thinking I might be murdered,’ Nancy joked. ‘Those people are scary when they’re not happy.’
Nina laughed as she sat down and took a sip of her drink. ‘Wow, it’s all going on here, and we’ve had all the weather today.’
‘No change there. Lovely Bay is a master of all weathers.’
‘No doubt we’ll get some hailstones this evening, just thrown in for good measure,’ Birdie noted.
Nina picked up her drink. ‘I’m still getting used to the thing where one minute there’s winter weather and the next minute it’s summer. Strange.’
‘It takes a while.’
Nina laughed and leaned forward. ‘I’m getting there.’
Birdie tapped Nina’s wrist. ‘I hear you did a viewing at the hotel. Do you have a new job title? You’re the local estate agent now, too, are you?’
Nina laughed. ‘Yeah, I did it to help out Ella because she’s moved to that new office and she was away. That’s the way we do it around here, isn’t it? Help each other out.’
‘It is. You learnt that fast. Good job.’
‘Anyway, how do you know?’
Birdie tapped the side of her nose. ‘When you work in the back of the chemist, you hear everything that goes on in town, and you know everybody’s business. It’s as simple as that.’
Nina bantered, ‘You’re scary.’
‘I am. How did the viewing go?’ Birdie asked. It was clear she was champing at the bit to hear more about The Summer Hotel.
Nina leaned in, lowering her voice. ‘It was quite something. I met these investors from Pretty Beach, real characters. They were interested in the place, but you know how it is with The Summer Hotel. It”s not just about selling; it”s about finding the right buyer.’
Nancy nodded, intrigued. ‘So, do you think they’ll bite?’
Nina shrugged. ‘Maybe. They seemed really interested, but they were pretty clear about the price being too high. It”s all about the negotiation now, I guess. First of all, they were a flat no, but by the end, they appeared to be possibly interested and then at the end I wasn’t sure. Ruthless, I reckon. I wouldn’t want to mess with them.’
Birdie sipped her drink thoughtfully. ‘Well, if anyone could have got them interested, it’s you. You know that place inside out now.’
Nina smiled. ‘Agreed. I do. We”ll see, though. It would be great to finally see someone breathe new life into that old place. Do you remember the state it was in when I first arrived?’
‘Only too well.’
Nancy sighed. ‘It’s sad that it’s been empty for so long. I mean, there’s been nobody in there since you were living there, and you’ve been over on the harbour for a while now. Before that, you were in the rental cottage first…’
‘Yeah, I know. Time surely has flown by, hasn’t it?’
‘When you’re having fun…’
‘Who would have thought that you would come here to do some house sitting and end up staying here, getting married.’ Nancy wiggled her right hand around. ‘Doing all the things.’
Birdie added, ‘Lovely Bay does that to you. That’s what the old rumours say anyway. You’re never going to leave now, are you?’
Nina shook her head. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t want to leave.’
‘Apart from jetting off to the other side of the world, where it’s hot and humid,’ Nancy interjected.
Birdie continued. ‘It is funny how you arrived to house sit, and the next thing you know, we were sorting out the lighthouse for you to be proposed to in. I loved that evening. I won’t forget it in a hurry. You must feel like the lighthouse is important to you after that happened.’
Nancy nodded. ‘Yes, me too. I remember that as if it was yesterday. That was such a good night. I was beside myself with nerves about it. Did you wonder what was going on?’
‘You were behaving so weirdly! I couldn’t work out what it was. You were so uptight about me helping. One minute I was helping the next minute, I wasn’t, and you were all over the show. Now I know why. Good memories, eh?’
‘Oh, yes. That evening is now a part of Lovely Bay”s community history,’ Nancy joked. ‘You’re in the town ledger.’
‘Fancy getting proposed to at the top of the lighthouse, overlooking Lovely Bay,’ Birdie noted.
Nina nodded. ‘There’ve been worse parts in my life, that’s for sure.’
‘Yeah, true. You and me both. What a place for a proposal. The lighthouse is so special.’
‘What a place all around, really. What a place to live and work…’
Nancy, Nina, and Birdie clinked glasses. ‘Yes, cheers to that! To Lovely and the lighthouse and lots more great occasions there.’