Chapter 13
13
Dennis burst through the door the following morning.
‘Nance, I’ve had the most amazing idea.’
The moment I saw him, I blushed. I’d dreamt last night that we were married and had a family and that we were lying in bed together, with him lying behind me, holding me. Where the hell that dream had come from, I didn’t know, especially as we’d only just agreed that we were mates. I’d woken up totally out of sorts. It had been years since someone had properly held me like that, and while it felt nice, it was just a reminder it had been that long, and got me thinking about whether I should put myself out there into the dating pool again. Maybe it was time I let someone else into my life and opened up to them. It might be nice to wake up to a warm body next to mine.
I quickly closed the book I’d been scribbling in. Morning journaling was a big part of my day. Writing down my innermost thoughts and desires was a great way of getting things out of my mind, and stopped my brain working overtime. I certainly didn’t want Dennis to see what I was doing. The things I’d written down that morning weren’t anything that anyone should ever read – they were X-rated and for me only – and I told myself I must remember to rip them out and burn them in the fire later.
I tucked the notebook into my apron pocket as I stood and walked towards the counter, trying to not to think about how Dennis’s body had felt pressed up against mine in my dream, while he was spooning me.
‘A relaunch party, are you sure?’
‘I think it would be really good. Obviously, we wouldn’t call it a relaunch party, but we would know that’s what it is. We could have it in say a month’s time when we’ve had time to source new stock and get the pre-loved section underway. What are you thinking?’
What I was thinking was why he kept saying ‘we’. Like it was our shop. I suppose he was just helping. It was his project after all. As normal, I was probably just overthinking everything.
‘Well, I suppose so, but is a month enough to do all of that?’
‘I think so. I’ve called in to work this morning and requested another month off. I’ve got to go up to London tomorrow for a couple of days, to sign some stuff, but once I’m back I’m back for a while, and am all yours. So, you can get me doing anything you’d like me to in that time.’
Now there was a thought!
I blushed again and turned away. The more time I was spending with Dennis, the more confused I was becoming. At times, it felt like he was properly flirting with me, then at others, it was like I was the most annoying person in the world to him. I was trying my hardest to learn what he was teaching me, but all that academia stuff was just not doing it for me, like it clearly did for him. We were total opposites.
He turned me to face him.
‘Don’t be scared, Nance. I’m here for you. We’ve got this.’
I’d been doing stuff on my own for so long, it felt nice to know that someone had my back. Mum was busy running her own cleaning business and Dad was an engineer, and they didn’t have time for my ‘airy-fairy’ bookshop ideas. I’d launched the bookshop entirely on my own with no knowledge of how to run a business and had been muddling my way through. However, that’s why I was in the mess I was in right now and why I needed Dennis’s help to turn the shop around.
‘So, why don’t I go and make us a cuppa and we can discuss our plans?’
I smiled.
‘Sounds good.’
I’d forgotten what I’d left out in the kitchen on the draining board, and when Dennis came back through, he was holding a large scallop shell in his hand.
‘Dare I ask?’
‘Well, you kind of did. They’re shells.’
‘No shit, Sherlock. I could work that bit out for myself. I just wondered why there were about twenty of them sat on your draining board?’
‘They’re drying.’
‘Again, I’m not a thicko and could work that out. But for what purpose? Maybe that’s a more straightforward question for you?’
This was something that was hard for me to admit to. I was a little bit embarrassed about this hobby. It was something I thought was quite amateur and probably looked awful.
‘I paint them.’
‘Uh?’ He screwed up his face. ‘You paint them. What do you mean?’
‘I’m a shell painter. It’s one of my many skills.’
‘What, so you paint them a colour and then what?’
‘No, I paint pictures on them. Pass me my phone and I’ll show you some of the recent ones I’ve done.’
As he handed me my phone, his hand brushed against mine and our eyes met. We both looked away at exactly the same time and I distracted myself by pulling up a picture on my phone. I took a deep breath before I handed it over to him sheepishly.
He looked at the image and then back at me. Studying the image again, and enlarging it on the screen, he focused in on the intricate painting I had done on the inside of the scallop shell. It was of a pastel-coloured beach hut on golden sands, with a turquoise ocean in the background, a shining yellow sun and seagulls gliding through the sky.
‘Jeez, Nance.’
‘I know they’re crap but they’re not meant to be professional or anything. It’s just something I like doing to de-stress. When I’m painting, it lets me shut off from the world outside. That’s all I think about. It’s good for mindfulness. It was something I started doing with my art class at school and I’ve just kept it up since I’ve not been teaching.’
‘They’re not crap.’
‘Well…’ I looked at the floor. I never did like showing people my artwork. Not since Denise Wilson had ridiculed me in primary school and my ten-year-old self didn’t know how to handle the whole class laughing at me. It was one of the reasons I went into teaching. I never wanted a child to ever feel like that when they were expressing themselves.
‘Nancy, they are exquisite.’
I looked up and he was flicking through other pics on my phone, enlarging each one and studying the images.
‘Really?’
‘I can’t believe you are doubting me. Honestly, Nancy, they are stunning. Look at the way you’ve captured the total essence of Driftwood Bay.’
At that point, my mum walked in and we jumped apart. Surprise showed on her face for a split second before she smiled again.
‘Morning, you two. What are you up to?’
The word ‘nothing’ in unison was not particularly convincing and she raised an eyebrow until she saw the phone in Dennis’s right hand and an empty shell in the other.
‘Talented, isn’t she?’
‘Amazingly so. You really should be selling these, you know.’
‘Ah, Dennis, you are a man after my own heart. I’ve been telling her that since she’s been doing them. We’ve got bloody hundreds of them at home, and to be honest, much as I love them, I don’t know what to do with them. They’re definitely good enough to sell, but I just can’t convince her of it.’
‘I couldn’t charge anything for them,’ I said sheepishly. ‘They’re nothing special at all.’
‘I beg to differ with you there, daughter dear.’
‘Me too!’
All I needed was Mum and Dennis ganging up on me.
‘You should bring them in here, Wendy. Nancy could clear off a shelf and make a lovely display. What a gorgeous memento of Driftwood Bay for people to buy. A hand-painted scene on a shell.’
I tried to grab the phone from him but he held it behind his back.
‘They’d never sell. You’re being ridiculous.’
‘ You’re being ridiculous. You’d sell them for good money. I know it.’
Mum smiled at me over Dennis’s head, mouthing, ‘I told you so.’
I could feel myself chewing the inside of my cheek, a nervous habit I knew I had when I was a little unsure of something while I was pondering. I suppose I didn’t really have a lot to lose by trying it. Apart from my dignity if people thought they were a load of old crap.
‘Maybe I could put a couple up for a couple of quid each and see if there’s any interest.’
‘A couple of quid. More like twenty I was thinking.’ Mum looked at me smugly, clearly on Dennis’s side.
‘Twenty quid!’ I exclaimed. ‘That’s way too much.’
The bell above the door tinkled and Lucy from the B&B reversed in, pulling a pushchair in with her.
‘Let’s see, shall we?’ Dennis winked at me and that little tummy flip happened again. I did wish he’d stop doing that. If he only knew what it was doing to my insides. ‘Let me help you there,’ he said to Lucy. ‘Do you mind me asking you for a little bit of market research?’
‘Of course not, Dennis. Anything for you.’ She fluttered her eyelashes. Shame on her. Her, a married woman. Was I the only female in Driftwood Bay that hadn’t fallen under his charm?
‘How much would you pay for something like this?’ He passed her the phone.
‘Wow. That is stunning. Probably about ￡50. Oh, look. It’s Driftwood Bay. Look at the little houses in the harbour. I’d love to know who the supplier is. I’d sell these in the B&B to our customers. They’d love them.’
Dennis turned round with an ‘I-told-you-so’ expression on his smug face.
‘Thanks, Lucy, that’s really helpful. Are you looking for anything in particular?’
‘I’ve got a birthday present to buy for someone, but, as always, I’ve left it till the last minute and I could really do with getting something in the post. I wondered if you’d got anything suitable. I was thinking about maybe a notebook or pen or something but now I’ve seen that, I want that. I wonder if the company sell them online.’
‘What company?’ I asked, not quite following her train of thought.
‘The company that sells them.’
‘Tell you what, Lucy,’ Dennis said with a grin. ‘As it’s you and I know the owner, I’ll drop one round to the B&B later in a gift box if you like. It’ll be twenty pounds. How does that sound?’
‘Oh, Dennis, you could sell me anything. You’re such a charmer. That would be amazing. Do you really know the owner?’
‘I do. Not only is she kind, incredibly pretty and generally lovely, she’s also super talented too.’
‘Oh, you should date her. She sounds perfect.’
‘Now there’s an idea.’ His raised eyebrow and mischievous grin made me shake my head as, totally embarrassed, I excused myself and sloped off to the back of the shop. Because Lucy and James were all loved up and playing happy families, she took every opportunity she could to pair up everyone in the village. If she’d have known it was me that Dennis was talking about, she’d have been doing it even more. Thank goodness she didn’t.
I could hear Lucy shout, ‘See you later, Nancy,’ but I couldn’t bring myself to show my face just yet. I wondered if Dennis meant what he’d said or whether he was just teasing. Either way, I had decided that I was going to stay in here as long as I possibly could, but it seemed like others had different ideas.