Chapter 33
33
Sandpiper Books, St Aidan
Turning the pages
Monday
I ’ve never been big on research or revision. If I go into a bookshop, it’s for the cake or the stories, and Sandpiper Books has plenty of both of those. As I tiptoe up the creaky winding stairs later that afternoon to the non-fiction section on the first floor, the book-lined rooms I’m wandering through are like a whole new world.
The books I’m looking for are exactly where the assistant downstairs said they would be – in the third room along, on the left inside the doorway.
‘Here we go, Shadow. Lots to choose from.’ Dog-friendly is another reason we’re in here. And the fact that it’s tucked away along a narrow street at the top of town, so it feels like I’m less likely to meet anyone I know. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but I’d rather not be spotted poring over books about the night sky when Kit’s the one who mentioned it first. Me being here is not about me wanting to make a good impression on Kit either. Ideally, I won’t be looking at the sky with anyone, but if ever I can’t avoid it, I’d rather not be totally in the dark.
The first small paperback I pick up has photos and charts and covers the basics. At ￡5.99, what’s not to like? As we clatter down the stairs, I’m giving silent whoops that I’ll have been in and out in five minutes, but when I step off the bottom landing I come to a jarring stop. There’s only one person I know in St Aidan with blonde balayage and overalls. Standing next to the birthday cards, tapping her Chelsea boot as she waits for the till … is my mum.
I’m pinning my hopes on a super-silent retreat back to where we’ve come from, but at that moment Shadow falls off the step behind me and crashes into the rotating postcard rack, and the best I can do to save the situation is to fold my arms and hide the book under my boobs.
It takes Mum a nanosecond to clock us. ‘Floss! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you read books!’
I give a sigh. ‘It’s what I do for a living, remember, when I’m not feeding ice cream to happy engaged people?’ Now I come to mention it, it feels like another life altogether. ‘You don’t usually have time for anything other than paint when you’re halfway through a project either!’
She winces. ‘I’m actually buying a reference book.’ She holds it out and I pick my jaw up off the floor.
‘ 50 Things to See in the Night Sky . The hardback version with the glow in the dark cover!’ I went for the less fancy one and saved myself a tenner. ‘I didn’t know you were interested in stars?’
‘I’m not.’ She shuffles. ‘But I might be. I’ll give it a try and let you know.’
I make my smile bright. ‘It’s great you’re exploring new areas.’
‘I’m not the only one, am I?’ She reaches out and tickles Shadow’s ears. ‘Who’s been having late night dips in the hotel pool?’
My mouth drops open. ‘How come you heard about that?’
She gives a shrug. ‘I expect it’s on the CCTV.’ She smiles. ‘I’m pleased you’re going out with new friends – Kit and Rye are especially nice.’
I give a cough to cover how appalled I am. ‘We were actually having a work brainstorming session.’
She smiles. ‘That clearly went well too. I tried one of your new afternoon teas earlier; your scones were delicious and David is delighted. They could be just what the place needs to draw in more customers.’
My voice is high with surprise. ‘But you never eat lunch!’ If she did it would be a salad.
She laughs. ‘Never say never! That could be my new motto.’
Now I look more closely she’s not in actual overalls either. ‘You’re looking extra smart today too.’
She stares down and gives her belt a tug. ‘You don’t think a French Connection jumpsuit is too young for me? Somehow it feels important for me to be myself.’
‘You look fine – lovely, in fact.’ It’s a silky version of her usual long-sleeved boiler suit, but together with her platitudes and a new shade of lippy the whole effect is so unnerving I have to call her out on it. ‘What’s going on with you, Mum?’
I’m not about to credit David Byron by name in all of this, but I’m confident he’s at the centre of the storm.
She half shakes her head. ‘It’s something and nothing, a few loose ends that need tying up. I promise you’ll be the first to know if it’s ever anything more.’ Then the till drawer rings and my mum steps forwards. ‘This is me! I’d better go.’
As I watch her hurrying out of the shop door a few minutes later I’m no wiser.
The sales assistant is helpful as ever as she takes my payment. ‘Would you like a set of postcards of views of bygone St Aidan? They’re a fundraiser for the local care home, we’ll all be old one day after all!’
My fingers are crossed tightly for that.
‘Why not?’ They cost slightly more than my book, but Milla helps at the care home, so I know it’s a lovely place and worth the support. As for the future, I’ve learned to focus on the present, but I’ve promised myself to be fiercely optimistic about the rest until there’s a reason not to be. If I make it to old age, I’ll be whooping.
The assistant rings it all up and tucks the cards inside the book. ‘It’s always lovely to see a mother and daughter enjoying the same hobbies. If you’re starting an astronomy club, I can put up a poster for you?’
I take my paperback. ‘Thanks, I’ll get back to you on that one.’
It’s not lost on me that Mum and I were in the same shop buying practically the same book, but we might as well have been in parallel universes.
Shadow and I head out onto the street, take a gasp of sea air to clear our heads and run straight into St Aidan’s other overall wearer. At least Plum’s are reassuringly paint-splattered.
She points at my book. ‘Ooh, you’re taking up astronomy?’
‘It’s only a precaution, I’m hoping not to.’
Her eyebrows go up. ‘I’m pleased I’ve met you, because something’s come up – one of those things that have to be discussed face-to-face.’
‘If it’s about Dillon…’
‘No!’ Her hand goes up. ‘This is something else entirely. I can’t tell you who told me, but – David Byron has made an informal approach to the planners, asking if they’d be in favour of putting a lido on your land.’
My heart goes into free fall. Talking about Dillon would have been manageable, but this is like Pandora’s box opening. ‘Can they do that without telling me?’
Plum’s involvement with the Chamber of Commerce not only means she’s in the front line for receiving information, but also that she understands it too. She takes a breath. ‘An informal approach is a way for people to find out the kind of development the council would allow without going to the expense of drawing up a full scheme. They’d only inform all the landowners involved if a proper application was made.’ She bites her lip. ‘If they work out what they need in advance, when the full scheme is submitted it goes through faster.’
I blow out a sigh. ‘It lets developers get all their balls in a row so they can take the little people like me by surprise.’
Plum blows out her cheeks. ‘At least now we know what’s going on behind the scenes we can decide on an action plan.’
I’m working out what she’s getting at. ‘A plan for what?’
She pulls me into a hug. ‘I know we mermaids are a bit depleted with Nell and Clemmie on maternity leave, but we can’t take this lying down. We have to fight it! ’
‘ We absolutely do! ’ I punch the air so hard, I drop my star book on the pavement.
And to think that my biggest worries up until five minutes ago were how to dodge staring up at the sky with Kit, and how to get Sophie to agree to a makeover.