Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
I t was just before three p.m. and everyone was gathered at Blue Water Bay. No one knew what the result of the voting would be, except Cooper, who’d counted the votes. He was standing at the edge of the sand talking to Pete. As soon as he spotted Verity, he gestured for her to come over.
‘What did you think of the flat?’ asked Cooper.
Verity took the keys out of her bag. ‘To be honest, Cooper, I just have one major complaint.’
Cooper’s smile dropped as he looked at Pete then back at Verity. ‘Complaint?’
‘The view through those bifold doors was just terrible. I really couldn’t put up with it on a daily basis!’ She laughed.
‘For a minute there…’
‘I’d love to take the flat if that’s okay with you, and if the rent is manageable.’
‘Glad to hear it, because I have this for you.’ He handed her an envelope. ‘Pete and I had a discussion and we think this is a fair monthly price.’
Verity opened the envelope and looked at the figure written on the piece of paper within. The rent for the flat was a few hundred less than her own home that she was renting out. With her wage from the new job – if she got it – she would be able to manage perfectly. She held out her hand to Cooper. ‘Deal.’
‘Fantastic! I’ll get the contract drawn up and we can have it signed by the end of the week.’
‘Perfect. I’ll see you at four p.m. for the interview.’
‘You will. Speaking of the time…’ Cooper checked his watch and said goodbye before walking off towards the microphone stand that was positioned on the jetty.
Pete leaned in and whispered, ‘I think the job is in the bag.’
‘I hope so,’ replied Verity. ‘I can’t believe this is happening. And by the way, I need to apologise to you. I didn’t make it back to the cottage to help you out.’
‘Where have you been?’
She grinned.
‘You made everything okay with Sam?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m glad to hear that.’
Their conversation was interrupted by Cooper switching on the microphone. Verity spotted Sam at the front of the crowd and caught his eye. He grinned at her, the two of them sharing the secret that only minutes earlier they had been wrapped in each other’s arms and had almost forgotten the time.
Cooper began to speak and Verity and Sam both turned towards him. ‘We all know why we’re here today. The safety of our islanders and visitors is paramount and we want to do what’s best to stop vehicles being trapped on the causeway when the tide turns. Ideas have included posters on the ferries, TV campaigns, radio campaigns and, of course, barriers. Islanders have strong opinions both for and against the barriers, and so the only way to settle this was by an island vote. All votes have now been counted and verified, and inside this envelope is the result.’
Verity noticed a look pass between Pete and Sam.
Cooper opened the envelope. Verity was reminded of the BAFTA awards.
‘In total we have one hundred and sixty residents over the age of eighteen who were eligible to vote. One hundred and sixty votes were counted. The total number of islanders for the barriers is eighty; the total number of islanders against the barriers is eighty.’
There was a groan all around. It was a draw?
‘What happens now?’ whispered Verity to Clemmie, who was standing next to her.
‘God knows,’ she replied.
Cooper held his hand up to silence everyone. ‘Can I make a suggestion?’
All eyes were on him, while his own were searching the crowd. Then they found and fixed on Verity. She gulped, not knowing what he was going to say.
‘This morning we had one hundred and sixty residents on the island, but this afternoon we have one hundred and sixty-one.’
Again, there was chatter all around.
‘Oh my gosh, he’s not going to make me choose, is he? Please tell me he isn’t going to make me choose,’ Verity mumbled to herself.
‘Verity Callaway.’
All the islanders turned in her direction.
‘My suggestion is that Verity has the deciding vote. She’ll soon be moving into the flat above the veterinary surgery and so she is Puffin Island’s newest resident.’
What the heck was she meant to do now? She supposed she could refuse but then the debate over the barriers would continue to cause unrest. It was an impossible situation as either way she was going to upset Pete or Sam.
Thinking fast on her feet, Verity began walking towards Cooper. She took the microphone from him and gazed out at the islanders. ‘Hello! I can’t believe how much has fallen into place for me during my time on Puffin Island. I’ve fallen in love with the place. But I have to say – if it wasn’t for me getting stranded on the causeway, I’d be in Amsterdam right now. I was the latest idiot to be rescued from the causeway, when the clock in my van stopped and I read the time wrong and misjudged the tide. If barriers had existed, they would definitely have stopped me driving across the causeway and getting swept up by the tide.’
Sam smiled. Verity knew he was hoping she would sway the vote in his favour.
‘But I’m actually glad there were no barriers…’
The smile dropped from Sam’s face.
‘…Because my destiny was diverted down another path. However’—she took a breath—‘I can see both sides of the argument and I really can’t vote on this.’
Both Pete and Sam looked confused. She invited them up to join her. As soon as they were by her side, she continued, ‘I have an idea. I don’t know if it’s possible, but surely we can all work together to see if we can make it happen.’ She looked towards Sam. ‘I do think the barriers are a good idea and will help to save lives, but also’—she turned towards Pete—‘I understand your argument fully. So, how about we combine the two ideas? Would it be possible for the barriers to be installed but with an override function that the coastguard on duty can operate? Could there be some sort of key that could manually operate the barriers in case of an emergency?’
All the islanders were quiet and watched Pete and Sam, who were looking at each other. Sam’s face broke into a smile first. ‘I’m up for discussion on that, if Pete is?’
Pete nodded and extended his hand.
Watching them shake hands, Verity was ecstatic. She couldn’t have hoped for a better result. She handed the microphone back to Cooper, who was clearly impressed with her diplomatic skills.
‘I’m going to go and get ready for my interview.’
Cooper nodded and Verity left the jetty to a round of applause.
‘Ever thought of running for prime minister?’ Sam asked, appearing behind her.
‘Ha ha. That certainly wouldn’t be my dream job. It’s been difficult enough keeping you islanders in check since my arrival.’
Sam swept her off her feet and kissed her full on the lips. ‘You’re just the best. I’ve got to go over to the restaurant, but come and tell me all about the interview when you’ve finished. There will be a drink waiting for you.’
‘I shall do just that.’ She kissed him again before he headed off.
She turned to find Clemmie and Amelia standing with linked arms in front of her. ‘Er, excuse me.’ Clemmie wafted her hand between Verity and Sam, who had paused a few feet away and was deep in conversation with Pete. ‘What’s going on here?’
‘Just going with the flow,’ replied Verity with a wink. ‘But I’ll catch up with you both later. I’m just off for a job interview.
‘Good luck!’ they trilled in unison as Verity hurried off towards the cliff path to get ready.