Chapter 37
37
C ally sat on a rickety old chair at a worn timber table in a tucked-away corner of the lighthouse. She'd been to the lighthouse many times before, but it was very special being there for a chowder evening. Something exciting and very Lovely indeed. The room was dimly lit, with most of the illumination coming from mismatched candles in old jam jars scattered across the tables. It felt as if she'd stepped back in time or into some sort of parallel universe where people sat around in old lighthouses surrounded by candlelight.
She’d been invited to the speakeasy by way of Birdie and Nancy and had snapped up the tickets as soon as they’d come out. She loved the chowder speakeasies and there was no way she’d ever miss out on a pop-up event at the lighthouse.
Logan sat across from her, his face half in shadow, half-lit by the flickering candlelight. He looked as bemused as she felt. 'Well, this is certainly nice. Cosy.’
‘Is it me, or does it feel really secret? Like more than usual?’
‘It does.’
'Nancy said this one goes under the radar.’ Cally giggled.
‘We’re lucky to be here, especially me being a Henry-Hicks and all that. I’m only here because of you.’ Logan joked. ‘You open doors.’
‘Are you saying that I’m more of a Lovely than you?’
Logan laughed. ‘That may well be. It’s your new coat and job.’
'Ahh, it’s weird living here. There's always so much more to Lovely than meets the eye.’
‘Coats, chocolate, and chowder.’ Logan bantered.
As if on cue, Colin appeared at their table, wearing a striped fisherman's jumper and balancing a tray precariously in one hand. 'Evening, you two.'
Cally nodded. 'Evening. This is all very clandestine.'
Colin's grin widened. 'Ah, well, that's the beauty of it, isn't it? A little bit of mystery keeps things interesting. Now, what can I get you? Chowder or would it be chowder?'
Logan leaned forward and played along. 'What sort of chowder do you have?'
'Well,' Colin lowered his voice. 'We've got a smoked haddock chowder that'll knock your socks off. And for those feeling a bit adventurous, there's a curried crab chowder that's been getting rave reviews.'
Cally's eyebrows shot up. 'Curried crab chowder? That sounds... interesting.'
Colin laughed. ‘Nah, just the usual. You get what you’re given. Like it or lump it.’
Logan looked at Cally and played along. 'We'll try the usual, shall we?'
'Excellent choice. And to drink? We've got a lovely local ale that pairs well with the chowder, or there's wine if you prefer. That’s your lot, I’m afraid, unless you want a soft drink. We have plenty of that. Or I can do you a cup of tea.'
'The ale sounds perfect,' Cally said, and Logan nodded in agreement.
As Colin bustled off, Cally took another look around the room. The other tables were filled with a mix of familiar faces, candles flickered, and everyone seemed relaxed and happy. She felt the same, and thankfully, it appeared Logan did too.
'I wonder how long this whole chowder thing has been going on?' Cally mused.
Logan shrugged. 'Decades. I wouldn't be surprised if my great-grandfather used to sneak down here for a secret bowl of chowder.'
Cally smiled as she looked around. One of the things she liked about Lovely was how it seemed to have endless layers of history and secrets. Every time she came across a new bit of the past or a superstition, she fell in love a little bit more. Lovely, just as it had the first time she’d visited, was so different from the horrid grey, miserable world she'd grown up in, where everything had been about caring and the daily grind of getting by. It just didn’t feel like that in Lovely, even when things were far from rosy. Even as Logan had flailed around grieving, Lovely had almost felt as if it had supported her.
Colin returned with two small glasses of amber ale, placing them carefully on the table. 'There you go. The chowder won't be long. Get ready to enjoy – it’s a good one.'
Cally took a sip of her drink, sighed, sat back in her chair, and felt her whole body relax. 'This is good.’
Logan seemed more relaxed than he’d been for a long time. 'It is. It always seems to taste nicer when you’re sitting somewhere like this.’
‘So true. It’s these little bespoke experiences.'
Cally sipped her drink and soaked in the atmosphere; the room was filled with the low hum of conversation, the occasional clink of cutlery against bowls, and from somewhere the faint sound of an old radio playing vintage jazz tunes. The sea glinted in the distance.
Logan lifted his chin in the direction of the view. 'It's beautiful this evening, isn't it?'
Cally nodded. 'I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view.'
'Me neither. Actually, speaking of views, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.'
'Oh?'
Logan went to continue just as Colin reappeared, carrying two steaming bowls of chowder.
'Here we are,' he announced, putting the bowls down in front of them. 'Two curried crab chowders, piping hot and ready to warm your souls. Joking, two regular old Lovely chowders. Though I have to say these are far from same old same old.'
Cally inhaled an incredible aroma wafting up from the bowls – a mix of seafood, garlic, and something uniquely, as far as she was concerned, Lovely. ‘Amazing. Thanks.’
Colin beamed. 'Wait till you taste it. It’s good. Shout if you want more.’
As Colin moved away to check on other tables Cally and Logan dug into their chowder. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. There were more than a few appreciative nods. Cally dipped her spoon into the thick, creamy concoction: rich, velvety, and with just the right amount of garlic. It was one of the best Lovely Bay chowders she’d had, but she said that every time. 'Oh my god,' she mumbled around her spoonful, her eyes wide. ‘This is fab.’
Logan nodded. ‘And there Colin was having us on about curried chowder. You can’t beat this.’
'It’s so good.’
Logan nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin. 'Funny really. I never would have tried chowder if it wasn’t for living in Lovely.’
'Same. That's Lovely for you.'
Logan lowered his voice. ‘It’s all a tad weird, really.’
‘I know. When I first worked for Birdie, I swear I thought everyone was a bit bonkers here, as if there was something in the water. And now here I am, part of it.’
'Speaking of surprises and back to what I was saying. I've been thinking. Now I’m feeling better about everything and a bit of time has passed...'
‘Right, yep.’
‘First, I want to say thank you for, well, you know, sticking by me.’
‘Don't be ridiculous! I can’t believe you’d even say that.’
Logan raised his half-full glass. ‘I know I’ve been putting away much too much of this.’
‘It’s fine.’ Cally pretended. It wasn’t fine. Logan had been very sad and had dealt with it by drinking way too much way too many times.
‘It’s not fine.’
She decided to come clean. ‘Okay. Actually, you’re right, it’s not fine.’
‘You’ve stuck by me when I was far from my best.’
Cally joked. ‘You’re worth it. Just.’
‘I mean it. Anyway, in light of all that, I thought you might like a trip up to the estate.’
Cally wrinkled up her nose and frowned. ‘The estate? What in Scotland?’
‘Yep. You said you wanted to see snow when we were there back in the summer. So if you want to, I’m going to arrange it. It’s amazing up there when it’s cold.’
‘Do you mean for Christmas?’ Cally frowned.
‘I was thinking just before so we get all the best bits of the festive season but still get to spend time in Lovely for Christmas itself. Up to you.’
‘Mmm, yep, good idea.’ Cally's eyes lit up at the prospect of a pre-Christmas trip to Scotland. 'That sounds wonderful, actually.'
'I thought you might like the idea. The whole estate looks a picture when it's covered in snow.'
'I can imagine.’
‘I was thinking we could invite a few others. Birdie, Eloise, Nina, some of my family.’
Cally raised an eyebrow. 'What? That's quite a group. Any particular reason? That’s a bit out of the blue, isn’t it? I thought you meant just us.'
Logan shrugged. Cally noticed a flicker of something in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure what. Inside, she sighed. She didn’t want to go to Scotland as part of some grief thing to do with Alastair. She was wholeheartedly behind Logan and was happy for his grieving to take as long as was required, but she drew the line at shrine-like reminiscing trips. Nope, she would not be partaking in that.
'No reason. Just thought it would be fun to have everyone together after, well, you know, the last few months or so have been grim. Plus, the estate can certainly accommodate them all, so I thought, why not? Time’s ticking on.'
'True,' Cally nodded, still watching Logan closely. There was something he wasn't telling her, she was sure of it, or maybe he was just strange because he was finally through the initial part of the grief and feeling better. She decided not to push it. If he had something planned, she'd find out soon enough. One thing was for sure though; if Logan started to go on about Alastair, their family holidays up there and recreating past festive trips, she’d pull the plug. She was happy to support him, but that would be a step too far in her humble opinion.
'So, what do you think? Are you up for a Scottish adventure?'
Cally grinned. 'Absolutely. However, I'll need to do some serious shopping. I don't think any of my clothes are suitable for Scottish winter.'
'Don't worry, you know what it’s like up there. You could turn up in a bikini and be kitted out in the boot room. It’s practically an all-weather gear shop.’
‘Good point.’
'When were you thinking of going?' Cally asked, already mentally rearranging her work schedule.
'Early to mid-December, something like that. That way we're back in time for Christmas in Lovely, but we still get the full winter experience in Scotland. I’ll get it sorted.'
'It sounds perfect. You know, if someone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd be sitting in a secret chowder speakeasy in a lighthouse, planning a trip to a Scottish estate, I'd have thought they were pulling my leg.'
Logan chuckled. 'Lovely has worked its magic on you.'
'Sometimes I still can't quite believe this is my life now.' Cally swore. ‘Now I look back, I was in quite the grim place before I moved here. Thank goodness for Birdie, helping me out with the flat.’
Logan reached across the table. 'Well, believe it because it's only going to get better from here. Now I’ve got past, you know what. At least, I hope I have. Yeah, we’re on the up, Blackcurrant.’
Cally side-eyed. Logan was acting quite strangely. She wondered if he was now hiding stuff from her and had been day drinking. He didn’t appear to be drunk, though, which was weird. There was something in his tone she didn’t like. More than odd. She opened her mouth to ask what he meant about things getting better and closed it as Colin appeared at their table again.
'Everything alright here? Can I tempt you with seconds? Or perhaps cake?'
Logan didn’t waste any time. 'Seconds, please. It's too good to pass up. Honestly, one of the best I’ve had.'
Colin’s chest visibly puffed. ‘On it. I’ll be back.’
Cally took a sip of her ale. ‘I read quite a lot about the estate in winter in those books in the cottage. What’s it like?'
‘Snow-covered hills, the loch sparkles and sometimes freezes. Cal, you’ll love the cosy evenings. The roaring fires up there are next level.’
As Cally sat and listened to Logan describe the estate, she loved the idea of another weekend there. Though Logan was acting a tad on the strange side, inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief. As the months had passed, he seemed to have turned a corner, which was welcome news. She thought about Scotland and snow and all things festive. The train ride alone would probably knock her socks off. Logan was correct. It would do her and him the world of good. She was going to jump in with two feet and see what happened.