Chapter 41
41
A good few months or so had gone by since the funeral. Logan had most definitely had his fair share of ups and downs, but overall, he was on the mend. Cally had navigated her way through it, seen the grief sequence she knew well come and go for him, and successfully made it through the other side. In a funny way, what had happened to Logan had made them much closer. Almost as if the shared knowledge of what it felt like to grieve was another connection between the two of them. Cally wasn’t quite sure if connecting over what grief felt like was a good thing or not. She supposed she didn’t have much choice in the matter.
After a nice long walk, she was on her way to view a flat on the other side of Lovely. As she came over the crest of a hilly residential area, she looked down at the bay in the distance. The sloping, tree-lined street she was on was oddly quiet with no cars and apart from a rustle of leaves and a few birds here and there, not a lot could be heard at all. As Cally walked along, she nosed at the white picket fences at the front of pretty houses, the shell-tile Lovely roofs, and a jumble of chimney pots here and there puncturing up into the sky. On the other side of the road, a couple ahead of her with a Labrador was taking a leisurely stroll down the hill in the direction of the bay and a man wearing a white cycle helmet passed her on an electric bike. He tipped his hand to his head and said hello as he cycled past, full of the joys of spring even though the cold weather had well and truly arrived.
Cally crossed the road, squeezing between a couple of parked cars, and then stood outside the block of flats where she was booked in to see a ground-floor apartment. The beautiful old 1920s building, painted a soft grey and white with a fence on either side of a central pathway entrance, looked just like her cup of tea. French doors led to stairs with a stained-glass window in the middle and tall glass panes flanked either side of the front door. According to the estate agents, the property was a small two-storey “boutique” building with four flats and communal gardens in an enviable position. As Cally stood looking up at the building, she couldn’t argue with that.
Initially, she had been in two minds about whether or not to arrange a viewing because, from the start of her property hunt, she’d been looking for a top-floor flat. In fact, being in a top-floor place had been on her non-negotiables list. From the moment she’d moved into Birdie’s flat, she’d just felt comfortable being up high and looking over rooftops. At the end of the day, she’d climb up the stairs, slip off her shoes, lock the front door, and say goodbye to the world. It had been a real positive in her life.
She stood pondering the fact that she preferred to be upstairs as she looked at the building. She stepped to her side, and just before she went in, turned around, and took in the landscape — a church spire, the sea in the distance, and lining up all the way down the road old television aerials butting up into the sky. As soon as she walked into the foyer of the Art Deco building, she liked it. With a wide staircase, a handmade timber banister leading up to the first floor, and a beautiful tessellated floor, she loved the feel right away. Rather than being dark and a bit dreary as she thought it might have been, the entrance was bright and inviting by way of an Art Deco skylight in the middle of the second-floor roof. As she looked around, she nodded in appreciation at the survival of the original old doorbells on either side of the doors, the little pigeon holes in the architraves, and the old timber utility door to a service room underneath the stairs.
Turning past the stairs, she took in flat number two, where outside, a very well-cared-for, delicate-leaved palm stood beside an old 1920s door. A brass doorknob, matching letterbox, and fittings shone and a doormat welcomed. Just as Cally was about to push her finger into the old-fashioned bell, the door opened, and the estate agent, Ella, greeted her. Cally knew Ella from the chemist and via a few phone calls they’d had about property in Lovely Bay and she’d helped Birdie with scouting out for a new shop in a neighbouring town.
Ella beamed. ‘Our Cally. Good to see you. How are you?’
‘Good, thanks.’
‘So, what do you think of the street appeal? Nice, eh? I know you said you didn’t want a ground-floor flat, but how lovely is it outside?’ Ella asked with a wide smile.
‘It’s good. I like it so far.’
‘I thought you would as soon as it came on. It's about a hundred years old. You said you wanted something with character.’
‘I did, yep.’
‘It’s one of these gorgeous old Lovely buildings.’
‘Mmm. I thought that when I arrived. I love the shell tiles on the roof.’
‘I know. You have to have a house in Lovely with a shell roof, right?’
‘So, no one is living here at the moment?’ Cally asked.
‘No, it’s a deceased estate,’ Ella noted. ‘The old lady who lived here was in a nursing home, and there was a waiting period for all the legal stuff to go through. That’s sorted now and so here we are.’
As Ella led Cally into the flat, the first thing that struck her was the abundance of natural light. She’d expected it to be a bit dingy, but light flooded in through large windows.
Ella gestured around the room. ‘It's got some lovely original features. Lots of good light – typical of the Art Deco period.'
Cally nodded. She looked up at a very ornate ceiling rose and lines of beautiful decorative coving that ran along the top of the high-ceilinged walls.
'That fireplace is original.’
Cally moved closer to the old mantel and ran her hand along the smooth, cool surface. 'It's beautiful. Wow, yes.’
The flat had seen better days, but its bones were calling out as Cally walked around with wide eyes. An old carpet covered what appeared to be hardwood floors, original pull light switches dropped from the ceiling, and beautiful porthole windows looked out over the back.
'Now, I should mention the kitchen. One of the areas that needs a bit of work.'
Cally looked around, taking in dated units, a worn linoleum floor, and peeling wallpaper. The whole room had a tired feel to it, but the original Crittall windows were beautiful and looked out over a small courtyard area.
'It's functional but needs updating. That's part of the reason the price is so competitive. It needs a quick sale, and so it’s priced to reflect the work that needs doing. These don’t come up very often. To be quite honest, I don’t think we’re going to see many, if any, more flats come on the market until the new year now.'
Cally nodded, her mind whirring with possibilities. She knew a good buy when she saw one. She’d certainly been stalking estate agent sites for long enough.
Ella mused as if reading her thoughts. 'The bones of the rooms are good. Lovely big windows, plenty of space to work with, and you’ll never go wrong with a block like this.'
They moved on to the bathroom, which was in a similar state to the kitchen. An avocado suite wasn’t too pleasant, but an original beautiful Art Deco mirror above the sink and old light fixtures were priceless.
'Lovely original features but needs work. All reflected in the asking price.'
After going around the flat, Cally was charmed. She was surprised she could afford it but, at the same time, realised it wasn’t for her. The view, or lack thereof, was a significant drawback. She'd grown accustomed to her elevated perspective from Birdie's flat, and the thought of losing that was more disappointing than she'd anticipated. ‘It is nice,' she admitted. 'There's so much to like about it. The period features are beautiful, and I can see the potential.'
'But? I’m sensing a but…’ Ella chuckled.
'But I'm not sure about the lack of a view. I'm so used to looking out over the rooftops, seeing the bay in the distance and the lighthouse. I'm not sure how I'd feel about losing that.'
'It's a big decision.’
‘Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be for me.’
‘Right.’
‘Do you have anything else on soon?’
Ella tutted. ‘I wish. These one bedroom flats are light gold dust around here. I think it will be a while.’
‘I thought as much. I think I might put it on the back burner for a while. I have had such a lot going on.’
‘You have.’
‘I might park looking for a property until the new year.’
‘Might be an idea. As you say you’ve had a time of it and there will be movement once Spring rolls in.’
‘Yes, I think I’m going to stop looking for a bit. I don’t want to make the wrong decision.’
‘Might be a good idea. Don’t plump for something now when there might be something better in a few months' time.’
‘Good advice.’
‘How are things up at the Manor now some time has passed?’
Cally sighed. ‘Ahh, better, I guess.’
Ella shook her head. ‘What a sorry old state of affairs that was.’
‘I know.’
‘I knew Alastair back in the day when I was a teenager. Who would have thought?’
‘Yep. You just don’t know, do you?’
‘Nope. I hear you’re going up to Scotland soon. Birdie told me the other day when I was in for a prescription. She’s beside herself that she’s been invited.’
Cally chuckled. ‘I know.’
‘Any particular reason why you’re going? Or is it just to enjoy the festive stuff in that neck of the woods?’
Cally smiled. ‘It all started with Logan and because I like snow, and if there’s one thing that place has at this time of year, it’s snow. We just thought it might be nice to get away.’
‘Right.’
‘It went from a quiet weekend away to, well, I don’t know really, Logan inviting Birdie, my friend Eloise, and yeah, hopefully it will be nice.’
‘Just make sure you’re rugged up well.’
‘I will.’
‘I reckon you’ll have a whale of a time.’ Ella gestured around in front of her. ‘Put the flat hunting on hold for a bit and have some time off.’
‘You’re right. I have had a lot on my plate.’
‘You can’t really go wrong going up there, can you?’
Cally shook her head. ‘I suppose not.’
She hoped that was true. The last time she’d travelled to Scotland it had not been the start of good things. That was about to change.