Chapter 11
11
C ally and Birdie had just finished working at the chemist. They’d locked up the shop and were on their way to the old hall nestled behind the lighthouse for a Chowder Festival town meeting. As they approached, they could hear the sound of a few people talking inside and a couple of groups were standing on the pavement chatting. They made their way around the front of the lighthouse, into the backyard and let themselves in the back of the hall where rows of chairs were lined up in front of the stage and various people were standing around talking.
They weaved in and out of a scattering of Lovelies, exchanging a few words here and there, and said hello to Alice from the deli. Cally looked around at the old hall as she stood next to Birdie as Birdie conversed with one of the regulars from the chemist. The beautiful old lighthouse hall was another thing Cally loved about the little town. With its exquisitely crafted wooden floors, high ceilings and walls adorned with faded photographs and paintings depicting the town's maritime history, it seemed to encapsulate the history of the place in a nutshell. The hall was warm and busy with Lovelies and began to fill up as Cally and Birdie made their way to a couple of seats in the middle in the second row from the front.
Cally settled herself down and looked up at the small stage where a few chairs had been set out in front of thick, heavy, blue velvet curtains. Nancy, with her Lovely coat draped over the back, sat in one of the chairs, and Colin stood in front of a timber lectern, fussing with a tablet and a bunch of papers. Colin was very clearly in charge, not only that he revelled in it. His twin brother Clive, with his glasses on, was sitting adjacent to Nancy, looking down at his phone. As the last few stragglers took their seats, Colin rose to his feet and pointedly tapped on the top of the lectern with a stick at the same time as peering out at the hall. The room fell silent almost immediately, all eyes turning to the front. Let the Lovely show begin.
‘Right then. I think we can get started. Welcome, everyone, to another planning meeting for this year's Chowder Festival. We've got a lot to cover, so let's dive right in, shall we? This year is going to be our biggest and best yet, isn’t it?’
There was a ripple of agreement through the hall, a rustling of papers and scraping of a few chairs. Cally slipped her phone out of her pocket, opened her Notes app and balanced her phone on her bag, which was resting on her knee. Colin looked down, consulted his notes for a second and then looked back up with raised eyebrows. ‘First item on the agenda: the chowder competition. As you all know, the speakeasies are the heart and soul of the festival, but the competition is a fun addition. We need to make sure we have a diverse range of chowders represented, from the traditional to the innovative. Nancy, I believe you're in charge of this again this year.’ Colin looked over at Nancy with his eyebrows raised in question.
Nancy nodded. ‘I'm happy to report that we've got a record number of participants this year.’
Colin looked pleased. He tapped the top of his tablet and nodded. ‘Excellent. Brilliant work, our Nancy. That's fantastic.’ He squinted out in the direction of the hall as a side door opened, and a latecomer came rushing in. He waited and then continued. ‘We're expecting a record number of visitors to the third smallest town in the country this year. I, along with the committee, thank you, Birdie, have been working with the local tourism board to promote the festival, and the response has been overwhelming. We're going to have people coming from all over the place, so it’s going to be great for Lovely! It's all about putting our town on the map, as it were.’
As the discussion turned to logistics and the nitty-gritty details of event planning, everything from parking arrangements to closing the roads to the council toilets, Cally found herself tuning out for a bit.
Birdie leaned over and joked in a whisper. ‘I heard a rumour that the BBC might be sending a film crew this year. We’ll make the national news.’
Cally smiled. ‘I hope not. I want this place to stay a secret. At least until I’ve bought a flat. Ha.’
Birdie raised her chin in Colin’s direction. ‘I don’t think the BBC could cope with our Colin’s rules and regulations.’
About an hour later, as the meeting wrapped up, Cally stood, stretching her legs and rolling her shoulders. The hall filled with a buzz of conversation and the scraping of chairs. Cally smiled at Birdie as she gathered her things and put her bag over her shoulder. 'Well, that was comprehensive. Colin is a force to be reckoned with.’
‘I think he covered everything short of the molecular structure of chowder.' Birdie joked.
Cally chuckled. 'Don't give him ideas, or we’ll never make it out of here.’
They made their way to the refreshment table at the back of the hall, where a spread of biscuits, tea, a few bottles of wine and beer had been laid out. Nancy was standing pouring a glass of wine and looked a bit frazzled.
'All good?' Birdie asked.
Nancy rolled her eyes. 'You have no idea. Colin's on form. Say no more. He’ll be taking our inside leg measurements next. He needs a chill pill.’
Cally glanced over to where Colin was still at the front, surrounded by a group of Lovelies, gesticulating wildly as he no doubt expounded on some minute detail of festival planning. Just then, the side door opened, and Cally saw Logan step into the hall. Looking slightly out of place in smart work clothes, she watched as his eyes scanned the room. He smiled and waved when he saw her. She felt a flutter in her stomach as she waved back.
As he made his way through the crowd, nodding hellos to a few people, Birdie nudged Cally with her elbow. 'Looks like someone's come to sweep you off your feet. Or at least rescue you from another hour of Colin. Prince Charming has officially entered the building.’
‘I think he might have to save us all.’ Cally said with a smile.
Logan charmed as he reached them. ‘Ladies. Good evening. How are we all? I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?'
Nancy chuckled. 'We were just discussing how we can get Colin to calm down about the festival. Care to weigh in with any advice on that?'
‘I wouldn’t dare! How’s it all going?’ Logan asked. ‘Everything under control?’
‘Yeah, fine. I think everyone has had their roles assigned. We’ve been planning since last year. It’s all downhill from here on in.’
‘All that’s needed then is to make sure Lovely delivers on the weather.’ Logan noted.
‘The one thing our Colin cannot guarantee.’ Nancy said with a chuckle. ‘Though, if he could find a way, I am sure he would try to make it happen.’
Birdie laughed. ‘He would. If he could order sunshine and warm weather, it would be on his list.’
Logan smiled. ‘I heard he’s going all out on the bunting and lights this year.’
Nancy frowned. ‘How do you know that?’
‘There may have been a call to the manor for assistance.’
‘He’s a one, isn’t he?’ Birdie laughed.
‘Lovely Manor may have donated a thing or two.’ Logan noted.
‘Makes sense.’ Nancy nodded. ‘I wondered about that. He doesn’t leave a stone unturned.’
‘Nope.’
Birdie joked. ‘You wouldn’t want to make an enemy of him around here.’
‘Definitely not.’
Logan widened his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t want to make an enemy of anyone around here.’
‘True that.’ Nancy nodded.
Birdie agreed. ‘Yep.’
Nancy looked directly at Logan and joked. ‘You don’t want to be upsetting any Lovelies, especially our Cally here.’
They all chuckled, and Cally felt a warm, Lovely fuzz at being included in the little community. Shame she didn't quite know what was around the corner. It would soon take more than a Lovely fuzz to make her feel better.