Chapter 31
31
C ally smiled as she got to Nina’s property on the harbour side of Lovely. Talk about house envy. A beautiful old place right on the harbour wall boasting tightly held views worth their weight in gold. Cally pursed her lips together as she went around the back and buzzed the gate. She could but dream about owning a property in Lovely and carry on tightening her purse strings. She wasn’t going to let the vision go.
Having been in Nina’s house a fair few times to do with Nina's business, A Lovely Organised Life, Cally was used to how nice it was, but as Nina ushered her in, Cally shook her head. One day, she said to herself. One day, I’ll have something half as nice as this. Nina led her to a kitchen area where timber doors painted in a very pale duck egg blue were capped with brass pull handles. White subway tiles lined the wall up to a large picture window with sash panes that looked out over the harbour. The view was phenomenal . An old Butler sink with a goose-neck tap dropped into marble-style worktops under the window. Cally took in the gorgeous open shelving on either side of the window showcasing a collection of white crockery and china and a group of vintage chopping boards were stacked up in the corner.
Cally pulled out a chair from under a table with a butcher’s block top and looked up at old pendant lights over the table and a huge white vase with a gigantic jumble of flowers. She shook her head at how nice it was and how she didn’t know where to look first: pots of wooden utensils of all shapes and sizes, a very posh fridge, a double-width range oven where a vintage potbelly shaped pot with beautiful old-fashioned handles bubbled away to itself. Cally wanted to strip off her clothes, have a quick shower, steal Nina’s dressing gown and possibly her husband, and move in.
'Make yourself comfortable,' Nina called over her shoulder as she busied herself at the kettle. 'I'll have the tea ready in a jiffy.'
Cally nodded and gazed out the picture window dominating the wall behind the sink, its sash panes divided the view of the harbour into lots of little picturesque vignettes. Boats bobbed on the water, masts swayed in the light breeze and little droplets of water ran down the panes.
'Sorry, I’m having a mental block. You’re just milk, aren’t you? Or milk and sugar?'
'Just milk, please.’
‘I’m all out of blackcurrant.’ Nina chuckled.
‘I could do with a break from the sugar load, truth be told.’
‘It’s been that bad of a week, has it?’
‘Ha! If only you knew.’ Cally bantered, but inside, it was true.
Nina reached up to the open shelving and selected two mugs from her collection of white crockery as Cally fiddled with the leaves on a little row of potted herbs sitting on a tray in the centre of the table. Nina chatted away as she waited for the kettle to boil and stirred the pot on the stove. The aroma of chowder filled the air, homely and comforting. The vintage potbelly pan seemed perfectly at home on the double-width range oven, its old-fashioned handles adding a touch of nostalgia.
'That smells divine.’ Cally noted.
'It's coming along nicely. It was originally Birdie's recipe, with a few tweaks of my own along the way until I ended up with my own version.'
The kettle clicked off, and Nina poured the water into a teapot that matched the mugs. She carried the pot to the table.
Cally nodded towards the huge white vase dominating the centre of the table. ‘Love the flowers.’
'I picked them up from the market this morning. I thought they'd brighten the place up, what with all this rain we've been having.'
‘Nice, I might treat myself to some, too.’
As Nina poured the tea, Cally gestured around the kitchen. 'I don't know where to look first. It’s so homey in here, topped by that fantastic view. I love it.'
Nina chuckled. 'It's taken a while to get it right. But it's my happy place. I swear, half the reason I got into the chowder so much is because it’s an excuse to potter around in here.'
Cally took a sip of her tea. 'Well, it shows. Everything looks so well put together.’
‘Facebook Marketplace has been my friend.’ Nina laughed.
‘I love searching for stuff on there. Buried treasure.’
‘Yup, especially here where people give stuff away. I do love being part of the Lovely community.
‘I’m hearing you. This whole Chowder Festival thing is very serious, though.’
‘I know. I’m a tad on the nervous side.’ Nina got up to check on the chowder. 'Wait until you taste this. I think I've finally cracked the secret to my own recipe.'
Cally widened her eyes. ‘Ooh, do I get in on your secret?’
Nina lifted the lid, and a cloud of fragrant steam billowed up. She stirred the pot. ‘Nope.’
‘Hilarious.’
‘Joking. It's really about what you do before you even add the fish. The base is key. The bacon has to be good and then deglazed with white wine. Balances the cream.’
'Genius. You're killing me. It smells incredible.'
‘You’ll be sick of it by the time we’re finished.’
‘So, what’s left to do?’
Nina slid a mini iPad across the table. ‘All detailed down to the last fairy light.’
Cally read through. ‘Looks like you’ve thought about everything. Today is setting everything up, then.’
‘Yeah. The tables will take a while to put together. Pretty tablecloths and strings of fairy lights back and forth over the whole setting. I’m aiming to beat Colin.’
‘Good luck.’
‘The lights will take ages. I have thousands.’ Nina got up and pulled a huge old tin from a cupboard. 'What do you think about using these as centrepieces?’
Cally pursed her lips. 'They're lovely. Where did you find them?'
‘They were upstairs when I first moved in. I was going to chuck them, but something made me keep them because I loved the old patina.’
‘Yeah, nice.’
‘I want it to feel a little bit like you've stepped back in time in my speakeasy.’
‘Love that idea. I'm starting to see that this festival is a big deal in Lovely. It's not just about the food, is it?'
'Nope, it's not. The chowder is important, of course. It's the heritage, connection to the sea and to the past of the place.’
Cally nodded. ‘It’s the belonging, for me.'
'Exactly. You're part of Lovely now, whether you realise it or not.' Nina joked. ‘You have no choice in the matter. You get roped in for all sorts if you live here.’
Two hours or so into setting up the tables and chairs, Nina came down the stairs with a couple of mugs of tea. Passing one to Cally, she held up a couple of lengths of very thin rope tied into intricate nautical knots. 'What do you think about these for the napkin rings?'
‘Love. Where did you find them?'
'Old Tom just down here made them for me. He’s worked on the boats all his life, and so he knows a knot or two.’
The detail of the knots, so quintessentially Lovely, made Cally smile. ‘Wow, so clever. It’s simple but oh-so-Lovely.’
‘I know. I love it, too.’
Cally gestured around the room. 'Well, that didn’t take too long. It's really coming together.’
‘Yep. It’s exciting. Something’s in the air. You can’t put your finger on it.’
Cally nodded, understanding exactly what Nina meant. It was as if Lovely buzzed in anticipation about the upcoming festival. However, no matter how much she tried to look on the bright side or flick the switch, our Cally wasn’t buzzing. Nor was she happy. Flat, more like. Very, very flat and down in the dumps. Her arms ached from being back to holding up that same old, same old sky. Not a good position to be in at all.