Chapter 32
32
C ally had heard nothing from Logan. She’d considered messaging him but had decided against it. Instead, she stuck her head in the sand, buried herself in her laptop, and tried not to think about it. Eloise had told her in no uncertain words that she thought she was doing the wrong thing, but Cally's head had remained well and truly in the sand. Her grandma had always told her she was stubborn. It seemed she’d been right.
Part of her seethed about Logan and what she perceived to be his lies. Sitting at her laptop waiting for a customer to find their order number, she realised that while she thought about Logan and the situation, she was clenching her jaw so tightly it was almost as if her bones might crack. He’d riled her up and then some. And now he’d stuck to his word and not called or darkened the door. Poor devil couldn't do anything right. All of it would have been fine if she didn't care less. She did. The problem was that she still loved him and probably would until the cows came home.
Henry-Hicks might have stuffed up, but he was unknowingly still very much in the game.
She tutted as the customer gave the wrong order number and she had to instruct her that she needed an eight-digit number. The joys of working in customer service. Dealing with another three customers at the same time via different windows, she tried not to think about Logan. Easier said than done.
After making a cup of tea and working through an afternoon filled with complaint after complaint, by the end of the session, she’d had enough. She checked her watch and wondered whether she could bail out of the Chowder Festival progress meeting she was attending that was happening at a speakeasy at the back of the deli. She considered not going for all of about three seconds. Being part of the Lovely community was very important to her, and ducking out of the meeting would put a very black, very intense mark against her name. She wasn’t in the mood for the meeting in the slightest, though. About the only thing she was in the mood for was comfort eating, a shed load of wallowing, and maybe a bit of a cry for good measure. Or perhaps getting into bed, putting the duvet over her head, and hibernating until the whole Logan mess was something she could forget. As she pulled the lever on the shower, listened to the water coming up through the building, and heard the pipes clang and bang, she cursed herself for the billionth time for falling in love with Logan. She rued the day she’d first set eyes on him when the bottom of her bag fell away on the riverboat. Rued his stupid surname. His manor house, no less. Shoulders, eyes, everything else.
After showering, putting on her usual short skirt uniform, and sticking her hair up in clips, she poured herself a hot blackcurrant and, with a bit of time to kill before the meeting, decided to have a little walk. She hoped the fresh air might do her some good. Walking out of the back entrance of the deli, she headed down the service road at the back, came out not far from the lighthouse, stood gazing at it for a few minutes, and then headed back in the direction of the shops.
As she made her way further along the street, she hoovered up the Lovely scene in front of her eyes. Even though she was not happy about what had happened concerning falling in love with one of Lovely’s poshest inhabitants, she still adored the third smallest town in the country. The line of pretty boutique shops with paned windows looked back at her and oodles of bunting ready for the festival fluttered across the top of the street. A young couple sat in the window of the chocolate shop with steaming cups of coffee and truffles, and she smiled at the old bookshop with its striped awning and bench outside loaded with second-hand books. The old-fashioned hardware store, where timber trestle tables lined up against the shop window were stacked with old fishing baskets full of hardware items, was just closing up for the day. A little dog was tied up outside the charity shop and a couple of mums, one wearing one of the blue wax Lovely coats, pushed prams back and forth as they chatted outside the Co-op. Cally liked being part of Lovely. Quaint, old-fashioned, and from another time, it made her feel safe, as if she belonged and had somewhere to call home.
She smiled as she stopped at the pub, peered in the window, and looked along at the bow-fronted shop of the deli with bunting hanging across the top of the door. A chalkboard with bunting tied haphazardly around the top detailed Lovely Bay chowder was available and invited passers-by to pop in.
A few minutes later, she was standing in the deli. Alice frowned and smiled at the same time. ‘Hey, our Cally. You’re a bit early, aren’t you?’
‘I had to get out of the flat. I’ve been staring at my laptop for hours on end. Had enough of it.’
‘Right, you are. Coffee?’
‘Yes, please.’
Alice lowered her voice, ‘You coming later?’
‘Yes. Do you need any help?’
Alice looked over her shoulder in the direction of the back of the deli where the speakeasy chowder evening and meeting for the festival would be taking place. ‘I think we’re good. We set most of it up last night.’
‘Shout if you need anything.’
‘Will do. Take a pew. I’ll bring it over in a minute.’
Cally sat down by the door and, as she settled herself in, inhaled the familiar scents: coffee, baking, and Lovely things. A few minutes later, Alice appeared, balancing a steaming mug of coffee and a plate with a large slice of carrot cake.
'Here you go,' Alice said, setting the items down in front of Cally. 'Thought you might fancy a bit of cake. You look like you could use a pick-me-up. On the house.'
'Thanks, Alice. You're a star.'
Alice pulled out the chair opposite and sat down, her own mug of coffee in hand. 'I’ll join you for a sec. I’ve been on my feet all day. So, how are the festival preparations going on your end? Ready for Nina's big speakeasy debut?'
‘She’s been running around like a headless chicken, trying to get everything perfect. Actually not a headless chicken, an organised chicken. You know what she’s like.’
Alice chuckled. 'I can imagine. It's exciting, isn't it? Her first proper event in that gorgeous house of hers.’
'I know. I have to say I am jealous, ha! It's like something out of a film. All those big windows looking out over the water. It's going to be quite the backdrop for the speakeasy.'
'I heard the tickets to her place went in minutes.’
Cally's eyebrows rose. 'Really? That's brilliant.’
'So, what's your role in it?' Alice asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
'Bit of everything, really. I'm helping with serving, of course. But I'm also on decoration duty. She’s got everything planned. It’s going to sparkle, that’s for sure.'
Alice's eyes widened. 'Blimey. That sounds like quite the undertaking.’
'Yup, there are lots of fairy lights and more vintage glassware than I knew existed in all of Lovely.’ Cally took a bite of her carrot cake. ‘How are things shaping up here? I bet you're run off your feet.'
Alice slumped in her chair. 'You have no idea. Between the regular customers, the festival prep, and Colin's grand plans, I'm about ready to keel over. I love it, though. The Chowder Festival is in my blood.'
'Oh goodness, what's Colin up to now?' Cally asked.
Alice rolled her eyes. 'He's got it in his head that Lovely Bay needs to be the most festive-looking town in all of Britain. I swear, if he puts up any more bunting, we'll be visible from space.'
Cally chuckled. 'Yeah, I spoke to him on the river.'
'I think he's trying to break some sort of world record. Most bunting per capita or something ridiculous. I half expect to wake up one morning and find he's bunting-ed the entire coastline.'
'Bunting-ed?' Cally repeated, grinning. 'Is that even a word?'
Alice waved her hand. 'It is now. When it comes to Colin's obsessions, we need to invent new words just to keep up.'
Cally laughed. It was all part of why she adored Lovely: the funny little traditions and the sometimes quite odd characters. She’d fallen in love with them more or less from day one.
‘I'm going to be absolutely cream-crackered by the end of it. I might need a holiday just to recover from the Chowder Festival.' Alice rolled her eyes.
'I know what you mean. It's exciting, but it's a lot of work. And it's not like we can just close up shop for a week to focus on it. We've still got our regular jobs to do. Birdie is beside herself.'
'Don't get me wrong, I love the festival. It's brilliant for the town, brings in loads of visitors, and it's a right laugh. But sometimes, I think we might be biting off more than we can chew. I say that every year, though and every year is better than the last.'
‘It's what makes this place special. To be fair, I love it.'
Alice nodded. ‘When it all comes together and we see everyone enjoying themselves, it'll be worth it. I just might need someone to prop me up by the end of it all.'
'I'll volunteer for that duty. As long as you return the favour when I inevitably collapse after Nina's speakeasy.'
'Deal,' Alice laughed.
'Right,' Alice said, glancing at her watch. 'I'd better get back to it. Those flapjacks for tomorrow won't bake themselves, more's the pity.'
Cally nodded, draining the last of her coffee. 'I might have another one if you don’t mind.'
‘Of course. Thanks for the chat. I needed a bit of a laugh.'
'Me too. More than you know.'
Alice frowned. 'Everything alright?'
For a moment, Cally was tempted to spill everything, but she held back. There was no way she wanted her personal drama going around Lovely, although she was fairly sure the Lovely grapevine was well aware of what was going on. ‘Yep, fine. Everything’s good with me.’
Alice nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced. 'Alright. But my offer stands. Anytime you need to talk or just fancy a cuppa and a moan, you know where to find me.'
'Thanks.’
‘Oh and later, if Colin comes at you with a clipboard, just run. Run far and run fast.'
Cally laughed. 'Noted.'