Chapter 3
It was later that day, and as Nina walked through Lovely and made her way across a couple of greens, she saw various people making preparations for the storm. Never having lived on the coast before, she hadn’t really realised how seriously storm prepping was taken. As a former city-dwelling girl, storms had come and gone, of course, but before, in her little flat in London, without the proximity of the sea and battering of the elements on the coast, getting storm-ready had never felt important. She’d seen, though, in Lovely Bay that the threat and forecast of a big storm was a whole other kettle of fish altogether.
Nina was on her way to The Summer Hotel to meet Nancy, who was going to help her ensure everything was shipshape before the storm came in. Walking towards the hotel, she knocked on June, Robby’s aunt”s, door to check that she was okay, and then went next door to The Summer Hotel, taking the side path towards the garden. As she went past the back door, she remembered when she’d first arrived at the hotel. Then, with way too much luggage and a heart so heavy it felt as if she was dragging it along behind her suitcase, she’d not been in the best way. Now, everything about her was happy, not just her heart. The Summer Hotel had worked its charm, turning around her life.
The old property itself though wasn’t in quite the same place; still not having sold, The Summer Hotel now seemed as if it was the one with the heavy heart. She let herself in through the tradesman”s entrance, went across the scullery, and walked through the living quarters, checking each of the windows was locked as she went. With each wiggle of lock and check of doors, she remembered how, when she’d moved into The Summer Hotel and had slowly decluttered her way through its mess, she had got her life back. The change of scenery and working through the hotel’s junk had finally shifted the grief that had kept her strangled in her old life.
Going through to the old BB section of the hotel, she went up the stairs and back down again, checking that everything was as it should be and wondered to herself why Jill, the owner, had still not reduced the price of the property. She supposed that Jill was just trying to hold onto the place for the capital gains. Having inherited it, she wasn’t making a loss. Still, it was sad that the old building sat empty and alone.
Just as she was locking the front windows, removing an umbrella stand, and unhooking the hanging baskets on the porch, she saw Nancy approaching in the road. ‘Hi.’ Nina called out.
‘Hello, how are you?’ Nancy opened the gate and walked down the path.
‘Good. You?’
‘Yep, I am. Ready for the storm?’
‘I think as ready as we can be. I”m a bit nervous, actually,’ Nina admitted. ‘They’ve now issued a weather warning and told people not to go out unless it’s urgent or an emergency. Have you seen that?’
Nancy flicked her hand dismissively. ‘Everything will be fine. Better to be safe than sorry, though, right?’
‘Yeah, for sure. Everyone”s been talking about the terrible storm of nineteen-twelve.’
Nancy chuckled. ‘Well, my memory doesn’t go back that far, so I can’t tell you about that. I do know that that one had terrible consequences. Everyone knows that old bit of Lovely history.’
‘Yep, I’ve heard.’
‘We’ll be fine this time. Right, let’s get on with it. Have you done all of the inside?’
‘Yes, all the windows are tight now. I just need to scrutinise the back, take all the hanging baskets down from the outside, secure the gate down by the river, and go and check on the shed and the greenhouse.”
‘Okay, lead the way,’ Nancy said.
Once they were in the garden, they removed the hanging baskets from the back of the hotel and stood looking up at the back of the property.
Nancy made a funny face and shook her head to the left and right in confusion. ‘Still can’t believe nobody has bought this. It’s so pretty out the back here. What a setting, eh? If only I had a few spare bob in my back pocket.’
‘I know. I was thinking the same earlier.’ Nina agreed. ‘So many people have looked at it, too.’
‘Why do you think it hasn’t sold?’
Nina contemplated for a second. ‘It’s purely and simply down to finances, if you ask me. It’s a lot of money. It’s just too expensive, in my humble opinion, and it’s a funny part of town in a way. Unless you’ve got a lot of money to potentially gamble, you could be up the creek without a paddle. What do I know, though? I’m no property expert.’
‘Yeah, I see what you mean,’ Nancy agreed. ‘It’s a lot of money to sink into an old place.’
‘I just think the right person hasn”t come along yet. The fact that it can’t be developed has thrown off so many people according to Ella, so there’s that, too.’
‘It must be that. I suppose if you could knock it down or turn it into luxury flats, then it would be a whole different ball game.’
‘Of course, it would. Look at the view…’ Nina said as she turned around and pointed down in the direction of the River Lovely. ‘If developers could shove a load of flats on here, they’d be fighting over it.’
‘Yeah, you’d think people would be queuing up to live here.’
Nina looked back at the hotel again. ‘As I said, the price is way too high. I suppose Jill”s just sitting, waiting, and holding tight. It’s going to make money anyway in the long run, right?’
‘Yeah, I suppose so. It’s not as if it costs her anything.’ Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, to win the lottery, come into some money or inherit something like this. One can dream.’
Nina nodded. ‘That would be nice. Who wouldn’t want to win the lottery?’
‘Some people reckon it makes you unhappy. Let me just tell you I am not one of those people. It’s my game plan and how I intend to make my millions. Gambling on a ticket every week. One day, Neens. One nice day.’
‘Yeah, you and me both.’
A few minutes later, they secured the greenhouse as best they could, put the bolt over the shed door, and stood by the weather vane in the middle of the lawn, peering down in the direction of the river.
‘So, what else has been happening with you? Anything exciting to report?’ Nancy asked.
‘Not a lot. I don’t need excitement in my life, Nance. What about you?’
‘Same, just working, really. We need a night out soon.’
Nina nodded. ‘Yes, we definitely do. We could go to the pub with Sophie and have a good old chinwag.’
‘That would be great. Let’s lock it in. What’s going on on your side of town?’
‘Storm prepping mostly! Chowder deliveries will be happening…’
Nancy shook her head. ‘Oh, I wish I was at your end of town. I miss out on the chowder deliveries from you. I’ve heard they’re so good, too.’
Nina raised her eyebrows. ‘You’ve had loads of them!’
‘No, I haven’t. I always miss out these days.’
‘I’ll bring you a special delivery to the station. Or I’ll save you some, put it in the freezer.’
‘Excellent. You really need to start your own speakeasy, you know. Your chowder has become that good – almost as if you were brought up on the stuff. True blue Lovely I’d call you, ha!’
Nina nodded and chuckled. ‘I don’t know if I need to take that on or not.’
‘Imagine the ground floor of your place as a speakeasy. It’s the perfect location for it. I don’t know why we haven’t thought about it before. Then you’d get to go to all the other places for free.’
‘Hmm.’
‘You’d need to run it past our Birdie.’
‘True. I’d probably have to pass an inspection from her.’
‘Indeed, you can’t move around here without her having to approve it.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Nina said. ‘Or Colin and Clive.’
‘Ha, yes.’ Nancy giggled as they walked back towards the road. ‘I’d better get on.’
‘Okay then, well, stay safe in the storm,’ Nina said as they said goodbye.
‘Yep, same to you. Text me. We need to lock in a date to meet up in the pub for a few drinks with Soph, or maybe we can go over to her side.’
‘Yes. I’ll message you. See you later.’
‘See you after the storm.’