Chapter 15
It was midweek and a couple of days or so after the yard makeover. As Nina walked along the mostly deserted streets of Lovely Bay, a mist rolled in off the sea and sat right in front of her on the pavement. It wasn”t often Nina rose at the crack of dawn, but whenever she did when she was around Lovely Bay, she loved the light and the quiet feel of the empty streets. As she crossed over Saint Lovely green, she then weaved in and out of roads until she came to the lighthouse. She stood for a moment, observing the massive whitewashed tower soaring above her, and wondered what had gone on within its walls in days gone by.
Looking up at the beautiful glass at the top she remembered Robby”s proposal, how it had been a complete surprise, and how she hadn”t seen it coming in any shape or form. Her mind zoomed back to when she’d taken the candlelit staircase all the way to the top and had been totally surprised to see Robby standing by the glass, with the view of Lovely Bay behind him. The proposal had come out of the blue as far as she’d been concerned, and at first, she had been quite taken aback.
When her first husband, Andrew, had passed away, marriage had been something that Nina Lavendar hadn”t even thought about. As she’d flailed around in grief, marriage had only been in her mind in the past tense, as if it was something that had been in her life that would never again come to be. But now, here she was, happily married for the second time and, not only that, hoping to start a family. As she looked up at the top of the lighthouse, with its glass glinting in the sunshine, she sent a million thank-yous to whoever or whatever it was that had looked down on her, changed the course of her life, and dropped her into the place that she now called home. Lovely Bay had brought good things.
As she got to the High Street, there were a few people coming out of the woodwork, albeit few and far between; a man on the other side of the road, wearing one of the navy blue Lovely coats tipped his head in greeting and a woman on the far side was turning a handle to wind out the awning in front of a shop. But mostly, the High Street was quiet and only just beginning to wake up. Nina took it all in as she walked past the chocolate shop, the deli, and the hardware store. She spied someone in the window of The Drunken Sailor, who was standing with a mug of coffee, and noted that not many other people were around at all.
Walking past the front of Birdie’s chemist, she passed a couple more shops, took the small alley towards the back of the row, turned left, and opened the gate to the back of the building. Going through the back door, she was greeted by the sound of the Shipping Forecast. On behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard agency, there are warnings of gales in Viking, Dogger, Fisher, Trafalgar, Hebrides, and Faeroes.
On hearing it, she knew that Birdie had already arrived. Just as she was walking through to the pharmacy preparation area at the back of the shop, the door she’d just come in through opened again behind her, and Cally, who helped out in the back, also stepped in.
‘Morning! Lovely mist out there this morning. How are you, Nina?’ Cally said with a huge smile. ‘All good in your neck of the woods?’
Nina turned around and beamed. ‘Hiya! Yes, I’m good thanks. You?’
‘Good as can be.’
‘What a way to start the day. I really should make sure I get up earlier more often. That mist is beautiful in a way.’
Cally agreed with a nod. ‘I thought the same as I rode along on my bike.’
‘It said it’s going to be nice weather later.’
‘Good.’ Cally rolled her eyes and her face showed a combination of amusement and friendly mockery at the Shipping Forecast. ‘Madam is in before us. Ask me how I know. Are you ready for a morning accompanied by the Shipping Forecast?’
Nina giggled. ‘Don’t worry, I’m used to it on loop at the deli.’
‘Oh, yes, of course you are. Sorry, I forgot that.’
Nina had briefly got to know Cally through Birdie, and their paths had crossed a few times in Lovely Bay. Cally also knew Nancy via a summer job she’d done in the kiosk at the railway station. Cally was always full of good stories and had a big smile but Birdie had told Nina that Cally was having a hard time in her home life and always had.
Whenever Nina had seen her, Cally had always been dressed in exactly the same clothes; a short skirt with tights and ballet flats, a pretty blouse, and a crew neck jumper or cardigan. The only other time she’d seen her change her ”uniform” as such was when she’d swapped the short skirt and tights for skinny black jeans. Nina and Cally had joked that Cally always channelled her inner Steve Jobs, had a uniform, and stuck to it. Nina had laughed in response and said that as a person who liked to be organised, it certainly made life easier.
As the other times Nina had chatted with Cally, Nina took in how attractive Cally was. Nina had always considered herself to be a medium in many aspects of life; medium in appearance, medium in dress sense, medium in achievements. Cally was not in the same boat whatsoever. There was no medium going on around Cally, at least, not as far as Nina could see.
Nina hadn’t been medium in reinventing her life and moving away from something terrible that had happened, though. But overall, Nina had always considered herself to just trundle along as average – medium looks, medium in many things. Although her new husband, it had to be said, was not average, so there was that. Cally, however, was far from medium in anything as far as Nina had worked out. Nina could just tell that Cally was one of those people who was witty, friendly, intelligent, and bottom line simply beautiful – and what was even better, she didn”t even know it. Petite, with wispy, pale blonde hair, the sort that could never be achieved at a hairdresser”s. Clever and always something interesting to say. The kind of skin that you’d see in an advert for foundation which would supposedly make you glow and never, ever, ever lived up to its promises. Cally just always seemed to look nice in her short skirt and thick tights uniform, her tiny feet clad in ballet flats, her hair scooped up into a messy bun on top of her head and her tinkly voice always making jokes. A smile nearly always on her face. Cally was just funny, nice, and an all-around good egg. Model pretty and just about model perfect, to be quite honest. Nina liked her well.
They chatted as they walked into the chemist, where Birdie stood totally and utterly surrounded by towering piles of white cardboard drug boxes.
‘Morning,’ Birdie said as she walked over to her phone on the side and turned down the Shipping Forecast, which was blaring from a speaker on the counter.
‘Morning, Birdie, how are you?’ Nina asked as she shrugged off her jacket and hung it on a hook behind the door.
Birdie smiled. ‘Yep, good. Right, do either of you need a coffee?’ Birdie blinked rapidly and gestured around at the enormous order of drugs and supplies that had arrived the afternoon before. ‘This will keep us busy. How are things?’ She addressed Cally. ‘How’s your grandma?’
Cally gathered herself. ‘Yes, she”s still around, so there”s that.’ Cally was a carer for her grandmother and lived not too far away in a neighbouring place. She’d been caring for her grandma for many years and had sacrificed a lot. Her grandmother was in the last stages of her life, and Cally had lots of complications going on with relatives, debt, property and all sorts. Birdie had told Nina the basics and it didn’t sound pleasant at all. Nina didn”t let on that she knew too much.
‘And how are you, Cally?’
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Cally said succinctly. ‘Could be worse. I have to just get on with it.’
Birdie took the hint that Cally didn’t want to discuss her situation. ‘Good. Right, who wants coffee?’
‘Wouldn’t say no. In fact, I need a bucket load of the stuff,’ Nina said with a smile. ‘I’m never normally up at this hour of the day. I’m in need of caffeine.’
‘I need more than a bucket after the night I’ve had,’ Cally replied.
Birdie laughed. ‘I’ve got loads of coffee and lots of other things to keep you both smiling, including chocolate from the chocolate shop. I am prepared to get us through those boxes.’
‘Oh, it’s a bit early for chocolate, isn”t it?’ Nina laughed.
‘Is it ever too early for chocolate from the Lovely Bay Chocolate shop?’ Cally countered.
Nina contemplated for a second. ‘Actually, no, you’re right. There’s never really a time when I don”t want chocolate from the chocolate shop. Bring it on.’
Birdie walked past them both and made her way to the kitchen. Just as she was at the door, she turned around. ‘Or could I interest you in a bacon and egg roll?’ she asked, flourishing her hand in a quick movement and raising her eyebrows in question.
Cally laughed. ‘I wondered if you were going to ask that.’
‘Do I ever let you down? Birdie smiled.
Cally flicked her eyes upwards. ‘Hmm, let me see. No, you don’t. Good bacon and egg rolls are music to my ears. Nearly as good as your chowder.’
Birdie smiled. ‘I made them last night. I just have to heat them up in the microwave.’
Ten minutes later, Nina, Cally, and Birdie were sitting in the tiny staff room at the back of the chemist. Everything about the chemist was beautiful, including the kitchen area. Lovely old white shaker-style units ran along the back. A small microwave sat beside a kettle, and an old-fashioned industrial sink had clearly been there since day dot. Old files and drug bottles were meticulously placed on shelving, and a small round table was graced with a vase of flowers.
Every time Nina had been into the chemist, it had felt like stepping into another world. If there was anyone who didn’t need Nina”s organising services, it was Birdie. However, Birdie had taken on Nina to help with one of her huge orders. When Nina had first worked at the deli in the early days of her being in Lovely Bay, it hadn’t taken long for Birdie to realise that she and Nina worked together very well. Therefore, Birdie took any opportunity to have Nina on board whenever she could.
As they sat chatting and enjoying the coffee and bacon and egg rolls, the conversation moved to Nina”s upcoming trip to Thailand.
Cally sighed and put her coffee down. ‘Oh, what I wouldn”t give to go to Thailand and have a quick couple of weeks off. It sounds fabulous. I really do envy you. To be quite frank, Blackpool would work, too. Or Bognor. I don”t really mind.’
‘If there’s anyone who deserves a break, it”s you,’ Birdie noted.
‘Is there any chance you could get a few days away?’ Nina asked, well aware of the delicate situation regarding Cally”s grandmother and finances.
‘No, not really. I”ve got as much help as I can get, but I always told Grandma that I would look after her wherever she is, but with all the cuts to funding and everything. So no, I don”t really want to go into it, but I won”t be getting a break until, well, you know. Probably never the way I’m going. One nice day off would be nice.’ Cally smiled and rolled her eyes.
Birdie put her hand on Cally”s shoulder. ‘It”s a very tough time for you.’
‘Yeah, I”ll be fine. I knew it was coming.’ She changed the subject, steering it away from her grandma. ‘Anyway, yes, Thailand. Is it going to be really hot over there? Is it the rainy season or anything like that? Doesn’t it like bucket it down for a lot of the year?’
Nina nodded. ‘It”s absolutely boiling over there. Every time I look at the weather app, it seems to get hotter. From what I”ve gathered, it’s like that most of the time.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ Cally replied. ‘So, Robby”s meeting you there, isn”t he? How did that come about?’
Nina nodded. ‘Because I had loads of work on, and he needed to go over to Singapore first. Initially, I was going to go to Singapore with him. But then, it wasn’t really worth it. So, yeah, we decided to actually have a holiday in Thailand after he’s done the contract stuff, rather than me being in Singapore first while he was working and then having to take another flight.’
‘Right, yeah, makes sense.’ Cally nodded. ‘Do you mind travelling on your own?’
Nina shook her head. She didn”t mind doing anything on her own, really. Not that she’d done a lot of travelling, but it didn’t make much difference to her. She was used to it; she’d done everything on her own after Andrew had died. She wasn”t bothered about getting on a plane and travelling by herself. How hard could it be? However, she was slightly apprehensive about dealing with immigration. She’d seen a few horror stories online but she’d deal with that as and when.
‘So, where are you staying in Bangkok?’ Cally asked.
Nina”s eyes lit up. ‘I hope it”s going to be nice, but after a lot of research, we”ve plumped for this what they call “boutique hotel”. It”s a small place with about thirty or so rooms. It’s an old colonial property mixed with traditional Thai style. It looks magical.’
‘Sounds nice. Not a Travelodge then?’ Cally quipped.
‘Nope. It looks really beautiful on the website, and we scoured the TripAdvisor reviews and decided to go the boutique route.’
‘So you didn’t want to go for a mainstream hotel then?’ Birdie asked.
Nina shook her head. ‘We considered it, at first, yep, but then we saw this place, and it just blew our minds. It”s quite different. However, it was really expensive. So hopefully, it will be worth it. You never know, do you? You can’t tell when you’re looking at things online.’
Nina took out her phone and showed pictures of the hotel to Birdie and Cally. They looked at the pictures of a traditional Thai villa-style hotel with teak furniture, lush tropical gardens, and a saltwater pool surrounded by beautiful sunbeds and umbrellas. Nina showed them one of the four-poster-draped beds in the bedroom and the massage tables at the spa.
Birdie cackled as she pinched the picture of the four-poster bed between her fingers and zoomed in. ‘Well, looks like there’s going to be lots of baby-making going on in that bed.’ She laughed hysterically.
Cally giggled and Nina also laughed. ‘Not sure about that; I think it will be too hot,’ Nina said as she put her phone down.
‘It looks lovely. You”re going to have a really nice break there, for sure. How long is the flight?’ Cally asked.
‘It”s about twelve hours, I think. Something like that. Maybe just under.’
‘Wow, long haul. That’s a long way then, isn”t it?’
‘Yep, it”s the longest flight I’ll have ever done. Cooped up in an aeroplane seat for all that time! But I”ve got loads of things downloaded on my Kindle, so I’m planning to spend the whole time reading and putting my feet up if I’m not too squashed and uncomfortable.’
Cally nodded. ‘Oh, that sounds quite nice, actually. A whole twelve hours of reading. What I wouldn’t give for that.’
‘Yes, and a few glasses of wine, I bet,’ Birdie added.
‘Gin and tonic for me,’ Nina said.
‘Will that be half measures?’ Birdie laughed.
‘Yes, it will. I don”t want to be turning up at Bangkok airport a bit tipsy, do I?’
‘Probably not a good idea,’ Birdie said as she picked up the mugs, rinsed them under the tap, and placed them in the dishwasher.
‘It all sounds divine and that huge bed! Fabulous,’ Cally said with a sigh. ‘You’re going to have a whale of a time.’
Nina gathered up the plates, rinsed them, and also placed them in the dishwasher. ‘I hope so.’
‘You’ll be more than ready for a lovely trip to Thailand after you spend the day cooped up in the back of the chemist sorting out a drug order.’ Birdie joked.
Cally giggled. ‘Don’t want to be rude, but I think I like the sound of the Thailand trip a bit better than this order. We’ve got our work cut out for us today.’
They all laughed and made their way towards the storeroom. Nina pointed in the direction of the white cardboard boxes and nodded to Cally. ‘I make you right.’
Cally rolled her eyes. ‘And all accompanied by the Shipping Forecast. Oh the joys.’