Sunset Picnics in Seagull Bay (Love in Seagull Bay #7)

Chapter one

Georgina hovered back to admire her sister Francis’s happy little family. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she watched as Francis and her husband Dan swung her young niece forward with every third step they took together with a chorused 'one two and a three'. Little Francesca was holding tightly onto each of her parent’s hands, her little arms extended up to their full length as she played along with the fun walking game, her new dress buffing out like a parachute with every swing. Francesca threw her head back as she giggled, causing her mousey curls to cascade down her back. Georgina thought her niece’s laugh was the best natural instrument she had ever heard.

The smile spread even wider across Georgina’s face reaching her eyes, going down into her chest and melting her heart. She adored her family. After losing their mother at an early age, her father and her sister were her everything. Georgina and Francis were as thick as thieves having only thirteen months in age between them, and they had become inseparable after their mother’s passing. Now Francis’s husband and little Francesca were an added bonus included in the tight family circle Georgina held so very dear.

Georgina’s thoughts turned to her father Tom, who was most likely already at church as she continued to watch her sister’s family. Tom had raised them single handedly since their mother’s passing. All through their childhood he had called them the three musketeers. They were inseparable and their trio impenetrable, and Georgina had liked it that way.

Naturally, there were certain situations when a mother’s advice would have been nice to have, but their father had always done his best. Over the years, there were many occasions when Georgina wished she’d had a mother like everyone else—such as school sports day, when her friends had both parents cheering for their child. And of course, the day her sister and her could never escape—the dreaded Mother’s Day, when the class would be making Mother’s Day cards.

Georgina thought of her father again. Bless him. Tom had always made Mother’s Day special for the sisters. Every year he’d pack a picnic—no matter what the weather. He’d gather the picnic basket, Georgina and Francis together, and they would all head for the cemetery to spend some time sitting by their mother’s headstone as their father regaled stories to them, and shared fond memories about their mother.

As Georgina thought back, she realised her father had never brought another female presence into their young lives. In fact, he’d never dated anyone up until recently, and now Francis and she were in their twenties. And then thankfully, the relationship he’d had with a woman who he’d met in an online dating app had been a brief one, because she had nearly broken her father’s heart.

Both Francis and Georgina had been so angry with the dating app woman. Thankfully, all had turned out fine in the end. Her father had finally found happiness again when he’d become romantically involved with Christine, the local hair stylist. After years of being close friends, Christine and Tom had suddenly realised one day their friendship had grown into something so much more—something deeper.

Francis and Georgina had been going to Christine's hair salon since they were toddlers. They both liked Christine. She had given them advice when her father couldn’t provide answers more times than she could remember over the years. Although Georgina had been unsure about them becoming romantically involved at the very beginning of their relationship, she now knew Christine was the perfect woman for her father.

Thinking about how happy both her sister and her father were, made Georgina stop in her tracks and think about her own life. It was time to re-evaluate herself.

Was she happy? She had been hurt a few times romantically over the years, and now her heart was guarded. She wanted to find love, but she was apprehensive of being hurt again.

Francis called her name, pulling her out of her deep thoughts.

‘Come on Sis. Stop dawdling. At this rate dad would have given our places away and all the good pews will be taken. We’ll end up at the back, and then Francesca will be fidgeting throughout the entire sermon without the watchful gaze of Reverand Townsend resting on her.’

Georgina laughed lightly and quickened her pace to catch up. ‘What are you trying to say about your own flesh and blood, Sis? That she has a mischievous streak in her?’

Francis gave her little sister a sideward glance, giving her a look Georgina knew so well. ‘Are you kidding me? Yes, and you know it. And she certainly didn’t get it from Dan or me. Those genes are ones shared with you alone.’

Dan turned his head to look at Georgina with a grin. Georgina wagged a finger in his direction. ‘Don’t say a thing Dan.’

‘My lips are sealed Georgina. I’m not daft enough to be drawn into an infamous Shelley sister dispute.’

Georgina laughed aloud. ‘Very wise Dan.’

Francis and Dan had stopped swinging Francesca, and she pulled her hands free from her parents and walked over to Georgina, sliding her small hand into hers as she looked up and asked, ‘Does that mean I’m like you, Auntie Gina?’

Georgina smiled down at Francesca. ‘You are full of sugar and spice and all things nice my little sweet pea.’ Georgina dotted the end of her small, upturned nose with her finger, and Francesca giggled.

‘And Auntie Georgina is full of frogs and snails and puppy dog’s tails,’ said Dan under his breath chuckling.

Francis playfully swotted him in the shoulder. ‘Hey! Don’t say that about my sister. Only I’m allowed to say derogatory things about her.’ Dan rolled his eyes and shook his head. Georgina and Francis looked at each other and laughed. Dan bent down to his daughter's level. ‘Thick as thieves your mum and your auntie are, Francesca.’

Francesca gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. ‘Uh-oh. They steal things?’

‘Goodness me. No!’ gasped Francis, ‘We don’t honey, it’s just a silly saying.’

Francesca screwed up her nose. ‘What is a...saying?’

Francis shot her husband a look. He chuckled behind his hand.

Georgina laughed. ‘Parenting is so much fun isn’t it. I might partake in it one day.’

‘You have to find a fella you don’t mind spending the rest of your life with first, sis.’

Francis looked at her husband and smiled as she spoke. Georgina could literally feel the love they felt for each other passing between them.

‘No chance of that happening here in Seagull Bay. I’d better think about moving away then.’

Little Francesca grabbed onto her auntie’s wrist with her other hand, her big eyes growing even larger as she looked up. ‘Don’t go away Auntie Gina.’

A furrow instantly formed on Georgina’s brow and she bent down to look at Francesca’s small face. ‘Hey. I’m going nowhere little chicken, It was just a joke.’

Francesca released her grip from Georgina’s hand and flung her arms around her auntie, hugging her tightly. Georgina hugged her back, her wide eyes going from her sister to her brother-in-law.

Francis nodded. ‘Yup, parenting is all fun and games sis. No two days are ever the same.’

Georgina stared at her sister, her eyes brimming with admiration as they continued on to the church. Her father may have lost the love of his life when their mother passed away—taking decades to find another love which would hopefully match the one he’d lost, but Georgina still hoped she would find her own forever partner sometime soon—someone as committed to her as both her sister’s husband and her father’s new partner were to them. Georgina was determined to get her forever-ever-after happiness—just like them.

Tom their father, was turning in his seat looking back at the door when they entered the church. He waved and beckoned them over to the pew Christine and he had commandeered.

‘Come on you lot. What time do you call this?’ Tom looked around the church as he dropped his voice. ‘I’ve had to hold off Mrs Calloway and four other people to keep spaces for you,’ he said before stretching his mouth into a grimace.

Georgina held back as her sister ushered Francesca forward. Francesca walked along the pew and flung her arms around her grampa’s neck. Georgina’s heart melted when her father kissed the tip of his granddaughter’s nose, just the way he used to do with Francis and her when they were the same age, all the way up until their teens, when they used to shirk him off from embarrassment.

Georgina’s stomach clenched slightly. Had their actions hurt his feelings? Until then, she’d never given it a second thought. She’d only seen Tom as dad until the last few years. Never realising he had feelings and needs like everyone else.

Georgina watched her father slide his arm around Christine’s shoulders. She was so glad he was being loved and looked after like he deserved. Christine and he were perfect for each other. Her gaze fell onto her sister and Dan, who had followed Francesca along the pew. They were the perfect couple too. If only she could find a partner who would give her just a small percentage of the happiness she saw shared between her loved ones. If she could, then she knew she’d be content.

Reverend Townsend came out of a side door and silence fell as he walked over to the pulpit. He chuckled as he lifted his head and admired his congregation with a wide smile. ‘I hope the silence that has just descended upon you is because you are all eager for today’s sermon, and not because you are feeling guilty that none of you have yet volunteered your talents for the upcoming annual sunset picnics charity event on the beach.’

A few chuckles could be heard, and they echoed around the church. Reverand Townsend continued. ‘Yes, as you are now aware, before I begin, I just wanted to refresh your memories about the latest upcoming community event. Because as per usual, I will be asking for a volunteer. We all know the traditions this community has embraced for years have fell very short the last few years. It would be a travesty if we were to lose them altogether.’ Georgina thought about how hard her mother had worked keeping the sunset picnics event going when they were young. ‘Little ones,’ the Reverend pointed towards Francesca, ‘wouldn’t get to experience the joy you all did at that age. For example, we haven’t had a Maypole dance in years.’

A deep voice piped up from the back who Georgina instantly recognised as belonging to Ned, a retired lifeboat rescuer. ‘That’s because the Maypole has seen better days, Reverend.’

Reverend Townsend’s bushy grey eyebrows rose up. ‘Is that so, Ned? Then may I suggest the proceeds from this year’s sunset picnics goes towards having a new one made.’

A unison of agreement sounded out, echoing around the church, and Georgina looked left to right to see a sea of nodding heads. Dan eaned into her, his voice low. ‘I hope your sister doesn’t try to volunteer me and my diabolical juggling skills again.’

Georgina’s hand flew to her mouth and nose to stop a snort-laugh escaping when an image of her brother-in-law's terrible talentless performance from last year came to mind. She failed miserably, and her snort reverberated from off the stone walls so much louder than the previous chuckles from everyone else had.

Reverand Townsend’s head turned in her direction, and his eagle eyes landed on her. She felt her cheeks instantly heat. His eyes remained on her as he spoke. ‘Right about now, I’m hoping someone with no commitments will volunteer their time to organise things.’

The weight of guilt weighed heavily on Georgina’s shoulders, and she felt herself rise from her seat, as if her legs had a mind of their own. She heard Francis gasp, but she was more surprised than anyone as her own lips parted, and words tumbled from her mouth.

‘I-I’d like to volunteer Reverend Townsend.’

Reverend Townsend clapped his hands together and his eyes glistened as his smile reached from ear-to-ear. ‘Wonderful.’ He addressed the congregation. ‘Georgina Shelley will be seeking you out to get your names on our list to volunteer your entertainment skills. Remember. If you have a skill or talent that will entertain the community at our annual sunset picnics, no matter how small, we want you to show it. Additionally, if you have any food, picnic blankets, baskets or whatnot you wish to donate for families who might not have anything to attend the event, Georgina is the girl to see, but I’m sure she’ll come knocking on your doors at some point in the next week or so.’

Georgina quickly sat down to shrink into a small ball and have a few inner harsh words with herself.

The door to the church banged open, and everyone turned in their seats to see who had arrived so late, entering without any decorum.

‘Erm, sorry about that...the er, door got away from me. I didn’t mean to intrude, but I’m behind schedule. I-I’ve come to collect the broken-down Ford.’ This time, Georgina didn’t recognise the voice, but she was shocked by the man’s audacity to barge into a church in the middle of a sermon.

Her brow pulled together, and she pursed her lips as she turned around to join everyone else in her curiosity to find out who had outdone her rudeness.

Her mouth dropped open, and her brow rose when she saw how handsome the interrupter was.