Page 69 of Seashells at The Summer Hotel Lovely Bay
Nina rolled her eyes, ‘I'm not sure about that. I think you'll need a hoist to get me up there. It’s so pretty up there, though…’
‘Totally up to you.’
Nina considered it. ‘The view from up there must be astounding on a night like this.’
Nancy nodded. ‘It is indeed. I've just been up there, and it's such a clear night. You can see for miles, and with the moonlight on the sea, it really is breathtaking this evening. And that's from someone who grew up here and has seen it many times.’
‘That's some recommendation,’ Nina answered.
Cally looked at Nina's bump. ‘You think you can make it? It’s a lot of steps.’
‘Shouldn’t be a problem. I think I can do it. I'll just have to stop a couple of times. I am getting a bit out of breath at the moment.’ Nina patted her bump. ‘It might get things moving. They say exercise can do it, that and plenty of curries.’
‘Come on, then. Are you coming, Cally?’ Nancy asked.
Cally shook her head. ‘Actually, I think I’m going to head off. I need to get back.’
‘Okay, alright. See you later then. Hope everything is okay with your grandma.’
A few minutes later, Nina was on the stairs being followed by Nancy. She stopped for a breather and looked up the spiral stairs going up to the top and remembered when it had been filled with candles for Robby’s proposal. Even without being dressed up for a proposal, the staircase didn’t disappoint.
As she held onto the old, worn, timber handrail and heaved herself up the brilliant white interior as the walls curved upwards, she couldn’t wait to get to the top to have a nose at the view. Her footsteps bounced off the walls, and as she went past a porthole window and looked out, she felt as if with each step she took, she was heading up to another ethereal world – one that lived way up over the rooftops of Lovely.
By the time Nina got to the top of the lighthouse, she was most definitely out of breath and her sides heaved with each inhale. She leaned against the curved wall for a second, taking a moment to catch her breath. Her size and the baby made breathing feel like a workout. She rested her hands on her bump for a second and waited to return to normal as her heart thumped. Putting her hands on the small of her back, she shifted so that the cool sea air from the open window wafted over her.
Nancy put her hand on Nina's shoulder. ‘Are you okay? I'm not sure if this was a good idea or not.’
‘Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit breathless, you know?’
‘Yes, I see. No, I don’t actually know what it’s like to be pregnant.’ Nancy joked.
‘I didn’t think I would know either.’ Nina gestured out the window and let out a sigh. ‘It was worth heaving myself up here. How amazing does it all look this evening? Really beautiful.’
‘Yes, I know. I told you it was nice tonight. It’s such a clear evening, isn’t it? Look at all those stars starting to come out.’
‘So nice to see it without a cloud in the sky.’
‘Yes, it gets chilly when it’s like this, though,’ Nancy replied.
‘Ahh, yes, those stars. Aren’t they beautiful?’ Nina said as she looked out over the view, where the moonlight topped the sea, the stars twinkled in a deep black inky sky, and the rooftops of Lovely Bay with their shell tiling shimmered. Nina leaned on the windowsill and looked over at the landscape stretching as far as the eye could see and smiled at the way the moon seemed to hang suspended in the sky. Silvery light glinted on the sea and warm lights glowed from the windows of the houses of Lovely Bay. Nina squinted and followed the narrow cobbled streets going in the direction of her house over by the harbour and watched a couple of cars stop at the traffic lights by the green.
Nancy pulled a chair over towards the window. 'Here, have a sit-down.’
'Thanks,' Nina replied gratefully. As she sat down, she felt a strange twinge. She wrapped her hands around her stomach and frowned.
‘Oh, what was that?' Nancy asked, concern etched on her face.
‘I don’t know.’ Nina frowned. ‘Whatever it was, it felt weird.’
‘Pain or something else? Or what?' Nancy probed.
‘I don’t know, there’s another one,’ Nina said, her eyes widening as she felt a strange band-like tightening across her bump. It went again, she blinked and winced. ‘Ooh, yeah, wow.’
‘Oh my goodness. It’s not, errr, happening, is it?’
Nina shook her head. ‘Gosh, no. It’s way too early. It must have been that blooming walk up those stairs. And to think, I used to run around the marshes and all over town. I’m going to need to get my fitness back once this baby arrives.’
‘Plenty of time for that!’
