Page 24 of Seashells at The Summer Hotel Lovely Bay
Holly nodded. ‘Ahh, makes sense.’
‘So, the owner is away at the moment?’ Xian continued.
‘Yes, she is. Her name's Jill. She’s in Australia at the moment. I ended up here because I house-sat for her when she was away on a year-long trip. She got the bug for the nomadic life, I think. She never turned around and came back.’
‘Interesting. Never seen the attraction of that myself. Each to their own. Different strokes.’
‘She’s been travelling for a long time now. I think she’s one of those people who loves changing scenery all the time. From what I've gathered, she doesn’t want to come back and settle, anyway. So yes, I’ve ended up looking after the place and overseeing gardeners, etcetera, so that it doesn’t get run down. It was a huge mess when I arrived here. You wouldn’t believe it looking at it now.’
Xian nodded. ‘I see.’
‘My husband’s aunt lives next door, so we keep an eye on her, too,’ Nina explained.
‘So, you must know the place like the back of your hand now.’
‘I do. It’s a nice property, a lovely setting, and it could work for the right person who buys it,’ Nina confirmed.
Xian nodded. ‘Yeah, totally. At the right price, it could.’
Holly sipped her tea. ‘Not sure that’s going to be us.’
13
Nina hastened along the High Street past the chocolate shop on her way to The Drunken Sailor pub. It had been a typical Lovely Bay day, with four seasons in as many hours. The day had started off with a bright blue sky and sunshine, then clouded over and got really windy. The sun had intermittently come out again at lunchtime, and as late afternoon had progressed, big black clouds had rolled in from the sea, culminating in a persistent drizzle dousing Lovely Bay in a layer of rain.
She dodged out of the way of umbrellas as she made her way to the pub. Once she was under the porch, she put her umbrella down, shook it off in the street, and opened the door to the pub to be hit by a nice pub smell; the aroma a mix of aged wood, a hint of ale, and the scent of burning logs from the fireplace. The warmth enveloped her as she stepped in from the rain and shrugged off her coat. She heard the clinking of glasses and occasional laughter coming from the direction of the bar. It was like stepping into a comfy world. Just as she was wiping her feet on the mat, Colin from the boat opened the inner door and stepped into the entrance porch on his way out.
‘Hey, our Nina. Nice to see you. How are you getting on?’
‘Yes, fine, thanks. What have you been up to?’ Nina asked.
Colin looked up at the ceiling for a second in contemplation. ‘Nothing really, just the same old, same old. How about you?’
‘Same here. Working and keeping myself out of trouble,’ Nina joked.
Colin smiled. ‘Always good to hear. Oh, you’re off to Thailand soon, aren’t you? Our Robby was telling me all about that contract he’s won.’
‘Yes, yes we are. Not long to go now. I can’t wait.’
‘Wow, so exciting,’ Colin said, jerking his thumb out towards the street. ‘Bet it’s going to be a bit warmer than it has been here for the last few weeks. We’ve had everything today, haven’t we? We’ll get snow later!’ He rolled his eyes.
Nina laughed. ‘Yes, it was bright this morning, then rain, then wind, and now we’ve got this drizzle that seems as if it’s never going to stop. That’s Lovely Bay for you, isn’t it?’
‘All the seasons in a day. You’re used to it now.’ Colin wiggled the collar of his coat. ‘That’s why we have these coats, right? They always keep you safe in any and all weathers.’
‘Yup.’
‘You'll need to be getting yourself one soon then, won’t you?’
‘Well, yes, I’m on the list. I’ve been waiting long enough.’
‘Right you are.’ Colin opened the outer door and peered out. ‘There is no sign of it letting up. Look at the colour of that sky. Criminal. Okay, I’ll see you later.’
‘Yep, see you. Stay dry.’
As Nina walked through the pub, she was also hit by what she now knew was the smell of one of The Drunken Sailor’s special chowders. She peered quickly around the pub, looking for Birdie and Nancy, and spied them sitting in the corner, not far away from the fire. Approaching them, she took her bag off her shoulder, put it on the back of the chair, and smiled.
‘Hi ladies, how are we? Everyone good?’
