Page 2 of One Perfect Day in Lovely Bay
Logan chuckled as he arranged the dishes between them. ‘Well, you know how Alice gets when you mention a picnic. I think she packed half the shop. I collected it yesterday when you were at Eloise’s.’
Logan unwrapped wax paper from a whole brie, popped it on the cheese board, and added a little cluster of red grapes and a small pot of what looked like chutney. Cally picked up the pot and unscrewed the lid. ‘Ooh, this looks fancy. What is it?’
‘Fig and something…’ Logan flicked his eyes upwards. ‘She did say. What was it? Fig and, oh, yeah, fennel. Someone local made it, but I can’t remember who.’
‘Nice. Oh, that brie looks divine, too,’ Cally sighed. ‘I love cheese. I think I could live on it. Give meallthe cheeseallthe time.’
Logan gestured affirmatively, already opening another container. He pulled out a baguette, a dish of olives marinatedin herbs and garlic, and a cherry tomato salad and started to unwrap a wide, shallow box. ‘Spinach and goat's cheese quiche. Alice said it’s the one you like. Is that right? I couldn’t remember.’
‘It is. Gosh, we'll be rolling down this hill by the time we're done.’
Laughing, Logan poured them each a glass of sparkling wine. ‘Well, we've got all afternoon to work our way through it. No rush.’ They clinked glasses. ‘Cheers,’ Logan held his glass up in the direction of the lighthouse.
Cally smiled. ‘Nice idea to come up here. Cheers.’
‘Yeah. Anyway, what’s been happening with you? I missed you yesterday.’
‘I have a bit of news. I was going to tell you last week, but I wanted to be sure before I said anything.’
‘What?’
‘I think I’ve got enough deposit saved up to start applying for a mortgage. Finally! It feels as if it’s taken me my whole life to get to this point. If I’m honest, I’m over the moon about it. ’
‘Fantastic. I'msoproud of you. You've worked hard for it.’
Cally smiled. ‘Thanks. It still doesn't feel quite real, to be honest. The idea that I mightactuallybe able to buy my own place in Lovely Bay is a bit strange.’
‘But exciting, right?’
Cally nodded, taking a bite of the quiche. ‘Definitely exciting. But also a bit scary. It's a big step.’
Logan nodded as he spread some brie on a slice of baguette. ‘It is.’
Cally thought back to her early days in Lovely when Birdie had saved her from what was more or less imminent homelessness. She remembered how vulnerable, lost, and unsure she'd felt and how she’d primarily operated on adrenaline and a gigantic bubble of underlying stress. Thingshad changed significantly. The stress bubble had burst and the adrenaline now worked in a good way. Now here she was, working three good jobs, she had a healthy savings account, and on top of that, she had the stability of someone like Logan in her life. Oh, how she was in a better place. ‘It's a lot of responsibility. Owning a place, taking on a mortgage, but to be honest, I want it. Ineedto feel as if I have some roots. Do you know what I mean?’
Logan swigged his drink. ‘You wouldn't be doing it alone, Blackcurrant.’
Cally looked at him quizzically. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Well, I've been thinking. About us, about the future. At some point, we’d be looking for a place together, wouldn’t we?’
Cally felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. He’d pulled that out of the hat and surprised her. ‘Together? What? Moving in together? What? Do you mean like properly? Would we? Like, officially?’
Logan shrugged. ‘Yeah. I mean, we spend most of our time together anyway. You’re either here or I’m at your flat. Makes sense, right?’
‘True.’
‘You could rent out the place then.’
Cally wrinkled her nose and frowned. ‘Sorry. What?’
‘The flat you buy. Just have it as an investment.’ Logan gestured behind him in the direction of the manor. ‘As I said, you’re here a lot of the time anyway. No brainer. Am I right?’
Cally’s mind whirled or perhaps twirled. What in the name of goodness? Logan seemedverycasual about the fact that he’d just more or less asked her to officially move in with him. She wasn’t really sure what to think. Buying a flat was a big, wild, gigantic deal for her. Absolutely massive. She’d worked towards getting her own place for years. Logan clearly wasn’t quite as daunted by it.
Logan cocked his head to the side. ‘It just seems like good timing to move in together, doesn't it? If you fancy it, that is?’
Cally couldn’t quite believe what Logan was saying. Moving in together, as far as she was concerned, was a significant step. Huge. ‘I don't know what to say,’ she managed finally.
