Page 11 of One Perfect Day in Lovely Bay
Afew days or so later, as Cally approached Lovely Bay train station, she inhaled the familiar Lovely fresh sea air smell and drank in the prettiness of the old railway station right in front of her. With its traditional Victorian charm steeped in the history of the area, gorgeous fluttering bunting, and old faded advertising signage, the station itself had Lovely written all over it. Someone, she presumed Nancy, had done their utmost to make the station appealing. This was no dilapidated, shabby, old, in-need-of-love station complete with overfull litter bins, peeling paint and half-dead weeds flanking the front. Oh no, not in Lovely. Indeed, Lovely train station was the antithesis of that; everywhere possible overloaded hanging baskets swayed in the wind, the distinctive handmade Lovely bunting fluttered overhead, window boxes spilt with flowers and just outside the main entrance, an old train wagon doubling as a planter, showcased a lush array of greenery.
With a spring in her step, Cally pushed open the heavy door to the main ticket hall with its old-fashioned timber counters and gleaming glass partitioning. The station bustled with activity: a mix of locals going about their business, a group of mums with prams on a day out, and a gathering of eager-lookingtourists clutching maps, cameras, and phones held overhead on long telescopic sticks. Just as Cally was idly watching the tourists, all with their necks craned along the train line, peering at the mechanics of the moveable platform, she spotted Nancy in the distinctive Lovely Bay coat coming down the stairs.
On seeing Cally, Nancy smiled and joked. 'Our Cally. What brings you to our bustling metropolis this morning? It’s all happening here.'
Cally chuckled at Nancy's description of the small station. 'I'm here to meet Eloise. She’s coming over for a coffee, and her car is in for a service. Her train should be arriving soon. What a nice day, eh? The station looks gorgeous. All your own work, is it?'
‘Of course.’
‘The flowers out the front there really are pretty.’
‘We do our best.’
As they stood chatting, in Cally’s peripheral vision, she could see the trainspotters on the far side. She pointed in their direction. ‘Looks like you have quite a few visitors this morning.’
Nancy rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 'I’ve just been chatting with them. They’re part of an Instagram trainspotting club. They're here for the moveable platform. I think we need to start charging for it. I’ll make my millions yet.’
'I make you correct. You’d be rich.’ Cally giggled.
‘I even have a spiel after all these years of chatting with people who know the ins and outs of it. It's a piece of engineering marvel that. The spotters come from all over to see it in action. Honestly, I could write my own documentary series for Netflix on that thing.'
‘Ha. You should start a vlog broadcasting live from the station every morning. You’d go viral.’
‘Actually, now there’s an idea.’
Cally shook her head. 'Only in Lovely Bay would a bit of railway equipment become a tourist attraction.'
Nancy laughed. 'That's us. We can make an event out of anything. Speaking of events, I hear you're off on quite the adventure soon.'
'News travels fast around here. I swear, local news travels faster in this town than the trains do.'
‘You should know that by now.’ Nancy chuckled. ‘You can’t do anything without the folk of Lovely knowing about it. So you’re on your travels?’
‘Yes, I'm going to Scotland with Logan. To his family's estate.'
Nancy's eyebrows shot up. 'Ooh, meeting the extended Henry-Hicks family, are we? That's a big step. Good luck with that one.'
Cally nodded. 'It is. I'm a bit nervous, to be honest. It's all so grand from what I’ve seen.'
'Nup, I’ll have none of that nervous talking. You’re past that part of the relationship. I reckon you’ll love it. It’s meant to be beautiful. I’ve heard loads about the estate up there over the years.'
'You think so?'
'Iknowso,' Nancy said firmly. ‘What else has been happening with you? Just as busy as me?’
‘Not a lot, actually.’
Nancy widened her eyes. ‘Oh really. That’s not what I heard.’
‘What?’
‘Apparently, you have a new acquisition coming your way.’
Cally wrinkled her nose and looked sideways. She hoped Birdie hadn’t said anything about the job offer. Birdie had told her it was completely confidential and that Cally had plenty of time to make up her mind. She hadn’t even received the formal in-writing offer yet. ‘What’s that?’
‘A certain little something that means you’re really a Lovely now.’
Cally clocked what Nancy was talking about. ‘Oh, ha, the coat. Yes, I finally made it to the top of the waiting list.’
