Page 23 of Love from Pretty Beach
James laughed. ‘You two aren’t stupid. When Lottie’s associated with anything, you know you’re going to be in for a treat and your taste buds will explode.’
‘Exactly,’ Archie agreed. ‘That thought just ran through my mind.’
James lowered his voice. ‘So, it’s a portion of Locals Only to share, is that right?’
Archie nodded. ’Yes, that would be great.’
About twenty minutes later, a weathered rustic-style board topped with greaseproof paper arrived between them on the bar. A small glass jug held a serving of vinegar and a pile of steaming hot chips sat in the middle of the greaseproof paper. Beside the small white jug, a little slab of salt had a small grater beside it. The smell alone was mouth-watering.
Darby inhaled. ‘Oh my gosh, they smell amazing.’
Archie picked up the small glass jug. ‘This is a first for me. Lottie now makes vinegar.’
Darby chuckled as Archie splashed the vinegar on the chips. He then picked up the small slab of pink salt, held it up with his eyebrows raised and chuckled. ‘I’ve never seen salt like this. Only in Pretty Beach, am I right?’
Darby laughed. ‘I know.’ Popping a chip in her mouth, she closed her eyes. ‘Oh my God, these are amazing. I don’t know who grew the potatoes; they taste better than anything. It’s always the way in Pretty Beach, isn’t it? You have a humble chip and wonder why and how they taste so good.’
‘Agree.’
‘I know, it’s happened to me so many times too.’
‘Yeah, me too.’
‘So, you’ve lived here a while, have you?’ Darby asked, her eyebrows raised.
‘I wouldn’t say I am a True Blue, as it were, but I lived here when I was younger and then we moved to the UAE for a while with my dad’s job. Then we came back here and I’ve been here ever since. So yeah, I suppose I’ve been here a long time, really.’
Darby tried to make herself sound breezy, casual, interested, not keen. She had to quell her desire to find out everything about him. Like every single detail. ‘And you’ve always been into Grade II listed walls?’ Darby joked.
‘I did economics at university, and I can tell you now, I did not enjoy it and I sort of fell into this when I was labouring whileI was trying to work out what to do with my life, and I’ve been doing it ever since.’
‘Sounds good to me.’
‘I’m actually fully qualified now. I can tell you a thing or two about listed buildings.’
‘Good to know,’ Darby bantered.
‘What about you?’ Archie asked. ‘Did you say you’d lived here for about five years?’
‘Yes, yes,’ Darby nodded.
‘On your own?’ Archie asked.
Darby suddenly felt weird telling this man that she lived on her own, although it was a bit late now. He probably already knew anyway. He’d been in her house twice and had seen her flat on her back on the floor of a charity shop. Her vibes told her he was safe and more than okay. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘You’re not married or anything?’ Archie asked. ‘Oh, God, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I hate it when people say that to me.’
‘No, no, it’s fine. Currently, no.’
‘Currently?’ Archie chuckled.
‘I don’t know why I said that. Sorry. I have been married, but it didn’t last very long. I don’t think marriage is for me, to be quite honest.’ The three different fathers of her three children flashed through Darby’s mind. ‘Let’s just say I’m good at failed relationships.’
Archie chuckled, picked up his glass and tapped it against Darby’s. ‘That makes two of us then.’
‘You’re not married?’ Darby attempted to sound casual, as if she hadn’t totally studied his ring finger and examined it for tan lines. Not that a ring meant anything, but still.
Archie rolled his eyes. ‘It’s complicated.’
