Page 70 of The Winter of Second Chances
‘Oh, I love Emily,’ said Gemma. ‘She’s so passionate.’
Annie raised her eyebrows.
‘You do know she pickets the cafeall dayon Saturdays,’ said Annie.
‘Well, she works full-time at the library,’ chimed in Maeve. ‘Saturday’s the only complete day she’s got.’
‘What’s her beef?’ asked Sally.
‘She doesn’t want Saltwater Nook demolished, or the land built on. She wants Mari to sign it over to the village and have it listed to protect it,’ said Maeve.
‘I don’t want it demolished either!’ Annie protested. ‘She should be following John around with her placards.’
‘The cafe’s so busy, it’s the perfect place for her to make people aware of its plight,’ said Gemma. ‘And in a way, it’s good publicity for your business too.’
‘That’s right,’ put in Maeve. ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity.’
‘Either way, my business is screwed by spring,’ said Annie. ‘Saltwater Nook will be a historical monument or a block of flats.’
‘Then give Emily and John an alternative,’ said Sally.
The women were quiet, all thinking about ways that Saltwater Nook could be saved. The wind buffeted the shutters so violently it almost extinguished a candle.
‘I need to divorce my husband,’ said Annie. ‘Anyone know any good solicitors?’
It was enough to draw the subject away from John Granger and hisgoodintentions. Sally recommended a firm of solicitors that had dealt with her divorce and Gemma got them back round to M. R. James’s story, and it was agreed that his was the most frightening, Elizabeth Gaskell’s the saddest and Charlotte Riddell’s the most ambiguous.
‘I’ve put the word around at the school and Samantha and Tom and the pubs have taken care of everyone else,’ said Gemma as they were getting their coats on to leave. ‘I would imagine we’ll be with you by about half past six on Halloween.’
‘Great,’ said Annie. ‘I’ll be waiting.’
Maeve smiled approvingly.
Gemma moved a couple of chairs for Sally to steer her chair through the gap. ‘I would come but I’m working,’ said Sally. ‘Much to Susan’s disgust. Halloween is weirdly a big deal to her. To me it’s more about shooing underage drunks out of the lobby before they egg the place.’
‘Oh, hey, I forgot to say.’ Gemma was holding the door open and the cold wind was rattling the pictures in their frames. ‘Can we do a book club on Tuesday next week? I know it’s only a week’s gap but I’ve almost finishedLady Audley’s Secretand I love our meetings. And then Wednesday is bonfire night. So, I’ll get to see you all two nights in a row.’
She must have seen Annie’s blank expression.
‘Oh,’ said Gemma awkwardly. ‘You didn’t know. Not to worry, Annie, there’s no pressure, I’m sure someone else can rustle something up...’
Oh, for fuck’s sake!Annie thought to herself.What now? Is Saltwater Nook the bloody party capital of Willow Bay?She would have to tap back into Mari’s almanac.
‘What sort of thing are we talking?’ asked Annie.
‘It’s normally John’s baby, to be honest,’ Maeve replied. ‘Mari took a back seat a few years ago. John and Paul usually set up some fireworks along the beach. Nothing fancy. Just a bit of fun.’
Annie came over curiously odd and she felt her cheeks flush despite her best efforts to act casual. She had never considered that John and Paul would know each other.Of course they bloody would, in such a tiny village!she chastised herself.
‘Well,’ Annie said, ‘let’s get past Halloween first, shall we? But, yes, if everyone else is in agreement, we can do an extra book club next Tuesday and I’ll find out if John and Paul have something up their sleeves.’ She tried to say this casually but she felt her cheeks burning. Gemma cast her a sly smile and Annie rather wished the whole town didn’t know she’d been intimate with the window cleaner.
The following night Annie was just starting to drift into that halfway place between wake and sleep when a text came through to her phone.
Good evening, Ms Sharpe! I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from my aunt. It’s John by the way. I left rather abruptly the other day. If you’d like some help with Halloween from a grumpy forty-something man, then I’d be glad to apply for the role. J. G.
A little firework of excitement whizzed around in her stomach. Annie chastised herself and read the text again. She would like some help, especially from someone who knew how Halloween at Willow Bay went. And it might be good for him to be reminded that Saltwater Nook was an important part of the community.
She typed and deleted several messages before she found a tone that was right.
