Page 6 of Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake
‘Oh god, really?’ The thought of having to replace the kiln was a headache she didn’t need.
‘You could use one of the old brick ones?’ Val suggested.
Nora shook her head. ‘Not controllable enough. You think it’ll be alright for this firing? I can’t risk anything going wrong.’
‘My best guess is it’s fixed for another couple of firings. Might be more, but you never know. If I were you, I’d be on the look-out for a plan B,’ Ken said.
‘Okay, I suppose at least I know what I’m dealing with. Thanks Ken, you’re a lifesaver.’
‘Here, look at the robin again,’ Val said, shoving it into Nora’s hands.
‘I’m not sure even he’s going to cheer me up. A new kiln isn’t what I was hoping to hear.’
‘At least you should be alright to get this lot fired now. When’s your next order due?’
‘I’ve got another month before I’ll need to use that kiln again, and even then, it’s a batch of smaller pots that I could put through the production kiln if I had to.’
‘There you go then,’ Val said soothingly. ‘There’s time to sort it out. And you’ll have a fancy new kiln to look forward to.’
Nora smiled, but she didn’t want a fancy new kiln that she’d have to faff around with doing loads of test firing. She wanted her old, trusty kiln. Why did everything have to change at once?
4
WHILE NORA WAS at the pottery, Michelle from the sales office had popped her head around the door and asked Nora if it was Croftwood that she’d moved to.
‘We’ve just signed a new account. A retailer called Candles and Cushions. Do you know it?’
Nora shook her head, beginning to feel ashamed of her lack of interest in exploring the town so far. ‘Why don’t you put together some samples and I can pop in and introduce myself.’
‘Really? That’d be amazing. They haven’t placed their first order yet, so it might encourage them.’
And so, Nora sat in her car in the only car park she could find, which was behind the church, plucking up the courage to go and be friendly and smiley. Not that she wasn’t naturally a friendly, smiley person, it just took more effort these days. Since Julian had called it a day on their almost twenty-year relationship, she’d slightly lost her confidence in all aspects of her life, except her work. Her work had ultimately been the reason he’d left, unable to cope with her success and not able to keep his feelings to himself that he deserved that kind of success more than she did.
She paid for an hour’s parking on the app, picked up the pretty paper bag that Michelle had packed the samples into, and headed past the church towards what looked like the centre of town. On the opposite side of the road was a coffee shop. It was trendy, with a kind of hipster vibe that made Nora fully expect to come across a man with a well-groomed beard as part of the staff. It was tempting to stop off there now, but it was better if she had that to look forward to after she’d got the work part out of the way.
Candles and Cushions was further up the road on the same side of the street as the coffee shop. Its window lifted Nora’s spirits because she could see immediately that she’d find things in this shop that she’d want in her own home. It was a great fit for Hart Pottery to be stocked here.
A bell gently sounded as she pushed the door open. The lighting was soft. Bright enough to shop by but dim enough to make you feel cosseted in the warm hug of the shop, as if no one was watching you. Candles were dotted here and there on shelves that were otherwise empty of stock — presumably so that the cushions didn’t go up in flames.
‘Hi there,’ said the woman who appeared behind the counter. ‘Give me a shout if you need anything.’ She smiled and sat down, going back to whatever it was she was doing.
Nora loved that. No pressure at all. Exactly what she wanted, so before she announced herself, she wandered around having a good look and picked up a couple of candles and a new lampshade for her bedside light.
‘That’s such a lovely choice,’ the woman said when she stood up as Nora placed her things on the counter.
‘Believe me, there were several I could have chosen. I’m sure I’ll be back once I finish unpacking properly.’
‘Oh, you’ve just moved here?’
Nora wondered if she’d live to regret sharing that information, but this woman seemed like the kind of person who was easy to open up to. ‘Yes, about a month ago.’
‘I moved here about a year ago and I’ve still got boxes I haven’t unpacked. It’s never ending, isn’t it?’
Nora felt her shoulders drop. ‘Yes, I’m never moving again.’
‘Me neither! I’m Hilary. Lovely to meet you.’
‘I’m Nora. Actually, I popped in because I work for Hart Pottery and once they realised this is where I moved to, they asked me to bring a couple of samples in. They’re complimentary since you’ve just opened a new account with us. You’ve sidetracked me with your lovely wares.’
