Page 9 of Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake
She was flicking through a book called ‘Wild Swimming’ when Lois came over and handed her the membership card.
‘I love the idea of wild swimming,’ Lois said. ‘Not that I’ve ever tried. It’s just got a strange appeal.’
‘I used to live near the sea so I swam most days. It was a sea pool, so not exactly wild but I think it’s a similar experience and you definitely get the same benefits.’
‘You must miss that now you’re living the furthest you can get from the sea.’
‘I’ve found a lake so I’ve been swimming there for a couple of weeks.’
‘Oh, fantastic. So not an organised thing? That’s quite brave.’
‘I suppose I know what to look out for after so many years, and it’s definitely a high-quality lake, not a stagnant pond or anything.’
Lois laughed. ‘Where is it?’
Nora’s heart sank. She should have anticipated this.
‘I’m not sure exactly, I came across it when I was on a walk. I don’t think I could find it any other way.’ It wasn’t an outright lie. If she hadn’t seen Archie and Tatty the other day, she’d never have ventured further than the lake itself, and would never have known that it was in the grounds of Croftwood Court.
‘Lucky you. That sounds idyllic.’ Lois didn’t press for any more information, and Nora was grateful for that. She’d be more careful about what she said from now on. ‘So we’ll give you a ring when the book’s in and I’ll add you to the book club list for next week. Will you get through it before then?’
‘I should think so,’ Nora said confidently, ‘And the meeting is at Oliver’s?’
‘Yes. We have so many people in the book club now that we have three venues and only people who book through the library can go to the meeting at Oliver’s since that was our original meeting place. We have meetings at the Courtyard Café for anyone linked to a library other than Croftwood. We get a lot of people from Worcester,’ she explained. ‘And then there’s a meeting at Croftwood Cinema for anyone who just wants to join in and isn’t a member of the library but actually it’s become overspill for the entire club. It’s been huge since the summer. We had to start that one after the Croftwood Festival because there was so much demand.’
‘That’s incredible. Running a book club on that kind of scale must be a lot of work.’
‘It’s the biggest part of my job now,’ Lois said. ‘Luckily we have a great team here so Linda and Rosemary manage the library day-to-day, and I run the book club. Today’s my regular day to cover for both of them and I love working on the desk. Except on Saturdays. It’s total chaos.’
‘Well, thanks for enrolling me,’ Nora said. ‘I’ll pop back as soon as I hear from you.’
‘And I’ll see you at the book club for your date.’
Nora went cold. ‘I didn’t think that it was actually going to be a date. Do you mean it’s a date with the book?’
‘Sorry, I should have explained,’ said Lois, smiling and unaware of Nora’s dread that she might have signed up for some weird speed-dating involving books. ‘We just match you up with someone else who’s read the book. Not like romantic dating, although we have had a few successes in that department. It could be anyone, and usually once you’ve had a chat about the book with your date,’ she air-quoted, ‘it turns into more of a group thing. The idea behind it was to be less intimidating so that individuals feel more comfortable joining in. Saves having to find a friend who’s interested in coming.’
‘Ah, okay. That makes sense.’ Nora laughed with relief. ‘I guess it’s a good way to meet other people from the town.’
‘Exactly! And the group that meets at Oliver’s is almost all locals. It’ll be great,’ she said reassuringly.
Feeling pleased that she’d finally done something to involve herself in the community, Nora left the library and headed to Oliver’s for a chai latte. She could see Hilary’s partner, Toby, sat at the same table he had been at the other day. He smiled and raised a hand when she went in. She waved back, feeling odd that they kind of knew each other without having spoken. She was sure Hilary would have shared their conversation with him, and she didn’t mind that, but it might take a while to get used to that small-town thing where everyone knows everyone and their business.
Today, the barista was a bearded man, similar to her age rather than Jack from her last visit.
‘What can I get you?’ he asked.
‘An oat milk chai latte, please.’
‘Drinking in?’
‘Yes, thanks.’
‘Take a seat and I’ll bring it over.’
Nora paid with her phone and took a seat at a table tucked in the corner behind some open shelving that was chock-full of trailing foliage. While she waited for her drink she replied to a text from her friend Liz, who she used to swim with regularly at Clevedon. Liz was free to meet on Saturday, so Nora suggested late morning which would give her time to pick up her box from Julian’s and then wash the whole experience away with a lovely cold swim.
‘One oat milk chai latte,’ said the barista. ‘Are you a new regular?’ he asked with a lazy smile, leaning against the shelves with his arms crossed and making no move to go back to the counter.
