He took a bit of his roll and shrugged. After chewing and swallowing his mouthful, he said. “It’s my pleasure. I didn’t have anything else planned anyway.”
“What about Nicki?” Bella asked, wishing she didn’t feel she had to. “Won’t she be hoping to catch up with you today?”
“Never mind that,” he said, taking a careful sip of his coffee. “Catch, would be the correct term. She’s a determined woman, that one.” A shadow came over his face and he continued eating his food in silence.
Bella had seen them together once or twice. Picturing Nicki in her pristine clothes and high heels, and her immaculate shiny bob, it was hard to place her with someone like Jack. He was the typical surfer boy, with sun-bleached, long hair, and too much of a free spirit to be kept in order by someone who clock-watched.
Sacha had never taken to her brother’s latest girlfriend and during the summer had confided in Bella about Nicki, and why she was concerned that Jack should stick to his decision to break away from her. Bella didn’t feel she was in a position to say much at all. She had her own feelings for him and couldn’t go behind another woman’s back and make snide comments about her to her boyfriend. How could she ever hope to be with Jack if she’d been the one to help him split from his girlfriend? Nicki might not be her friend, but there was a girl code, and Bella had no intention of breaking that, however much she might be attracted to Jack.
She finished her food and wiped her mouth with the napkin that Jack handed to her. “Do you mind waiting here if I go and wash my hands quickly?”
“No, you go,” he said. “You’d better leave me your strange bag though, just in case someone comes to buy something.”
She undid the clasp and handed it to him. He held up his roll and coffee for her to fasten it around his waist. Bella cleared her throat. Standing behind him, she reached around him to pass one end to her other hand. She had to press up against him, but Jack stood still, seemingly unaware that her actions were doing things to her that she could never admit to anyone. She pressed the two ends of the clips together against his hard stomach, focusing on getting it right so that she could step away as soon as possible and leave him to it, before he noticed how red her face had gone.
“Won’t be long,” she shouted over her shoulder without looking at him. She hurried out of the barn and crossed the courtyard to the back of the building where the toilets had been installed earlier in the year. Bella washed her hands, and as she dried them with sheets of paper towels, she stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Wetting the paper, she wrung it out carefully and held it against her face, hoping the coolness of the water would reduce the redness in her face.
“You okay, love?” a lady asked.
Mortified to have been discovered acting weirdly, Bella lowered the paper and smiled. “Fine thanks, just a little hot from unpacking my stock.”
The lady didn’t look convinced, but smiled and went into one of the cubicles.
About to return to her stall, Bella was distracted by the myriad of sellers inside the courtyard. She stopped and stared, from one stall to another, marvelling at all the crafts and produce. It made her proud to be local. She was sure Jack wouldn’t mind if she took a few minutes to mooch around each of them.
First was the pumpkin stall, with at least thirty intricately carved pumpkins dotted on and around the stall table. Scary faces, and faces with fangs and autumn scenes. She made a mental note to come back and buy one of them, and hoped that the medium sized pumpkin with a large bat carved into it was still waiting for her when she came back.
She then walked over to the next stall and breathed in the smell of freshly baked loaves.
“I have to come back with some money,” she told a man in a flour-dotted apron. “But could you tell me what you’ve got here?”
Another two customers came over and waited for him to explain about each of the loaves.
“This one is honey and chocolate,” he said, pointing to a darker loaf. “The honey is local, but the chocolate isn’t.” He indicated the next batch of loaves. “These are bloomers, large and small. Then we have a soda loaf, and this one here is made with sourdough.” He picked up a large cabbage loaf. “I’m sure if you’re local, you’ll know what these are.”
“Cabbage loaves,” Bella said, her mouth-watering at the thought of the delicious bread.
The couple standing next to her looked baffled. “Cabbage? That doesn’t sound very bread-like, if you don’t mind me saying,” the woman grimaced.
The baker shook his head. “It isn’t cabbage flavoured but baked with a cabbage leaf on the top of the dough and also one on the bottom. The taste is subtle and gives the loaf a delicious flavour. You should try one.”
“He’s right,” Bella said. “They’re delicious and my favourite loaves to eat. My friend has toasted cabbage loaf on the menu at the Summer Sundaes Beach Café on the boardwalk.”
“Where is it, dear?” the man asked.
“Turn right at the gateway and keep following the road down the hill until you get to the nearest bay. If you park in the car park there, and cross over to the boardwalk, you’ll find the café to the right at the end. You can’t miss it.” She noticed the baker looking unhappy, so added, “In the meantime, I really think you should buy one of these. I will be, as soon as I’ve fetched some money from my friend. He’s manning my antique stall in the barn.”
The woman held her hands out for the baker to pass her the loaf. “You’ve persuaded me,” she said, waiting while the smiling baker put the loaf into a brown paper bag. “Pay the man, Sydney,” she said to her husband and smiled at Bella. “Thank you, dear. We’ll look forward to having this tonight with some of the local honey we’ve just bought. We’re staying with a friend and I’m sure she’ll be happy to let us use her toaster.”
Bella decided to leave them to pay for their bread and made her way to the next stall, laden with knitwear and crocheted items. The stall was colourful but surrounded by people, so she kept walking. The next stall sold salted caramel sauce. She had bought some of this a few times before, and loved to drizzle it on pancakes and in hot chocolate to enhance the taste. Remembering she still had a bottle at home she didn’t stop to buy any.
“Cider. Delicious Jersey cider,” a man called from a small van with an opening on one side. She decided to come back and buy a glass for her and Jack a little later.
She noticed the time on the small clock tower and was shocked to see she had taken so long. Running back into the barn, she mouthed an apology to Jack who was trying to explain about the art deco dressing table to a beautiful young woman Bella guessed to be in her early thirties.
“I’m so sorry I was ages,” she said, smiling at the woman. “I had a little look around the stalls and forgot the time.”
“I’m always doing the same thing,” the woman said. “Jack’s been telling me all about this magnificent piece.” She gazed up at him through long mascaraed lashes.
“Need any help?” Bella asked, not wishing to intrude if he was flirting with the woman, but not wishing to lose a sale if he didn’t know how to describe the piece.
“Yes, please,” Jack said, looking relieved. “I know this is art deco, but that’s about it, I’m afraid.”
“No problem.” Bella stepped forward and opened the top of the dressing table before showing the buyer the contents. “It really is a work of art,” she said. “I have to be honest, if I had the space to keep it I would, but unfortunately I don’t.”
“I love it,” the woman said, stroking the wood with her manicured hand. “How much is it?”
Jack cleared his throat. “Excuse me interrupting, but here’s your money belt. I’m just going to have a look in the courtyard. Won’t be long.”
“No problem. Thanks, Jack.”
Bella saw disappointment in the woman’s face, so hurriedly told her more about the dressing table. Aware that buyers enjoyed hearing the provenance of their furniture, she said, “I bought this f
rom a woman whose husband had gifted it to her on their wedding day. She spent many happy years using it, apparently. Taking it with her when they were sent abroad to India and Rhodesia in the fifties and sixties. He was a diplomat in the Foreign Service,” she added, hoping her recollections were correct.
“I must have it,” the woman said, seeming enthralled by Bella’s tale. She dipped into her bag and pulled out her purse and credit card. “How much did you say it was?”
Bella told her the price and agreed that she would deliver the piece the following day. She hoped Lexi wouldn’t mind her borrowing the car again and was relieved to have made a decent sale. She wrote down the woman’s home address and mobile number, and after selling her two pieces of costume jewellery, as well as a thirties jug, wished her well and promised to see her around lunchtime the following day.
The morning went quickly. She made several further sales, but still hadn’t managed to get anyone to buy the bedroom suite, despite a lot of interest. Unsure how to gain the sale, she asked Jack for ideas.
“Some people don’t like asking the price,” he said. “Maybe put a tag on each piece and then one on the wardrobe covering the entire suite. Who knows, it might work.”
It was an excellent idea. Bella did her calculations on a piece of paper and then wrote up the different price tags tying them onto the handles. “I hope this works,” she said. “I was taking a chance bringing this lot, but would love to shift them and be able to afford replacement stock for the cottage. My regulars like to find new things when they come.” She ran her hand over the polished veneer of the wardrobe. “I think I got a little carried away when I bought it all.”
Jack studied the wardrobe for a few seconds. “It is a little too big for your living room, well, shop,” he agreed. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a few hours yet. Someone might be tempted to buy the lot.”
It occurred to Bella that Jack was initially only going to drop her off and help her unpack, not stay with her for the day and help sell stock. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?” she said, wincing when her words came out a little differently to how she had intended.
Jack’s cheerful expression vanished. “You trying to get rid of me?”
“No,” she placed her hand on his muscular forearm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to feel you have to stick it out here all day, that’s all. Don’t you want to go and do something else now?”
He gave a slow lazy shrug. “Not particularly,” he said. “If I go back to the boardwalk Nicki’s bound to find me. I’d rather be here with you.”
Delighted, Bella smiled. “Oh, that’s… I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“Yeah, I mean, you’re not going to give me a hard time, are you.”
She grinned, nodding. “No, of course not.”
“You’re a good mate, Bella. I enjoy spending time with you. It was especially fun those evenings on the beach with Sacha, do you remember?”
Of course she did. But she didn’t so much like the idea that he saw her as a good mate; not when she dreamt about being so much more to him. Shut up, she thought. You’re being a complete idiot. You rejected him, and he is involved, whether he likes it or not, with Nicki.
“Bella?”
“What? Oh, yes, they were fun times.”
He laughed at some memory. “Your mum’s just like you. Funny and caring. She’s brilliant, isn’t she?”
“She is,” Bella agreed, starting to feel more miserable. So, she was his friend and just like her mother. He really didn’t see her romantically at all, did he? Obviously not. Bella sighed. She noticed him looking confused by her reaction and forced a smile. “Right, it’s time I treated us to a glass of that local cider. What do you say?”
“Perfect,” he smiled, putting his arm around her and giving her a quick hug. “Do you want me to go and fetch it?”
“No,” she said. “I’ll go.” She walked off, relieved to be able to get away from him for a moment and gather her thoughts and emotions. She hated herself for being such an idiot. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a teenager anymore and should be too old to harbour secret feelings for him. Not that her mother would agree, she reasoned. But Jack had known her forever, and apart from asking her out that time, he hadn’t ever let her think he felt anything for her. And he’d never tried to kiss her, since then. The thought made her miserable.
“Blimey, you could do with a snifter of this,” the man on the cider van said, holding out a glass of the pale gold liquid to her. “This one’s on me. Don’t tell anyone or I’ll be fired, but I hate to see a lady in distress.”
Bella took the glass and drank some. “Delicious, thanks. But I’m fine,” she insisted.
“You’re not in the best of moods though, are yer love?”
“I wasn’t. But this has hit the spot. It’s incredible. Can I buy two glasses to take back to my friend?”
“Sure. Is she the one who’s annoyed you?”
“She’s a he, actually and yes, but not intentionally so I’ve no right to be miserable with him.”
“Fancy him, do yer?”
The comment was like a slap to her face. Stunned, she glared at him. “No.” She paid him, waited for her change and marched back to the barn, a glass of cider in each hand.
◆◆◆
Jack’s plan worked. An elderly couple who had recently downsized to a thirties cottage were delighted to spot Bella’s bedroom suite. After a little negotiation, which resulted in Bella lowering the price more than she had originally intended, they agreed terms and wrote out a cheque for her.
“I’ll have to let you know about collecting them though,” the husband said, rubbing his square chin thoughtfully. “We won’t be able to take them today.”
“We can drop them off to you this evening, if you like?” Jack offered.
Bella, delighted at the thought of not having to taking them back in to the cottage again, instantly agreed. “Yes, will six-thirty suit you?”
The man took hold of his wife’s hand and beamed. “Perfect. I’ll write down our address and phone number in case you can’t find it. The house is only a few minutes up the hill from here, so it shouldn’t take you too long to get there.”
“That’s settled then.”
By the end of the day Bella was exhausted. She noticed Jack looking rather jaded, too.
“I wouldn’t want to do this too often,” he said, collecting their rubbish and taking it out to the bin in the courtyard.
She watched him walking away, staring at his broad shoulders, shown off to perfection in his faded blue jumper, his muscular physique a result of his beloved water sports. She knew she would remember today for a long time, and not just because she’d made a decent amount of money.
“Thanks for offering to drop the furniture off,” she said, packing up the leftover stock and placing it carefully into the boxes to return to the car. “It’ll make such a difference at the cottage, not having them crammed into the living room.”
“I’m hoping it’ll be easier to carry them into their house than your place,” he said with a wink.
Bella didn’t like to ruin his triumphant moment, but had to be honest with him. “Er, it’s a bedroom suite and we’ll probably have to carry it upstairs.” She watched him grimace as the realization dawned on him.
He helped her pack up the rest of the unsold items and carried them to the car with her. Bella stopped to ask the farmer whether he would mind them dropping the smaller items back at the cottage first, before coming back for the larger pieces of furniture.
“No problem at all, Bella,” he said. “I’ve got a larger van if you need me to help with anything.”
“That’s a brilliant idea,” Jack said, coming up behind Bella. “I’ll drop Bella home and you can help me deliver the pieces to the couple. Thanks.”
Bella didn’t dare catch Jack’s eye as she returned to the barn to fetch the remainder of the boxes. She suspected he’d jumped at the farmer’s
offer in order to get the furniture into the customers’ house. It would be easier and take less time than if Bella went with him.
“Why don’t you take Lexi’s car home? I can ask the farmer to drop me off,” Jack said, catching up with her.
“Good point,” she said, happy to agree.
CHAPTER NINE
Bella spotted Jack coming down the hill towards the boardwalk, just as she’d dropped off the car at Lexi’s, and ran to meet him.
“You were quick.” She smiled up at him as they began walking.
“I think he was in a hurry to get rid of me and return to his farm. I offered to help with the clear up after the market, but he declined. Not sure why,” Jack said. “I would have jumped at the chance of someone helping me, especially as he was kind enough to drop off the furniture for you.”
Bella didn’t understand it either. “Never mind, we’re done for the day now.”
They walked on a little in silence. A gust of wind sent leaves falling from the trees on the side of the road. Bella and Jack stepped on the ochre, yellow and golden leaves, enjoying the crunchy sound as they walked, each lost in their own thoughts.
Bella had an inspirational thought. “Sacha mentioned you were both concerned that there might not be enough work for you at the café every day. If you like, you could always help me. I’d be happy to pay you.”
Jack stopped walking, causing Bella to retrace her steps.
“What’s the matter?”
He scowled at her. “I helped today, because I wanted to spend time with a mate, I didn’t expect payment for it.”
“Fine,” she snapped, irritated with him for taking offence when none was meant. “I won’t pay you for your time today then. But you’d be doing me a favour helping me out when times are busy, like today. I wouldn’t want you to do it and not pay you.”
Jack pushed his hands in his pockets. “I’m not happy with it though.”
They continued walking. “With what?” Bella had to step in front of him to get out of the way of an oncoming car that was going too fast.
Autumn Antics: Escape to the seaside with the perfect autumn read! (The Boardwalk by the Sea Book 2) Page 8
