The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea

by Jennifer Joyce

  ‘I no longer see bright lights in front of my eyes when I stand on it,’ Melody said. ‘Or feel the need to scream the F word, so I’m taking that as a good sign.’

  ‘Come and sit down.’ Willow pulled a stool out from behind the counter and patted the seat. ‘What kind of thing were you looking for?’

  Melody, with Hugo’s assistance, hopped up onto the stool. ‘I liked those seashell candles you had in the window. I was thinking about getting some of those for my mum.’

  Willow headed for the window display, picking out the small seashells filled with scented wax. She placed them on the counter for Melody to have a closer look at. Melody picked them up, lifting each of the different coloured candles to her nose and inhaling deeply.

  ‘They smell gorgeous.’ Melody put eight shells aside: two of each scent. ‘Mum will love them.’

  It was the first time Willow had seen Melody since her confession the other night, and while she’d assumed it would be incredibly awkward, Melody was acting as though no revelations had taken place at all, which was a relief and Willow decided it was best to play along.

  ‘Ooh, I love this.’ Melody slipped down from the stool, making sure to land on her good foot. She limped across to a jewellery display made from an old cake stand and picked up a little bird brooch. It was made from silver wire and tiny, jewel-coloured buttons that shimmered as she twisted it in the light. ‘I have to have him.’

  ‘Let me buy you this,’ Hugo said, gently plucking the little bird from Melody’s fingers. ‘It’ll be a memento of not only Clifton-on-Sea, but me. Something to remember me by.’

  ‘As if I could ever forget you.’ Melody limped back to the stool and slipped onto its seat again. ‘And you can take that smug look off your face, mister. That wasn’t a compliment.’

  Hugo tapped the side of his head. ‘It was in here.’

  Melody smirked. ‘I’m not sure I want to know what goes on in there, pal.’

  Willow watched the pair as they played verbal tennis and suddenly missed Ethan more than ever before. Chatting on the phone wasn’t the same as actually being together, and she hoped he’d be home soon. Whatever state that home turned out to be in.

  The phone call from Liam still hadn’t come by the time Melody and Hugo left the shop, the candles and the bird brooch packed in paper bags. It hadn’t come as she left the shop in Gary’s capable hands to head over to the DIY store to pick up the paint for the nursery furniture. She’d just pulled up outside the shop again when her phone finally did ring, and she pounced on it, jabbing at the answer button before she missed the call. Liam’s name hadn’t been on the screen, but perhaps the surveyor was phoning her directly.

  ‘Hello?’ She unclicked her seatbelt, but remained seated in the van.

  ‘Is that Willow St Clair?’ the voice on the other end asked.

  ‘It is.’ Willow wiped a sweaty hand down the thigh of her dungarees.

  This is it, she thought, panic rising and making her feel queasy. My future rests completely on what I’m about to hear.

  ‘Hello, Willow. I’m calling from RTA OMG. We’ve received information you were involved in a minor car incident within the last two years. Is this correct?’

  Willow squeezed her eyes shut. She fought the urge to swear at this time-wasting idiot, but refrained. It wasn’t in her nature to scream and swear at strangers, even when provoked.

  ‘No. It isn’t true.’ She opened the van door and jumped down onto the pavement.

  ‘Are you sure, Willow?’

  She slammed the van door shut, and she may or may not have imagined it was making contact with this joker’s head.

  ‘I’m sure. I think I’d remember.’

  ‘Perhaps it was a very minor incident, Willow.’

  ‘So minor I instantly forgot all about it?’ Willow held back a sigh. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘But Willow…’ he said. ‘I have information about this incident.’

  Willow pushed open the shop door and stepped inside, raising a hand in greeting to Gary. ‘If you have the information, why don’t you tell me what happened?’

  ‘I don’t have all the details, Willow.’ Why did he keep saying her name? It sounded creepy. ‘That’s why I need you to tell me what happened.’

  ‘Nothing happened. I was not in an accident, minor or otherwise.’ Gary gave her a questioning look and she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

  ‘Perhaps it was a friend’s car, Willow. You were a passenger.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But Willow. My information says you were in a minor incident in the last two years. You could be entitled to up to two thousand pounds compensation.’

  Jeez, what did she have to do to convince this muppet? Why couldn’t she hang up on him like a normal person? Why did she have to be so bloody polite?

  ‘Willow?’

  She hadn’t responded, simply walked across the shop with the phone up to her ear.

  ‘Want me to deal with it?’ Gary whispered, but Willow shook her head.

  ‘Are you there, Willow?’

  ‘Yes, I’m here. I’m going to tell you one more time and then I’m going to hang up, okay? Because I’m waiting for an important phone call.’ She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. ‘I’ve never been in a car accident, as a passenger or the driver. No big accidents, no small ones. Nothing. Okay? I’m going to hang up now.’

  ‘But Willow…’ she heard before she pressed the end call button.

  Typically, she had a message when she hung up. It was from Liam, asking her to call him back as soon as possible.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Melody

  Hugo had been showing off his ‘skills’, playing the part of (a taller) Tom Cruise in Cocktail, with bottles of strawberry, toffee and blueberry sauce flying in the air (as much as they could fly in the ice-cream van). The queue outside the hatch had taken a keen interest in the juggling act – particularly the mums, Melody noticed – and Hugo was loving the attention. Unfortunately, his ego got the better of him and he turned to wink at his small but adoring crowd. And that’s when it all went a bit wrong.

  Hugo missed the strawberry sauce.

  It clattered to the floor, the noise disturbing his concentration.

  His arms flailed.

  He ended up with the nozzle of the blueberry sauce stabbing him in the corner of his eye.

  With one hand covering his eye and a loud swear, he stumbled.

  Onto the strawberry sauce.

  He slipped on the bottle and ended up sprawled on the floor.

  Well, as close to sprawled as he could get in the confined space of an ice-cream van.

  Melody probably should have hobbled over to see if he was okay, but she couldn’t move – unless her shoulders shaking uncontrollably counted. She pushed a hand over her mouth, but there was no stopping the laughter. It erupted, long and hard, her head thrown back as tears started to stream down her face.

  There was a groan from the floor of the ice-cream van. ‘It’s not funny.’

  Melody pressed her lips together. He was right. He could be hurt.

  So why was a muffled giggle still escaping?

  ‘Sorry.’ Melody cleared her throat and wiped her cheeks. ‘You’re right. It isn’t funny.’ She shuffled round from the seat at the front of the van and squeezed herself onto the floor, holding out a hand. Hugo took it and she helped him sit up. He rubbed at the eye that had been attacked by the blueberry sauce nozzle.

  ‘Are they still watching?’ he asked, turning his uncovered eye to the hatch.

  Melody tried not to laugh in his face. It was a struggle. ‘Yes, I think they are.’

  ‘Shit.’ Hugo hung his head and Melody reached out to rub his back soothingly. His shoulders started to shake and for a horrifying moment she thought he was crying. But she smiled when she heard the rumblings of his laugh, joining in as he laughed in earnest. He covered his face with his
hands and shook his head.

  ‘I’ve made myself look like a right plank, haven’t I?’

  ‘I’m afraid so.’ Melody ruffled Hugo’s hair and grinned. ‘The plankiest plank.’

  ‘My eye hurts.’ Hugo rubbed it again and grimaced.

  Melody batted his hand away and peered at it. It was a little bit pink and watering. ‘I don’t think you’re going to lose it.’

  ‘Do you think I’ll need a patch? Like a pirate?’ He brightened at this idea, but Melody shook her head.

  ‘I think it’ll be fine if you stop messing with it.’

  ‘You could kiss it better,’ Hugo suggested. ‘Just to make sure.’

  Melody rolled her eyes, but she leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on the injured eye.

  ‘There. Better?’

  Hugo nodded. ‘But I also hurt my lips.’ He puckered up, but Melody gave a tut and rose to her feet, coming face to face with one of the mums peering through the hatch.

  ‘Is he okay?’ She pointed down at Hugo, who was still sitting on the floor, gently prodding at his eye.

  ‘He’s fine, apart from his dented ego. What can I get you?’

  Melody took over ice-cream duties for the rest of the afternoon. Luckily the space was small, meaning she could keep her weight on her good foot most of the time. Her ankle was definitely healing, meaning she could hobble around quite comfortably now, but she wasn’t sure it could manage a full shift without any support.

  Melody had one more full day ahead before she had to return home and she’d briefly considered a quick visit to another seaside town for a few more shots, but in the end she’d decided to stay on in Clifton-on-Sea for the remainder of her trip. And it wasn’t just because of her dodgy ankle.

  ‘Thank you for your help this afternoon,’ Hugo said as he closed the hatch after their final customer of the day. ‘And for not laughing too much.’

  ‘I did laugh quite a bit,’ Melody said, and the mere remembrance of Hugo splatting to the floor was enough to set off another fit of giggles.

  ‘All right, all right, you’ve had your fun.’ Hugo attempted a stern look, but it crumpled almost immediately and he was grinning. His eye, thankfully, had lost its pink tinge and was no longer watering.

  ‘I have had fun today,’ Melody said, sounding surprised. She felt a fluttering in her stomach, a lightness against the familiar weighty dread.

  ‘Do you still feel guilty about it?’ Hugo asked.

  ‘Of course.’ Melody shrugged. ‘But I think I always will, to some extent. But you were right yesterday.’

  After taking Melody back to his place and deploying Scoop as a soothing tactic, Hugo had listened more to Melody’s story, learning more about Ollie and their friendship.

  ‘Ollie sounds like a wonderful person,’ he’d said as he brought out cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. ‘Kind, caring, and she obviously loved you to pieces and wanted the best for you.’

  Melody had picked up a biscuit, but couldn’t bring herself to place it to her lips. ‘She did.’

  ‘Wouldn’t she still want the best for you?’

  Melody placed the biscuit back on the plate. There was no way she could eat it.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And wouldn’t she want you to be happy?’

  ‘Well, yes. Obviously.’

  ‘And live the best life you possibly could?’

  Melody had sighed. She’d heard all this before, from her parents, from Ollie’s mum and brother, even through their own grief and despair. But that didn’t make it any easier.

  ‘It’s tragic that Ollie died so young,’ Hugo said. ‘But that doesn’t mean you should waste your life. You should live it to the full, for both of you. Enjoy it. Experience it, the good and the bad. Because not everybody is lucky enough to do so.’

  ‘Haven’t you learned by now that I’m always right?’ Hugo asked now. He sat down in the van’s driver’s seat and pulled on his seatbelt.

  ‘I’ve learned that you’ve got a big head,’ Melody said, following suit in the passenger seat. ‘And that you can’t juggle.’ She giggled as Hugo flashed her a reproachful look. ‘But yes, you are sometimes wise, despite appearances.’

  ‘Hey!’ Hugo’s mouth gaped. He pulled down the sun visor and checked his reflection in the little mirror. ‘Oh. Yes. I see what you mean.’ He started the engine and pulled away from the promenade, heading towards the bed and breakfast. ‘It will get easier, you know, with time. Hearts don’t heal as quickly as ankles.’

  ‘Or eyes.’ Melody giggled again at the memory, pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle it before it took hold.

  ‘I’m never going to live that down, am I?’

  Melody shook her head. ‘Nope.’

  ‘Then I’m almost glad you’re leaving in a couple of days.’

  ‘Perhaps I’ll return, just to taunt you about it,’ Melody said with another giggle.

  Hugo shrugged. ‘Then it’ll be worth the pain and humiliation.’

  Melody felt her cheeks warm and a small smile played on her lips. The usual guilt spiked, but she fought it back. Ollie would have liked Hugo. She’d have seen through his overinflated ego and seen the Hugo Melody could. The kind Hugo. The sweet Hugo. The Hugo she would quite like to return to Clifton-on-Sea to hang out with again.

  ‘Perhaps I’ll do that then.’

  ‘Really?’ Hugo pulled over, as close to the bed and breakfast as he could.

  ‘We’ll see.’ Melody unclicked her seatbelt and opened the van’s door. ‘Are we still on for tomorrow?’

  ‘Absolutely. You, me, Scoop and Chapel Cove.’

  ‘I promise not to cry this time,’ Melody said before hopping out of the van and landing on her good foot. She closed the door and gave a wave before heading to the house.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Willow

  ‘Are you serious?’

  Willow couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. She placed a hand over her mouth, as though she could block all her emotions, squash them back deep down inside where they were safe from spilling out, and sank onto the stool behind the counter. Her hand moved to her stomach, which was suddenly swirling up a storm and leaving her feeling queasy. She saw Gary hovering in the background, his eyebrows pulled down low as he listened to Willow’s side of the phone call.

  ‘I am,’ Liam said on the other end of the line. ‘I absolutely am.’

  ‘Gosh.’ Willow shook her head while letting out a long, slow breath. Her hand moved from her stomach to the counter, clutching the edge for dear life. For the second time that week, she could have cried in public.

  ‘Willow,’ Liam said, his voice measured. ‘This is a good thing. It means we don’t have to underpin.’

  Willow nodded, though Liam couldn’t see her. ‘I know, and I’m so happy about it. I’m just…’ Willow shrugged and blew out a short, sharp breath. ‘Shocked, I guess. I was expecting – and preparing – for the worst: the cost, the time…’ Losing the shop. Perhaps losing the house too. ‘But now you’re saying it isn’t as bad as you thought and this other thing you need to do…’ Willow couldn’t recall the exact terminology – she’d been too focused on the fact that her dream home could be back on track within days rather than weeks. ‘You’re saying it’s quicker and cheaper and we could be back in the house soon.’

  ‘You could move back in straight away,’ Liam said. ‘There’s really no need for you stay away. I’m sorry I overestimated the damage, but I really did think it was too dangerous for you to remain in the house.’

  ‘It’s okay. It’s better to be safe than sorry.’ And she really had enjoyed the luxury of a comfy bed and the bubble baths, as well as the company of Mae and Melody while Ethan was away.

  ‘I’ll make it up to you,’ Liam said. ‘I’ll work extra hard to get us back on track. Starting now.’

  Willow’s face relaxed into a smile, as though her body was finally catching up with the good
news. ‘Are you saying you were slacking before all this?’

  Liam laughed. ‘I’d never admit to that.’

  ‘I’ll pop over this evening for a proper catch-up,’ Willow said. ‘And you can explain that… non-underpinning thing to me again.’ There was no way she could explain it to Ethan at the moment, but she attempted to anyway, phoning him as soon as she ended the call with Liam.

  ‘Everything okay?’ Gary asked, stepping closer as Willow tapped on Ethan’s name in her contacts.

  Willow grinned. ‘Everything’s perfect.’ She held up a hand as her husband answered. She got the gist of her conversation with Liam across: the house wasn’t quite as banjaxed as they’d suspected, meaning they could push ahead with the refurbishment without going too much over budget. The extra cost certainly wouldn’t mean giving up the shop, which was a massive relief. Willow wanted to hop off the stool and hug each and every item she’d created, knowing she was free to continue her passion, free to unleash her love and creativity and make her customers happy.

  ‘This is fantastic news!’ Unlike Willow, the update sank in faster for Ethan and she could tell from his voice he was relieved. She could picture him punching the air. ‘Phone me later, once you know for definite what’s going on. Or put Liam on the phone and he can explain.’

  ‘Are you saying my explanation wasn’t sufficient?’ Willow teased.

  ‘Not at all,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m totally up to speed with the “stuff” they’re going to “sort of inject” into the ground.’

  ‘Those are technical terms. You won’t get any better from Liam.’

  ‘Hmm. Perhaps we should give it a go, just in case.’

  ‘If you insist.’ Willow sighed, but she was grinning. Even she hadn’t had a clue what she’d been wittering on about. ‘I’ll speak to you soon.’

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Ethan said, and Willow felt as tingly as a teenage girl chatting to her first crush.

  ‘Tomorrow?’

  ‘Yep. We’ve managed to sort everything out at this end, so I’m coming home.’