'It will come around quickly. You seem very chill, though.’
‘It will do! We’re quite organised. We’ve been to the hotel, everything is ready for that. We’ve got the marquees ready to go if there’s an inclement weather problem. Nancy and Birdie have done their bit. It's a bit overwhelming to think it's nearly here after all the planning. It’s all been so fast.'
Colin interjected, ‘There will be if it’s in Lovely, probably get hailstones.'
Nina forced a chuckle. ‘Don't put that image in my head! I'm stressed enough about the weather as it is. I should know by now to expect anything here.’ She bit her lip, eyebrows knitted with concern.
'You never know in Lovely. Just have to be prepared for anything and any weather, four seasons in one day. Well, you already know that by now.’
'Maybe I was crazy to have it outside.'
'Maybe you were,' Colin agreed. 'So, how are you getting from the registry office to The Summer Hotel?'
Nina shook her head. 'Haven’t really thought about it too much. A taxi, I suppose, or we’ll just drive.'
'I’ll drive you if you like. On the way back, you could come up on the boat. That would be a nice way to arrive.’
Nina wrinkled her nose and shook her head. 'Hmm. I don’t really want to be walking up the road in the dress and everything.'
'I didn’t mean that. We could use the jetty down there,' Colin suggested.
Nina was curious. 'What jetty?'
'Private jetty to the left of The Summer Hotel.'
'Oh, that one. I didn’t even know that was in use.'
'It’s not, not officially, but it can be. I can easily pull a boat up there.'
'Wow, that would be a nice idea,' Nina said. 'What, and then we’d just walk up through the garden?'
'Yes, it would be lovely if it’s a nice day.'
'Yes, it would, actually,' Nina agreed. 'I'll have a think about it. Thank you.'
Colin tapped the side of the boat. 'We’ve got enough of these beauties. We could use the old special timber one, my favourite one. It’s a bit smaller, but it would get you here in no time.'
Nina nodded. 'Thank you. I’ll run it past Robby and see what he thinks. Thanks for the offer, Colin, that’s so nice of you.'
'Not a problem at all, you know the gig now. It’s the way we do it down here in Lovely. Help each other out and everything. I’ve heard about what you’ve taken on in the chocolate shop.'
'Yes.’
‘So how's that going, the big clear out?’ Colin asked.
Nina rolled her eyes good-naturedly. ‘Where do I start? I didn't realise it was going to be as big of a job as it is. It’s amazing quite how much stuff has accumulated there over the years. It's literally floor-to-ceiling clutter in every little nook and cranny.’
Colin chuckled knowingly. ‘I can imagine. Some people do tend to hang onto things.’
‘That's an understatement!’ Nina laughed. ‘I see it all daily in my line of work. There was so much in there – old electricity bills from the nineties, ledgers from years ago and so much random stuff. Promotional hats, a mannequin torso, boxes of ribbons and doilies, an old shop till. You name it, I found it.’
Colin grinned. ‘That sounds about right. You'll have your work cut out, getting it all sorted. Sounds like a right mess.’
‘It really is. There's barely room to move back there. But I'm getting there, one shelf at a time. Found a few buried treasures, too, like an old commemorative tin of chocolates.’
Colin chuckled. ‘If anyone can tackle that job, it's you. Just don't throw anything out without asking first, if I was you.’
Nina nodded. ‘Oh, believe me, I’ve learned that lesson quickly! People sometimes have fits over things I think about purely as junk. Anyway, I'm making progress, bit by bit, and I love it, so it’s all good. I find it therapeutic, which is how I got into it all in the first place.’
