Bea knew that wasn’t strictly true but it was a subject she didn’t want to think about or have a deep conversation about and she wished her sister would take her side for once. Why wasn’t she turning around to Carl and telling him he didn’t deserve her sister? After throwing her phone in the drawer and serving a few more customers she locked up the till and took a walk to the water’s edge to check that everything was okay out on the river. A teenager was pulling himself up on one of the paddleboards. As much as the water looked calm and everywhere everyone was enjoying themselves, Bea understood what a dangerous place the water could be. It still made her feel unsettled that there wasn’t any life rescue in operation. As soon as the teenager was safely back on the paddleboard, Bea wandered back inside, and for the next ten minutes tidied up the wetsuit rail, swept the floor and then took a look through Nolan’s paintings. Without a doubt he had talent, and she could visualise them hanging on a gallery wall in his very own exhibition. There were more paintings stacked in boxes on the ground, and Bea began to take a look through them. They were mainly of landscapes and landmarks, each one telling a story of somewhere Nolan had visited. But one took her a little by surprise. She held it in her hands and felt a stab of jealousy.
The woman was young and beautiful. She was much the same age as Bea, who suddenly felt a slump in the pit of her stomach. Was this girl like her? Was she someone whom Nolan had met on his travels, and had they too had an affair? Bea gave herself a shake and reminded herself that she’d quite willingly got into the situation with Nolan, knowing that he wasn’t going to stick around. So why was she feeling jealous of the woman in this painting? She stared at it a little longer and breathed a sigh of relief. This girl couldn’t have been just a fling, because she was holding up her hand and there on her finger was a wedding ring. Maybe she was a friend, an old work colleague or even a relative. Placing the painting back in the box, Bea reminded herself to stop overthinking things. Nolan was a free spirit and could do exactly what he wanted … even if Bea didn’t like the thought of him being with anyone else.
Suddenly there was an influx of customers and a long line of tourists had formed, wanting to book excursions for tomorrow. As a mother of three children handed over her credit card to pay for a trip, she said, ‘What a lovely place to work. I would love a job like this overlooking the water. Even though that view will change throughout the seasons, I bet each time it is equally stunning.’
‘It is a lovely job but I’ll let you into a little secret. It’s my first day! I can imagine how stunning the view is in winter but I’m afraid I’m only here for the summer.’
‘Here for the summer? I’d be here for ever. This village is beautiful.’
Bea smiled and handed over her receipt and tickets for tomorrow’s trip. Once she’d cleared the rest of the queue, she fired up the computer behind the counter at the back of the shop. It wasn’t password protected and Bea went online to search for jobs back home. She was soon disappointed as there was nothing that jumped out at her or caught her interest. They were all like the mundane job she already had.
Feeling dispirited, she next searched amongst the available rental flats in the area. On her wage, all she could afford were small flats in far from salubrious areas of town. She sighed. There wasn’t even the possibility of moving in with her sister, as her small town house was already packed with a husband, children and two dogs.
‘That was a loud sigh. I was just going to make a drink. Would you like one?’
‘Yes, please,’ replied Bea.
‘Is everything okay?’ asked Julia, hovering in the staff room doorway.
‘Yes and no. I hope it’s okay but whilst it was quiet, I thought I’d start to look for places to rent back home.’
‘Isn’t there much available?’
Bea leaned to the side so Julia could take a look at the screen. ‘They’re all in areas that I don’t particularly want to live in and I certainly wouldn’t feel safe in. I don’t want views of backyards, overflowing bins and people frequenting the nearby flats for drugs.’
‘That wouldn’t enthral me either. Do you have to stay in that area?’
‘It’s about the only town in that area I can afford – if I kept my job at the supermarket, and I may have to. I’ve already looked at available jobs and they aren’t much better than what I already have.’
‘There’s just an easy answer to that then,’ Julia said, smiling. ‘There’s only one thing for it – you’ll have to stay here!’
‘If only.’ Bea thought Julia must be daydreaming.
‘You wait there, let me make a drink and I’ll be back to have a chat.’
Bea shut down the computer and, while she waited for Julia to return, checked in the kayaks that had been brought back and hung up the life jackets ready for the next tourists who’d hired them out.
‘I know I don’t know you well,’ Julia continued when she returned, ‘but even from this morning I can see you’re a hard worker and extremely charismatic with the customers.’
‘You’re going to make me blush,’ interrupted Bea.
‘What is keeping you in the town where you’ve just come from? Because when you talk about home you don’t seem to be filled with enthusiasm.’
‘What’s keeping me there is … it’s all I’ve ever known and my sister lives there.’
‘And how often do you see your sister?’
Bea didn’t have to think about that answer. ‘Barely ever, because I’ve been working nights for as long as I can remember, and at the weekends, if I happen to have a day off, she’s busy with her own family.’
‘To me, it sounds like there’s no quality time spent seeing each other.’
Bea agreed.
‘What about friends in that area, hobbies? What do you like to do in your spare time?’
‘With working through the night, I didn’t really have a social life. I kind of fitted things in around my ex, which I’m now beginning to realise wasn’t healthy. He didn’t like my friends much so I left them behind.’
‘Us girls always need good girlfriends to lift us up. I have such a great group of friends in the village. What we need to do is introduce you to a few more villagers. There’s always something going on so leave it with me, I’ll check what free nights I have and maybe we could go for a drink in the pub.’
