Page 36 of Snowflakes Over Micklewick Bay

‘Aye, that’s right. As you probably know Max left town when he was at primary school, but what you won’t know is that he surprised us all when he returned not that long ago. He and Jazz are an item now. They live together at Njord’s View up on the cliff. Remember the place? Stunning house with equally stunning views. And I have to say, they’re incredibly loved up. They’d both had a tough time of it, him with his father and Jazz with her ex, so this is proof that everyone can have a happy-ever-after.’

‘I’m so glad things turned out well for them both.’ Hannah’s thoughts went to Lachie and the foolish dreams she’d had last year of finding her happy-ever-after with him. What had I been thinking? She toyed with the idea of mentioning him – or at least bringing up the sea blue campervan – but thought better of it, telling herself anything to do with Lachie was best left in the past.

‘Like I said, it’s a real shame you’re not staying in town overnight, it would’ve been great if you could’ve joined us at the Jolly. I know for a fact the lasses would be chuffed to bits to see you.’ She smiled over at Hannah before pouring more custard over her brownie.

‘Maybe next time.’ She smiled back, surprised to find that the idea of meeting up with the lasses was growing on her, though she had no idea where she’d stay overnight and it would make for a long drive back to Beckinthwaite at that time of night. It wasn’t just that, she knew Birdie wouldn’t be able to settle until she’d returned and she didn’t think it fair to worry her so soon after the concern she’d caused last week.

‘You won’t regret it, promise.’

A thought took hold. After her reception here today, maybe she wasn’t quite the social pariah she’d always believed herself to be. ‘I don’t suppose those tickets are still going spare for the author reading next week?’ She met Florrie’s gaze, a wide smile making the other woman’s eyes shine. Hannah wasn’t going to entertain the idea she’d regret saying this. She was going to push on.

‘Er, really sorry, but they’re not. I’m afraid they’ve been reserved by a lovely lass who used to live in Micklewick Bay.’

When the penny finally dropped, Hannah’s face broke out into a beaming smile and she couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Thank you. I’m thinking of bringing my neighbour Birdie. She was my Auntie Coll’s best friend and she’s been a bit lost without her. I reckon a night out would do us both good.’ Hannah knew that once she mentioned it to Birdie, there’d be no wriggling out of it.

‘I agree, and I promise, you’ll both have a whale of a time.’

‘Can’t wait.’

‘Tell you what, I know we’ve been texting and have FaceTimed each other, but we haven’t half still got a lot of catching up to do,’ said Florrie. ‘Maybe we’ll get the chance next week.’

‘I reckon that’s a massive understatement,’ said Hannah. Just wait till you hear my news!

TWENTY-FIVE

Hannah stepped out into the square feeling a whole lot lighter than when she’d first arrived in town. Talking with Florrie had filled her with a brightness that was as welcome as it was unexpected. She’d found her easy to be around and they’d laughed and chatted away like old friends. Hannah couldn’t ever remember feeling so comfortable with someone a similar age. Even her subconscious guard had remained down, instinct telling her Florrie could be trusted.

As she made her way towards Endeavour Road, she found herself warming to the idea of joining the lasses at the Jolly sometime, especially if the others were as friendly and welcoming as Florrie. From the way the other woman had talked about her pals, it had given Hannah a feel of how it would be to be part of a close-knit group; the camaraderie and support it offered. It hit that it was something she’d missed out on, though she wasn’t quite ready to throw herself into meeting up with the rest of the lasses just yet. Baby steps, Hannah. You’re doing well but you don’t want to overdo it. She didn’t want to risk her walls going back up if she pushed herself too hard. At least at the reading, she’d have Birdie with her, the thought offering her a degree of reassurance.

Reaching her car, she threw her bag into the footwell and was taken with the notion of having a drive round the town, no doubt owing to her interaction with Florrie as well as Gloria Stephens and Jennifer Cornforth. It had given her self-confidence a much-needed boost. Plus, her curiosity had been piqued after she’d learnt of the number of properties involved in the O’Riordan estate from Mr Cuthbert’s letter.

Before long she found herself driving along Ash Gardens where Midsummer Haven was located. She drove slowly, scanning the street for signs of Polly or Darryl before finally pulling up a little further down the road on the opposite side to the house. From what she could see, the place had suffered a proper Polly makeover. The once tasteful lichen-covered sandstone gateposts were now topped with a huge pair of golden lions that gleamed garishly in the sunshine. The understated metal gates had been replaced with something outrageously opulent and what Hannah considered more fitting for a palace or stately home. They were painted a glossy black, but the trims hadn’t escaped being embellished with the same glaring gold paint as the lions. ‘Ugh!’ To complete the look was a fussy house-name sign featuring ‘Midsummer Haven’ in large, scrolling letters. A flagpole had also appeared since she’d left and a flag bearing what appeared to be a coat of arms fluttered in the breeze. The whole look sat incongruously amidst the genteel properties that lined the street and spoke quietly of good taste. With Midsummer Haven standing out in such a way, it created the impression that the other properties were trying to shrink away, almost as if they were attempting to distance themselves from the house. Hannah could only imagine what the neighbours must think. No doubt there would have been complaints, but they’d have been met with scorn by Polly. What had you been thinking to let her do this to our home, Dad? It was so not his style, nor that of her mother’s. A memory of something she overheard her stepmother say to her father drifted into her mind: ‘What Polly wants, Polly gets.’ Isn’t that a fact?

Feeling her mood dip, Hannah pulled out and drove further around the streets, seeking out the other properties that were listed in Mr Cuthbert’s correspondence, though she couldn’t help but be distracted by the garish Polly makeover to her once beloved home. She told herself not to let it get to her, that the lions could be easily removed and the gates replaced. That said, if the exterior was anything to go by, she dreaded to think what fate had befallen the interior. The décor had been getting increasingly blingy before she’d left and Hannah could only imagine what a further seventeen years of her stepmother’s influence had done to it.

Having located all the properties, she found herself being pulled towards the beach, craving the feel of the wind in her hair, which would no doubt be more pleasant than her last visit, especially as the sun was shining and there was no hint of sleet or hail.

She took her time navigating the steep swerves of Skitey Bank. It struck her that it was the first time she’d ever driven down it, and being in a car rather than on foot made it seem steeper somehow, the twists much tighter. Arriving at the bottom, she found a place in the small car park there, grabbed her bag and headed out towards the bottom prom.

She strode on, savouring the invigorating salty breeze that was rushing over her face and tugging at her hair. The smell of fish and chips wafting her way was inviting even though she was stuffed from her meal with Florrie. She headed by the lobster pots stacked against the sea wall and a handful of small boats that were lined up nearby. She stole a look to the right of her where the pantile rooftops of Old Micklewick glittered in the sunshine. The Jolly Sailor’s pub stood at the forefront, stoically facing the North Sea as it had done for the last four centuries Her mind went to Florrie’s invitation once more. Maybe sometime soon she’d find herself joining her with her happy group of friends. She imagined herself sitting and chatting away with them all just as she’d done with Florrie. The thought brought a smile to her face.

Hannah steamed on, drinking in the blue sky and the sound of the seabirds. It struck her how much she’d missed living by the sea. She used to be a regular down on the sand, having a paddle and exploring the rock pools or a wander along the pier, ice cream in hand, with Auntie Coll being a usual feature. And, much as she loved her home on the moors, she felt an unexpected yearning to return to Micklewick Bay.

Finally, she arrived at her very reason for making the trip down there: the building at the start of the pier, or rather, the run-down former café at the entrance. She ran her eyes over the vast Victorian sandstone building with its large boarded-up windows. From its shabby appearance, it had clearly been closed for years and could justifiably be described as an eyesore. For a fleeting moment she wondered why her aunt had let it fall into such a state of disrepair, then she remembered Mr Cuthbert’s words. ‘She hadn’t wanted to attract Polly’s attention. The woman had already been sniffing around it, saying that it had reached her ears that the property belonged to Bronagh and that, by rights, it should’ve gone to Jon – she was clearly oblivious to the conditions in Bronagh’s will. Colleen had known that if she’d invested in its refurbishment, that would only have increased Polly’s interest. According to Birdie and Mr Cuthbert, her aunt hadn’t wanted the hassle, especially if it risked causing upset to Hannah, so she’d let it remain empty, logic being that if it wasn’t an up-and-running viable business with a lease and monthly rent to benefit from, then it wasn’t worth bothering with in Polly’s eyes.

What Birdie had told her filtered into her mind. How her aunt had big plans for the place. It had been something Coll had apparently been planning on introducing as an idea for some time, feeling Hannah was ready for another challenge and for Polly to be put squarely in her place. But then she’d got ill and the plans had fallen by the wayside. Colleen had been so impressed by Hannah’s business nous and how she’d started up The Bougie Burger Company, from the initial ideas she’d scribbled down in a notebook, to the care she took in the preparation of the food, that she believed converting what had been a cheap and cheerful café at the entrance to the pier into a newly branded eatery would be a doddle to her, not to mention an exciting distraction. It would also help push her niece back into a social setting, in Micklewick Bay where she had every right to be. It was where she belonged.

Looking at the run-down property before her, Hannah wasn’t sure what her aunt had been thinking. As far as hare-brained ideas went, this one was pretty out there. And something niggled her about the timing; Polly was still a presence in Micklewick Bay and reopening and rebranding the pier café would attract her attention big time, not to mention Darryl’s. But Birdie had told her she should trust her aunt’s judgement, saying it had never let her down in the past. It was something Hannah couldn’t argue with.

‘Hmm.’ She rubbed her hand over her chin, thoughtful. Should she take the plunge?

She reached inside her bag, where the keys to the property were safely tucked away. She glanced around her. There were plenty of people milling about, dog walkers, joggers, couples strolling hand in hand. Would she draw attention to herself if she went to open the padlock? Looking at it from here, it was pretty rusty, the salty air no doubt doing its worst over the years. In fact, she could see the place had been secured with several other equally rusty looking locks. Pushed on by a surge of adrenalin, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to at least try the main one. She hurriedly fished out the keys and found the one that had the tag with the words ‘Café Main Door’ written neatly on it. Taking a further furtive glance around her, she stepped towards the door, reached for the main padlock and tried to push the key into the keyway. Despite several attempts, hindered by increasingly shaky hands, she was disappointed to find the key wouldn’t fit. Quickly grappling with the rest on the bunch, she tried them each in turn with the same disappointing level of success. Her stress levels were beginning to skyrocket, fearful of attracting the interest of someone who knew Polly or Darryl.

‘Y’all right there, love?’ A male voice behind her made her freeze. ‘No one’s been in there for years; I daresay them locks have all rusted up.’

Hannah turned, fixing a polite smile to her face, to see a man she’d put in his late sixties with a Jack Russell pulling on the end of a lead. ‘So I’ve just discovered,’ she said, trying to sound breezy.

‘Thinking about tidying the old place up? Been a right dump for years, it has.’ He scrunched up his nose and peered over at her. ‘Actually, do I know you? There’s definitely something familiar about you.’ His questions sent her heart galloping. She didn’t want to answer questions about the café or who she was from someone she didn’t recognise.