Winter at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (best affordable ebook reader TXT) 📗

searching through his phone for the number of Pretty Beach Glass.

Sallie strolled around, peering at everything.

‘Yeah, that’s good, I was bracing myself for a lot more than that and a lot more money to be spent to fix it all.’

Ben phoned through to Pretty Beach Glass and they walked back out of the Orangery, down through the yard and opened the gate to the first of the cottages. As they were looking up at the guttering they heard a voice call out.

‘Hello, any damage?’ Suntanned Pete was walking past the gates and had glanced in to see what was going on.

‘Nothing much really, just a few panes in here, a gutter at the other place. How about you?’

‘Crikey, it was a bit mad! The water came right up and into the reception, and hit the sandbags. First time I’ve seen it like that since I was in my twenties. Thankfully I was well prepared. Always likely to flood down that part of Pretty Beach and I’ve seen it before so I’m alright. I’ve cleaned up what I can already - just need this all to clear up and it to dry out.’ He pointed up at the clouds.

‘Sounds scary,’ Sallie replied, hoping that it didn’t clear up and wanting more snow.

‘Been through it before, and I guess it won’t be the last time Pretty Beach sees a storm.’

Ben and Pete laughed and Sallie shoved her freezing cold hands in her pockets and stamped her feet on the ground to keep warm.

‘I was just on my way to check on Nina and the little miss; she’s had that terrible wheeze and I thought I would see if they needed anything,’ Pete said as he went to carry on.

‘I took some milk in last night and told her she needs to get that cough looked at,’ Sallie replied, shaking her head from side to side.

Pete held up his hand and started to walk away. ‘I’ll tell her again too - not that she’ll take much notice of me though,’ he said and walked off down towards Nina’s place.

Sallie watched him go and thought about how when she had first arrived in Pretty Beach and stayed at Seashells Cottages she’d not been sure about Pete. She’d felt then that there was something not quite right about him, but since Nina had moved down to Pretty Beach too and she and Pete had become friendly, Sallie had realised that maybe she had been wrong.

Chapter 7

Sallie and Ben walked along the white covered pavement and strolled past the rows of beach houses now all gloriously adorned with an abundance of snow. Smoke rose from the chimney pots and lights glowed cosily from inside the houses.

‘Come in!’ Jessica opened the door and ushered Ben and Sallie in. They took off their boots by the front door and hung their coats up near the radiator.

‘Brrr, it’s chilly out there!’ Icy air came through the door and Jessica quickly shut it and led them into the main room. A roaring fire lit up the room, and the scent of mulled wine bubbling away on the hob and something delicious in the oven hit their nostrils.

Nina was sitting on the sofa by the fire, her legs tucked up under her. David sat on the other side with his friend Guy and a large plate of antipasti on the coffee table in front of them. Camilla was pulling something out of the oven, pottering around in the kitchen behind the three-metre-long island, with a glass of wine and getting things ready for the dinner.

‘Hope you’re hungry, Ben, Camilla’s done enough food to feed an army,’ Jessica said.

‘Ravenous, this weather seems to make me hungry all the time.’

‘You’re always hungry all the time.’ Sallie exclaimed from her seat next to Nina.

‘True. I am actually, so what’s on the menu?’ Ben asked.

‘Slow cooked chicken in white wine and mashed potato and baked cheesecake - nice, warming comfort food.’ Camilla revealed from the kitchen.

‘Sounds perfect to me,’ Ben said and took his glass of wine from the counter, sitting back down on the sofa next to Sallie.

‘So, when’s the big day then?’ Ben turned to Nina and asked. ‘Have we set a date yet?’

Nina had been planning Ottilie’s naming ceremony and after seeing the success of the last wedding in the marquee, she had decided that rather than wait all the way until the warmer weather, she would embrace a Winter theme. Sallie had chimed in and said it would be perfect to hold it in the Orangery.

They’d discussed it and the more they’d thought about it, the more Nina had loved the idea of a Christmas/Winter themed naming ceremony for Ottilie. So, they’d drawn up a short, exclusive guest list of about fifty people, planned a very simple menu and had worked out the time to fit it around Tillie’s sleeps so that she would be happy for the whole thing.

‘In about a couple of months' time as long as that suits the Orangery. There’s not actually a lot of planning really. I’ve no family to invite, what with mum’s situation, just close friends and we’ll probably go with the afternoon tea idea so there’s not much organising at all,’ Nina replied, swirling her mulled wine round in the little goblet.

‘You’re joking, aren’t you? There’s always organising with you Nina - you’ll have a spreadsheet, a work plan and a run sheet if I know you.’ Sallie laughed and slapped Nina gently on the leg.

‘Hmm, the new me is more go with the flow, more relaxed,’ Nina said, chuckling and then coughing.

‘I’ll believe that when I see it!’ Sallie took a sip of her wine and held out her hands towards the fire and looked out the doors onto the snow-covered swimming pool.

‘I love this weather. Let’s hope it snows for the naming day too - can you imagine how pretty the Orangery will look? It’ll be lovely if it’s all toasty and warm inside with mulled wine and freezing outside.’

‘You really