Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe (Pepper Bay #14)

11

Erin

With the sweet shop closed and people peering through the window when passing, Erin wondered if it was worth opening. It wasn’t long till Christmas, but with everything she had agreed to do, it seemed a little much to add into the mix. Just clearing the flat was taking up a lot of time.

‘We’ve finally done the living room,’ said Tyler, looking rather pleased as they plodded down to the shop floor. ‘So let’s focus on the window display and the sweet hampers. We can open for a few days to sell those, then worry about the shop being full-time after the holidays.’

Erin’s heart calmed at the suggestion. ‘Yes, that sounds good. I’m feeling a tad frazzled.’

Tyler laughed. ‘That’s one way to put it.’

She pointed at the ceiling as she crouched to the bottom of the tree they were setting up in the shop. ‘It’s the flat.’

‘Let’s not stress. We’ll get there, Erin. I promise.’ He switched on the tree lights, making them both smile at the multicoloured twinkles.

‘Aww.’ Erin beamed.

‘Do you want a hot chocolate?’ he asked, passing her a small box of candy canes.

‘Love one.’

‘Won’t be a sec. I’ll just nip to Edith’s Tearoom.’

Erin smiled at the tree as he left, then jumped as the street door swung open again.

‘Hello, Erin, right?’ said a short woman with long red curls, followed by an older woman with short white-blonde hair. ‘I’m Nate’s wife, Tessie, and this is my mum, Elaine.’

Elaine waggled a roll of black bags. ‘Thought you might like a hand with the flat.’

Erin stood to greet them. ‘Oh, you don’t have to do that.’

Tessie gestured at the cast on Erin’s arm. ‘Least we can do.’

‘It wasn’t Nate’s fault. Anyway, he’s suppling me with cheese for a month, or at least Christmas.’ Erin smiled, hoping they would relax. She didn’t want the Walkers feeling bad.

‘Good,’ said Tessie. ‘Now, have you got a phone?’

Erin reached for it automatically. ‘Yes.’

‘I want to add you to our Pepper Bay group chat,’ said Tessie. ‘That way you’ll know all what’s going on and can ask for help at any time as well. It really does come in handy, so don’t be shy, especially if it’s an emergency.’

Erin let her get on with it, thinking it was easier that way. ‘Thanks for including me.’

Elaine pointed at the window. ‘I own the pub there, so you know where I am if you need me. So, where shall I start? We heard about the clutter.’ She smiled softly.

‘Well, right now, we’re just clearing everything that can be recycled, as we haven’t got much time to sort through the personal stuff yet, as we want to spend the next couple of weeks trying to sell some sweet hampers.’ She gestured to the tester one they had made earlier that was sitting on the counter. ‘We’re thinking something like that.’

‘Ooh, we’ll take one,’ said Tessie. ‘Put my name down for one just like that.’ She glanced at the window. ‘Here, hang on.’ Grabbing the sweet hamper, she went to the doorway and called out to someone called Bobby. ‘Got a sweet hamper for sale. You interested? Plenty more where that came from. They’re being sold here over the next two weeks.’

The man approached and took the hamper. ‘Yes, please. Can I have this one now? I’ll order another and collect in a few days.’

Tessie turned to Erin, who quickly nodded and told him the price. Money was exchanged along with a few smiles, then Tessie and Elaine made their way up to the flat to shift some more plastic bottles.

Tyler was frowning as he walked through the opened door. ‘Did I just see Bobby Sheridan with our sweet hamper?’

‘He just bought it.’ Erin had to laugh. ‘Well, Tessie cornered him on the pavement.’

‘Tessie?’

‘Yes, she’s upstairs with her mum and a few bin bags.’

Tyler handed her the hot chocolate. ‘This was a gift from Joey who owns the tea shop. She told me to tell you to pop in for a free pastry anytime you like. It’s a welcome offering.’

‘Everyone is so nice here.’

‘Our community is.’

A bang came from upstairs, followed by Elaine’s voice. ‘Do you want the armchair, love?’

Erin went over to the stairs. ‘No. All the furniture can go.’

‘I’ll get my Ed to sort that lot with a van,’ she called back.

Erin smiled at Tyler grinning her way. ‘I feel like I’ve been here years.’

Tyler sipped his drink whilst giving the tree the once over. ‘Your grandad didn’t like having photos taken of him, but if we come across one upstairs, perhaps we could put it in a frame and hang it behind the counter.’

‘You must miss him, Ty.’

He nodded slowly.

Tessie came down, holding a large manila envelope. ‘We found this under the armchair cushion. Thought it might be important.’

Erin took the envelope. ‘Thanks. I guess we’ll have to check all the furniture now in case he hid other things away.’

Tessie agreed. ‘Mum’s already checking the bed.’

Erin sat at the base of the tree as Tessie went back upstairs. ‘Maybe it’s to do with the shop.’

Tyler joined her side. ‘All the accounts and stock info is out back, and the solicitor had the important documents.’

The envelope wasn’t sealed, so she pulled the flap and slid out a birth certificate and a handwritten letter.

Tyler lifted the certificate from her lap as she browsed the letter. ‘Another Masonville,’ he told her. ‘Ezra. Born four years before your grandad.’

‘His brother,’ said Erin, tilting the letter. ‘I don’t know who this lady is, but she says she has found my grandfather’s brother.’

‘Oh, he must have been looking for him. You hear about these things. Families somehow getting separated, then finding each other years later.’

‘I wonder what happened?’

Tyler glanced at the writing. ‘Maybe that’s who he went to see every Christmas.’

Erin gasped. ‘That means I have family.’

‘Once we’re down to just the personal items upstairs, we might get some more answers.’

‘Yeah, maybe.’ Erin put the letter and certificate back in the envelope and placed it to her side. It was surreal to think she had family out there somewhere. Picking up some tree decorations as Tyler got up to start on the window display, she wondered if her mum knew, not that it would have mattered, as no doubt she wouldn’t have told her anyway.

I’ve got a family. If he’s still alive, I could meet him. He might have kids. I could have cousins. Oh wow, it’s all happening for me lately .

She peered over her shoulder at Tyler. ‘Do you think I should find Ezra?’

‘Depends how you feel about it.’

‘I’m not sure how I feel about anything anymore. I’m still getting to grips with the fact my grandad was alive when I thought he was dead.’ She hung a red bauble on the tree. ‘I only had my mum. Now I have a great-uncle, if he’s still around.’

Tyler pinned a string of fairy lights to the top of the window. ‘It won’t be long before we can sort through his personal info.’

Erin scoffed. ‘If we find any.’ She tapped the envelope. ‘What if that’s it?’

‘Nah, there’s bound to be some bits and pieces somewhere, especially if he was doing a search. I bet there is some stuff from the past up there.’

I hope I don’t find anything bad .

She stood, taking the envelope over to the counter before joining Tyler at the window to help with the display. ‘I feel like my life is getting weird.’

Tyler laughed. ‘Why weird?’

‘It’s been one thing after the other. One minute, I’m living my day-to-day life, and the next, I’m here, falling down stairs, and living with a stranger. Now I have more family I didn’t know about, and honestly, I’m starting to worry about what’s next.’

‘Sounds exciting to me. Well, you know, except for the broken arm part.’

Erin stared at her cast, wishing she could rip it off and give her skin a good scratch. ‘At least when I was in London I knew what I was doing. I feel all over the place here.’

‘You look quite settled to me.’

He had a point. There were some moments when she felt happy and relaxed. But still, it wasn’t her normal life.

‘Change can be hard, Erin.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ she said quietly. ‘I just wish the changes didn’t all come at once.’

Tyler breathed out a laugh. ‘Bit like buses.’

‘Sorry. I shouldn’t be moaning to you. You’ve got your own changes to deal with.’

‘My changes are done. I had a girlfriend and a best friend, and now I don’t.’

Erin flashed him a warm smile. ‘Their loss is my gain.’

Tyler smiled back. ‘Yes, my new mate and fake date.’

‘Are we still going to the reunion?’

‘Yep.’

She got the feeling he wasn’t too sure, and she couldn’t blame him. ‘The first time I saw my ex with his new girlfriend, it was hard, but I got used to it. Maybe you’ll get used to seeing Howie and Mandy again, even though they’re no longer together. That might actually make it easier for you.’

Tyler stepped down from the window. ‘Hang on a minute, back up. How often did you see your ex with his girlfriend?’

‘A lot. She was a client at our company, and after they were married, she seemed to be around all the time.’

‘You worked with your ex?’

Just the memory deflated her. Why had she stayed around so long whilst hurting so much? Even now she felt a fool.

‘I didn’t have anywhere else to go,’ she said quietly, convincing herself.

Tyler splayed his arms. ‘Good thing you’ve got this place.’

Erin looked over at the tall jars of sweets lining the shelves along one wall.

I am lucky, and it is time to burn that old bridge. From this moment on, I’m going to be happy, and nothing is going to bring me down .

Her phone bleeped in her pocket. It was a text from her ex, Harvey, wanting to know where she was, and just like that her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.