Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe (Pepper Bay #14)

19

Erin

When Erin sent an email to Adam Masonville, she wasn’t entirely sure he’d reply, so having a video chat set up with him the following day was quite nerve-wracking to say the least.

Tyler was working at the garden centre, and Heath had dropped her off at the sweet shop, so Erin closed the shop door and headed upstairs, feeling the need to have the talk with her cousin whilst inside her grandad’s home, even if it meant she had to sit on the floor, using boxes to prop up her laptop.

‘Oh, me and my big ideas,’ she huffed to the room.

Maybe she could blame Tyler, as he had been keener on the idea than her. Perhaps he wanted her to hurry and find some family so she could stop latching on to his.

‘No, no, no. Stop thinking that way.’ She huffed again and folded her arms, wishing the time would hurry, as waiting around was making her want to run away. To where, she wasn’t sure. If only her mother was alive to deal with it all. At least then she could have it out with her, and she really did have so much to say to her mum, she was that cross.

She glanced around the dismal room. Nothing there warmed her, not like Fran’s kitchen that seemed to have a life of its own.

‘If you’re watching me, Chester, Grandad, I want you to know I don’t blame you for how your life went after your wife died. Grief can do strange things to people. We both know you shouldn’t have taken your pain out on Mum, so I can see why she turned her back on you. I guess you saw that too in the end.’

Oh, why am I talking to an empty room?

Erin creaked to a stand, rubbing her knee. She peered out the window at Pepper Lane and smiled to herself at how much her life had changed in such a short time. No more London. Harvey a thing of the past, thank goodness, and the city noise levels exchanged for soothing small-town lullabies.

‘Thank you for giving me this, Chester.’

Sighing, she went back to the laptop. It was time to meet her family.

Adam didn’t look like her at all. In fact, he didn’t look like any of the Masonvilles, but his smile held warmth and friendliness. ‘Hello, Erin. It’s good to see you.’

Erin gave a slight wave. ‘Hello, Adam. Good to see you too. I want to start by saying I had no idea what to write in the email. I wasn’t sure if you’d heard about Chester’s death.’

Adam raked a hand through his light hair. ‘Yeah, we knew. His solicitor sent me a letter he’d written.’

He didn’t write to me .

It wasn’t the time to hold a grudge over that snippet of news.

‘What did he say to you?’

Adam had the letter on his desk. His background looked a lot lighter and more lived in than hers. ‘It’s just a goodbye letter. He wanted me to know that his Christmases with us were appreciated, and that he would watch over us all. That kind of thing.’

Nope, I certainly didn’t get any of that kind of love .

Erin forced a smile. ‘It’s nice he had you. Did he tell you about me?’

‘Yes, we knew you and your mum existed, but he asked us not to find you because it wasn’t what your mum wanted.’ Adam lowered his head and glanced up through long lashes. ‘I’m sorry about that, Erin.’

Not half as sorry as she was.

‘Did he say what happened between them?’

Adam nodded. ‘Yes, he told us about his drinking years, and how he’d treated his daughter. He regretted it terribly. He tried to make amends with her, but she was adamant she wanted nothing to do with him. Is she with you?’

The question made her look over her shoulder for a second. ‘Erm, no. My mum died. It’s just me now.’

‘Oh, Erin, I’m so sorry for your loss.’

She shrugged slightly as she smiled a thanks, not knowing how else to respond. ‘Erm, so, did my grandad come to yours every December?’

‘Yes. He set that up with my dad, Ezra, and then stuck to it, even coming after my dad passed away.’

‘Ezra’s gone too?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m sorry. I hoped he was alive. I don’t know much about my grandad, see. So I was hoping his brother could fill in the gaps.’ Dipping her head in shame, she added, ‘My mum told me her dad was dead. I didn’t know she had lied until I heard from his solicitor. Chester left me his sweet shop and flat.’

Adam looked sympathetic, and before he spoke, Erin already could tell he knew about the shop. ‘Chester told me that was his plan.’

I bet he didn’t tell you about the state of the place .

She bobbed her head, glancing over the top of the screen. ‘I’m surprised he didn’t end up moving to Perth to be with his family.’

‘We asked him to, but he didn’t want to leave the place he’d met his wife. Those were his words.’

‘His story sounds so sad.’

Adam agreed. ‘I think he hoped, if he stayed put, one day his daughter might return.’

‘That would have been nice, but my mum cared little for happy endings. Sometimes I think she liked being miserable. Certainly didn’t do anything to change her life. Maybe her heart was broken from her mum dying. I don’t know. I just wish I had known about him. About all of you.’

‘And I wish we could have contacted you and your mum. We did talk about it a few times, but Chester told us we had to let it go. But I’m so glad you reached out to me now, Erin. Will you tell me about yourself? Are you married? Have you got kids?’

Erin shook her head. It was something she longed for in secret. A big happy family of her own. She wondered how many children Tyler wanted, then quickly shook the thought from her mind. ‘No. It’s just me. I tried to build a life in London. I had a good job, but it turned out the company I worked for preferred men for the higher positions, so I didn’t get very far in the end. I was job searching when I inherited the sweet shop. So now I’m starting over once more.’

‘And how do you feel about that?’

‘Oh, it’s okay. It’s still new, and it’s not open properly yet.’ She slumped a little. ‘To be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing in the shop world, and although the man who works here is trying to teach me everything, it’s a little daunting, but it’s all I have now, so I’m going to throw myself into it and do my best.’

Adam shook his head. ‘It’s not all you have, Erin. You have us now. My wife and kids can’t wait to meet you, and as soon as you’re ready, I’ll pay for you to come over.’

‘Wow, that’s generous. I’ve not been to Australia before.’

‘You’re welcome anytime. And I want you to know we would always help you settle here with us if you liked it here. I have my own company, and you are more than welcome to jump on board.’

Erin frowned. ‘Are you offering me a job?’

‘More than that. A home. A life here in Perth. A chance to grow with your family. Let’s face it, there aren’t many of us left in our bloodline. Just you, me, and my kids. It would be nice if we were closer.’

If only he knew how much of her dream he was tapping into. All her life she wanted what Tyler had. Could it be possible for her to have that now and on the other side of the world?

‘And I thought the Isle of Wight was a big move.’ She laughed, not really finding it funny.

‘It’s a lot to take in, but at least you know you have options.’

‘Thanks for that.’

‘That’s what family is for, right?’

She shrugged. ‘Hey, did your dad tell you anything about his childhood with Chester?’

‘Yes. He said their mum didn’t have any money and she couldn’t cope with two kids, so she gave my dad away. He was adopted quite quickly, and a few years later his parents moved here. He didn’t know about Chester until some private investigator contacted him. Chester was definitely on a mission to find his brother. Apparently, their mum regretted her decision years later, but there wasn’t anything she could do. She was the one who told Chester to try and find Ezra when he was older. I guess it stayed with him.’

Erin was quite sure she would have tried to track down her brother too if that was her. She would have contacted Chester had she known about him.

‘It’s a bit of a mess, Erin, but my dad had a good life, and Chester said he did too up until his wife died. But he sorted himself out, got help for his drinking problem, and found his peace.’

‘We all need to find our peace.’

Adam smiled warmly. He had such a friendly face. ‘Are you happy, Erin?’

What a question. Had he asked that when she was in London she would have said no, but now something had shifted. It was hard to pinpoint just exactly where her happiness sat on the scale, but since meeting Tyler it had definitely risen. The thought made her smile, and once more she could feel the sensation of his lips upon hers.

‘I’m okay,’ she decided on.

‘But life could be better?’

‘I guess. I’ve only just moved here, so I’m still finding my feet.’ It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either, as Erin had been up and down since her arrival on the island. One minute she was so sure about what she wanted, and the next she felt she was right back at square one.

‘Well, if you find you can’t settle there. Try here.’

She laughed at his big grin. It was great they were getting on so well so fast.

The next half hour passed in a flash, and Erin found she’d had the best time meeting Adam, and his family, when they jumped into the video call. They were beyond friendly and couldn’t wait for her to visit, and it warmed her immensely to know she had family out there wanting her around.

What a difference the video chat had made. Erin had a real spring in her step as she made her way across the road to Doll’s Gift House. She wanted another picture frame from the gift shop and thought she’d sort that before calling Heath to pick her up.

The owner was behind the counter, tidying up. ‘I don’t know why everything seems messier at Christmas,’ she said, flicking a yellow duster.

Erin had already met Dolly, when she went into her shop for a frame for her grandad’s photograph, but now she had a question for the woman in her forties. ‘Hey, Dolly. I was wondering if I could ask you something?’

‘Ask away.’

‘It’s about you coming here from Ireland.’

Dolly lowered her cloth. ‘Came here from Hastings. I was living there for a while first.’

‘How hard was that for you?’

Dolly leaned her elbows on the counter. ‘Not too hard. Big decision, but we followed work back then. It was more an upheaval for me taking over my aunt’s shop.’

‘But you’re settled here now?’

‘Ooh, yes. I love my life in Pepper Bay, and my son, Dexter, is doing fine here.’

‘What about the shop part?’

Dolly nodded. ‘You soon get used to it, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

Erin started faffing about with some crumpled tea towels, straightening them for Dolly. ‘I want to make a go of it, and when Tyler’s around it seems doable, but then when I’m on my own I start overthinking.’

Dolly chuckled. ‘We all do that from time to time. Best thing to do is check out how your heart reacts to any situation you’re in.’

That made Erin think about the Silvers. Working with them made her heart sing, and Tyler warmed her no end. Pepper Bay had such a calming effect on her, and the locals made her feel like one of them within five minutes of meeting her.

‘What’s going through your mind?’ asked Dolly, waving her closer.

‘Tyler Silver,’ she admitted, feeling heat creep up her neck.

‘Come out back with me, and I’ll make us a nice cup of herbal tea.’

‘How do you know if you’ve found someone special?’

Dolly filled the kettle and smiled. ‘Love can blind you at first, but once it settles a touch, you get to see the person in front of you for who they truly are. They could be a wolf dressed up as Granny, or they could be as shiny as the brightest star in the sky, or maybe they’re just Joe Bloggs from up the road. You’ll see their truth. It’s just up to you what you do with that.’

Erin sat at the table. ‘When I was about to marry my ex, I knew what kind of man he was, but I wanted so badly to have a family life, I ignored all the red flags. I’d changed my life, moving from Yorkshire to London and thought the man and the job would complete me. I can see now how I tried to force a life on myself that clearly wasn’t a fit.’

Dolly placed a box of chocolate fingers on the table. ‘At least you have that lesson to carry with you. It’ll stop you going down that road again.’

‘Do you think?’

‘Oh yes. Are you worried you’ll dash down the aisle again with someone else because of your dreams owning you?’

Erin had to laugh. That was what it felt like back then. ‘In all honesty, I feel as if I have a new goal now. I’m attempting to build another life, so that takes a lot of focus, but because my feelings have grown for Tyler, I am a little worried it might be me wanting his family life, rather than me just falling for him.’

‘Well, you’ve got to separate them. Make one of those pros and cons thingamabobs. That will show you everything you like about Tyler, and in doing so, it’ll prove to you that you’re not just after him for his family.’

Erin burst out laughing but agreed it was a good idea.

Dolly slid a pen and notebook across the table. ‘Here you go.’

‘Now?’

‘No time like the present.’

‘The thing is, Dolly, just you saying that out loud has made me realise how much I do like Tyler just for being him.’

‘Well, now, that was fast work. What a grand sign that is.’

‘Do you think?’

Dolly nodded as she made chamomile tea. ‘Sure. You hardly needed to think at all. It just came to you in a flash. Best way. Shows your heart knows what it’s doing.’

‘I used to think my heart was dumb, but since meeting Tyler, I am wondering if our hearts know things we don’t.’

Dolly brought the tea over and sat down. ‘I think my heart knew my Scott when I met him. There was definitely something there, even if he was a bit of a grump at first. Mind, it was my fault. I did throw an apple at his head.’

Erin snorted. ‘Why did you do that?’

Dolly opened the biscuits. ‘It was an accident. I didn’t know he was there.’

‘Oh goodness. What a way to meet. Mine wasn’t much better. I even threw up on Tyler’s shoes at one point.’

‘Were you drunk?’

Erin blew into her mug of steaming tea. ‘He was. I was seasick. The ferry ride from hell.’

‘The sea’s not for everyone.’

Erin chuckled. ‘And now I live on an island.’

Dolly’s chestnut eyes glimmered. ‘And have you fallen in love with more than the place?’

‘I don’t know if I want to use that word.’

‘Don’t be afraid of it, Erin. Just relax and take each day as it comes.’

‘I have been trying but Christmas has a way of cluttering the mind.’

Dolly shoved a biscuit into her mouth as she nodded. ‘It’s a lot, isn’t it?’

‘We didn’t celebrate much in my house, as Mum wasn’t keen on anything happy, and as an adult, I just focused on work. But being at the Silvers is like seeing one of those festive adverts on the telly. Everywhere you look there’s a Christmas tree, and I’m sure Santa will turn up any day now.’

Dolly giggled. ‘Yeah, usually Christmas Eve.’ She slid the biscuits over, and Erin couldn’t say no to that.

‘Oh, Dolly, I wish my head was straight. I don’t want to chop and change my mind each day. I want to be sure about what I want and stick to it.’

‘Are you not sure about the sweet shop?’

‘It’s one option. I have others now.’

Dolly shrugged. ‘Choose the path that makes you smile the most.’

Tyler came to mind again, but seeing how Erin hadn’t been to Australia, how could she be sure Tyler and the sweet shop were the right choice?