Winter Magic in Port Berry (Port Berry #3)

Chapter 15

Will

The atmosphere on the drive to Port Berry was light and cheery, with talk of chickens and donkeys and how much snow had hit the country. Most of the main roads were clear, but Will had to slow for the back streets as he got closer to the harbour.

Due to their happy chatter, he took a turning leading away from Ginny’s house, driving on autopilot straight towards the B&B. He wasn’t too bothered once he’d realized what he had done, as he only had to pull around the corner and head up Berry Hill, but the way he was going meant they would pass by the shop he’d bought, and within seconds of Ginny seeing the place, their tearoom conflict came flooding back, and the whole mood in the truck turned to ice.

‘You can stop at the B&B,’ she told him flatly. ‘I’ll walk the rest of the way.’

‘No, it’s fine. It’s just up the road.’

‘Yes, I know. That’s why I can walk.’

‘But it’s cold.’

She turned in a strop. ‘Are you seriously going to make me do a stunt roll-out of this vehicle?’

Will parked and shook his head. ‘What is wrong with you?’ Like he didn’t know. ‘Let me take you home. The pavement is covered in snow.’ It made no difference what he said, Ginny was already halfway out the door.

‘Hello, lovey,’ called Mabel, sweeping snow from her doorstep.

Will raised a hand her way, then tried to help Ginny with her bags.

She tutted, snatched back a holdall, then marched off, crunching through slush and ice.

‘Ginny, come on,’ he called, but she turned the corner, leaving him alone.

Will was deflated on every level, so he headed off to his room, put his things away, then came back down to help Mabel clear the pathway and pavement out front.

Jed stopped to say hello. ‘I saw your Babs this morning. Was up at the home visiting a friend.’

‘I’ll pop up later. How was she?’

‘Doing as well as can be expected. Didn’t remember me, but it is what it is. You come to choir practice tomorrow. It’ll help cheer you up.’

‘Who says I need cheering up?’

Jed pointed at him. ‘Your face.’

Maybe he did look how he felt. He was too busy sweeping snow to care. ‘I’m okay.’

Jed folded his arms. ‘Talk to me.’

Will straightened, holding the broom in front. ‘Life was a lot easier at sea.’

‘Life’s always easier out there.’ Jed motioned across the road. ‘But we have one right here too, and we just have to get on with it, no matter what.’

Will inhaled the salt in the cool air and relaxed his shoulders.

Jed thumbed up the road. ‘I’m just popping in to see Luna, then I’ll be on Mrs Berry . You come sit on my boat with me in a bit, okay?’

Will nodded. He put the broom back inside the foyer, then walked along the road to see if Ginny had popped into her café on the way home.

She wasn’t there, and maybe that was a good thing because he honestly had no words for how immature she was being about the tea shop.

He walked to the Hub and had a nosey at the notice in the window advertising Christmas opening times. With or without Ginny’s approval, he was going to help wherever he could for the festive season, but it did make him think about his priorities.

I’m taking on too much.

Babs needed more attention, and he could take his time with the tearoom, as he wasn’t expecting to open until springtime anyway. His focus needed to be on finding a permanent home.

Alice whipped the door open, waving him inside. ‘What you standing out there for? It’s blimming cold.’

‘I was daydreaming.’

‘I’m always daydreaming, even when I’m busy. I’m thinking, when I finally reach my goal, I might just stop.’

Will laughed, heading for the kettle. ‘You mind?’

Alice shook her head. ‘No, go for it. Just make me one while you’re at it.’

‘So tell me, what’s your dream, Alice?’

‘I want my own B&B, preferably like Mabel’s.’

Will plopped teabags into two mugs. ‘Yeah, I’ve seen you over there. You eyeing up the competition?’

Alice laughed. ‘No. I’ve been helping Mabel for years, doing bits and bobs in my spare time. I’ve always loved it over there. She knows I’m saving for my own B&B, so she’s teaching me the ropes now, bookkeeping and that. Robson says I should just go to the bank and get a loan. With my savings, business plan, and knowhow, I should get the funds needed, but I don’t know if I’m ready yet.’

‘Basically, the only thing you’re lacking is confidence, right?’

‘Sums that up.’

‘I didn’t have much confidence until I joined the navy. That life definitely changed me.’

Alice slumped into a chair. ‘I feel like I’ve had a few lives. Does that make sense?’

‘If you’re a cat.’

She chuckled as he brought the tea over. ‘Sometimes I don’t know who I am.’

A teenage lad opened the front door and leaned in. ‘Alice, I’m going over to Anchorage Park. We’re building a snowman.’

Alice frowned at the dark-haired boy. ‘Isn’t fourteen a bit old to make a snowman?’

‘You’re never too old to build a snowman. I’ll be back for dinner. Stay warm.’ He closed the door and sprinted off.

‘Who was that?’ asked Will.

‘My nephew, Benny. I adopted him after my sister died. He doesn’t have a dad.’

Will leaned closer to the table between them. ‘I’m sorry, Alice. I didn’t know.’

‘Thanks, that’s okay.’

‘What happened to your sister?’ He shook his head at himself. ‘I just blurted that out without thinking. Never mind me being nosey. I’ll—’

‘It’s fine. It’s no secret. The long and short of it is, she had cervical cancer.’ Alice’s gaze drifted to the window. ‘She’d be thirty-four now.’ She met his eyes. ‘She was only twenty-seven when she left us. Benny just seven. It never feels right.’

‘Life can be pretty shit at times.’

‘Do you have any siblings?’

Will shook his head. ‘None that I know of.’ What could he say? Maybe if he knew who his dad was, he might find a whole other family out there, not that he wanted anything to do with the man who used his mother. ‘I was raised in care,’ he added.

‘Oh, I didn’t know that about you.’ Alice smiled softly. ‘I guess we don’t know much about each other, but that will all change now you’re settling down here.’

‘We could go outside and bond over building our own snowman,’ he joked.

Alice laughed. ‘Flipping heck, I think that would kill me.’ She tapped her collarbone. ‘I have a medical condition called fibromyalgia. I’m in some level of pain every day. I give it a score between one and ten. I’m at a four today.’ She nodded at the window. ‘This weather goes right through me, even when I’m indoors. That’s why Benny told me to keep warm. It’s not good for me to be out in the cold or rain for too long. It can give me a flare-up.’

‘I’ve got to say, you’d never know you were in pain.’

Alice winked. ‘I’m used to it now, and I know how to work with my body, but you should see me when I hit level eight. That’s when I want to cry. I’ve got a neck brace, a walking stick, ice packs, and hot water bottles.’ She shook her head as she breathed out a small laugh. ‘My nan’s healthier than me.’

‘I think I need to up my health. I haven’t been for a run in ages.’

‘I sometimes jog with Robson in the summer. Oh yeah, I love those good days when I can take on the world. You’ll have to come out with us. I’m not fast, mind. My legs aren’t too clever. I have to just do what I can when I can. It helps relieve stress, which is always good, as stress triggers fibro flare-ups for me as well as the weather, so I like to stay calm.’

‘How’s that working out for you?’

Alice laughed. ‘Calm and teenager don’t exactly belong in the same sentence. Seriously though, I’m quite happy plodding along, doing my own thing, and Benny is a good lad. He doesn’t bring trouble to our door. I have a nice family. I just need to get my own place with him so we’ve got more room. It’s a little cramped in our flat above the newsagent’s.’

‘You’re more confident than you give yourself credit for. You get down that bank and ask for that loan.’

Alice shrugged. ‘Perhaps I’ll start looking next year. See what’s available.’

‘And you can put my name down as a helper when you find one. I’m sure I can turn my hand to a bit of decorating or something.’

‘Aww, thanks, Will. I’m going to hold you to that.’

Will supped his tea, wondering if it would be appropriate to ask questions about Ginny. Alice was her friend so might not take kindly to him poking his nose in her mate’s business.

I could just tell her about the tea shop idea. See what she thinks.

He went to speak but a flyer pinned on the noticeboard caught his attention. ‘The RNLI,’ he said, talking to himself.

‘Ooh, you’re ex-navy,’ said Alice, with a squeal. ‘Should be your cup of tea. That’s where you should volunteer. I did hear you’ve been looking around, signing up everywhere.’

Will had to laugh. ‘I know. I just rushed in, trying to fit in everywhere, but you’re right. That might just be the place for me.’

‘Contact them and ask about training and stuff.’ Alice stood looking out at the sea. ‘I wish I could do something like that.’ She turned his way. ‘We do have a collection box in the shop. Sophie’s got one in the fishmonger’s as well.’

It certainly gave Will something else to focus on. He liked the idea. Bit by bit, his life in Port Berry seemed to be coming together. He just needed to smooth things over with Ginny somehow.

Jed opened the door to the Hub, banging his boots on the pavement, kicking off some snow. ‘Come on, son. Let’s go sailing.’

Alice’s light-brown eyes widened. ‘You’re never going out now. It’s freezing.’

‘Ah, Alice. Don’t feel the cold, me.’ He laughed, coughed, then pounded his chest with his fist. ‘Besides, I’ve got my thermals on.’

Will wished he had his. He wished he was still snuggled with Ginny in bed at the Happy Honeymoon Hotel. The thought of waking with her draped across his chest warmed him no end. It was a memory he would hold on to forever, he was sure.

‘You two are nuts,’ said Alice, seeing Will to the door.

He said goodbye, then headed over to the jetty with Jed to board Mrs Berry , Jed’s summertime home. ‘Do you really want to take her out?’ He thought he would just sit on deck for ten minutes with the old-timer and chew the fat.

‘Yep. You being a captain, it’ll do you good.’

‘I’m not a captain.’

‘What was your navy title then, son?’

‘Petty Officer Engineering Technician.’

‘Ooh, fancy. Well, you hold on, and I’ll start her up.’

Will stared over at Harbour Light Café, then up Berry Hill to the row of pastel houses. Ginny was around somewhere, and he missed her being around him already.

‘You don’t get seasick by any chance?’ joked Jed.

Will laughed, inhaled the cold air, then settled down on a hard seat to admire the clean deck. ‘You know, on the warship, we’d use the upper deck as a running track at certain times of the day. We’d run clockwise one day, and counter-clockwise the next.’ Staring at the deck brought the memory back, making him smile to himself at his old life.

Jed laughed. ‘Your story just made me think of Harold Lane. He used to drive the local bus. One day, he started driving round the one-way system the wrong way. Singing at the top of his head he was. Pissed as a newt. Funny old sight, obviously not for his one and only passenger, and I should know, as it was me.’ He roared with laughter, then started singing a sea shanty.

Will gazed once more over at the harbour as they sailed further away, and as he was now an official member of the Berry Buoys, he happily joined in with the song.