Page 8 of Second Chance Summer
Lily shrank back inside the cabin, astonished to hear herself dismissed as not important. This must be Rory the fisherman whose propellor she’d been abandoned for earlier.
‘Left you a thank you present in that cool box there,’ Rory said. ‘Need a hand? In this fog, you’ll be wanting to get over to Stark before low tide.’
‘Thanks. There’s a couple of crates in the shed.’
Lily found a spot in the cabin where she could peer through the window without being seen. More people started to arrive on the quay.
A minute later, Rory returned with two more boxes, followed by Sam with two large cans of what Lily assumed to be fuel. One more trip for further open boxes of stuff and Sam jumped on board, poking his head into the cabin. ‘Won’t be long now.’
‘Oh, I’ve got all day,’ Lily muttered though her sarcasm was lost on her host, who was busy taking supplies from Rory and stowing them under the canopy.
She tucked her feet up on the bench seat to avoid anything dropping on her toes and tried to message Richie.
‘Yes!’ She almost punched the air when one bar of 3G flickered on her mobile. Thank God Richie was on speed dial. It was Saturday, his day off, and she vaguely remembered him saying he was taking his partner, Jakob, away to celebrate his birthday. Lily made a business decision. She might never have a signal again and, in the circumstances, he wouldn’t mind, surely?
The call went straight to voicemail and Lily swore.
‘Richie. Lily here. Almost at Stark. I do hope it’s better than the nightmare journey I’ve had so far. Waiting for Mr Grumpy Local to take me over to the island now. I’ll call when I get to the hotel and have WiFi. I’ve been makingsome notes about the new range of plant pots from that maker in Dartmouth – maybe we can speak on Monday about them or have a quick FaceTime? I do hope you got all that? Bye.’
Lily peered at the phone. There was now no signal at all and she’d forgotten to wish him a happy birthday and to have a good weekend with Jakob.
She waved the mobile in the air.Nada. She wanted to climb out onto the quay but her way was barred by crates and boxes. Jeez, they must have enough stuff here to last a fortnight. A chilling realisation dawned. She was due to stay two weeks … but surely she wouldn’t be stuck on one tiny islet for the whole time? There had to be a boat service so she could go shopping and eat out on the other islands?
She didn’t mind taking a break, but she couldn’t be cut off from her business entirely – not with this deal looming. Plus, she’d promised to keep Étienne and her parents regularly updated on how she was.
Right. That was it. The signal would probably be much better if she got off the boat.
As she squeezed between the boxes, she stubbed her toe on a wooden crate and bit back an expletive, silently cursing the scuff on her loafers.
Ignoring the throbbing pain, she clambered off the boat and onto the quayside.
Some of the ferry passengers had decided to wait for the next service on the terrace of a building that displayed a bright blue sign readingQuayside Café.It also had an A-board outside with ‘Closed’ chalked on it.
Oblivious to her presence, Sam was almost hidden by a pile of lobster pots and, she assumed, deep in conversation with Rory.
Lily waved her phone in the air and a bar of signal flickered yet again. She had to be careful because the battery was low but, with a bit of luck, she might be able to call Richie back. She walked up and down the quayside, praying for the magical bars to appear. The drizzle was light but enough to wet her hair and blazer. She hadn’t had time to unpack her waterproof from her case so she’d have to put up with it.
Seeing the people sitting on the café chairs, Lily had a stroke of genius: even though the café was shut, she might be able to piggyback its WiFi. She marched towards it, hoping to find a clue to the password.
The entrance was via a small stone porch, which gave her shelter from the rain and enabled her to read the notices in the doorway. They were mostly about local events; no hint as to the WiFi password.
Her heart sank and she was wondering whether to ask any of the waiting passengers if they knew the code when all of a sudden they rose as one and headed for the quay where a ferry had just pulled in.
Lily was left alone in the porch, peering through the window, in a final desperate bid to spot a WiFi sign inside. She was about to despair when a teenage girl hurtled from somewhere at the back of the café, purple hair flying behind her. She was followed by an older woman wearing a white kaftan.
Neither of them even noticed Lily lurking in the doorway.
‘Sam!’ the teenager shrieked. ‘Wait!’
He emerged from behind the lobster pots and met the two women on the terrace a few feet away from where Lily was standing, unobserved.
‘Don’t go yet!’ the teenager said. ‘Auntie Elspeth says you’ve forgotten the chest!’
Sam heaved a sigh. ‘Thank you, Morven. I hadn’t forgotten.’
‘Really?’ she said sarcastically. ‘Auntie Elspeth says you’re not to leave without it under any circumstances. Oh––’ Her voice rose with excitement. ‘Issheon the actual boat now?’
‘Yes, Morven,’ Sam replied, his voice fraught with anxiety. ‘My guest is waiting for me to take her to the retreat.’ Lily would have laughed at his panicked tone if she hadn’t been so alarmed to hear about his obvious inexperience at caring for guests.
