Birdie chuckled and joked. ‘Let’s get this party started, people. Nina Lavendar, may I be the first to welcome you as a bona fide property owner in Lovely Bay.’
8
Accompanied by the Shipping Forecast, Nina and Birdie were walking along the harbour discussing the potential of the property. The air was filled with the salty scent of the sea, and seagulls swarmed around not too far in front of them. They were engrossed in conversation about the costs of getting the property spick and span when Nina looked up to see a figure appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, close to where they were walking. As Nina focused, she couldn’t place the woman for a second. Then she realised it was the woman, Lindsay, who had spoken to her before when she’d been outside the cottage sweeping and tending her hanging baskets.
Lindsay sort of hovered at the edge of their path, and as they approached, she stepped forward, not fully blocking their way but making sure she was seen. Nina was surprised when Lindsay acknowledged Birdie with a smile.
‘Oh, hi, Birdie.’ Lindsay’s tone was sickly sweet, and unless Nina was imagining it, her eyes were so intense they were scary. All Nina’s vibes were screaming at her from the back of her head.
Nina was taken aback by the direct approach and how Lindsay had completely interrupted them. Birdie, however,didn’t miss a beat. Her tone was short, tight, and clipped. ‘Lindsay.’
Nina feltmonumentallyawkward. The air could have been cut with a knife. ‘Hello again.’
Lindsay jumped on Nina’s comment. ‘Nice to see you, Nina. How are you?’
‘Good, thanks.’ Nina gestured back towards the fishing sheds. ‘We’ve just been to look at a property.’
‘Right! Amazing! Yes, I heard that you were interested in that.’ Lindsay's gaze shifted between Nina and Birdie.
Nina didn’t feel comfortable. Birdie’s body language wasn’t helping. She assumed Lindsay knew that she’d looked at the property because of the way news travelled around Lovely at lightning speed whether you liked it or not.
Lindsay continued and gesticulated to the harbour. ‘Nice spot. Lovely Bay is such a small, friendly little place, too.’
Nina was completely thrown by Lindsay and her tone. Her words appeared to be laced with an odd familiarity that didn't sit right with Nina at all. She blinked and put it down to the fact that even after having lived in Lovely Bay for a while, she had a long way to go until she was initiated to the same level as those who referred to themselves as Lovelies.
Birdie stepped slightly in front of Nina, her body language protective. ‘Itisnice here, yes, thanks.’ Birdie's voice was cool; her frostiness towards Lindsay completely threw Nina. She’d never heard Birdie sound like it before.
Lindsay's smile faltered for a moment, and then she continued with her overly friendly composure. ‘I loved my time here before. It was just so nice, so yeah, I decided to come back for a bit.’
Lindsay’s tone was innocent enough, but there was a really strange undercurrent. Unless Nina was hearing things, therewas something she didn’t know. She kept her mouth shut as she sensed Birdie's tension.
‘Is there something you want?’ Birdie asked, her voice unfriendly and short.
‘Actually, I was wondering…’
Birdie interjected before Lindsay could continue, ‘We're actually quite busy today. Got to get on.’ Her tone was firm and abrupt.
Lindsay nodded and stepped aside. ‘Of course, I'm sure we'll bump into each other again,’ she said and turned towards Nina. She locked eyes with Nina in a way that made Nina's skin crawl.
Nina frowned and shook her head as Lindsay walked away. She turned to Birdie with confusion written all over her face. ‘What was that about? Do you know her? Who is she?’
Birdie sighed, watching Lindsay's retreating figure. ‘Let's just say I did know her, but it's not something I fondly remember. She's bad news. If she's back in town, it's not for any good reason. Hopefully, she’s just visiting.’
‘What? What does that mean? She’s bad news, is she?’
Birdie tutted. ‘Look, just steer well clear. Enough said. Hopefully, she won’t hang around too long if she’s got any sense. No one here likes her, put it that way.’
‘Is she one of the people I’ve heard so much about whose face doesn’t fit?’
‘That’s putting it mildly,’ Birdie replied, her tone serious.
Nina wasn’t sure what to say. Birdie wasn’t in the mood for joking. ‘Right. I need to keep out of her way, do I?’
Birdie nodded. ‘Yep, take it from me, you most certainly do.’
9
It was a few weeks or so later, Nina watched the wheels on Sophie’s pram as she and Sophie strolled in the direction of the harbour. Sophie was filling her in on something that her husband Nick had done to irritate her and they were on their way to walk around the harbour property, which Nina was just about to take possession of. Since the day she’d been to see the property for the third time with Birdie, Nina’d had her formal offer accepted and things had moved fast. It was as if everything had aligned, and it had all been meant to be. Her offer, which was higher than the investors from Manchester but lower than the asking price, had been good, and it had moved at lightning speed from there. Now, it was nearly time for push to come to shove.
