Nancy walked over to the window, wiped her sleeve across the glass, and peered outside. ‘Well, the good thing about Lovely weather is that it’s predictably unpredictable,’ she joked. ‘We’ll have sunshine by the end of the day with any luck.’
Nina scanned the room. ‘Hopefully. A bit of sunshine will brighten things up.’
Nancy looked back. ‘Today, I think, has broken the back of it, though.’
‘Yep. I can see the light. I keep telling myself once it's all done, this place will be incredible. It's just getting there; that's the mountain to climb. I should know that in my line of work. It just feels so different when it’s your own and you’ve dumped your savings into it.’
‘Oh yes. I felt the same when I moved into the cottage. I was literally asking myself what I had done. You’ll get there.’
‘I hear you.’
Nancy shook her head. ‘But the high ceilings, these old beams, and the location. There's character here that you just don't find in new builds. It’s the same as the cottages. Gosh, I looked at so many places back in the day, and it was that old one that took my fancy.’
Nina pushed off from the wall. ‘Exactly. And that's what drew me to this in the first place. The history and, of course, location, location, location. It's just hidden under years of neglect and dust at the moment. Can’t see the wood for the trees! Oh, well…’
Nancy gestured to the clear canister on the back of the vacuum. ‘A lot of the dust is now in there. How many of those have we emptied this morning? I’ve never seen dust like it. It must be because it’s right on the harbour.’
The conversation was interrupted as Sophie and Robby entered the room, their arms laden with boxes. Sophie, in bright orange overalls, looked slightly more upbeat than Nina. ‘You should see the attic now. It's almost empty. Found a few old vintage glass floats that might be of interest.’
‘Could be a nice touch to the decor, a nod to the building's past,’ Robby stated.
Nancy chuckled. ‘It's like we’re in one of those home renovation shows. You're doing something most people only dream about, Neens.’
Nina nodded. ‘There is that. The last reel I did had thousands of views. People find it relaxing watching other people work apparently. Who would have known? YouTube has an army of people watching other people clearing up.’
Sophie set down a box and leaned against it, wiping her brow. 'From abandoned fishing hut to stunning coastal home – I can see the headlines already.’
Nina sighed. ‘I have so many ideas. Just not much time, energy, or money.’
Robby interjected. ‘It won’t be long. The structural work is solid, and the foundations are there. We knew that from the word go.’
Sophie agreed. ‘Just need to keep plugging away at it. Little by little, it'll come together.’
‘Yeah, one step at a time. Today, we finish cleaning. Tomorrow, we start planning the rest of my life,’ Nina joked.
Nancy started to pull off her suit. ‘I’m going to have to call it a day.’
‘Thanks so much for helping, especially with what you’ve got on this evening.’
Robby frowned. ‘Where are you off to? Anywhere nice?’
Nancy’s face crumpled. ‘Nowhere nice unfortunately, well, not really, sort of. My friend with cancer I was telling you about who used to work at the station. They’ve decided to get married, in case, well, you know…’
Robby nodded. ‘Right, yeah, sorry. Oh, well, I hope that goes as well as it can do.’
‘I never thought I would be saying that.’ Nancy shook her head, ‘Yeah, so I’m not sure if it’s going to be sad, happy, or what. I guess a bit of both.’
‘You just don’t know what’s around the corner,’ Nina said. ‘I know from experience.’
Sophie shook her head and sighed. ‘Life sure is full of surprises. That’s for sure.’
‘That’s why they wanted to get married now because everything is up in the air.’
Nina knew that only too well. In her case, life’s surprises hadn’t always been nice ones. ‘Indeed. What lies ahead is anyone's guess.’
Robby picked up a huge black bin liner full of rubbish. A funny look crossed his face. ‘Hmm. It absolutely is.’
12
