Nina agreed as she looked back towards the garden. ‘Everything's so lush and green, but we could do with a few days of sunshine.’
‘It's always like this at this time of year. We seem to get these sudden showers from nowhere, or so it seems. I think they come in from off the coast. It makes everything so fresh, I suppose.’
‘True. There's something refreshing about a big old dollop of rain. Cleans everything up and makes the colours pop.’
June agreed. ‘The smell. There's nothing quite like the smell of rain on the soil. Brings out all the scents of the garden.’
‘I love that too. It does make you appreciate nature a bit more when everything is lush.’
‘Yes, indeed. And it's good for the soul, too. A reminder that everything renews. I wish I could say the same for me,’ June joked.
‘Too funny.’
June gestured to the hotel garden. ‘Your efforts with the garden have really paid off. It's looking beautiful. Remember how bad it was before you got to work?’
‘Thank you. I'm happy with how it's come around, especially now that the gardener comes. Keeping on top of it is the answer.’
June smiled. ‘It just goes to show what a bit of care and attention can do.’
Nina laughed. ‘I'll have to remember that.’
June gestured to the river and the garden. ‘There's always something nice to look at down here. Then there are all the flowers and shells and everything. So nice.’
‘Definitely. That’s why I moved here permanently.’
‘Funny that. I thought it might be to do with a certain man I happen to know.’
‘No idea what you are talking about.’ Nina laughed.
June nodded towards her house. ‘Right, must get on. See you later.’
‘Will do. See you.’
As Nina pottered down towards the river, her mind zoomed back to the year before when the whole of the far part of the hotel’s garden had been full of wildflowers. Poppies had swayed in the wind and taken Nina’s breath away. Back then, she’d felt as if she was blooming as she’d finally let go of the grief that had swallowed her whole since Andrew had passed away. Now, she felt completely different. Alive. As she stood lost in thought, remembering the flowers and her feelings, her mind wandered for a bit. She squinted, imagining the wildflowers, and smiled. Thank goodness for Sophie, the Facebook post, and the man who had started a chain of events that had saved her life.
16
In jeans, her Blundstone boots, and an oversized shirt, Nina strolled along beside Nancy with the sky and marshland stretching out ahead of them. She vacuumed up the fresh air and colours and, as usual, couldn’t quite fathom that the scenery around her was as good as it was. She’d walked by the river, around the bay, on the beach, and through the marshes many times since living in Lovely, but the ever-changing weather and sky still took her breath away. A tapestry of greens and blues and smudges of white blurred all around. As she looked ahead, the colours were punctuated with a labyrinth of wooden boardwalks just about as far as the eye could see. All of it as the name itself; lovely.
Nina inhaled the scent of wet earth, wildflowers, and the water meandering through the grasses and reeds. Dots of colour burst here and there, and the sound of water layered with the birds. As they strolled and made their way over a boardwalk, Nina felt far removed from life, as if she and Nancy had been plonked down into a whole other world. A world where life was pared back and really, really slow.
Reeds swayed in the breeze, little oddments of suspended clouds stretched away, and small obscured pools of waterreflected the sky. Both stopping for a second, Nina watched a dragonfly dart over the water, its wings iridescent in the light, and in the distance, a heron stood still as if wondering quite who they thought they were to be disturbing the peace.
Nina felt as if she was leaving her life behind as the further they meandered, the quieter it became. Nancy suddenly put her hand out for Nina to stop. She pointed to the left and whispered. ‘There we go.’
Nina turned to where Nancy had pointed to see a couple of otters slipping in and out of the water. Standing still, they watched in silence as the otters swam and went about their business. Then, oblivious to their audience, they disappeared into the reeds, leaving ripples on the water's surface.
Nina smiled. ‘That never gets old. Iloveseeing them. They are so sweet.’
‘Me too, and I’ve lived here all my life. It still, to this day, feels like a treat to spy them here and there.’
Nina sighed. ‘I feel so lucky to have all this on the doorstep. So lucky.’
Nancy chuckled. ‘You don’t miss batch-brewed coffee out here in the sticks, then?’
‘Gosh, no. I wouldn’t go back if you paid me.’
‘Ahh, but it’s nice to be able to get around easily up there. To be able to hop on a train and see the rest of the country. I love going out for the day and seeing what’s what. We have such a beautiful island to explore and so many lovely things in the UK.’
