Nina nodded her head. ‘Thereisjust one thing I’d like to request.’
‘Of course. Anything! What’s that?’
Nina laughed. ‘I’m not really sure I want my wedding party to be accompanied by the Shipping Forecast.’
‘Really? Why ever not? I thought you’d love that as the backdrop,’ Birdie joked. ‘It accompanies just about everything else that goes on in this town.’
23
Nina looked out the window as the train pulled into Lovely Bay station, slid past the moveable platform and edged closer to the stationmaster's house. She had spent the day in the town a few stops down from Lovely Bay decluttering someone's kitchen. Her little organising business was pottering along quite well, and she was pleased with its progress. It was never going to be up there with the Elon Musk’s of the world but as a tiny, self-sufficient business that paid its way, it wasn’t doing too badly at all. It paid the bills; always a bonus.
As the train inched to its stop, she picked up her huge work tote bag, scooped up her iPad and phone, and followed a man with a camera around his neck and his phone attached to a pole who was craning his neck to peer at the moveable platform. She smiled to herself as the man, completely oblivious to her, eagerly waited by the train doors, jigging from left to right in anticipation. Popping her phone and iPad into her bag, she passed another couple of trainspotters going the other way, then headed to the stairs, walked over the footbridge, down the other side, and waved to Nancy.
Nancy jumped up, opened the door, and peered out onto the platform. ‘Hello, where are you off to? Having a half-day, arewe?’ Nancy inquired and laughed. ‘Don’t think you can get away with anything around here. You have been seen. I’ll be noting it down in the Lovely ledger.’
Nina laughed. ‘Yes, I am. Friday afternoon, and I've spent a whole morning throwing away six-year-old cereal boxes and spices from the seventies. How are you?’
‘How am I? Let me see.’ Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘Spending the day looking after trainspotters, sorting out lost schoolbags, and unblocking one of the toilets. Just another run-of-the-mill day at Lovely Bay station for me.’
‘Sounds fun.’
‘Could be worse jobs in the world, right?’ Nancy chuckled.
‘You could be a digital nomad,’ Nina joked. ‘You’d like to be one of those, wouldn’t you?’
‘Never,’ Nancy retorted. ‘Not on your Nelly. I'll stick with my job on the railway dealing with passengers and unblocking toilets on the side.’
They both laughed.
‘Where are you off to?’ Nancy asked.
Nina smiled. ‘Actually, I'm going to meet Robby.’
‘Ooh, nice. Where are you meeting him?’
‘All going to plan, he should be on the boat. I don't know where we're going. It's a surprise.’
Nancy flipped her watch over. ‘I just saw Clive; he's back from his French lesson, so he’s doing the run today. We all know where Colin is.’
Nina laughed. It was a known thing that Colin went to a little place called Darling Island supposedly because one of the shops there did amazing coffee. Lovelies knew the real reason. ‘Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten, even though the timetable online says the ferry runs over lunch, I remembered it actually doesn’t get going again until about two because he’s off gallivanting down to Darling Island.’
‘Well, now you're a Lovely you actually know how it works around here,’ Nancy teased.
Nina felt heat rise to her cheeks. It was ridiculous, but she liked being referred to as a 'Lovely', and Nancy played on that. She just liked how it felt to belong and be part of the community.
‘See you then. Enjoy the rest of your day.’
‘See you. Have fun.’ Nancy tipped the top of her hat. ‘Be good, our Neens.’
A few minutes later, Nina was waiting at the jetty. She looked at the little weathered shed where Colin and Clive would often be standing and read the noticeboard. It held a jumble of business cards, notices, and all sorts of things of interest; a new Pilates class was starting in the RNLI Club, a local taxi firm had a special deal to the airport, and Clive was offering a lawnmower to any 'Lovely' who might need one. Nina felt a warm, cosy feeling surge through her veins as she realised that she was now part of Lovely Bay. It made her feel all sorts of good inside. As she watched the boat potter along, she saw Clive.
Clive smiled and called out, ‘Bonjour!’
Nina chuckled to herself, and as the boat stopped at the jetty and he tied a rope, she responded, ‘Bonjour! Hi, how are you today?’
‘I’m good, thanks. Nice day for it,’ he said, looking up towards the sky.
‘Yes. Thank goodness. We’ve had too much rain these past few months.’
