‘What, near the old fishing buildings?’
‘Yeah, the old fishing buildings themselves.’
Colin rubbed his chin. ‘Interesting. They cost a pretty penny these days.’
‘It’s not officially up for sale yet. Ella knows what I’m looking for, and because I’ve been liaising with her on The Summer Hotel, she sent me some pics. It’s a bit of a mess, so the price might be right for me. We’ll see.’
‘That’s why I don’t know about it then.’ Colin nodded thoughtfully as he steered the boat, the purr of the engine filling the space between their conversation. ‘Sounds like a prime spot, especially near the harbour. What's the go-to with it?’
Nina leaned back on the seat. ‘Well, it's got an office space of sorts on the bottom and a residential area above. It's perfect for what I need – a bit of a project, but I like the idea of that. At least, I think I do.’
‘I think I know the one there. Old Johnny’s, back in the day, if it’s the one I think it is. It’s been empty for years. A fair bit of work,’ Colin remarked, his eyes scanning the river ahead. ‘Those old buildings have character, but they can be a handful. Lots of elements battering them down that way. I think that one is pretty weathered on the outside.’
‘I know, but I’m up for it. After sorting out The Summer Hotel, I feel like I can handle anything.’
Colin chuckled, ‘I've no doubt about that. You've done wonders with the hotel. The whole town's been talking about it. We just need someone to buy it now. I’m surprised no one has snapped it up yet.’
‘I know.’
‘So, this place on the harbour could be for you then. Interesting.’
‘Possibly, we’ll see. It's got a great view of the bay, and being close to Robby's office is a bonus, plus somewhere for me to work and live.’
‘Good on you. I hope it’s the one for you.’ Colin nodded. ‘I remember when I was a tot, those buildings were bustling with fishermen. Times change, but it's good to see them given new life.’
Nina smiled. ‘I can imagine. It would be nice to buy something here, but we’ll see. Everything I’ve looked at so far hasn’t been right and way too expensive. Not even close, actually.’
‘Lovely Bay has a way of making you want to settle down and be part of it. It's got that charm, hasn't it?’
‘It really has. I never expected to feel so at home here, but I do.’ Nina agreed with a smile.
As the boat continued down the river in the direction of the sea, the conversation went back and forth about this and that. Nina loved just chatting and being in on things. It really made her feel as if she belonged. It had been missing in her life forsucha long time.
‘Here we are, then. Good luck with the viewing. Let me know how it goes,’ Colin said with a smile.
‘Will do. Thanks for the ride. Fingers crossed, this will be the one.’
Nina walked around the harbour wall as boats bobbed around beside her and sails clanged and banged in the wind. She squinted over towards what were known locally as the fishing sheds on the far side to be confronted with rows of tall, narrow buildings brimming with Lovely Bay’s maritime and fishing heritage, a stone’s throw from the water's edge of the harbour.
As she got closer to the first row of buildings, she peered at the weathered wood cladding, the old sun-bleached and salt-worn double doors on the second stories with huge rusted hinges, and the sloping roofs with the unique Lovely Bay scalloped shingle roofing tiles. Nina nodded at the feel of the place: a mix of unpretentious working buildings and a lovely rustic seaside charm. She could work with that. As she walked past a shed with its doors open, she smiled at the years of maritime activity that seemed to be looking back at her: nets, buoys, ropes, and other fishing paraphernalia hung up on the walls and neatly piled stacks of floats and fenders sat by the door.
She inhaled the distinct briny scent of the harbour, took in a squealing of gulls overhead, and listened to the sound of the sea as it lapped around by the harbour wall. The further she walked along the rows of sheds, the more weathered and more rustic they seemed. Arriving at the second to last shed, she looked around for Ella, and not seeing any sign of her or anyone else at all, she stood and looked up at the old building. A lower floor with wide barn doors looked back at her as a breeze whipped around her hair. The doors must have once been painted a sea green but now showed lines of rust running down towards thefloor and peeling paint along their grooves. The second floor housed a huge floor-to-ceiling window in place of what once would have been the same sort of barn door, and the dormer windows on the third floor up in the sloping roof had seen better days. Nina wasn’t sure what to think. The timber cladding was sun-bleached and faded and not in a good way. There was a crack running right down the centre of one of the window panes, and the chimneys, to her uneducated eye, looked a bit on the wonky side.
However, something about the setting, right on the harbour and the rustic charm of the long line of sheds, spoke directly to her heart. With their weathered wood and sloping roofs, it felt like she was stepping back in time as things were whispering to her through the salty air. Nina could almost hear the bustling of Lovelies and their day-to-day fishing activities from days gone by.
As she was standing chin up, looking at the state of the scalloped tiles on the roof and the windows on the third floor, she heard quick footsteps and looked down to see Ella coming towards her in a fluster.
‘Sorry, I’m late! I got caught on the phone and then in those lights over on the other side there. There seem to be temporary traffic lights all over the place at the moment. It’s doing my head in, to be quite honest. One minute, the road is fine, the next minute, there are traffic lights in the most inconvenient of places.’
‘Not a problem at all. Tell me about it with those awful lights.’
Ella shook her head over and over again. ‘I hate being late. It’ssorude. It makes it look as if I don’t respect people’s time as much as I do my own. Sorry again.’
‘Honestly, no worries. It’s fine.’
Ella smiled. ‘How are you? You look well.’
‘Good, thanks.’
