‘You’d need to run it past our Birdie.’
‘True. I’d probably have to pass an inspection from her.’
‘Indeed, you can’t move around here without her having to approve it.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Nina said. ‘Or Colin and Clive.’
‘Ha, yes.’ Nancy giggled as they walked back towards the road. ‘I’d better get on.’
‘Okay then, well, stay safe in the storm,’ Nina said as they said goodbye.
‘Yep, same to you. Text me. We need to lock in a date to meet up in the pub for a few drinks with Soph, or maybe we can go over to her side.’
‘Yes. I’ll message you. See you later.’
‘See you after the storm.’
4
Nina pulled an apron from a neat pile of them stacked in a basket by the range cooker. She popped it over her jeans and white shirt and pottered around the kitchen area of the harbour property. She shook her head in disbelief as she remembered what the kitchen had looked like when she’d initially viewed the property with Ella, the estate agent. Back then, the kitchen had sported a tired and dirty-looking patch of black and white chequered plastic flooring and a run of kitchen cupboards that had seen better days. About the only thing the kitchen had then had going for it was the fact that at either of its ends, there were spectacular views. That and the fact that it had gas and running water. That was always a plus.
When she’d first taken ownership of the harbour property, the kitchen had been a monumental pain in the behind. She’d been at an absolute loss about what to do with it and had considered all sorts. By hook or by crook, though, it had slowly improved despite her main constraint – a very small budget – and her need to make do with what she could as and when it happened. The first thing to go, when Nina had been surrounded mostly by dust, was the black and white plastic flooring. Ripped up on day one, it had found itself a new home at the dump.The non-working cooker hadn’t been far behind it. From there, things had been salvaged here and there where she could. Slowly but surely, the kitchen had begun to take shape as a working room with ridiculously phenomenal views of Lovely Bay. Taking her time and learning how the light fell and the room worked had been one of Nina’s better moves.
The room’s transformation had also taken a lot of effort, and Nina had spent a long time measuring, thinking, and scheming. She’d sourced new doors for the carcasses of the old kitchen and it had proved to be a good move. Now, rather than the hideous old mess she’d inherited, gorgeous timber doors painted in a very pale duck egg blue were capped with brass pull handles. On the wall behind the units, backing up to the large picture window with its sash panes that looked out over the harbour, white subway tiling took pride of place. An old Butler sink she’d found on eBay in the next town had been fitted into the unit running up to the window, and new marble-style worktops had been specially cut to size. Open shelving on either side of the main window held a vast collection of white crockery and china. A gooseneck tap with old-fashioned levers proved to be a well-thought-out focal point, and a collection of vintage chopping boards was stacked up in the corner.
She’d had beautiful linen blinds with a fine stripe made to fit the wide windows, and a plate rack filled with plates and dishes gave the place a gorgeous, homely feel. A table with a butcher's block top sat in the middle next to pretty chairs, and the old pendant lights she’d inherited had been spruced up and made good and now hung at the heart of a lovely space. On the sides, various pot holders held vintage wooden utensils she’d collected from the charity shops in Lovely Bay, and a white vase, a gift from Sophie, stood on the worktop, displaying a huge posy of white flowers. Really, really nice.
Nina smiled and raised her eyebrows as she looked around the now beautiful kitchen. Far from the space she’d hated when she’d first moved in, the kitchen was up there with those found on the socials of handbuilt kitchen companies. Nina had shocked herself with what a bit of time and effort had achieved. She hadn’t spent much apart from dropping her budget on the worktops, a gorgeous double-width range oven, and a highfalutin fridge with all the knobs and whistles money could buy.
Taking a little stepstool she’d found in the shed in the yard and painted white, she stepped up, reached overhead, and pulled an old vintage stockpot from one of the open shelves. She’d come across the stockpot in a charity shop in Lovely Bay. When she’d shown it to Birdie, Birdie’s chin had more or less dropped to the floor. Unknowingly, Nina had come across one of the highly sought-after Lovely stockpots made in the old fishing days specifically for the Lovely Bay area. When Nina had found it, it had been in a sorry old state. But she had cleaned it using a toothbrush dipped in bicarbonate of soda and gently brushed it until it had come up clean. With its potbelly shape, heavy copper bottom, and beautiful old-fashioned handles, every time Nina used it, she felt a little bit closer to joining the realms of those who referred to themselves as Lovelies.
Now, in its new life with Nina, the pot was having a very nice time as Nina took herself and it on a journey on the ins and outs of making the best chowder in Lovely Bay. Mostly through looking and learning what went on in the back of the deli, she’d been initiated into how to turn out a good dish and had added her own take on it along the way. According to Robby, in not a very long time at all, Nina’s chowder had become one of the better ones in Lovely Bay. Nina had laughed to herself about this humongous achievement because of her previous lack of cooking skills. When Andrew, her first husband, had died, she’d hardlybeen able to cook beans on toast and here she was competing for the best chowder in Lovely. Quite the achievement. It had been her early grief prompting her to cook her way through a recipe book that had taught her how to cook. Now, here she was in Lovely Bay, dabbling in making chowder, a tradition that had been in the area since records had begun. Stranger things.
Putting the pot on the stove, she followed the routine she’d seen happen in the back of the deli week in, week out. She dropped a rather large lump of butter into the bottom of the pan, turned the heat on low, added bacon, garlic, onion, celery, and diced potatoes, and let it all sweat for a minute. Then she added an eyeball of flour, reduced the heat further, stirred the whole time, and then began to add a jug of seafood stock. Next, she took a fish mix that she’d bought from the fresh fish stall just along the harbour and tipped it into the pan. As the salmon and haddock mixed in with the bacon, celery, and garlic, the air filled with home-cooking scents. She then ground on a healthy dose of pepper, poured in milk, turned the gas down to a tiny flame and left it on low as she pottered around, tidying up the kitchen. There might be a huge storm on the way, but in Nina Lavendar’s kitchen, life was filled with the simple things, but more than that it was calm and comfy and her home. Just how she liked it.
An hour or so later, Nina pulled a beanie on her head, shrugged on Robby’s Lovely coat, and slipped her feet into her Blundstone boots. Making her way out the back door, she then crossed over the patio, double-checked the garden furniture was secure, and yanked the bolt on top of the small shed across. As she took the two little steps down towards the back gate, she laughed to herself as she remembered herwedding day when she’d fallen flat on her face in her wedding dress. After that mishap, she now always made a point of ensuring the back steps were moss-free.
Opening the back gate, she recoiled a bit as she gazed over towards the harbour. The sea did not look too friendly, and the sun from the day before was nowhere to be seen. Nina pulled Robby’s coat tighter around her as the wind picked up. The sky was a mix of grey and purple, and everything was starting to point to the fact that the storm was on its way.
Nina shuddered a bit as she left the house and made her way around the harbour. As she reached the end of the fishing sheds, one of her neighbours came out. Jeffrey, also wearing a Lovely coat, raised his eyebrows in recognition.
‘Hey, how are you getting on down your end?’ Jeffrey asked.
‘We're ready,' Nina said, turning and gesturing towards the harbour. ‘The wind's picking up already, isn't it? You can feel it coming. The weather forecast was correct. It said it would be about this time.’
‘It sure is. Hopefully, everything will be fine.’
Nina nodded. ‘Hope so. Do you think the power will go out?’
‘Who knows?’ Jeffrey replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
‘I have a delivery for you coming. I've made a huge pot of chowder as promised.’
Jeffrey pursed his lips and nodded. ‘Oh, yes, just what we need. I need to keep it quiet from the Lovely powers that be, don't I?’
Nina laughed in response. ‘Yes, you do. I’m delivering it all around the harbour, but it’s for us only.’
‘And a good job, too. We love it. I won't have to bother making myself any dinner. You’re a lifesaver.’
