‘No, not that I’ve seen, no.’
‘So you’d probably not bump into anyone. Anyway, how have you been getting on with Logan?’
‘Yes, great. I've actually just had an invitation to go to some fancy races. My first real Henry-Hicks family thing, as it were.’
Nina raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘Oh, wow, that sounds good.’
‘Yeah, I don't know, I'm not sure. I've never been to the races, I've never been to anything like that,’ Cally admitted. ‘I’ll have to meet the wider family, etcetera…’
Nina sucked air in through her teeth. ‘Right, yeah, so you're not sure what to wear and all that?’
‘No, no, I haven’t a clue at all,’ Cally confessed, shaking her head.
Nina smiled reassuringly. ‘Yeah, it'll be good though, won't it? A new experience and all.’
Cally nodded, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. ‘Yes, it will be. Just need to figure out the outfit situation. Logan mentioned his mum could help, but I think I’d rather do it on my own, to be quite honest.’
Nina chuckled. ‘Understandable. You’ll have to dip into the hat room.’
‘I thought that! That was a funny day when we secretly tried on those hats.’
‘Yup. Imagine having a whole room full of hats.’
‘I know, right? I don’t even really know where to start.’
‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll look stunning.’
‘I hope so.’
Cally picked up a scone and broke it in half as she wondered about the races. The more she thought about it, the more she felt as if her outfit was the least of her worries. Fitting in was going to be a whole different ball game altogether. Things were about to get interesting.
6
With a huge bag over her shoulder and her hands full with carrier bags, Cally was on her way to see Nancy at Lovely Lighthouse. Via Nancy’s job at the railway, Nancy was involved in a fundraiser for the homeless in the city and was collecting equipment for a shelter. Cally had gathered loads of things from her place, from Birdie, and from her decluttering work at the manor. As she approached the lighthouse, she looked up as she always did and, as usual, was surprised by its vastness. Tall, eye-poppingly white, and towering over the town, it still managed to take her breath away every time she got close. She stood for a second with her chin raised and stared at the top, taking in the full height of its beauty.
Going around the back, she shifted the weight of the bags, made for the old hall and pushed open the door. The lighthouse smell greeted her as she stepped into the entrance area. Seeing not a soul around, she called out. Her voice echoed slightly in the open space. 'Hello. Anyone around? Nance?’
There was a shuffling sound from the back of the hall, and then Nancy's face appeared around a doorway. 'Our Cally! We’re out the back here in the kitchen. Come on in. I'm just putting the kettle on.'
Cally smiled and made her way towards Nancy, navigating around piles of boxes and bags.
'Blimey! Looks like you've had quite the haul of donations. I might have to have a root through and see what I can find.'
Nancy beamed, taking one of the bags from Cally's arms. 'Oh, you know how it is. Lovely Bay folks are always generous, but they've really outdone themselves this time. I think the upcoming Chowder Festival has got everyone in a giving mood. Now I just need to get a van and get this lot to the shelter. That will be a job and a half. Robby’s lot are going to help out, hopefully.'
As they made their way into the small kitchen at the back of the building, Cally was impressed with Nancy’s efforts.
'So, what have you got for us?' Nancy asked as she busied herself making a cup of tea.
Cally put her remaining bags on the floor. ‘A kettle, I wasn’t sure if you’d need to have that tested or not. Linens and a few other bits and bobs.’
As Nancy dipped teabags into mugs, the back door opened. Nancy gestured to Cally and the woman coming through the door. ‘Pen, do you know our Cally? I wasn’t sure if you two had met or not.’
Cally smiled at the woman. She held out her hand. ‘No, we haven’t met.’
The woman, Penny, smiled. ‘No, but I feel like we should have met. I’ve heard so much about you.’
Cally had also heard about Penny mostly through Birdie and Alice. ‘Same.’
