‘Hey, Colin. How are you?’
‘I’d be better without the rain. We had sunshine this morning, and then it was windy, and now this.’ Colin held his hand up to the sky just after he threw a rope.
‘Yup.’
‘I should be used to the four Lovely seasons in a day by now, right? Only lived here all my life.’
‘Ha, yeah, you should.’
‘What are you up to? All ready for the Chowder Festival?’
‘I am. I’m just on my way over to Nina’s now, actually. We’re doing some prep.’
‘Ahh, she’ll have that all sorted.’
‘I know. She doesn't really need me.’
Colin secured the rope to the jetty and glanced up at Cally, his weathered face creasing into a smile. 'So, you're off there now? She's a force of nature, that one.'
Cally nodded, adjusting her grip on her umbrella. 'That she is. I sometimes wonder why she even wants my input.'
Colin chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. 'Ah, don't sell yourself short.’
The young mum with the pram approached the gangplank, struggling to manage both the pram and her shopping bags. Cally stepped forward. 'Need a hand with that,' Cally offered, reaching for one of the bags.
The woman looked up gratefully, her hood slipping back slightly to reveal a harried face. 'Oh, thank you. That's very kind.'
Cally took the heaviest-looking bag and followed the woman onto the boat. She set the bag down next to the pram. 'There you go. All set?'
The woman nodded. 'Yes, thank you so much. It's not easy managing everything with a pram.'
Cally smiled, feeling a twinge of something she’d never felt before. Glancing at the sleeping baby in the pram, she smiled. 'I can imagine. Aww, so sweet.’
As she sat down under cover, the drizzle had eased slightly, but the air remained heavy with moisture. The river’s surface was a mottled grey under a dense, overcast sky that stretched away. In the distance, on the opposite bank, the colours were a smudge of green and brown, creating a misty veil over the river. Once they were going, Colin came up the stairs, chatted with the woman with the pram, and then smiled as he passed Cally on his way back down.
Cally attempted to make conversation even though she most certainly was not in the mood for small talk. ‘How are the Chowder Festival decorations coming along?'
‘You thought you’d seen bunting? You ain’t seen nothing. This year, we’re going for the most we’ve ever had. You won’t be able to move for it in Lovely. Blue and white bunting all along the harbour front and up the main street. Reams and reams of the stuff and not all that rubbish from overseas. Handmade right here in Lovely. We’ve been working on it since last year.’
'Sounds lovely,' Cally said, genuinely intrigued. 'What about the lighthouse?'
Colin's eyes twinkled. 'Ah, now that's where the real magic's happening. The whole thing is being covered in fairy lights as we speak. We have got millions of lights this year. Might even hit a billion.’
'You're joking! How on earth are you managing that? You’ll need a lot of help, won’t you?'
'Aye, that's Lovely for you. Everyone pitches in. It's what makes this place special.'
‘Yep, it is.’
‘It's all hands on deck, quite literally. We've got half the town working on it. Robby’s blokes are doing the outside bit.’
Cally raised an eyebrow. 'That’s right, Neens, did say. I guess he’s well-qualified to throw himself down the side of the lighthouse to attach a few lights.’
‘Too right. Rather him than me. There will be a turning on of the lights extravaganza just for Lovelies...’
'It does sound magical.’
Colin straightened up, puffing out his chest a bit. 'Well, it's a team effort, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud. Now, tell me, what's Nina got you working on?'
