‘I could do with a break from the sugar load, truth be told.’
‘It’s been that bad of a week, has it?’
‘Ha! If only you knew.’ Cally bantered, but inside, it was true.
Nina reached up to the open shelving and selected two mugs from her collection of white crockery as Cally fiddled with the leaves on a little row of potted herbs sitting on a tray in the centre of the table. Nina chatted away as she waited for the kettle to boil and stirred the pot on the stove. The aroma of chowder filled the air, homely and comforting. The vintage potbelly pan seemed perfectly at home on the double-width range oven, its old-fashioned handles adding a touch of nostalgia.
'That smells divine.’ Cally noted.
'It's coming along nicely. It was originally Birdie's recipe, with a few tweaks of my own along the way until I ended up with my own version.'
The kettle clicked off, and Nina poured the water into a teapot that matched the mugs. She carried the pot to the table.
Cally nodded towards the huge white vase dominating the centre of the table. ‘Love the flowers.’
'I picked them up from the market this morning. I thought they'd brighten the place up, what with all this rain we've been having.'
‘Nice, I might treat myself to some, too.’
As Nina poured the tea, Cally gestured around the kitchen. 'I don't know where to look first. It’s so homey in here, topped by that fantastic view. I love it.'
Nina chuckled. 'It's taken a while to get it right. But it's my happy place. I swear, half the reason I got into the chowder so much is because it’s an excuse to potter around in here.'
Cally took a sip of her tea. 'Well, it shows. Everything looks so well put together.’
‘Facebook Marketplace has been my friend.’ Nina laughed.
‘I love searching for stuff on there. Buried treasure.’
‘Yup, especially here where people give stuff away. I do love being part of the Lovely community.
‘I’m hearing you. This whole Chowder Festival thing is very serious, though.’
‘I know. I’m a tad on the nervous side.’ Nina got up to check on the chowder. 'Wait until you taste this. I think I've finally cracked the secret to my own recipe.'
Cally widened her eyes. ‘Ooh, do I get in on your secret?’
Nina lifted the lid, and a cloud of fragrant steam billowed up. She stirred the pot. ‘Nope.’
‘Hilarious.’
‘Joking. It's really about what you do before you even add the fish. The base is key. The bacon has to be good and then deglazed with white wine. Balances the cream.’
'Genius. You're killing me. It smells incredible.'
‘You’ll be sick of it by the time we’re finished.’
‘So, what’s left to do?’
Nina slid a mini iPad across the table. ‘All detailed down to the last fairy light.’
Cally read through. ‘Looks like you’ve thought about everything. Today is setting everything up, then.’
‘Yeah. The tables will take a while to put together. Pretty tablecloths and strings of fairy lights back and forth over the whole setting. I’m aiming to beat Colin.’
‘Good luck.’
‘The lights will take ages. I have thousands.’ Nina got up and pulled a huge old tin from a cupboard. 'What do you think about using these as centrepieces?’
