The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea

Climbing down the attic stairs, Mae checked on Hannah, who had forgotten about the telly and was busy playing with her Shopkins figures in her bedroom. Mae had just returned to the kitchen and was about to put the kettle on when the doorbell rang and the bed and breakfast tour started all over again.

Chapter Nine (#u3662fc1d-138b-580a-812f-9b4b6ad10aaa)

Melody

Melody hadn’t been kidding when she told the landlady of the bed and breakfast she’d stayed in some grotty places over the last couple of weeks; there had been gloomy rooms, questionable stains on sheets, clogged plugholes and drains, and a general air of ickiness. But the Seafront Bed and Breakfast was truly beautiful. The rooms looked like lifestyle-magazine spreads come to life, but they had a homely, lived-in feel too. She’d been a bit apprehensive to begin with, stepping into such a luxurious home when she was feeling dishevelled – and, let’s be honest, a bit sweaty – after her train journey and trek through town in the heat. But then she’d spotted the cat hairs on the sofa and felt more at ease. Any home owner who allowed their cat to laze on their posh sofa couldn’t be too precious, so she’d been able to relax and sink into the sofa herself.

Melody’s room was just as beautiful as the rest of the property. The room was tastefully – and thoughtfully – kitted out and the welcoming basket of goodies she found on the bed was a nice touch, as was the private shower room, which Melody made use of as soon as she’d unpacked her rucksack. She felt much better as she emerged from her room in a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Heading downstairs, she found the landlady sitting in the kitchen with another woman. Both were perched at the breakfast bar with cups of tea and coffee in front of them.

‘Melody, come and meet Willow,’ Mae said, twisting on her stool to face her. ‘She’s just arrived too.’

‘Hello.’ Melody stepped towards the pair, holding out a hand for the new arrival to shake. But, completely ignoring the proffered hand, the woman hopped off her stool and threw her arms around Melody for a quick hug.

‘It’s lovely to meet you! Where are you from? How long are staying?’ Willow hopped back up onto her stool and patted the empty seat next to her. ‘Come and sit with us and tell us everything.’

Melody hesitated. She’d been planning on heading out into town again, perhaps heading up the cliffs to take some photos of the town from up there. There were so many towns to visit, so many views and moments to capture, that she didn’t really have time to sit and chat. She’d be returning home – and to her day job – in less than a week, so she had to squeeze every precious moment out of the next few days.

‘I’ll pop the kettle back on,’ Mae said, sliding off her stool. ‘Tea? Coffee?’

The cliffs could wait a few more minutes, Melody decided as she climbed up onto the stool. She was suddenly gasping for a cup of tea now the offer had been made. She hadn’t had a cup since early that morning, before she’d checked out of the last bed and breakfast and hopped onto the train to Clifton-on-Sea.

‘Tea would be great, thanks. Milk, no sugar.’

‘Did you find everything you needed in your room?’ Mae asked as she flicked the kettle on.

‘Yes, thanks. The room’s great – much better than all the others I’ve stayed in.’

A cautious smile teased the corners of Mae’s pillar-box-red lips. ‘Really?’

‘Absolutely. You wouldn’t believe some of the dumps I’ve stayed in. This place is amazing.’

‘It really is,’ Willow agreed. ‘And I’m not just saying that because I’ve been living in a work site.’ She explained about the work-in-progress state of her new house and the disastrous turn of events that day. ‘I hope my house is half as nice as this place once we’ve finished.’

‘I’ve seen some of your creations,’ Mae said, placing a cup of tea in front of Melody and joining the ladies at the breakfast bar. ‘Your house is going to beautiful.’

‘Creations?’ Melody asked.

‘I upcycle,’ Willow explained. ‘I take old, unloved objects and breathe new life into them.’

‘She made a boat into a bed,’ Mae said. ‘It was incredible!’

‘Incredibly heavy,’ Willow said. ‘Thanks for your help at the shop earlier, by the way. I don’t know how Malcolm’s going to manage once he gets it home.’ Willow drained her cup of coffee. ‘Speaking of the shop, I really should be getting back. It’s been closed all day and I’ve got a delivery later.’

‘I think I passed your shop earlier,’ Melody said as Willow hopped off her stool. ‘Up by the station?’

‘That’s it,’ Willow said with a nod. ‘I usually have an assistant, but he’s not well so I had to close when the builder phoned with the impending doom news.’

‘I’ll try and pop in before I move on,’ Melody said. ‘Buy a souvenir or two, though perhaps not a boat bed. It might be a bit of a squeeze on the train.’

‘I’m not sure it’d fit in the overhead compartment,’ Willow agreed as she looped her handbag over her shoulder. She checked the time on the kitchen clock and pulled a face. ‘Really sorry. Must dash, but we’ll have a proper chat later.’

Melody nodded as she picked up her cup of tea, though she didn’t commit verbally. She didn’t want to appear rude, but she really was pushed for time and had a lot of work to do. She drank her tea quickly and then she, too, was on her way, her camera around her neck at the ready. The sun wasn’t quite as intense now the afternoon was pushing on, but it was still hot as she made her way towards the cliffs. She found the path easily and followed it to the top, gulping down water due to the heat and steepness, until she reached the top.

The clifftop was covered in a carpet of grass, thistles and wild flowers, with a path worn through to the cliff’s edge. As predicted, the view from was amazing as she looked down onto the beach and the sea, with its frothy waves lolling towards the sand. The stretch of sand wasn’t as busy now, but there were still plenty of families making the most of the good weather. She couldn’t see the donkeys from earlier, but took a few shots of the beach, capturing the pier in the distance, before turning her attention to the town, snapping the rooftops, clusters of trees and cobbled streets. Once she felt she’d caught the essence of Clifton-on-Sea on a sunny late afternoon, she wandered to a bench set a safe distance from the cliff’s edge and flicked through the photos, deleting any obvious duds before moving on to the next. There were some pretty decent shots already, but Melody knew she’d have to return to the clifftop to see the view at nighttime or before dawn. A shot at sunrise would be incredible and might be just the moment she was hoping to catch.

She’d scrolled back through her photos of Fleetwood a few days earlier, scrutinising the shots as best she could on the small screen of her camera, when a dog’s bark made her look up. The clifftop had been deserted since her arrival but it seemed she now had company.

The bark came again before a small body bounded into view, the small golden ball of fluff hurtling towards her. It barked when it saw her – twice, in quick succession – and picked up speed until it stopped suddenly, plonking itself at her feet and giving a quieter woof of greeting.

‘Hello again.’ Melody reached down to stroke the dog on the head, giggling as he twisted his head so he could lick her hand. She recognised the dog from outside the fish and chip shop earlier, though he’d swapped his red tartan bandana for a bright yellow one. ‘Aren’t you a friendly chap?’

‘He loves the ladies, the old charmer,’ a voice said and, when Melody looked up, she groaned inwardly. It was the bloke from the ice-cream van. The bloke she’d spoken to briefly outside the fish and chip shop. The one who’d caught her talking to a dog. His dog, it transpired, judging by the lead dangling from his fingers. His dirty blond hair had been tied back earlier, but now the longish curls were free and dancing around in the breeze.

‘Don’t fall for it, though. He looks all adorable and sweet now, but wait until you find him with your favourite, expensive trainers in his gob.’ He gave the dog a reproachful look before sitting down on the opposite end of the bench to Melody. ‘Taking photos again? How do you want me?’ He flicked one long leg up onto the bench and leaned back, pouting at her and, though she tried hard not to, Melody heard a giggle escape.

‘You’re not quite what I’m looking for,’ she said.

‘No?’ He righted himself and leaned down to scratch the dog’s ear. ‘What are you looking for?’

‘Just this.’ She swept a hand out to indicate the view. ‘The town. The seaside. The Britishness, I guess.’

‘Got anything good?’ he asked, nodding towards the camera, and she shrugged. ‘Can I see?’

Melody switched the camera off and pulled it closer towards her body. ‘I’d rather you didn’t.’

He gave a lazy, one-shouldered shrug and leaned back against the bench. ‘Fair enough.’

‘It’s just…’ She frowned, wondering why she was explaining herself to this stranger who was managing to get on her nerves despite doing very little to justify it. ‘I don’t really show my photos to people.’

‘Blimey, what kind of photos do you have on there?’ He grinned at her, still lounging against the back of the bench. ‘Now I’m even more intrigued.’

‘Get stuffed.’

‘Hey, I was only kidding,’ he said as Melody rose from the bench. ‘Don’t go. I’ll shut up, I promise. I won’t say another word.’ He mimed zipping his lips and Melody was annoyed further as she felt her lips pull up into a hint of a smile.

‘Sorry, I’m not usually this touchy. It’s just…’ Melody lowered herself back onto the bench, her fingers fiddling with the camera as she tried to find the right words to excuse her grouchiness. ‘My photos are sort of private. Not in that way. I just find it difficult to show people. It’s daft, I know, and I’m working on it, but…’ She shrugged. ‘It isn’t easy.’

She dragged her gaze from her camera to look at her bench companion, but while he was watching her intently, he was true to his word and didn’t open his mouth.

‘Your dog’s very cute,’ she said, blatantly changing the subject. She reached down to stroke him again and he sneaked another doggy kiss onto her hand. ‘What’s his name?’ She scratched behind his ear, but looked up when she received no reply. Her companion raised an eyebrow at her and pointed at his closed mouth.

Crossing her arms, Melody sighed. ‘Are you telling me your lips are still zipped?’ He nodded and Melody rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. You can unzip them now.’

Giving a closed-mouth smile, he reached for the corner of his mouth with a pinched-together thumb and index finger, but instead of sliding the fingers across his mouth, he gave a couple of short tugs before widening his eyes at Melody. He gave a few more tugs before he gave up and threw his hands up into the air.

‘The zip’s stuck, isn’t it?’ Melody asked, suppressing a sigh. He nodded before pointing first at Melody’s hand and then at his mouth. ‘You want me to help?’ He nodded again and so, giving another eye-roll, Melody reached towards the guy’s mouth, feeling like the biggest fool as she made a pincer movement with her finger and thumb. Grabbing her hand, he helped ‘tug’ the zip back across his mouth.

‘Thank you,’ he gasped, slumping against the bench.