Winter at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (inspirational books txt) 📕

can’t believe it’s been a year since our last Christmas expedition into the big smoke for goodies,’ Holly asked them.

Holly and Xian had been going into the city once the Christmas stock had started to arrive in the shops for as long as they could remember. Each week they made a day of visiting one of the city’s best department stores, coupled it with an afternoon tea and followed on afterwards with looking at the Christmas lights. Today it was their trip to the fancy shop in Piccadilly and Sallie had eagerly joined them. She had looked online and had her eye on a Christmas hamper, a caddy of speciality tea and the special handmade English chocolates they’d had after the wedding in the cathedral.

All three of them got off the train, and made their way over to Piccadilly, strolling along, arm in arm, Xian looking up at the beautiful old buildings and pointing out what she loved the most.

As they walked along in the cold air Holly started to reminisce about the past and what their life had been like when they’d first arrived in the country. They’d laughed together when Xian said how excited they’d been the first Christmas getting on the bus in Pretty Beach early in the morning and arriving in the city hours later.

With barely enough money for the bus fare they’d walked everywhere in those days and could only afford to window shop. Without any money for food they’d brought little flasks full of noodles with them and Xian’s special drinks and at lunchtime had sat on a bench in Regent’s Park watching the world go by.

These days they’d moved on from the bus and the packed lunches and sped into town on the new train, enjoyed afternoon tea in the best establishments, and arrived back in Pretty Beach laden down with turquoise shopping bags and every year a new, extremely expensive bauble for their tree.

They all approached the old building and stood on the other side of the road gawping up at the ornate turquoise facade, the throngs of shoppers weaving in and out with turquoise bags and peered over at the beautifully dressed windows.

‘Right, come on team. Let’s go shopping,’ Holly commanded as the lights changed and the little green man started flashing for them to cross the road.

They walked into the store through the beautifully crafted front doors, and wandered in and out of the huge departments. Sallie watched as Xian popped Vietnamese peppers in her basket and Holly piled Christmas cookies into hers.

Sallie looked around in amazement, fascinated by the other women whose lives clearly facilitated that this was their local place to shop. She watched well-dressed city men lingering over jars of jam and trailed along beside Holly and Xian gazing up at the massive chandeliers twinkling above their heads.

They slowly meandered from one room to the next, weaving in and out of the displays and people, until they got to the hampers. Sallie stopped dead in her tracks, and walked up to the massive pile of hampers in all different shapes and sizes.

‘What one are you going to get?’ Holly asked as Sallie moved around the display peering into hampers and touching the wicker, opening lids and looking inside.

‘Ahh, I’m not buying one,’ Sallie responded.

‘I thought you said you loved them? Have you already got one like this then?’ Xian asked, whipping out her hip flask with her special drink and taking a nip.

‘No, but I’ve always wanted one, but they’re way out of my league.’ Sallie said, touching a leather buckle of one of the hampers.

‘What league is that then exactly?’ Holly asked.

‘You know, the league where people like these spend extortionate amounts on a jar of jam and have truffles on a Wednesday night for dinner. People like Ben’s mother.’ Sallie said.

Holly stepped forward, lowered her voice and touched Sallie on the arm, ‘pick up the basket,’ she ordered.

Sallie looked down at her and frowned.

‘You’re buying the basket or I’m buying it for you. You’re a Chalmers now, you’ve your own successful business and you rarely spend money on yourself. You’re getting the basket.’ Holly ordered and picked up the large basket with the top opening lid.

‘Take it.’ Holly nearly growled, pushing the basket into Sallie’s arm.

Sallie started to laugh, flicked her hair over her shoulder and taking the basket, replied, ‘You know what ladies, you’re right, I very much think I will.’

***

Sallie sat on the packed train with Holly and Xian the huge hamper just about fitting under the table in front of her.

‘What a day! We must have walked for miles.’ Sallie said, across the table to Holly.

‘Let me have a look at my steps,’ Holly replied and opened up the health app on her phone.

‘By the way my legs feel, it must be about thirty thousand.’

‘Sixteen thousand, so we definitely earned the afternoon tea.’ Holly announced, looking up from her phone.

‘I’ll sleep well tonight,’ Sallie said.

They all sat there chatting, Xian sipping from another flask that had magically appeared from the depths of her bag.

‘Any news on the house hunting then Sallie?’ Holly asked.

‘Not much around at the moment. I guess it’s the wrong time of year for people to put their house up for sale. There have been a few, but there aren’t many Victorian houses near to the sea in Pretty Beach, so that at the outset means it’s going to be tricky.’

‘Yeah, I suppose you really are just limited to those few streets in the Old Town. Or you could go next door to Pearl Beach - there are a lot more there and it’s only a two-minute drive.’

‘No, I couldn’t do it, I’ve found my place in Pretty Beach, and I won’t be moving out anytime soon,’ Sallie replied.

‘I know how you feel, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.’ Holly said as the train began to pull into the station, and Sallie pulled the huge hamper out from under the table and Xian popped her flask back into her