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

‘Maybe. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, get the work stuff and Christmas out of the way, yeah?

She nodded and looked out of the window. Maybe the New Year would bring some news with it.

Chapter 18

‘I still think it’s all a bit too much,’ Ben said, ‘You don’t think you’ve had enough on your plate only just having your own two weddings? We’ve got Tillie’s ceremony coming up and the minor thing of recovering from an accident?’ Ben looked at her, his eyes wide, shaking his head and referring to their two weddings and the accident she’d had in the fish and chip shop where she’d been the victim of a highly serious burn. Ben continued, ‘I just think it’s a lot - a competition, the live streaming, the Christmas setting and finding a dress for a bride we don’t know.’

‘I take it you're still not that keen on the idea then?’ She looked back at him and rolled her eyes.

‘Don't get me wrong, it’s a great marketing exercise - but it’s a big ask, and a whole lot of organisation.’

‘Yes, but that’s what I’m good at, that's what I’ve got experience in and it actually won’t be too much work. I’ve been through it with Lucian,’ She countered, flicking her hair over her shoulders.

‘I’ll remind you of that when you’re tearing your hair out and running about the place asking me why I let you think that it was a good idea in the first place. Not too much work? It sounds like a massive amount of work to me.’ Ben said.

‘Just a meal, a dress, some decorations and a tree. How hard can that be?’ She looked at him indignantly.

‘Pah!’ He blew out and laughed. ‘You’ve finally lost the plot. It won’t be as simple as that Sals.’

‘Hmm.’ She hesitated, turned and moved closer to him.

‘What about Lucian? Will you be able to work with him - does he errr, know what a workhorse you are?’

‘I’ve thought of that, to be honest, and I really get the vibe that he’s the same. That podcast looks like it’s an easy job but a lot of hard work and endurance has gone into it.’

‘That doesn’t mean he works at your pace or with your anal attention to detail,’ Ben replied, looking at her directly in the eye, ‘There could be so many things that could go wrong.’

‘So, you don't think I should do it? That I should change my mind.’ Sallie insisted.

‘It’s not up to me and if I know you Sallie Broadchurch if anyone tells you that you can’t do it, you’ll put your foot down and do it anyway.’

She started laughing, ‘Ben! What are you saying? Are you trying to say that I’m stubborn or something?’

‘I’m saying that it doesn't matter what I say.’ He laughed back at her and put his arms around her. ‘I tell you what, as long as you don’t take on too much and promise you'll get help then I’ll do all I can to make it a success too.’

‘Excellent. You really are the nicest husband Ben Chalmers. I’m going to miss you while you’re away.’

‘Not as much as I’ll miss you. Goodness, I nearly forgot - I need to show you the pictures of a cottage I’ve found over there. It’s fabulous - lovely hot tub out by the water, a little shop nearby, huge open fire. There wasn't a lot to choose from but I picked one I thought you’d like just in case you do get to come.’ He took out his phone, pulled up the link and showed her the property - a cute timber-clad cabin, topped with snow, sitting beside a lake.

‘Oh, my, it’s gorgeous. You picked that on purpose to make me come!’ She said and continued scrolling through the images.

‘The timing isn't perfect, I know,’ he said. ‘Especially with the baby-making practise we need to be doing.’ He smiled and stroked her leg.

‘No, it’s not. How much difference are a few weeks going to make though?’

‘Well I guess, it’s one month isn’t that how it works?’ He replied, chuckling.

‘Ha, obviously. So theoretically I could fly over at the right time and we could, you know, practise and then fly home.’

‘Mrs Broadchurch-Chalmers, that sounds like a very nice theory to me.’ He laughed and she leant back into him and smiled.

‘I’d quite like to practise with you in a little red Alaskan cottage Mr Chalmers.’

Chapter 19

The bright and cheerful pansies caught Sallie's eye as she rang the old-fashioned bell on Juliette's front door. She had to admit, Juliette had made a great job of the place. She couldn’t ask for a better tenant either. Juliette, it turned out, was rather house proud, keeping the place and the garden immaculate. Sallie wondered how she did it all -  she was a single mum with one high-achieving offspring away at university and her little girl Maggie, and she was an extremely well-regarded midwife and trainer and always immaculately turned out.

Three pairs of boots and a pair of pale pink Wellingtons were perfectly lined up on the porch on a pale blue mat with white polka dots. Juliette came to the door, opened it and smiled.

‘Ready for our coldest walk yet?’ Juliette said as she screwed up her nose at the cold.

Sallie and Juliette had struck up a friendship since Juliette had moved into the cottage; they’d been chatting one late afternoon in the summer about how they both loved walking and how it was a shame that there wasn’t a walking group in Pretty Beach. By the end of the afternoon they had one - a walking group of two. Initially, they’d planned to do an online group and get a small select club going. However, after the first few walks they’d got on so well, chatting about everything under the sun that they’d decide to leave it as the two of them for the time being.

Juliette pulled a huge down-filled