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

jacket out of the cupboard and stepped into her pale pink boots, pulled on a slouchy beanie and tied a blue tartan scarf over the top of the coat. Sallie looked at her asking herself just how Juliette carried it off - the blue tartan scarf and pink wellies would look absolutely ridiculous on her but somehow everything Juliette wore went together flawlessly. It was all so different from Sallie's jeans, jumpers and boots look. Juliette pulled off a maxi dress like no other in the summer too.

‘Brrrr, much colder out here than in the cottage. That heating and insulation you had put in is fabulous.’ Juliette said as she closed the door of the cottage and did her coat up.

‘Thank goodness, it cost enough!’

‘Where shall we go then? I guess we’ll have to stick to the pavements, everywhere else will be too slippery I think.’

‘Ben said the roads have been salted all the way out so we should be okay if we stick to the main road. Thought we might go down and over to the other side of the ocean and maybe stop in the Pretty Beach Books Cafe if it’s open.’

‘Excellent idea, I haven’t been to that cafe for ages... lead the way.’ Juliette locked the door of the cottage and they walked along the road.

‘How’s the house-hunting going?’ Sallie enquired.

‘Nowhere. There's not even much on the market except for the one down the road here and it’s all renovated and quite a bit bigger than we need, so it’s out of my price range. I guess it’s just the wrong time of year too. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. Are you sure you’re still okay with us in the cottage?’

‘Absolutely - stay as long as you like. I’ll rent the other two out first but that’s not even going to be until next year. The main focus is the Orangery and it’s good to have someone living in it and it’s not all sitting there empty.’

‘Speaking of the Orangery, Nina mentioned the podcast and wedding idea when I bumped into her and Tillie the other day - sounds great.’

‘Yep, we’re starting the planning now - once it’s out on social media it will be all go. I’ve got the caterers ready, Lochie and Ollie should be ok for it and most of the rest of it is pretty easy. It’s mainly staff on the day.’

‘Easy? Sounds like a tonne of work to me! I’d love to help - it’d give me a way of giving back to you for helping me out with this. It’s been amazing how the pressure has lifted since I’ve been in the cottage.’

‘Sounds like a deal, thank you! I hear you on the pressure - there's nothing worse than that money pressure. I never want to go back to living like that again.’ Sallie touched Juliette on the arm kindly.

‘Living here has made a huge difference -  I can pay all the school fees, childcare and outgoings and have some left over to keep adding to the deposit. I was so exhausted before - now I feel like I've a new lease of life. It shows at work too. I was just getting so fed up with it all, always chasing my tail and now it’s like a valve’s been released on the top of my head.’

‘God, do I know how that feels,’ Sallie replied, ‘Stay there as long as you like - I’m so happy you and your girls get a chance to settle a bit after all you’ve been through.’

‘You don’t know how much I appreciate it, Sallie. I never saw myself in this predicament, I guess I’m not the first person to say that...’ she trailed off sadly.

‘Oh, I can assure you I do - I never saw myself stuck in a dead-end job living in crappy rented accommodation with two marriages behind me, but there I was just a few years ago and fighting tooth and nail to get the money I was owed from my now ex-husband. Then I ended up in Pretty Beach and, well, now look at me. So, I’m doing what they all say - giving back the Pretty Beach way.’

‘What about you - I don’t suppose any houses have come up for you, have they?’

‘Not a sausage, I think it’s going to be a long time before an old Victorian house in need of work comes up in Pretty Beach to be quite honest,’ Sallie said.

They approached Nina’s cottage to see her folding up the pram on the tiny driveway, with the boot of the car up and Ottilie screaming from the back of the car. The screaming didn’t seem to be bothering Nina in the slightest - oh how things had changed. She carried on calmly getting her bag and Tillie’s things together and pushed the button for the boot to close. She stopped as she saw Sallie and Juliette rugged up in their huge coats, scarfs and boots.

‘She’s not sounding too happy!’ Sallie said as they carefully walked up the drive to say hello and kissed Nina on the cheek.

‘Time for food and you know what she’s like when she’s hungry, screams the place down until she gets it. She’s a bit grizzly too, been the same all day - think there might be another tooth on the way.’

‘You’re a bit more relaxed than the early days, haha,’ Sallie laughed.

‘I’ve learnt you can’t put this one into my spreadsheets - she’ll do exactly what she wants to do and when she’s like this she won’t stop until she’s fed. Come in for a cup of tea if you like,’ Nina said as she started to lean into the car to Tillie.

Sallie and Juliette picked up the bags as Nina unstrapped Tillie from the car, pulling her into her arms and they walked to the front door. Nina scrambled around in her bag for her keys.

‘Brrr, it seems to be getting colder. Is the Sallie Snow Barometer predicting