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

‘Don’t mind - fish and chips, or Indian, or I wouldn’t mind a hot chicken from the Spar. In fact, Marmite on toast sounds attractive right now. Not the nicest of weather out there to go and get food though, is it?’

‘I’ll be okay wrapped up - could do with the walk and some air to be honest. This whole looking after Tillie thing has worn me out for the day.’

‘Okay, well you choose.’ She replied, leaning back onto the sofa and turning on the television.

‘What about Thai? You love the beef curry - we haven’t had that for ages.’

‘God no, I don’t fancy that at all,’ Sallie replied, sticking her tongue out.

‘Really, that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that since I’ve known you - you normally rub your hands together when I mention Thai food,’ Ben said, frowning.

‘I don’t know, it’s just any kind of meat is turning my stomach at the moment, the thought of it makes me want to throw up - maybe I’m turning veggie.’

Ben silently put on his coat, walked out to the small hallway, pulled on his boots and ever so quietly shut the front door. Sallie put her feet up on the coffee table and turned on the news, scrolling through her phone at the same time. She’d not heard any further developments from the hospital so they were all hoping that things were on the up - Nina had certainly not got any worse when she’d been in to visit at lunchtime.

Just as she was thinking about her to do list for the next day and how she was going to fit it all in while juggling it with looking after Tillie, a message came in from Lucian.

Darling - we just hit a record number of downloads on the first wedding episode and check out the social media post - it’s going nuts. Darling this is brilliant!

Sallie switched over the app and the Where the Heck is Pretty Beach? account - a picture of the Orangery Sallie had taken in the first snowstorm was up there and the followers were going mad for it.

That’s great Lucian - I bet I’m going to see an influx of new followers. Thank you.

Hopefully darling - I’m about to upload the content - I’ll stick the video in Stories also. It’s the snow on the Orangery that’s doing it, those pictures are divine. You still want me in charge of it while you’re looking after the baby?

Absolutely thanks - so grateful for one less thing to think about.

Darling, my pleasure - see you Saturday for the shoot.

Sallie and Ben had been working hard on the Orangery for the first pre-wedding Christmas themed shoot. It was all part of Lucian’s Content Plan and although he’d done everything he could do to alleviate Sallie’s part in everything since Nina had been admitted to hospital, he couldn't, with any stretch of the imagination, do the styling of the Orangery - really no one else could.

Sallie was just grateful that it was the off-season for Ben Chalmers Seaplanes and since he had been back from Alaska he had been pretty much on hand to do anything and everything to help.

With the decorations, they’d sat down and formulated a plan of attack according to her rough sketches of how she wanted the Orangery styled for Christmas and for the Christmas wedding. They had worked on it bit by bit every day until it had, what felt like painstakingly slowly, all fallen into place.

She heard Ben quietly open the front door, shortly followed by the aroma of Indian food. He walked through the small door to the sitting room.

‘I take it you went with the Indian?’ She smiled looking up from her phone.

‘Yep, I got two minutes away and could smell it from down the road - decision made.’

He brought in plates, knives and forks and the food and they sat there talking about their jobs for the next day and the arrival of the tree.

‘Well, we’re all set for tomorrow then,’ he said, tearing off a piece of naan bread.

‘Yeah - Lucian just messaged, the snow pics of the Orangery are already generating loads of interest on social media so the pressure really is on to make the place into a Christmas dream now. Goodness, Ben, what have I taken on?’

‘Hmm, I vaguely remember someone mentioning something like that to you when you were first talking about this idea. Someone who said it sounded like an awful lot to take on.’ He laughed.

‘I don’t remember that all Ben, I don’t know what you are talking about,’ she joked back. ‘I do know that this has to look spot on, we have to get this right.’

‘Yikes, no pressure then - you tell me what to do and I’ll do it, you know I have no idea about all the styling side of it and all that.’

‘Don’t worry,’ she replied, ‘I’ve got a very long list of jobs for you to do.’

Chapter 45

The Orangery had always been of interest in Pretty Beach, with its glass panes and domed roof, but since Sallie had got her hands on it, the place was now looking gorgeous. The base was constructed with old brick, the pane surrounds made of metal and the glass panes had that special old look and patina that money could simply no longer buy.

The courtyard outside was now stripped of every weed and thistle, and after much deliberation and research with Ben, Sallie had decided that the cheapest and easiest way to improve the cracked concrete that someone had poured all the way down the middle was to cover all the way up to the beds with white pea gravel.

After trawling through courtyard makeovers online Sallie had quickly worked out that the colour and the size of the gravel would make or break both the look and the budget, and not where the stone had come