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

times now and the pretty, slim woman on the sofa next to him who was obviously Katie. They walked over and Sallie held out her hand to Sam. Katie jumped up from the sofa, flung her arms around Sallie, beaming.

‘Thank you so, sooooo, much. I’m completely gobsmacked by all of this!’ She declared almost jumping up and down in excitement.

‘Our pleasure - it’s all going to be beautiful for you guys.’ Sallie smiled taking in the gorgeous, very slim girl with the white pixie cropped hair.

‘I can’t believe it. I said to Sam, not being ungrateful or anything, but wouldn’t it be even better if it snows? I’ve always wanted a wedding in the snow.’ She looked at all three of them with a big, wide smile.

‘Ha. I’ve been willing it to happen so let’s just hope it does.’ Sallie agreed, taking a seat on the hotel’s sofa and getting her phone out of her bag.

‘I really hope so,’ Katie replied, wistfully.

‘You’ve seen the dress and tried it on?’ Sallie asked.

‘Have I seen it? I love it! Thank you, it’s exactly the same as the picture and it fits so well. I now know why I found Sam rummaging around in my wardrobe looking at the size label on my dresses,’ Katie replied, chuckling,

‘They did a great job, didn’t they?’ Sallie asked.

‘I couldn't have asked for anything more.’ Katie replied.

‘Well, there is more. We’ve got all the good bits to come - I’m going to escort you to Kim, one of the best hairdressers around, and my lovely friend Jessica, who is magical with makeup.’

‘I’m so excited!’ Katie said and jumped up again and hugged Sallie tight.

Chapter 56

‘What time do you have to be there?’ Ben asked Sallie as she sat at her dressing table pulling the front of her hair into a French plait and then popping the whole lot into a messy bun on top of her head.

‘About eleven, I’m going to walk her along to Felicity’s to look at the flowers, then onto Jessica’s and Kim is going to pop in for a quick look at the hair. Holly’s bringing coffee and vanilla buns just to, you know, make it all nice for her.

‘Okay, you sure you don’t want me to drive you over there?’ Ben asked.

‘Nope, thanks, I need the fresh air and I thought I might have to go the Strawberry Hill Lane way...’ Sallie replied, smiling.

‘Uh oh, so what happened to not having your heart set on it, then?’ Ben teased, coming around the side of the bed and putting his hands on her shoulders as she finished off fluffing a huge blusher brush across her cheeks.

‘A woman has to dream, Ben,’ she joked, putting the blusher brush back in its pot, standing up and turning around to face him.

‘So does a man and I already have my dream - a living vision of it standing right here in front of me,’ he said with his hands gently placed on her waist.

‘You’re such an old romantic Mr Chalmers, I don’t quite know how I ended up with you.’

‘You came along, wined me and dined me and swept me off my feet - that’s what happened, wasn’t it?’ Ben said, smiling.

‘Don’t forget the bit where I took you out on my fancy boat and gave you a few too many champagnes, or the one where I just so happened to walk you home when you were a little bit tipsy.’

‘Ha, oh yes beautiful, I forgot about that - the one when I fell in a plant pot and you helped me to get out.’ They both chuckled as Sallie put a long black waterfall cardigan over her black trousers and silky grey shirt, popped a stack of bangles on her left wrist and doused herself in a good layer of perfume.

‘Tillie is all set? She was fine with Lilly this morning so we’ll go up to the hospital this afternoon as planned.’

‘Yep, maybe we could go on the ferry if the weather stays nice?’ Sallie suggested, pulling the thick linen curtain back and looking out over the sea.

‘Let me check the app.’ Ben said, taking out his phone.

Sallie slapped him on the leg, ‘You and that blooming app Ben, you’re obsessed with it.’

‘Rich coming from someone who has spent I don’t know how many hours looking at the same pictures of an old house on Strawberry Hill Lane.’

‘Fair point.’ Sallie said, popping little diamond studs into her ears and tidying up her dressing table.

They walked into the sitting room and Sallie picked up her tote bag.

‘My goodness, I need to sort this bag out, it weighs a tonne - since Nina’s been in hospital and we’ve been looking after Tillie I seem to have gathered no end of junk in here.’ She put the bag on her shoulder, walked over and kissed Ben goodbye.

‘So, you’re going to check the Orangery courtyard to sweep leaves and stuff and then go do the planes. I’ll see you at the wharf later this afternoon then depending on the weather.’

‘Yep, see you later, love you beautiful.’

Sallie called out the same over her shoulder as she went down the stairs, over the Boat House driveway and strolled all the way through Pretty Beach and instead of heading straight to the hotel, veered off to the right up the winding road adjacent to Strawberry Hill, left through the tiny little alley at the end, emerging at the top of Strawberry Hill Lane and walking all the way down so that she could look at the house.

She stood outside it, looking up at the floors, and staring at the crumbling blue-grey plaster and the yellow windows as the winter sun bathed it in a warm dappled light. Holding up her phone she took pictures of the magnolia tree, the steep steps up to the double front door and zoomed into the ground floor square bay window and imagined it in a nice vintage white.

Putting her phone back in the pocket of her