Juliette sat at the heavily scrubbed, square stripped pine table in the middle of it all and almost felt her whole body exhale in pleasure. She was sitting in the kitchen of dreams. Someone else’s kitchen, which she didn't have to clean.
‘Not sure what mess you’re talking about,’ Juliette said.
‘Oh, you know me. Everything in its place and all that.’
Lottie took the kettle from the Aga, pulled a white teapot from the worktop and poured the boiling water in.
‘Anyway, what’s been going on with you and Luke? Is everything a bit brighter now you’re feeling better?’
‘Oh, everything is much brighter - in fact, I’ve a very special surprise coming up for Luke tomorrow, and it’s going to be out of this world. It’s going to change his world, actually. At least, I hope it is.’
Lottie turned around from the teapot as quick as a flash at the tone in Juliette’s voice.
‘Oh my, Jools! What are you going to do?’
Chapter 61
Juliette smoothed out her white tea dress as she closed the door and walked down the cobbled alley at the back of Mermaid Lane. She’d been approving the other stylist’s coordinating plans for the Christmas window with Lellery all afternoon, and she’d completely lost all track of time. When Juliette had realised that the afternoon had got away with her, she’d quickly showered, put on some body lotion and got dressed, pulling the white dress over her head and quickly doing her makeup. As she’d walked over the cobbles, she looked up at the pale blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds as streams of sunshine peeped in and out of the haze and hugged her little secret to herself. Her little secret surprise for the day. It was going to be divine.
It was the perfect outfit choice for the warmth of the late afternoon - a floaty, linen tea dress with ruffles on the sleeves and her new sandals which tied up on the ankle with velvet ribbons. She’d decided to dress up a bit; it wasn’t every weekend that her and Luke went to a fancy restaurant. In fact, she couldn’t even remember the last time they had been out at all - it had been that long. She was so pleased now that she’d made the effort to book the Pavillion and couldn’t wait to see the look on Luke’s face when she surprised him with the funicular railway ride. And the other little surprise that she’d planned at the end of that.
As she walked along, Luke texted to say that he was running a bit late, and instead of meeting her in the laneway he would meet her over near Daisy’s and the fisherman’s huts. She texted back okay and strolled through Pretty Beach on the lovely sunny late afternoon. She rummaged around in the bottom of her bag for her sunglasses case, popped her sunglasses on the top of her head, and couldn’t wait to meet up with Luke for the leisurely meal. They’d both been busy with work and she’d heard amazing things about Pretty Beach Pavillion since the new Italian owners had taken it on a few years before. Milly at work had been there a few months before on a date, and Sallie had been there to try out some of the recipes for the Pavillion to cater a wedding at the Orangery. They’d both come back with glowing reviews.
Juliette walked along the laneway, stopped, and chatted to Felicity from White Cottage Flowers, who was outside her shop putting away a huge display of hydrangeas. She made her way to the end of the laneway and strolled slowly along the gravelly road by the fisherman’s huts. A few minutes later, she saw Luke standing next to one of the old fishing boats in a navy-blue linen shirt and chino shorts, his hair still wet from his post-swimming shower.
‘Hey. Wow, you look stunning. I love that dress on you,’ Luke said as he kissed Juliette and she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The Luke smell. Making her go weak at the knees. She wanted to keep that smell forever.
‘What beautiful weather for it,’ Juliette said dreamily as she inhaled.
‘Beautiful weather for what? Are you smelling me again?’
Juliette didn’t answer, lost in a world of her own, Luke, and the upcoming railway surprise she had booked for them. She leant her head on his shoulder and smiled to herself.
‘Earth to Juliette. Are you okay?’ Luke said frowning as he held Juliette back at arm’s length and looked at her directly in the eyes.
‘Sorry,’ Juliette said, shaking her head to bring herself back to the present and giggling, ‘Yes, I’m fine, just a busy day with the Lellery thing. I was a bit distracted with all that. There is so much to get right with it all. One tiny window and a whole lot of work.’
‘Okay, that’s good then. You just seem a bit out of it,’ Luke replied as they started to head over towards the Pavillion.
The sunshine filtered down on them as they walked across the gravel area lined with boats, and then walked down the small path to Pretty Beach Pavillion. They approached the white heritage building in a similar style to the Pretty Beach lighthouse, and the door was opened by a man in a smart blue shirt and huge smile. Floor to ceiling windows looked out over the stunning water views of Pretty Beach, and an all-white decor and huge black basket pendant lights gave the whole place an elegant, coastal feel.
The man showed them to their table, and then a waiter dressed in a long apron and white shirt approached their table, and handed them two menus as Juliette and Luke sat looking out at the stunning late afternoon view.
‘How about we treat ourselves to a bottle of champagne?’ Luke asked Juliette, as the waiter handed them the menus.
‘Oh no, not if we’re having one later, I’ll stick with raspberry sparkling water, please.’
‘Sorry, have you forgotten to tell me we’re going somewhere later? What champagne are we having later?’ Luke queried with a puzzled look on his face.
Juliette realised her mistake straight away, nearly ruining the surprise. ‘Silly me, I was thinking about that bottle of pink champagne we’ve had in the fridge for ages. I thought it would be such a lovely evening we could maybe sit out there later tonight. Finally open the thing.’
Luke frowned back at her and nodded and then looked up to the waiter. ‘No champagne for us then, thanks. A beer for me and sparkling raspberry water please.’
A good few hours later, having polished off filetto di salmone and affogato cake Luke and Juliette were full and happy. Luke leant forward across the table. ‘How about a Limoncello to finish us off?’
Juliette took her phone out and gasped when she saw the time. The surprise trip on the railway was rapidly approaching and they still had to pay for the meal and make their way all the way back through the boats and get to the railway. She’d lost all track of time as they’d sat there enjoying the stunning panorama laid out in front of them and the amazing food. She fussed around putting her sunglasses away and taking her jacket off the back of the chair.
‘Actually, shall we go Luke? I think I’ve had enough. I’m really full and really tired,’ Juliette replied, putting on her jacket over her white dress.
‘Really? I thought we’d be here for a bit longer. Enjoy a drink with the view. Really make the most of it. It’s such an amazing outlook.’
Juliette started to feel flustered. ‘No, no, let’s go Luke. I mean we’ve seen the view now, what more is there to look at?’
Luke looked at Juliette perplexed. ‘Right. Okay. You’re acting really strange, Juliette. Did the raspberry water go to your head?’ Luke asked, laughing and pushing his chair back from the table.
‘No, I’m fine. I’ll pop to the loo - you pay and then we’ll get going. We can stroll home and work off all that food and then sit out in the garden later.’
Juliette jumped up from the table and rushed over towards the ladies loos and came out five minutes later re-spritzed with perfume and her makeup refreshed. She was going to need it. She joined Luke at the door, and he held it open as she walked out into the fading evening light.
‘I thought we’d walk down that way, along by the shore, and look at all the lights in the twilight,’ Luke said pointing over to the left and down towards the sea.
‘No, let’s not. I don’t like it that way and it’ll be a b
it blustery and chilly down by the water. Let’s walk the way we came, back towards the boats,’ Juliette said hurriedly.
‘Okay, if you want to. I thought it would be nice to walk down there near the sea... you love that view, don’t you?’
Juliette shook her head, grabbed Luke’s hand and led him the other way. She tried to remain calm and not seem rushed, but she didn’t want to miss the train and she was bursting to tell Luke about the surprise. She never was one for a secret. As they got closer to the funicular railway Luke looked down through the boats and up at the railway line going up the side of the cliff.
‘We must go on that one day. I can’t believe I’ve never been on it. It really is quite the feat of engineering,’ Luke said, looking up at the railway tracks going up the side of the cliff.
Juliette’s eyes opened wider and she writhed inside. ‘Hmm, yes, yes, we absolutely must. One day we’ll make it.’
As they got nearer to the railway, Juliette gripped Luke’s hand harder and she quickened her pace.
‘Juliette, what has gotten into you? What’s the rush? You’re walking along as if we’re late for something. So much for a nice leisurely stroll to walk off all that indulgence.’
Juliette didn’t reply, she just led the way towards the small Victorian building at the base of the train.
‘Where are we going?’ Luke asked as Juliette stopped outside the building and under the sign for the Pretty Beach Funicular Railway.
‘Surprise! I’ve booked us onto the train!’ Juliette announced almost bouncing up and down in excitement.
‘Oh wow. So that’s why you’ve been acting strangely since the end of the meal and racing along like a mad person. How exciting!’
‘Yes. It’s a surprise and I’ve been bursting with it! I’ve booked us onto a private ride. Meaning we have the whole carriage to ourselves. It’s going to be amazing. The views are supposed to be phenomenal.’
‘What? Excellent,’ Luke said as they pushed open the door to the tiny little reception area of Pretty Beach Funicular Railway and Luke kissed Juliette on the cheek.
Seeing Gary behind the ticket desk Juliette pretended that she’d never met him before. ‘Helloooooo. Juliette Sparkles for the private ride,’ Juliette said, hearing that her voice had turned up a notch. Oh, my goodness, did I just trill? She thought to herself gripping onto the side of the desk and trying to remain calm. Breathe and calm. Breathe and calm.
Gary behind the counter in a train conductor’s hat and shirt with epaulettes on the shoulder smiled back at her and played along whilst Luke studied the posters with information on the history of the railway on the other side of the room.
‘Yes, good, you’re here,’ Gary said. ‘And we’ve got it all ready for you inside and everything else is set up,’ he added with a whisper.
‘Did the lights work okay? Please tell me they did? I really want it to be shimmering. I want the whole thing to twinkle as we go up,’ Juliette whispered back turning around to check that Luke wasn’t listening.
‘Yep, all done. They’re all set up and turned on. I must say I’m no interior designer, but I think I’ve outdone myself,’ Gary said quietly, patting Juliette on the arm and chuckling.
‘Thank you so much. I’m so grateful for your help. It’s going to be just what I wished for.’
Gary looked at her confused. ‘Wished for?’
Before Juliette could answer Luke came strolling back over towards the ticket desk. ‘That’s weird. It says over there that the last railway ride is late afternoon.’
‘Oh, really? Does it?’ Juliette said.
‘Yes, it does.’
Gary looked up from the computer. ‘If you are a Pretty Beach resident it’s different - we get the tourists out of the way earlier and then keep it open for locals. It’s our Locals Only contribution.’
‘I see, that explains it then,’ Luke replied shaking his head at yet another of Pretty Beach’s quaint and tiny bit odd customs. Juliette and Luke watched as Gary clicked a button on the computer, slid the window on the ticket desk across, pulled the brass latch across on the half door, opened it and walked into the waiting room, adjusting his station master hat, and pulling up the waistband on his trousers as he did so.
‘Okay, ready to ride the Pretty Beach Funicular? It’s going to be the ride of your life,’ Gary said with a grin.
‘We certainly are,’ Luke said, trying to hold back a chuckle at the mock-serious way Gary was conducting himself.
Luke and Juliette followed Gary out of the waiting room through a large timber and glass door opening onto a tiny wooden platform right at the bottom of the rock cliff. Luke observed as Gary carefully and calmly pulled the heavy old knob on the carriage door and slid it open for Juliette and Luke to step in.
‘A special ride for two,’ Gary said, gesticulating his hand around the carriage and Juliette gasped as they stepped in. Gary had performed his decorating duties beautifully, and the whole of the carriage twinkled with tiny little white fairy lights.
An ice bucket with the bottle of pink champagne Juliette had been chilling in the fridge all week was sitting tucked into one of the luggage departments and two champagne flutes tied with white bows sat on the little ledge in front of the main bench seat.
‘Wow, we get champagne as well? This is some surprise, Juliette. Now I realise why you didn’t want champagne in the Pavillion,’ Luke said taking a seat at the front. Juliette followed in behind Luke and looked around. It was delightful and just as she had planned. Gary had done a great job of stringing the lights all the way across the top of the carriage. And there was still one more surprise to go when they got to the top.
‘Okay. Let’s get you two going and up to the top of this cliff,’ Gary said as Juliette sat down next to Luke and the gate clunked as Gary pushed it back and shut the carriage door.
Juliette craned her neck out of the window at the front and looked up at the track laid on the steep rock cliff as they saw Gary pull a huge, old-fashioned brass lever, and heard an accompanying whining sound as the carriage slowly began to move up the track. The low rumbling and clattering noise they always heard at Daisy’s now sounded so much louder right there in the carriage.
The lift creaked and clanked up the cliff and Luke and Juliette looked out over Pretty Beach as the magnificent view slowly came into sight. The train made its way steadily up and eventually approached the double doors at the top. As it got closer to the summit, Luke got up, but Juliette didn’t move. Luke picked up the champagne bucket and glasses assuming that they were going to walk out onto the top of the cliff, and he held his hand out to help Juliette up. The carriage had nearly arrived at the top and as they looked out they were greeted by the spectacular view over the sea and the Pretty Beach lighthouse beyond.
‘You need some help up?’ Luke asked as Juliette stared out the window lost in thought.
‘No Luke, I don’t need any help at all.’
‘Come on then. I think that’s it. We’re at the top.’
‘I’m just going to stay here for a bit, look out over the view for a bit longer. It’s so amazing!’
‘Okay... I thought we were going to sit up on the grass on the cliff and watch the lights all over Pretty Beach.’
‘We are, Luke. There’s just one more thing,’ Juliette said as the carriage clunked and banged and finally stopped with a judder at the top.
‘What is it? Juliette you’re really acting strange again. Have you been doing something suspicious?’ Luke asked laughing and followed Juliette’s gaze through the door to the waiting room at the top of the cliff.
Luke dropped the ice bucket on the floor when he saw a huge blackboard, and written at the top of it in beautiful calligraphic writing it read...
Luke.
You've made me so happy since I met you that day in the car park in Newport Reef.
This evening at the top of the cliff in Pretty Beach I’m asking you if you’d like to make these happy times go on forever?
Luke Burnette, I would very much like to be your wife.
Books for Babbettes
The Boat House Pretty Beach
Summer Weddings at Pretty Beach
Winter at Pretty Beach
A Pretty Beach Christmas
A Pretty Beach Dream
A Pretty Beach Wish
Secret Evenings in Pretty Beach
Secret Evenings in Pretty Beach
If you’ve loved getting lost in the gorgeous world of Pretty Beach you might just want to settle down with a cup of tea ready for the next instalment from the sparkly little town by the sea as we meet Strawberry Hill resident Lottie Cloudberry.
The sun is shining, Lottie’s beautiful garden is beginning to come to life and she stumbles upon an idea for a new business which means she might possibly be able to stay in Pretty Beach and keep her old house by the sea.
As life gets busy for Lottie, her new business starts to boom and as her beautiful garden is flourishing Lottie thinks there’s no room left in her life for anything else.
But just when she’s least expecting it along comes dashing Connor Bally, businessman extraordinaire, and Lottie Cloudberry is swept off her feet in more ways than one.
Is it too late for Lottie Cloudberry to fall head over heels in love again or will Connor Bally change all her thoughts of a life on her own?
***
If you love a fabulous love story, a gorgeous old tumbledown Victorian house by the sea, all the lovely bits and pieces of Pretty Beach, and funny romcoms you’ll love the next part in the Pretty Beach story.
***
‘Utterly addictive, absorbing and does the trick to get you lost in a whole, new delightful world.’
A Pretty Beach Wish Page 20