The wind had begun to whistle and howl outside. With no more customers, Josh went into the back room, where he managed to pull out the inflatable dingy that they had used on the river when they were younger. Once unpacked, he inflated it with a bicycle pump. Hopefully it wouldn’t need to be used, he told himself.
They kept busy through the evening. Amber took down the Halloween decorations and replaced them with the autumnal ones that she had first used. Josh made an inventory of the stock that they had laid out in the shop.
Sometime around eleven o’clock in the evening, Josh made them both a cup of tea.
Amber had pushed the two benches together so that they could move around them. So she sat down on one of them, putting her feet up as Josh did the same on the other bench, facing her.
Amber hugged the hot cup of tea to her chest.
‘This is awful,’ she said, as the wind continued to blow and gust outside.
‘I didn’t think my tea was that bad,’ he told her.
‘You know what I mean,’ she said, laughing briefly. ‘The waiting.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
They drank their tea in silence, all the time hearing the heavy rain hammer onto the roof of the veranda and the side of the building.
Then Josh got up to head outside and look at the river once more.
The beam of light from his torch highlighted how bad things were getting out there.
‘I can barely stand up in that wind,’ he said, as he came back inside.
Amber shivered at the cold rush of air that had swept in as the door was opened.
‘How is it?’ she asked.
He hesitated to tell her, but she needed to know how bad it was. ‘It’s up to the top of the riverbank now.’
Amber’s eyes grew wide with alarm. ‘But that’s level with people’s front doors.’
He nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘What can we do?’
‘Nothing,’ he told her. ‘We’ll stay open with the lights on in case anyone’s flooded and needs somewhere to go. It’s got another couple of feet to rise to get anywhere near the top of the veranda out there.’
Looking concerned, Amber shrugged on her jacket and went outside to see for herself, so Josh went back outside to join her, the wind and rain immediately swirling around their faces as it swept in under the roof of the veranda.
‘Show me,’ she said.
He switched on his torch and swung it around. Amber stared in horror at what the beam of light revealed. The river was thick and brown and had completely covered the lane on the other riverbank. It was rushing along, taking wheelie bins and anything not bolted down along with it.
On their side of the river, it was now lapping at the tarmac and slowly creeping inch by inch across.
Down the lane, they could see people waiting anxiously at their front doors watching for any signs that the water would flood their houses.
Josh peered around the corner and saw that the door to the newspaper office had finally been closed. There were a couple of sandbags propped up against the front door to try and protect it.
‘They must have gone to the pub,’ said Amber. ‘Did you want to go over there?’
Josh shook his head. ‘I think we should stay here if we can. They say it should peak in the next couple of hours.’
He could see that the river was lapping at the front door to the pub, which thankfully was also up a couple of steps. The door opened slightly as Belle peeked out. She gave them a small wave of solidarity across the darkness and they both waved back.
Amber wrapped her arms around her waist, looking stressed. ‘This is awful,’ she said.
‘We’ll be OK,’ said Josh, putting an arm around her shoulders.
‘Sorry,’ she told him. ‘You must think I’m ridiculous. It’s not even my shop. I should be comforting you.’
He looked down at her and smiled. ‘Well, if the flood water suddenly rushes in, we’ll climb onto the tractor for safety.’
She smiled at his attempt at humour, but there was no laughter to be found in their dire situation, knowing how devastating flooding could be. He had seen it on the news so often but had never imagined that the village would be surrounded by water like this.
‘Come inside,’ he told her. ‘There’s nothing we can do out here.’
But Amber shook her head. ‘I think we should wait out here. Otherwise we won’t know what’s going on.’
‘We can’t,’ he told her. ‘The wind’s too strong. Come on. I’ll sort something out.’
So he moved one of the benches to the front window so that they could still see out onto the lane. Then Josh picked up a couple of the blankets and they sat huddled together under them on the bench.
Josh was trying to remain calm, but he was watching the river with rising panic, although he was trying not to show it to Amber. It was flowing much higher than had been predicted and he wondered whether they would be truly safe, even on their slightly elevated status.
For the first time perhaps ever, he realised that he truly cared about the shop and would be devastated if it became flooded. There were memories here. Happy ones, despite the recent sad times. His parents had danced on the shop floor one Christmas. His grandparents had run the shop when he was little. He and his brother had played on the veranda outside.
If the place filled with water, even the tractor, although not working, would be ruined by the mucky water flooding through the engine.
This was his shop. His home. His dad’s legacy. And he wanted to protect it. He understood that now. It was time to step up and defend the Cranbridge Stores.
Because it meant everything to him.
33
Amber found that she was so weary that her eyes kept closing, even though she could hear the wind and rain howling across the veranda outside the window.
She forced her eyes to open once more and looked over to Josh as he stared out at the river. He was handsome, she had to admit. Strong chin. Long eyelashes. A frown creased his forehead with worry, but still it was a good-looking face.
She was more conscious than ever of his thigh pressing up against hers. She had a sudden mad thought that it could be wildly romantic to be sitting under a blanket with him. But it was crazy. There was a storm battering the village all around them. She was just tired and stressed. She just needed to have a little power nap and then she’d be fine. So she closed her eyes once more and this time let her mind drift.
At some point, she awoke with a start. Her eyes flew open and she found Josh staring down as he sat next to her.
‘Hey,’ he said, softly. ‘You awake now?’
His eyes bore into hers and she had trouble speaking. Having been at ease with him for a couple of weeks, she hoped she could just put it down to shyness.
So she nodded. ‘What time is it?’
‘It’s one o’clock,’ he told her. ‘You dropped off for a while.’
A while? She felt embarrassed that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder for a whole hour.
‘What’s happening out there?’ she asked, peering into the darkness. All she could hear was the wind howling and the sound of rushing water. But she did notice that there were quite a few lights on in the cottages across the river. Nobody was getting much sleep that night.
Josh waved his torch around and she could see that the water was already halfway across the path.
‘It’s getting closer,’ she told him.
‘I know. But the Environment Agency say it should have peaked by now.’
Amber blew out a sigh. ‘Let’s hope they’re right.’
The trouble was that the rain was still coming down and the water didn’t seem to be receding at all. If anything, it was slowly getting nearer and nearer.
Josh’s phone suddenly rang out with a text. In the darkness, his screen shone out as he read the message.
‘It’s Del,’ he told her, getting up. ‘Apparently Cherry Tree Lane is under water.’
‘Oh my goodness,’ said A
mber.
‘We’re getting a group together to check around the village and make sure everyone’s OK.’
‘We?’ asked Amber.
‘Del, me, Mike and a few others. I’ll text him to say we’ll call this headquarters as the shop seems to have survived for now. I’ll go grab my wellies and a jumper. I’ll check on Grandma Tilly whilst I’m up there.’
He went upstairs, leaving Amber alone in the shop.
She shivered, not wanting to be left alone but knowing that they were relatively safe compared to many others in the village.
Soon enough, a few people began to appear in the darkness, so she opened up the front door.
‘Nice night for it,’ drawled Del. But even his face appeared more strained than normal.
‘How’s your house?’ asked Amber.
‘It’s OK for now,’ said Del. ‘But I got a call from one of my neighbours saying that the water was coming in his front door.’
‘Oh no,’ groaned Amber.
Josh appeared next to them just as Mike appeared.
‘I’ll text with updates,’ he told Amber.
‘Me too,’ she replied. ‘How’s Grandma Tilly?’
He smiled. ‘Fast asleep,’ he told her.
They stared at each other for a beat and she couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward to give him a brief hug.
‘Take care,’ she whispered.
He gave her a nod before he walked down the steps and disappeared around the corner with the other men.
Amber walked up and down the veranda wondering what on earth she could do until she heard her own phone ring out.
It was Belle. ‘Hey,’ said Belle. ‘I can see you pacing over there. You OK?’
Amber peered across the dark river to where the pub was still lit up from within. At one of the upstairs windows was Belle waving.
Amber waved back. ‘I’m OK. Josh has gone with the others.’
‘It’s pretty bad out there, I heard.’
‘I don’t know what to do,’ moaned Amber.
‘Keep busy,’ Belle told her. ‘If it’s as bad as we think it might be, then everyone’s going to need somewhere warm to dry out. Hopefully the shop is high enough that it’ll be out of reach.’
‘What about the pub?’
‘Aunty Angie thinks the cellar’s going to flood, so we’re moving as much out of it as we can.’
‘Stay safe,’ Amber told her.
‘You too,’ said Belle. ‘We’ll speak later.’
Amber hung up and they gave each other another small wave. She decided that Belle was right. She needed to keep busy, so she went inside and shut the front door to keep the warmth in. She switched on the coffee machine, making sure that all the coffee and hot chocolate containers were full. Then she put a whole load of more logs next to the wood-burning stove to keep the fire going. She shuffled the bench around so that it faced inwards and then placed a pile of blankets and cushions on the top. Then Amber waited, all the time listening to the rain pouring down outside and hammering against the veranda and upstairs windows.
In the end, she had to switch on the radio so she could block out some of the howling gales outside. Then she sat and began to make yet more string chains of leaves and fairy lights, just doing anything to keep her hands busy.
The door suddenly flew open with a loud jangling of the bell.
She looked up as Josh dashed into the shop. ‘There’s a whole lane under water,’ he told her, breathless. ‘About a dozen houses are knee-deep. I’m sending the vulnerable people here because they don’t know what else to do and nor do I. The emergency services are getting hammered apparently.’
She nodded. ‘It’s fine. We’re ready.’
And then he was gone again before she had a chance to tell him to stay safe.
Within ten minutes, the first few families had arrived, followed almost immediately by Belle who had seen them out of her window.
One couple with two small children stood shivering in the doorway, wide-eyed and in shock.
‘I woke up and there was water everywhere downstairs,’ said the man, holding tightly onto his children’s hands.
‘Sweet tea is what you need,’ said Belle in a firm tone.
‘The kettle’s just boiled,’ announced Amber, before she crouched down in front of the kids. ‘Let’s get you nice and warm, shall we?’ She led the family over to the wood-burning stove and dragged the bench over. ‘Sit yourselves down here in front of the cosy fire. There’s nothing you can do at the moment.’
‘We’ve just had the oak floor fitted,’ said the woman, suppressing a sob. She too looked completely stunned.
Amber found herself giving the stranger a hug. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked gently. ‘I’m Amber and this is Belle. She lives at The Black Swan.’
‘I’m Jane and this is Jeremy,’ said the woman.
‘Hi, Jane,’ said Amber. ‘Look, here’s a cup of tea. Please sit down. You can stay here as long as you want. It’s pitch black out there. We just need to make sure everyone’s safe. The clear-up can begin tomorrow.’
‘I like the tractor,’ said the young boy.
‘Do you?’ Amber gave him a smile. ‘Would you like to sit in the seat whilst I make you a hot chocolate?’
The boy nodded eagerly.
Before long, they were joined by another dozen people, all looking cold and shocked.
‘The water’s up to our ankles,’ said one man. ‘They said we could come here.’
‘Everyone’s welcome,’ Amber told them all.
‘We’ve lost everything,’ said another. ‘The sofa, rugs, dining table. All ruined.’
In the end, the shop became too full to move, so Belle suggested that the families go with her to the pub.
‘We’ve got spare bedrooms upstairs,’ she told them. ‘It’s not The Ritz, but it’s warm and dry so your little ones can get some sleep.’
So the pub became the unofficial safe centre for people to sleep in. Meanwhile, the shop was designated flood headquarters for when the sun finally came up.
Just before five o’clock in the morning, when the wind was beginning to calm down and the rain eased, Amber heard voices outside. Then she saw Josh wearily climb the steps and come into the shop.
He smiled at her. ‘Hey.’ He looked frozen and shattered as he shrugged off his wet coat and wellies.
‘Come over to the fire,’ she told him, before giving him a gentle nudge onto the bench.
To her surprise, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him. It was still piled up with blankets and cushions so made for a soft landing.
‘Don’t ask me too much,’ he told her. ‘I can barely speak for being so tired.’
‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘Do you want something to eat? Drink?’
He shook his head. ‘No. I just want to hold you.’
Amber blinked, thinking that perhaps she too was so tired that she had misunderstood him. But he was already putting his arm around her and drawing her close into him.
Her body reacted as if it were the most natural thing in the world to move into his arms. Before she could even think straight, his head was dropping down of its own accord and his lips were touching hers.
It was a soft, gentle kiss. The kind of kiss that she had never had before. A kiss that she never wanted to end.
But before it could develop further, they both pulled back slightly. They stared at each other for a moment, both a little breathless and wide-eyed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Then he pulled her back in close, this time with her head on his chest. She could feel the rasp of his unshaven chin on her hair. Under her hand, she could feel the beat of his heart as his breathing steadied.
It was just for a few hours, she told herself. He was tired and so was she. It had been an upsetting time and this was solace, that was all.
So she curled up her feet on the bench and finally fell asleep in his arms.
34
Amber woke up
later that morning to find that Josh had stretched out at some point during the few hours’ sleep that they had managed on the bench and was now almost horizontal as he lay down beside her.
As she tried to stretch her back which was sore from the hard wooden bench beneath them, he too began to wake up.
He slowly lifted his head up, yawning. ‘Good morning,’ he said.
‘Hi,’ she replied, tempted to flatten down her hair which was messed up from the wind and the fitful night’s sleep. ‘What time is it?’
He drew out his mobile from his pocket. ‘Seven a.m.,’ he told her.
She watched as he looked at her and then his gaze went further to where she lay in his arms. He smiled gently at her.
‘People will begin to talk if they find us like this,’ he said softly.
‘Then we’d better get up,’ she told him, blushing.
But as soon as she stood up and out of his arms, she realised that there was nothing she wanted more than to be back in them once more.
The kiss they had shared had been in the aftermath of a harrowing night when the emotions had overcome them. But now it was morning and everything was different.
Josh too stood up and stretched before he went over to the window.
‘How’s it looking out there?’ she asked, before going to join him.
‘Well, it stayed dry in here at any rate,’ said Josh, opening the front door.
Feeling nervous, they headed outside onto the veranda to survey the damage to the village in the morning light.
‘Wow,’ said Amber, staring around in horror. ‘It’s a mess.’
The muddy river water was still three quarters of the way across Riverside Lane but had thankfully not reached either the steps up to the veranda where they stood, nor the front doors of the shops down the lane.
There was a tide of mud, leaves and general debris strewn across the path, but that at least could be swept away relatively easily.
The bank on the other side of the river had not been as lucky, unfortunately. The lane beyond the river was lower and where the river had burst its banks it had spilled across people’s front gardens and was lapping against their front doors. Amber could see hardly any sandbags, meaning that everyone’s property was almost certainly flooded.
The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts Page 20