The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

by Alison Sherlock

  ‘But that’s good,’ said Amber. ‘That means you do actually care.’

  ‘I guess so. I’m just a bit surprised, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she said.

  His eyebrows shot up as he looked at her.

  ‘This shop is special. I mean, it’s actually pretty important to quite a few people, not just your family. People like Stanley. I think we’re possibly the only people he talks to some days. And that’s the same for a couple of the others as well. I think I’ve realised that people aren’t just lonely in big cities. They can be lonely in villages like Cranbridge as well.’

  Josh nodded. ‘So we’d better get restocked and fast.’

  ‘I’ve made some notes as to what we need,’ she said, turning around to study the list she had placed on the counter.

  As she bent over, her long ponytail moved to one side, revealing the back of her neck. Josh had a sudden urge to press his lips to the pale skin at the bottom of her hairline.

  Perhaps it would be better if he kept busy and out of her way for the rest of the day, he thought.

  For now, he joined her at the till and looked at the list.

  ‘We’ve got some more tinned food out the back, as well as cleaning materials. That’ll probably clear us out though if the same level of customers come in again this afternoon,’ he told her.

  ‘What about milk and bread? We got through nearly all of it.’

  Josh frowned. ‘The road to the cash and carry is completely blocked. As is the road to Aldwych. I could probably go the long way round, but we’re talking twenty odd miles out of the way to get there.’

  ‘If there aren’t any trees blocking the other roads,’ she said.

  Josh nodded, just as the bell rang with another customer.

  ‘Hiya,’ said Tom, coming across with his mug. ‘It’s still crazy busy out there. Plus I didn’t even have time for a nightcap last night. I think my body’s gone into toxic shock.’

  ‘What’s the word on how the area is looking?’ asked Josh.

  Tom blew out a sigh and shook his head. ‘The river’s gone down a little. It’s terrible downstream. I mean, catastrophic for some poor souls who have lost everything. We’re about to head out over that way. If we can get there, of course. So many roads are blocked, I don’t know if we can get much further than the next village. Hey, you haven’t any of that home-made cake left, have you? Molly brought some in and that’s what we had for lunch.’

  Amber shook her head. ‘Sorry. It was really popular.’

  ‘Not surprised,’ said Tom, looking disappointed. ‘Nice to have something home-made, you know? Everything I eat these days is either dried or microwaved.’

  He and Josh then consulted a map on his phone as they discussed which roads were open.

  After Tom had paid for his coffee, he headed out once more.

  ‘We’re going to need milk if everyone wants more coffee,’ said Amber, holding up a half-empty bottle. ‘This is our last one.’

  Josh looked at his phone again and zoomed in to look at the number of farms that surrounded the village. ‘I wonder…’ he said, thinking out loud.

  He glanced up to find Amber watching him.

  ‘So the cake was really popular?’ he asked.

  She nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  Josh began to pace up and down the floor as he tried to figure out what was nudging at his brain. ‘It was fresh, wasn’t it?’

  ‘It looked delicious,’ she told him. ‘I didn’t even get a chance to try it.’

  ‘So people liked it because…?’ He stopped, hoping Amber would help him out.

  ‘Because it was tasty?’ she suggested. ‘Home-made? Made by someone local that they had a connection with?’

  ‘Bingo!’ said Josh, nodding. ‘That’s it!’

  ‘OK,’ she said slowly. ‘So we need more cake? Is that what you’re saying?’

  He stopped pacing and took her by the shoulders. ‘Why did you hate the cash and carry?’

  She blushed. ‘Oh, well, it just felt a bit, I dunno, warehouse-like. Not personal.’

  ‘Exactly!’ he said, gripping her arms in excitement.

  ‘Er, ow!’ she said, wincing.

  ‘Sorry!’ he told her, letting go instantly. ‘I think we’ve found our USP.’

  Amber rubbed her shoulders. ‘You’re going to have to break it down for me. I’ve not had much sleep in the past twenty-four hours.’

  ‘Home-made,’ he told her. ‘Locally sourced. Not mass-produced. Are you with me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. But she still wasn’t looking convinced.

  ‘What’s the matter? Don’t you like the idea?’ He had thought she’d be thrilled with his plan.

  ‘Of course,’ she told him. ‘It’s just we’re surrounded by water. Where are you going to get this kind of thing when everywhere’s flooded?’

  He brought out his mobile and pointed at the map. ‘Look at the number of farms around here. There’s a mix of dairy and vegetable farms. How about we source some fresh stuff from them for today and worry about the home-made stuff later on.’

  ‘I can ask any customers that come in if they know of anyone local as well,’ she told him.

  ‘Excellent!’ Josh could feel the excitement surge through him. ‘This is it. I can feel it!’

  She laughed. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Saving the shop!’ he said. ‘I think we can do it.’

  Amber bit her lip. ‘You mean, despite the tractor in the middle of the floor?’

  ‘I love the tractor!’ he told her, picking her up and twirling around. ‘The tractor stays! Are you with me?’

  He put her back down and she was looking up at him amazed, but her brown eyes were shining bright. ‘I think so,’ she said.

  ‘Excellent! Right. You restock where you can and I’ll get out and see what I can find.’ He stopped suddenly and smiled at her. ‘I knew the tractor was a good idea!’

  He ducked out the back of the shop just in time as a bale of kitchen rolls whizzed past his head.

  37

  Despite living in the area on and off for the past twenty years, it was the first time that Josh had actually driven to any of the local farms. But he was quite enjoying himself, he found, as he hummed along to the radio. He had a good feeling about what he planned to do next, even though there were a number of trees down, including one on the road to Tully’s farm, the first one he had on his list to visit.

  But he didn’t even need to get as far as the farmhouse as he came across Joe Tully using his tractor to move a giant tree trunk which had fallen across the lane.

  ‘Afternoon,’ said Josh, getting out of his van.

  ‘Hi,’ said Joe.

  They had a met a couple of times in the pub and chatted about football and the weather. But they had never talked too much about work.

  ‘Need a hand?’ asked Josh.

  ‘All done thanks,’ said Joe. ‘How’s the village looking?’

  ‘It survived,’ Josh told him. ‘Some homes were flooded. The pub cellar was under water. Thankfully, it didn’t get as high as the shop.’

  ‘At least that’s something,’ said Joe. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘Well, the road to Aldwych is still blocked,’ said Josh. ‘Going to take a couple of days for the water to go back down, they reckon.’

  ‘Aye,’ nodded Joe. ‘It normally does. Haven’t seen floods like this for a long time.’ He looked out to the fields beyond. ‘It’s a mess out there. We’ve had to bring the cattle in because there’s no grass for them to feed on, only mud.’

  Josh nodded and looked around them. All the grass in the fields was under a layer of mud.

  ‘It’s such a tough time for everyone,’ he said. ‘And we’re running low on everything. It’s pretty bad in the village, as you can imagine. Trouble is, the locals need supplies. Milk especially. They cleared us out this morning. So I was wondering whether you had any we could take off your hands.’

  Joe
looked surprised but pleased. ‘As it happens, one of our deliveries couldn’t get out, so I’ve got some milk going spare.’

  ‘Anything you want to give us would be great,’ said Josh, smiling.

  So they headed up to one of the converted barns, where Joe showed him the refrigerated bottles of milk.

  ‘Look, if these go well, I was wondering whether you’d like to make it a permanent arrangement,’ said Josh. ‘I want to use more local produce and we can’t get more local than your farm.’

  Joe beamed. ‘Sounds like a good plan,’ he said and glanced to a nearby fridge. ‘Tell you what, I’ve been dabbling with making cheese. Only Cheddar, nothing fancy, but we’re trying to diversify, make a few extra quid on the side. You know how tight things are these days.’

  ‘Any cheese would be great as well,’ said Josh.

  ‘You can taste some, if you’d like.’

  Seeing how keen Joe was, Josh took the sliver of cheese that he was offered and tasted it.

  ‘That’s beautiful,’ he said. ‘Strong but smooth.’ He had been prepared to lie a little bit in case it was bland, but it tasted amazing.

  ‘We’ve started to sell it online, but it’s early days yet,’ said Joe.

  ‘I’ll take a box full, if you can spare it,’ Josh offered.

  Joe’s face lit up into a smile. ‘Of course.’

  So he waited whilst Joe cut and wrapped up differing sizes of the Cheddar.

  ‘You know,’ said Joe, as he helped pack Josh’s van up with the goods. ‘If you’re thinking about using more local farms, Mark Tonks over on Cedar Lane has also been looking at selling online. His beef is the best that I’ve had. Might be worth a visit.’

  ‘That sounds great,’ said Josh, shaking his hand. ‘Thanks for the tip. I’ll be in touch.’

  In fact, Joe’s advice paid off. Mark the beef farmer had a number of steaks and packets of mince that he could give Josh.

  ‘This is great,’ said Josh, as he packed some boxes into the back of his van. ‘I’ll let you know how I get on.’

  Everyone was going to get paid after the products were sold. Josh was amazed, but the trust between the local people was astounding. And there was a feeling of everyone in it together as Mark then tipped off Josh about the pig farmer in the next village who not only had bacon but also handmade sausages.

  Consequently, Josh’s van was loaded once he finally arrived back at the shop late afternoon.

  ‘What’s all this?’ asked Amber, as he carried in various crates.

  ‘Fresh, local milk, cheese, bacon, sausages and beef,’ he said, putting a box down on the counter between them.

  ‘Wow,’ said Amber, peering through the packets.

  And she wasn’t the only one showing interest. A couple of customers who had been merely browsing immediately bought some milk and meat. By early evening, Josh had to bring out more supplies of the local food, such was the level of demand.

  The rush continued all evening until nightfall, when finally the shop became quiet once more.

  ‘What a day,’ he declared, sinking down onto a box next to the fire.

  ‘You won’t believe how much we’ve taken,’ Amber told him, smiling down at him as she stood nearby.

  He couldn’t remember seeing the till that full for a long time, if ever. Thank goodness he’d started the contactless payment system only a few days previously. Now more than before, they needed customers to have a choice on how to pay.

  ‘Everyone loves the local produce,’ carried on Amber. ‘We’ve had great feedback. All positive. Oh and a couple of people were asking about potatoes and fruit. Nobody can make it out of the village and I think they’re running a bit low.’

  ‘I had an idea to source some fruit and vegetable farmers tomorrow,’ he told her.

  ‘Good,’ she said, sounding pleased. ‘And I had a little idea as well.’

  ‘Oh yes?’ He raised his eyebrows at her in question.

  ‘Do you remember my original design for the shop? With the tractor?’

  He laughed. ‘How can I ever forget?’

  ‘Shut up,’ she muttered.

  He really did love to make her blush, he thought.

  ‘Well, you probably don’t recall,’ she told him. ‘But in my design I had a number of crates placed around the tractor.’

  ‘What for?’ he asked.

  ‘Fruit and vegetables,’ she said, smiling.

  Even though he was tired, he made the effort to stare over to where the red tractor was and tried to envisage how it could look.

  ‘I think it could really work,’ she carried on. ‘They don’t need to be in the refrigerator and I found a whole load of blackboard signs and paint out the back. We could write the prices on those. A touch of gingham cloth. Maybe some pumpkins. Rustic but still in keeping, if that’s OK? It would almost be like our very own market stall.’

  She was looking at him warily as if waiting for him to flat out refuse the idea. Instead, he nodded. ‘I like the sound of that. Should I start wearing a cowboy hat?’

  ‘Well, it would match that old leather jacket of yours,’ she told him.

  ‘I’ll have you know this was my dad’s,’ he replied, tugging at the zip. ‘It’s a classic.’

  ‘Like the tractor?’ she said.

  ‘You’re the boss. Sort of.’ Josh found he was smiling as he leant back against the chimney breast and closed his eyes.

  ‘What do you think?’ he heard her ask.

  ‘Sounds grand. Carry on, ma’am,’ he told her, keeping his eyes closed and giving her a mock salute.

  He sat and rested whilst he heard Amber moving around the shop. He knew her so well that he knew that she was already beginning to sort out the crates. But he didn’t mind. He trusted her taste and design.

  She had finally begun to have a little confidence in herself and it was lovely to see her blossom, he thought.

  He opened his eyes briefly and watched as she gave a little skip of joy as she rushed into the back room to pick up more decorations.

  Josh closed his eyes once more, smiling to himself.

  38

  The following morning dawned bright and sunny, which, Amber observed, seemed to lift everyone’s spirits.

  ‘Aren’t people kind?’ said Glenda, the vicar, as she swept into the shop. ‘We asked for donations for those poor people who have lost so much in the floods and we’ve been inundated!’

  ‘All thanks to your very own Cranbridge Times,’ said Tom, who had come in for his third coffee of the day. ‘And Molly rang the local radio to put the word out as well.’

  ‘That’s great,’ said Amber, bending down to give Noah the Labrador a stroke as he sat down in front of the till counter.

  ‘What kind of things do you need?’ asked Josh.

  ‘Oh! Anything that can be spared,’ said Glenda. ‘Nappies, toothpaste, dog food, such random things you’ve never seen, but it all helps!’

  ‘I’ll drop a couple of boxes into the church later,’ Josh told her.

  ‘Thank you so much,’ said Glenda, suddenly doing a double take at the crates that now surrounded the tractor. ‘Is that new? I don’t remember all of this before.’

  ‘The tractor’s old,’ said Josh, giving Amber a wink. ‘But the produce is new and local. Very local. All within ten miles of our village.’

  Josh had rushed out first thing that morning and had come back with a van full of fresh fruit and vegetables from the local farms. Potatoes, carrots and parsnips jostled for space alongside the apples and pears that Amber had filled into each separate crate. She had to admit to herself that it looked absolutely perfect.

  ‘Excellent!’ said Glenda, grabbing one of the paper bags to fill with apples. ‘I see I shall have to come in here more often!’

  She wasn’t the only enthusiastic customer saying that they would be returning. As more villagers came in for hot drinks and yet more bin bags and everything else needed for the big clean-up, they too were noticing the new range of meat and
vegetables.

  Amber wasn’t at all surprised that the local produce was a huge hit with everyone who came into the shop. Each customer seemed to be running low and, being unable to get to the huge supermarket still cut off with the floods, everyone was rushing into the shop to try and restock their own cupboards.

  Consequently, Josh had to head out for more stock from all the local farms.

  He certainly appeared to be a lot happier, she thought, watching him restock the fridge and whistling to himself. It was like a completely different man. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but he seemed so much more relaxed for the past couple of days.

  She was also secretly thrilled that her design idea for the fruit and vegetables had worked. She had arranged all the wooden crates around the tractor at varying heights. Where the crates were broken or looking a bit grubby, she covered them in the gingham cloth that she had found. Once covered, she built up the crates on top, artfully arranging the vegetables inside and then attaching a small blackboard showing the price. The final touch was some more dried leaves and fairy lights, as well as a few pumpkins for good measure, across the top of the tractor.

  ‘No plastic packaging either,’ said one customer, nodding her approval. ‘It’s so important for the carbon footprint.’

  Amber nodded as if that was what she had intended all along. But, yes, she supposed it did also reduce the waste. Especially as the majority of customers brought their own bags with them anyway. Those that hadn’t, she’d had the inspired idea to use up the brown paper bags that Josh had found. He had seemed particularly thrilled with the fact that they could use them.

  She had also made sure that the word ‘local’ was used as often as possible so that everyone understood where their food was coming from.

  She was particularly pleased to see Stanley come into the shop at his usual time.

  ‘You’re back,’ said Amber, hesitating as to whether to give him a hug or not. In the end, she thought what the hell and gave him a brief hug. ‘How are you?’