The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay_A heartwarming laugh out loud romantic comedy

by Nicola May

  A few hours later, a text from Josh woke her.

  Home. Great-Auntie Deirdre still alive. I am too - just. Hope all OK?

  Rosa felt groggy and cold. She had forgotten to shut the roof-terrace door, which was a good thing for Hot but not for her. Shivering, she made her way to the bathroom. Peeing like a horse, she put her head in her hands. She had been so positive about the shop yesterday, but today everything seemed kind of dark somehow. Josh’s advice to ‘turn the dial down’ rang in her ears. He was right, of course, and she knew alcohol wasn’t the answer, but all these things were easier said than done and today Mr Jack Daniel was her best friend.

  She was just washing her hands when there was a knock at the door and Hot began barking. Checking herself in the fading showbiz mirror, she saw that she looked a fright. Her hair was more mad than usual, and last night’s make-up was caked around her eyes.

  She was not going to bother to answer the door, she decided - but whoever it was made it plain they were not going away. Wiping the smudges of mascara from under her eyes, and swilling a blob of toothpaste around her mouth, Rosa slowly made her way downstairs to the front shop door.

  Squinty-eyed, and still feeling a little squiffy, she opened the door a crack.

  ‘Rosa, it’s me, Lucas. Can I come in, please?’

  CHAPTER 16

  Josh checked his phone for the third time: no text from Rosa. She’d probably gone back to sleep. He’d give her a quick call before he went to bed. At home in the house off the Whitechapel Road, he walked into her old bedroom and smiled at the picture of the back of a nude man she had insisted he bought from a stall at the Old Shoreditch market.

  Rosa was a pain in the arse at times, but he already missed her vibrancy, her energy. She was like an unbroken horse. Beautiful, but wild. Josh knew that taming Rosa Larkin wasn’t the answer. She needed to be free and to work things out for herself. He would just check she was OK later and despite how he felt about her, he would leave her be for a while.

  He lay down on the sofa and flicking on the TV, thought back to kissing Titch. Secretly, he had enjoyed that too. Not the fact it was Titch specifically, but he was a man, he had needs, and they hadn’t been met properly for far too long now.

  CHAPTER 17

  ‘I’m busy, Luke, Lucas, whoever you are,’ Rosa said wearily.

  ‘Busy? Nobody’s busy on New Year’s Day - and Happy New Year to you too.’ Hot was sniffing his shoes. ‘And to Mr Sausage, of course. It’s just I’m going back to London tomorrow and wanted to say goodbye.’

  ‘There - you said it.’ She began to close the door.

  He put his foot out to prevent her. ‘Rosa, please don’t be like that.’

  Rosa took in his handsome face and tight jeans. She thought of Jasmine’s pinched little mouth spewing out that she had been ‘full-on’ with her boyfriend. Feeling horny with a hangover, she half-wished she had been now.

  ‘Come in then, but for no more than five minutes - and don’t expect any sort of hospitality. I’m minging and not in the best of moods.’

  Staring at her pert little bottom as she walked up the stairs, Luke smirked. Her fiery, devil-may-care attitude was a complete turn-on for him.

  Rosa poured herself another JD and Coke. ‘Drink?’

  ‘Really? No, thanks.’ He sat down. ‘New sofa – nice. Did your boyfriend buy you that?’

  ‘He’s not my boyfriend.’

  ‘Fit guy though. Thought he was going to lump me one when he asked me to move my van on Boxing Day.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yeah. I’d parked my van in your parking space. I did tell him I wanted to talk to you. Did he not mention it?’

  ‘Of course he did,’ she lied, ‘but why would I want to talk to you after the way you treated me?’

  Luke put his hand out and rested it on her shoulder. ‘Rosa, calm down.’

  The fact that Josh hadn’t told her he’d seen Luke outside in the back made her far from calm. She didn’t need protecting. She shrugged off the hand.

  ‘What do you want? Just spit it out and then make your sorry journey home with your bitch of a girlfriend.’

  ‘Whoa.’

  ‘What do you mean, whoa? You’re the one who got me tipsy, wheedled information out of me and then told the whole of the bloody Bay.’ She snorted. ‘They’ll be dribbling with excitement for weeks on this one. That is, if they haven’t forgotten about the hit-and-run.’

  Luke looked uncomfortable. He stood up.

  ‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry about all that. You’ve probably realised my mum is not a woman to argue with and - well, she thought she’d be helping you too as she told me not to charge you a lot.’

  ‘How bloody thoughtful of you both.’

  ‘Nobody got hurt and on a positive note, everybody will be flocking to your door to see what you are selling now, when you do open.’

  ‘She only had to ask me. I would have told her when I was ready.’

  ‘Sheila Hannafore waits for no man, you need to understand that. My dad certainly is resting in peace now.’

  He held out his hand and in doing so, curled his finger under, stroking Rosa’s palm. She immediately felt the electric spark of lust.

  ‘Talking of getting hurt, it is a terrible business about your girlfriend,’ she said, removing her hand. ‘How frightening for her, to be left in the road like that.’

  ‘Er . . .yes. She’s going to be fine though. She had an operation in Ulchester General to fix her ankle with pins. If she’s careful, it’ll be six weeks in plaster, then physio. Rosa, about that . . .’

  She took a slurp of her drink as Luke continued.

  ‘It’s just I left here about the same time as the accident happened. So, if anyone does ever ask, do you mind saying that I didn’t leave here until around six? I saw the police cars and as I’d had a glass or two of that Prosecco and didn’t want to get breathalysed, I just drove straight back here and parked up out of sight.’

  He looked appealingly at Rosa. ‘I know it was cowardly, but at the time I didn’t even realise it was Jasmine lying there.’

  ‘So why leave the van here the whole time?’

  ‘Because I lied to cover my arse about drink-driving and said that I’d got the train down from Paddington and was going to go in my mum’s car to pick Jas up from the station. I realised that the more lies I was telling, the guiltier I was looking. I’ve actually parked round the back of the park now. I’m going to sneak off after dark tonight as there definitely won’t be any police within a twenty-mile radius of here, today of all days.’

  It did all sound very plausible and he had been kind to her that day, despite being on his fact-finding mission. However, in Rosa’s eyes you couldn’t kid a kidder and she would reserve judgement, for now, at least.

  Lucas sat back down on the sofa next to her.

  ‘I know it’s a big ask, Rosa, and the chances are slim the police will come to you, but

  just in case, eh? And look how cheaply you got your pipes fixed, remember?’ He looked right into her make-up-smudged green eyes and placed his right hand gently on her left thigh.

  Rosa removed his hand, then ran hers up the front of his

  jumper. Gently scratching him as she did so, she whispered, ‘I won’t tell if you won’t.’

  He urgently pulled her jumper up over her head, revealing that her nipples were already standing to attention.

  She wasn’t wearing underwear, hadn’t had a bath since yesterday but really didn’t care. The last few days had hurt her, she needed touching. And she knew from experience that a lad like Luke would be able to do that in just the right way.

  Grabbing a strategic condom she had hidden down the sofa when he walked in, she pulled off her leggings and reached for his flies.

  ‘Mum’s the word, eh, Lukey boy,’ she murmured, putting a finger to his lips.

  CHAPTER 18

  The first working day of the year
had brought with it rain and wind. In fact, it was howling so loudly around the roof terrace that it had woken Rosa and was making Hot whine nervously. She could see white breakers on the waves way out at sea, and even the seagulls’ cries were muffled as they struggled to soar and plane their way through the grey skies.

  Surprisingly, despite yet another hangover, Rosa had woken in a positive mood. She didn’t have one regret about sleeping with Luke. The sex had been good and there was no way anyone would find out about it. He was the one who was being unfaithful, not her. And no good would come of admitting it to Josh, especially as she had promised him she wouldn’t see Lucas again. Rosa put the entire incident to the back of her mind. If she did ever see him again, there would be absolutely no mention of hit-and-runs or random shenanigans.

  She fed herself and Hot, then wrapped herself up ready for the elements. The poor sausage dog hadn’t had a decent walk for days. Rosa had always thought it was poncey to dress your pooch up in a little coat, but now she was thinking of becoming a pet-shop tycoon, maybe she should have a look and see what would suit him. Anyway, bless his tiny socks, it was bloody freezing outside today.

  Rounding the corner to the beach, a big gust of wind almost knocked her sideways and she quickly whisked a whimpering Hot up in her arms.

  ‘It’s all right, darling,’ she told him. ‘Let’s get in the bay where it’s maybe a little more sheltered.’

  The waves were crashing on the shore, bigger than she had seen since she’d come here. Rosa tipped her head back into the pouring rain and soaked up Mother Nature at her fiercest best. She needed to clear her head of everything that had happened over the past few days and this was just the tonic.

  She put Hot down and laughed to watch him chase bits of wood and rubbish from the bin; the wind was strewing its contents everywhere. Every time Rosa tried to catch some and put it back, the wind flung it in the air again and away from her.

  It was a relief to turn around and walk back up the beach without the wind blowing directly at them. The rain still stung Rosa’s eyes though, and she put her arm up to protect her face from what now felt like hailstones. Hot shivered at her feet and she hefted him up and tucked him inside her coat.

  Through all this gloom, she could make out someone walking towards her, optimistically holding up an umbrella which promptly blew completely inside out, nearly taking the woman carrying it, Mary Poppins-style, along with it.

  As the woman got closer, Rosa recognised the silver-white hair, now dripping like rat’s tails, of Sheila Hannafore. The landlady stopped and spoke, but she had to shout above the elements to be heard and even then, it was difficult to understand what she said.

  ‘I didn’t expect to see you anytime soon, so I took the chance to come out now. Here, take this.’ She handed Rosa an envelope. ‘Why don’t you come up and get dry by the fire?’

  Although she was reluctant to make any sort of conversation with this woman, Rosa was by now so cold and wet, and could feel Hot shuddering against her chest, that she followed Sheila up to the pub. Before she went in, she stood in the porch and opened the envelope. In it was £120 in £10 notes.

  ‘There’s coffee on the bar, dear. Help yourself - and take a pig’s ear for the little man. There’s a drip mat under the coat rack, so get that coat off too or you’ll be chilled to the bone. Here’s a towel for Hot.’

  ‘Thanks, and thanks for the money back.’

  ‘I may be a nosy cow and do things in my own way, but I’m not a thief, Rosa. And you didn’t stay here those two nights you paid for.’

  ‘But I don’t expect you resold them, so . . .’

  ‘I never usually sell rooms over Christmas with the family here.’ She started taking her own wet things off, saying, ‘It’s fine, don’t you worry.’ Then: ‘Right, I’m in the middle of making bread, so I’d better go. Help yourself to more coffee if you want it.’

  Rosa knew that was the nearest she would get to an apology from Sheila Hannafore, so she’d better accept it. Maybe it wasn’t ‘normal’, the way she had gone about things – but what was normal anyway?

  Once Hot was dry and had finished growling with joy, guarding and demolishing his porky snack, Rosa put her damp coat back on and headed for the door, dreading the walk back home up the hill. Hot too, appeared reluctant to leave and was pulling on the lead, trying to take her in the direction of the fire. Just then, Sheila appeared at the bar.

  ‘What are you going to be selling in there anyway?’ she asked outright.

  ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ Rosa told her with a smile, ‘but I’m sure whatever it is, you will be the first to know.’

  Sheila smiled back – she knew when she’d met her match. ‘Have a good day, Rosa. It’s Quiz Night on a Tuesday down here, if you’re interested. Quite a young crowd too.’

  ‘I’ll see.’

  With that, Rosa headed back out into the noisy weather and began to struggle up the hill towards home. Like son, like mother, she thought. Sheila Hannafore hadn’t really wanted to make amends with her. She knew her son was guilty as hell and that Rosa was his only alibi.

  CHAPTER 19

  Rosa had just shut the shop door behind her, when Josh phoned.

  ‘Bloody hell, you are alive then?’

  ‘I’m sorry, I crashed out last night and then have been walking with Hot on the beach. It’s blowing a gale down here today.’

  ‘Good. OK. So, are you feeling better about life today then?’

  ‘A few days off the booze and I’ll be right as rain. Sheila Hannafore just caught me on the beach, almost apologised and gave me a hundred and twenty quid back for the room I didn’t sleep in.’

  ‘It’s the least she could do. Has that tosser of a son gone back yet?’

  ‘Er . . . I didn’t ask, but I expect so.’ Rosa tried to put the vision of her and Luke going at it like rabbits on her sofa to the back of her mind.

  ‘Good job too. Time to concentrate on you and the shop now.’

  ‘Yes. Broadband should be up this afternoon, so I will dig out the old laptop you gave me and get on a stock-finding mission. I was looking at the most bizarre pet accessories earlier on my phone. How about a Flower Rear-Butt Pup Cover?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Basically, a plastic flower you stick up a dog’s bottom to hide its bum-hole.’

  Josh laughed. ‘Vile.’

  ‘I’m thinking of getting myself one too.’

  He laughed louder. ‘Even viler. But anyway, it’s great that you are on the case. I was thinking, maybe you should organise a little launch event, get the Gazette on board.’

  ‘That’s a bloody brilliant idea.’

  ‘I do have them from time to time. Right, I’ll let you get on. I’m at a conference for the rest of this week so you won’t hear from me much.’

  Josh hung up and sat back in his home office chair. Rosa probably wouldn’t even realise he was trying not to contact her, in order to give her a chance to find her own feet. He had to let her fly on her own for a bit.

  Rosa had a hot bath and put on fresh clothes. With Christmas and New Year out of the way, everything seemed very real now. She checked in the fridge and cupboards to see what supplies she had left, then headed up to the Co-op. She was just about to go in when she heard her name being called from up the road.

  Jacob was busy tidying up the pansy-filled hanging baskets outside the pub. No doubt they had taken a hammering in the wind. As she got closer she realised he was doing it in a hopping fashion. Hot began to sniff around the legs of the benches outside.

  Jacob was very attractive for a man in his early forties. His salt and pepper hair was cut in an immaculate style, and even wearing joggers and a jumper he still emitted a certain style. Even the now-evident plaster on his foot was a trendy black.

  ‘Happy New Year, you two.’

  ‘Happy New Year, Jacob.’ She pointed to his foot. ‘Don’t tell me the phantom hit-and-run driver of C
ockleberry Bay has struck again?’

  ‘No.’ Jacob laughed out loud, realising how much he loved this colourful character already. ‘I twisted right off Betty Turpin’s four-inch heels whilst doing the Macarena on New Year’s Eve. Raffaele said I should have stuck to the brogues she used to wear, but darling, I really haven’t got the calves for a flat. And I was so jealous of his Bet Lynch wig, boobs and heels.’

  Rosa couldn’t contain herself. ‘Sorry,’ she choked.

  Jacob put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Laughter, my dear, is the best medicine. Ooh, hark at Dr Jacob here.’ He awkwardly balanced himself to sit down on one of the benches. ‘That’s better.’

  ‘Let me help you with this. Hold him, will you.’

  She handed him Hot’s lead and began finishing the job in hand, replanting the uprooted pansies and picking off leaves and other debris.

  ‘Rosa, dear, there’s something I wanted to ask you. I didn’t think of you until now and I know you’re obviously busy setting up the shop, but have you done bar work before?’

  ‘Is the Pope Catholic? Indeed, I have.’

  ‘Excellent. It’s just, I can’t be standing up for long at the moment and we could do with some help. Alyson, my sister who you met the other day, she can manage without me as January is dead as a dodo down here, but I can’t expect her to work on her time off, so how would you feel about covering a couple of evenings for us? Just six until eleven on a Wednesday and Friday. I’ll pay you forty pounds cash per shift, plus tips.’

  Rosa paused to think. She had vowed not to take on extra work, but since she hadn’t sold the necklace yet, it would make sense. Plus, it would give her the chance to meet new people and potentially spread the word about the shop.

  ‘OK, but just temporarily, if that’s all right with you?’