Autumn Antics: Escape to the seaside with the perfect autumn read! (The Boardwalk by the Sea Book 2)

by Georgina Troy

  Autumn Antics

  The Boardwalk by the Sea

  Book Two

  Georgina Troy

  Published by Green Shutter Books Ltd 2018

  Copyright © Georgina Troy 2018

  The right of Georgina Troy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Green Shutter Books Ltd, Greenacres, St Ouen, Jersey, JE3 2DA

  Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Autumn Antics is the second in the series is set in a fictional seaside village on the island of Jersey known as, The Boardwalk by the Sea. Each book is set during a season and focuses on one of four friends. Book 1 was Sacha’s story, this is Bella’s.

  I hope you enjoy getting to know her.

  Dedication

  To my son James, with love.

  Before you visit the Bella’s Bee Hive antique shop…

  Did you know that Georgina has a newsletter?

  She loves to share updates about forthcoming releases and regularly holds competitions for bookish goodies.

  You can sign up to her newsletter by clicking here.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Alan Reed who entered a competition to name one of the characters in this book. My character Abel Reed was named after his grandson.

  To Karen Clarke for her structural edits, I’m sure this book is much better due to your invaluable input and to Helen Baggott for your proofreading skills.

  Love and thanks to my husband, Rob, who ensures our three rescue dogs, Jarvis, Claude and Rudi never miss their daily walk on the beach, and my children, James and Saskia for their support.

  To my mother, Tess Jackson, who listened to me as worked through the story arcs in this book.

  Lastly, but importantly, to the Blonde Plotters, Kelly Clayton and Gwyn GB and the wonderful reviewers, readers, and my friends on social media for sharing news about my books, I couldn’t do this without you.

  To discover more about Georgina Troy and my next book in The Boardwalk by the Sea series, Winter Whimsy:

  Sign up to my mailing list

  Follow me: Twitter, Facebook

  CHAPTER ONE

  London - October

  “What the bleedin’ ’ell are you doin’?” the rudest celebrity Bella had ever had the misfortune to work with asked, elbowing her in the ribs.

  Bella gasped in pain and drew back. “If you want it to appear as if my hands belong to you then I have to reach around you. You know that.”

  She rubbed her side. It had been a long hour waiting for Megan Knight to have her hair and make-up done to her satisfaction and Bella wasn’t sure how long she could keep her temper under control. She had been a hand model for fifty plus celebrities over the past eight years. The part-time work had been reasonably lucrative and most of the people had been charming, or at the very least pleasant. Not Megan.

  “I didn’t expect you to get so close to my face though,” Megan argued, pouting her enhanced lips at Abel, the weary, thirty-something director of the shoot.

  “It’s a head shot,” Bella argued. “Where did you think I was going to put them?”

  She had kept her temper in check until now, but everyone was getting tired and Bella wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand working with this prima donna.

  Abel cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. “I think we all need to take five minutes,” he said, quietly adding, “Maybe grab a coffee, Bella. I’d like a quick word with Megan.”

  Bella did mind, she had a plane to catch. However, aware that arguing would only delay the shoot further, she nodded and walked away to the small room adjoining the studio where the refreshments had been laid out. She could hear Megan whining to Abel as she poured her coffee.

  Bella had watched the reality series over the summer when Megan rapidly won the hearts of the viewers and couldn’t believe that the girl she had thought so amusing on television was actually a complete cow. Bella wondered whose decision it had been on the production team to show Megan in a completely unrealistic light.

  She had to hand it to the girl though, she was only twenty-two and her agent had already bagged her a book deal and various advertising deals. Now, after a drastic makeover, Megan needed new professional publicity shots, which required Bella’s hands. Bella rubbed her throbbing temples with her fingertips. The novelty of the job had evaporated within an hour of working with her.

  Her pocket vibrated. Wincing, she noticed that she had forgotten to change her settings to mute. She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket, careful not to damage one of her nails. She went to switch it off before returning to the set, but spotting Jack’s name on the display, glanced at the doorway and quickly answered his call.

  “I have to be quick,” she whispered, placing her coffee on the nearby table. “Abel will want me in a minute.”

  “Lucky Abel,” he laughed.

  Bella couldn’t help smiling at the deep rumbling sound. “Stop messing about. What do you want?”

  “Are you back tonight?”

  “I’m supposed to be, but Megan keeps causing delays. Why?”

  “Sacha and Alessandro have invited us to try out a new soup she’s thinking about serving at her café now it’s autumn. I thought you might want to go, save either of us cooking.”

  Bella smiled at the mention of her best friend, who also happened to be Jack’s sister. She had never seen her so happy since she and Alessandro had got together a month before. “Sounds good.”

  “Shall I come and collect you from the airport?”

  “That would be great,” she said, excited at the thought of seeing Jack. It wasn’t easy hiding her feelings for him, especially as he rented one of the rooms at her boardwalk cottage, but it was something she had managed to do for years.

  Hearing footsteps coming towards the canteen, she added, “My plane gets in at about six tonight.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  She quickly ended the call and dropped her phone in her rucksack. Seconds later, Abel burst into the room, pushing the door with such force that it swung open and slammed against the wall.

  “You okay?” she asked him, even though he clearly was anything but.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. “That girl is impossible.”

  She pulled a face. Looking forward to the meal at Sacha’s café and an evening with Jack, she was past being polite. “She is, but you have a shoot to complete and I have a plane to catch. So, shall
we press on?”

  Returning to Megan’s side, Bella glanced at Abel. “Do you want me to kneel next to her again, or do something else?” Like slap her, Bella thought, giving Megan a forced smile.

  “Nah, the same as before,” Megan demanded. “Just hurry the hell up, I’m meeting me fella in an hour.”

  Delighted at this news, Bella knelt and twisted her body, reaching around Megan. She held her hand as lightly against the heavily made up face as she could, trying not to grimace.

  It took another forty-five muscle aching minutes before Abel was satisfied with the shots the photographer had taken.

  “Right, we’re done,” Megan’s agent cheered, holding up her faux fur coat for the girl to put on. Megan grunted a goodbye to the crew and marched out of the building. Bella couldn’t help giggling at the collective sigh of relief that immediately followed her departure.

  “I’ll get going, too,” she said to Abel, fetching her coat and rucksack.

  “Sorry about today,” he said, as she reached the exit. “Give me a professional any time, most of them know how to behave.”

  “It’s fine,” Bella fibbed.

  “Safe flight home.”

  She smiled and raced out of the studio. The good thing about being a hand model was that she could wear what she liked to a shoot. It also meant being able to wear her favourite trainers, so her feet were always comfortable. She ran to the nearest Underground station, smiling as she pictured her cosy cottage on the boardwalk, and Jack waiting for her to return.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Alessandro? What are you doing here?” Bella tried to hide her disappointment as she left the departure hall at Jersey airport to find Alessandro waiting for her, instead of Jack.

  “Jack, he have something he must do,” he said, looking, Bella thought, a little shifty.

  She smiled at him and shook her head when he went to relieve her of her bag. Giving him a sideways glance as they waked outside towards the car park, she tried to imagine what had happened. Alessandro and Jack were her lodgers, so it wasn’t as if she didn’t spend time chatting to them both. For some reason though, Alessandro didn’t seem to be his usual relaxed self. “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  She didn’t like to be ungrateful. After all, he had taken the time to come and collect her, so she didn’t ask anything further about Jack’s absence. The car doors made a clunking sound as the locks released. They got in and put on their seat belts.

  “It was kind of you to come and get me,” she said, relieved to be on the island once again. “Thanks.”

  He smiled at her. “Is fine.”

  “Jack said something about a new soup Sacha’s trying out,” she said, to break the awkward silence. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a long day and I’m starving, so I hope it’s filling.”

  Alessandro turned the key to start the engine and drove off. “I’m to take you home,” he said. “We will try the soup tomorrow, maybe.”

  She was beginning to feel slightly concerned. “Is everything okay with Sacha?”

  “Yes, she is fine.” He gave her what Bella assumed was meant to be a reassuring smile.

  Their plans had changed in the last couple of hours, so something must be amiss. What wasn’t he telling her? “Jack then?”

  “He is at your cottage,” Alessandro answered after a little hesitation. “Your day in London, it went well?”

  It was obvious that he had no intention of telling her anything. She tried not to show how worried she felt at this turn of events. “Not really, but it was good money and I’m back home again. I’m grateful that it’s all over.”

  To distract herself for the short journey, Bella told him about her day with Megan Knight.

  Alessandro shook his head when she explained how rude the girl had been. “And you say, she is only famous since last month?”

  “I know,” she said, amused by his shock. “Imagine what she’s going to be like when she’s had more attention from magazines and photographers.”

  “You have to see her again?” he asked, indicating to turn into the car part near the boardwalk.

  “No,” Bella said, relieved to be nearly home. “Hopefully not.”

  He parked, and they got out of the car. Breathing in the salty air, her mood lifted instantly. She had only been gone twelve hours, but it was heaven to be home. They crossed the road and made their way along the boardwalk to her blue painted cottage, The Bee Hive, halfway along.

  The wind had picked up, she noticed. “I’ve missed this place.”

  “Is a good place to live,” he agreed, walking next to her. She liked Alessandro. He was always friendly and kind, even though he’d probably had a long day working at his gelateria.

  Alessandro had probably had a long day working at his gelateria, she thought, as they reached the front door. She grabbed hold of the doorknob, but before she could open it, the door lurched open pulling her with it. Yelling in shock, Bella flew inside and slammed face first into Jack’s muscular chest.

  “Oof.”

  Jack grabbed hold of her arms, saving her dignity before she landed in a heap at his feet. “Bloody hell, Bella! I didn’t realize you were outside. You okay?”

  Bella cleared her throat and pushed her long brown hair back from her crimson face. “Um, yes.” She forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

  She kept forgetting that she had softened her rule about her lodgers having to enter the cottage by the back door, so that they could reach their room without going through the shop, which until Alessandro and Jack had moved in, was locked each night. She had felt it a necessity when strangers came to stay, but now, with two friends living with her it felt odd somehow to lock everything away. She’d also scrapped her rule of only giving them tea and biscuits laid out on a tray in each room. She wanted them to stay with her for as long as possible and making them feel as much at home as she could, would hopefully entice them to do so.

  Realizing he was going out, she asked, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  “Sorry I couldn’t collect you, after all,” he said. “Nicki’s only gone and surprised me by flying over.” He frowned. “She was on the phone giving me a mouthful and telling me she needed somewhere to stay, so Alessandro kindly went to meet you. I’ve got to fetch her from the airport now.”

  Nicki, here, now? Hadn’t they only split up a few weeks before?

  “Where’s she staying?” Bella asked, willing Jack not to ask if she could bunk up with him in his room. It was bad enough that she had a crush on him, without him getting back with his horrible girlfriend and her having to listen to them at night. She stepped further into the room trying to look as if she wasn’t fazed by this unwelcome news. “Not here, I hope?”

  “I’ve booked her a room at the Sea Breeze Hotel up the road. It’s was my first choice for when she was going to come over in the summer, but it was full then.”

  Bella remembered. “Are you looking forward to sorting things out with her?” She tried not to show how upsetting that would be for her.

  “No.” Jack looked at her as if she was insane.

  Bella couldn’t help wondering why he was going to so much trouble when he clearly didn’t want Nicki coming to the village. She decided that maybe he must really want to see her, after all.

  “She’s going to want to go over and over my reasons for breaking up with her, again.” The large ormolu clock on an art deco sideboard chimed the hour. Jack groaned. “Hell, I’m going to be late. You sure you’re okay?” Bella nodded. “Right, better hurry. I don’t need an argument as soon as she lands. I think there’ll be more than enough of those without me giving her more fuel for her temper.”

  Bella watched Jack run along the boardwalk towards the car park. He was so at home living near the beach, she hoped Nicki didn’t guilt him in to returning with her to London and back to working in finance. She could barely imagine him going to work in a suit every day. When she pictured Jack, he was always we
aring shorts. He had been like that ever since she’d known him when they were children.

  The waves crashed against the granite sea wall distracting her from her wistful thoughts. She loved living here with only the width of the boardwalk between her front door and the edge of the beach. She loved the drama of the tides, ebbing and flowing every twenty-four hours. She loved it best when it crashed against the wall, splashing over the boardwalk.

  The spray from another wave drenched her. Bella licked the salty water from her lips and turned to go back inside. Shutting the door behind her, she took her bags straight upstairs and quickly showered and washed her hair. Then, once dried and dressed, she tied her hair up in a ponytail and followed her usual routine, slathering hand cream over her hands and fingers before pulling on one of her many pairs of cotton gloves to protect her skin and keep her nails as pristine as possible.

  “Ah, you are wearing the pink gloves with the yellow stars today,” Alessandro teased, as he walked out of his bedroom.

  Bella laughed. She was very fond of the handsome Italian, especially now that he and Sacha had sorted out the issue of their competing businesses, which had threatened to come between them. “Yes, well I thought they would suit my mood.”

  “You would like me to make you a cup of your tea?”

  She smiled and nodded. Trust Alessandro to be the gentleman.

  “How has your day been?” she asked. “Still busy at the gelateria?”

  “Yes, but not as busy as during the summer.” He disappeared into the kitchen returning moments later with a steaming mug of tea. “Here you are,” he said, handing it to her.

  They walked outside to the small yard behind her cottage. “The sea’s pretty rough this evening,” she said, as they sat at the distressed wooden table. “I was thinking of extending out this way but I’m glad I didn’t now.”

  “It is a good place to have away from the… how you say… splash?”