by Anna Samuels
‘Well, I wanted to meet the woman behind the picture…the person who created that scene. I love it. I wanted to see more.’
‘So, you came here.’
‘It was only three quarters of an hour drive.’
‘Yeah…’
‘And when I arrived, I realised what an absolutely stunning place it is here! I can’t wait to explore.’
‘You’ve never been to Hope before?’ she asked, surprised.
‘Never! It’s new and exciting for me here! I’m captivated by it already!’
She smiled at me, looking pleased. ‘Really?’
‘Yes! I can’t believe I’ve never been here before! I think it’s the most wonderful place I’ve ever been.’
‘What a nice thing to say,’ she smiled.
I smiled back widely.
‘I can show you around if you like…’
I looked at her in surprise. ‘Show me around?’
‘Yes…there’s a nice walk up over the cliff and the view from the end point is amazing. There’s also a few places of interest I could show you too…’
‘I would love that!’ I said, not hesitating for a moment.
‘Great! Let me just get my Mum to cover me and we’ll head on out! Give me a minute,’ she requested, turning towards the door.
‘Of course!’ I watched her go while my skin tingled with delicious sensations. Allie was not only gorgeous but seemed to be friendly and great company already! I felt excitement rush through me at the prospect of spending time with her.
‘Right! I’m ready!’ she told me, coming through the door with a big smile. Her mother followed behind, with a look of curiosity on her features.
‘Great!’
‘You two enjoy yourselves!’ her mother called as we reached the door.
‘We will Mum! Back in a bit!’
‘Take your time! I’ll be fine!’ she replied.
We stepped out into the sunshine and the view faced me once again. I smiled in happiness, loving my surroundings so much.
‘I love it here,’ I sighed happily.
Allie looked down at me with a strange expression on her face. ‘You really do, don’t you?’
‘It’s the most beautiful place I have ever visited,’ I mused, ‘and I’ve visited plenty of nice places in my time.’
‘I can’t believe you’ve never been here before. You don’t live a million miles away!’
‘I know!’ I exclaimed. ‘A hidden gem!’
‘That it is,’ she smiled and started walking.
‘So where are going?’ I asked.
‘Well, I’d like to pop home briefly first if you don’t mind? I could do with clearing myself up quickly.’
‘No problem!’ I told her, intrigued to see where she lived.
‘It’s just across here,’ she said, walking along the quaint cottages I had seen earlier.
She led me down the row of cottages and then up the hill where the large rock sat between the two beaches.
‘You live here?’ I exclaimed in pleasure as we walked up the pathway on the grass to a little home on the side of the rock. It looked like a beach hut only slightly bigger. It was painted blue and white and afforded views of Hope which were unrivalled.
‘Yeah!’ she laughed. ‘It’s a local rental for holiday makers usually. I’ve rented it temporarily while I search for a house to buy.’
‘You’re looking for a house?’ I questioned.
‘I am, yes! I’ve been looking for a while but everything locally is very expensive. Since getting the gallery here in Hope, I’ve been searching nearby but no luck yet.’
‘I see! Well, if you ever need any help…I’m an estate agent,’ I told her.
‘Are you?’ she asked, turning to me as we reached the door.
‘Yeah!’ I laughed. ‘I can always keep an eye out for you!’
‘That would be great actually. I’m hoping for a place in Hope if possible…houses are just so expensive though.’
‘I can imagine. It’s such a wonderful place, I can imagine anyone wanting to live here.’
‘Well actually, it’s not that generally. Most of the houses here are bought by property investors who then rent out their homes for holidays.’
‘Really? What a shame?’
She looked at me quizzically. ‘Why is that a shame?’
‘Because it’s such a lovely place to live! It’s a shame there aren’t more homes for people wanting to build a life-not just visit for a holiday.’
She nodded, smiling. ‘I think the same…but then holiday-makers are my bread and butter. Without them, I wouldn’t sell half as much.’
I considered that. ‘I guess so…’
She turned and unlocked the door. ‘It’s not much,’ she warned, ‘but it’s home…for now,’ she told me.
We went inside and I looked around, feeling pleasure rush though me. It was small, but so very quaint and perfect in every way. It was all in one main room really. There was a bed on one side which had a sofa positioned at the foot of it. The sofa faced a television and a lounge which was decorated with sea-side memorabilia-signs which read, ‘To the sea’ and ‘Sandy toes and salty kisses.’ There were lovely touches all around too-a lighthouse, a treasure box, stones which were painted…it was gorgeous. Off to one side was a small kitchen and then a door where I presumed the bathroom was.
‘It’s small but functional,’ she said, almost apologetically.
‘It’s gorgeous!’ I exclaimed, clearly surprising her.
She laughed. ‘Are you always this easily pleased?’
I chuckled. ‘Only when I genuinely am!’ I told her.
‘Well, I like it.’
I looked up at her and met her eyes. They were warm and smiling at me. I felt my stomach twist in awareness. ‘I uh…I love all the seaside touches…the owners really made it beautiful in here.’
‘Oh, that wasn’t the owner,’ she told me. ‘I added all those…I made then actually,’ she smiled.
‘You made all of it? The lighthouse? The treasure box? The stones?’ I asked, stunned.
‘Yeah…’
‘Oh my goodness, Allie! You’re so talented!’
She laughed again, a sound which was wonderful to my ears. ‘You’re good for my ego, Cass.’
I smiled at her. ‘I mean it, though. I would fill my house with all of these things if I had the money! I love everything you do!’ I told her, going over to the lighthouse to admire her handiwork.
When I turned to look at Allie, I found her looking at me with a quiet look of wonder on her face.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘Nothing,’ she murmured quietly, turning her face away briefly. ‘I, uh…I’m going to clean up quickly. I won’t be long.’
‘No rush,’ I told her. ‘I’m quite happy looking at your work and the view,’ I said smiling at her.
She smiled at me again, a happy expression on her face. ‘Yes…I can see you are…’ she murmured softly.
I smiled at her and we shared a moment of quiet as our eyes connected.
‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ she said eventually.
I nodded as she left.
When Allie had left the room, I walked around looking at everything closely. I did as I had said and admired her art work. Every piece was exquisite to my eyes. She clearly had talent and everything she created was simply wonderful. I hadn’t been exaggerating. I knew, given the chance, I would fill my house with her wonderful pieces of art. Each one told a story and was beautifully created.
When I had wandered around, I then went to the window. The view I was presented with was the sea and the beach, stunning in the early morning light. I sighed contentedly and felt at peace for once. It wasn’t often I felt so happy in my surroundings. I liked my own home and was content enough at work but to say I was happy? Maybe not. Content yes, but happy? Maybe not.
‘You look thoughtful,’ Allie commented, coming out and surprising me.
‘Oh!’ I said whirling aro
und. One look at Allie had me stopping in my tracks. She had showered and changed. Her wet hair was tied back into a pony tail, showing more of her beautiful features. She wore jeans and a white t-shirt which emphasised her athletic body. I gazed at her with appreciation. ‘You look nice!’ I uttered, before thinking.
‘Thanks!’ she smiled. ‘I couldn’t go out covered in paint, right?’
‘I, uh…I don’t want to interrupt your day…’
‘You’re not. I want to go out, Cass.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes…and it sounds like you haven’t had the best birthday so far.’
‘I, uh…what makes you say that?’
‘Your expression when you told me about it.’
‘Oh…’
‘Your thirtieth should be special.’
‘I know…circumstances have kind of prevented it from being what I hoped it would be.’
‘There’s always hope, Cass. Always,’ she smiled.
Chapter 3
A real birthday
Allie and I left the little house and headed down towards the beach.
‘So, Cass-what would you like to do? What should I show you today?’ she asked.
‘Everything,’ I said simply.
Allie laughed.
I smiled up at her. I could get used to the sound of her laughing, I realised.
‘Well, shall I show you all the things I like about Hope?’ she asked.
‘That sounds perfect,’ I replied, smiling up at her.
‘Come on then,’ she said, striding down the slope. ‘We’ll start with the beach!’
We walked down the grassy hill and towards the path which led to the beach. There we walked down to the sand and began to walk.
‘I come here for inspiration,’ she told me.
‘I can see why!’ I told her, looking around with pleasure.
‘I also use a lot of what I find…’ she explained.
‘Like what?’ I wondered.
‘Shells…stones…sea glass…even a lobster pot once!’
‘Wow! So, you pick up interesting finds and incorporate them in your art work?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Can we do that now?’ I smiled.
‘If you like!’ she replied, moving to a spot on the beach she seemed to like. She sat down and started sifting through the shells and stones. Out of her bag she drew a little wooden box. ‘Put anything good in here!’
‘Ah, that’s cute!’
She grinned. ‘My little treasure trove…not to everyone’s taste, but my pleasures are simple.’
I smiled to myself. I liked her, I realised. I liked her more than anyone I had ever come across. I found myself wondering about her and knew I wanted to know more.
‘So, Allie…how did you come to be working in Hope and being an artist with such a wonderful gallery?’ I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too nosy or interested in her.
She looked up and smiled, dropping the stone she was holding. ‘Well, it’s a long story…’ she began.
I smiled. ‘I’ve got as long as you have,’ I told her happily.
She looked at me with a warm expression. ‘Okay…well, I grew up not far from here, in a little village by the sea. I’m used to quite places and sleepy village life so I crave it in many ways. I grew up surrounded by beautiful things so I began making ‘art work’ from an early age. I would pick things up on the beach-much like now,’ she smiled, ‘and turn it into my little girl art,’ she laughed. ‘It was a load of crap back then but these days…well, these days I know what I’m doing.’
‘How did you learn?’
‘I went to University…did a degree in fine arts.’
‘Did you? Where did you study?’ I asked with interest.
‘In London,’ she said, looking off to the sea.
‘Oh really? That must have been a bit different to what you were used to here, by the sea?’
‘It was, yes, and to be honest it wasn’t a particularly happy time of my life,’ she revealed.
‘Oh really? Why not?’ I asked, curious.
She smiled at me.
‘Sorry…am I asking too many questions?’
‘No,’ she said softly, ‘it’s just nice how interested you are in my life…’
‘Well, I, uh…’
‘It’s okay,’ she said, dismissing it, ‘I didn’t enjoy that time because I went through a hard time in my personal life and it was my first experience of love and then break-up. That was difficult in itself, but then my Dad died and it rocked our happy, little world.’
‘Ah, Allie, I’m sorry…that must have been awful!’
‘It was very hard,’ she admitted. ‘I was too young to deal with it and didn’t in many ways. I shut myself off from the world and just worked myself stupid. I didn’t really become well again until I moved back home again.’
‘So, you moved back after you finished Uni?’ I asked.
‘I did, yeah…back to my Mum’s place initially. I worried about her being on her own but it turned out that she was coping better than me!’
‘I see…how hard for you.’
‘Yeah…but then I began focusing my energies into my art work and trying to sell some pieces and I started to have some success. It buoyed me in a time I needed some recognition of what I could do. Then I found the gallery…’
‘The one here in Hope?’
‘Yes. I fell in love with it and thanks to help from Mum, I managed to acquire it on a rental basis.’
‘How old were you when you started it?’
‘I was twenty-five.’
‘Young!’ I exclaimed.
‘I was…and it took me some time to become successful and sell well.’
‘I’ll bet. Starting any business from scratch must be so difficult! I couldn’t do it!’ I told her.
‘Well, I bet I couldn’t do what you do,’ she said kindly.
I shrugged. ‘And since then you’ve lived here?’ I wondered.
‘No, not at all. I lived with Mum in the early days and saved on rent by being at home. I was trying to make a success of the gallery first, you see. As I didn’t have a partner of anything at the time, I was free to make those decisions.’
‘I see,’ I murmured, wondering if that was still the case. ‘So how long have you lived here?’
‘For the last two years. Things changed at home you see…Mum met Pete and since that happened, I felt like a third wheel.’
‘Who is Pete?’
‘Pete is a lovely man who my Mum met on a singles cruise!’ she said chuckling. ‘They’re married now so he’s my step-Dad. He’s a good man and makes Mum happy so I’m happy for her.’
‘That’s nice that she found someone to be with.’
‘It is, yes…and it’s helpful to me…’
‘How so?’ I wondered.
‘Because it takes the pressure off. Before I felt like she relied on me for a lot…now she has Pete.’
‘I get it…it all worked out well then, in the end.’
She nodded, ‘It did, yes…and I’m happy here with the gallery and living in Hope.’
‘I can imagine. I think I’d be happy here, in fact I know it!’ I said, looking out to sea.
‘So, what about you, Cass?’
‘What about me?’ I asked, turning back towards and feeling my cheeks blush a little.
She smiled. ‘Tell me about you…you know my life story now but I know nothing about you.’
‘What would like to know?’
‘Where did you grow up?’ she asked first.
‘In a village, like you…about an hour from here but still near the sea. A place called Highercliffe.’
‘Oh, I know it! Yes, I’ve been over that way…very nice.’
I nodded, ‘Yes, it is. I think I love the sea because I grew up near it and going there every day…’
‘And you live by the sea now?’ she wondered.
‘No, sadly…I couldn’t afford to.’
‘Th
at’s a shame,’ she commented.
‘I know…anyway, I grew up in Highercliffe with my family. I lived with my Mum and older brother.’
‘No Dad?’
‘No…he left when I was a baby so I didn’t have a relationship with him.’
‘That’s sad.’
‘Yes and no…from the stories my Mum told, I was probably better off without.’
‘I see. Did you have a good relationship with your Mum?’
‘The best,’ I answered. ‘We’re very close, even now.’
‘And your brother?’
‘Yes, although he moved away some time back to live abroad and it all went wrong. After a nasty divorce he came home and is now living with my Mum, trying to rebuild his life. It’s difficult for all concerned at the moment, but he’s got a new job and seems to be doing well at last.’
‘Wow…I hope things keep improving for him.’
‘Me too…he deserves an easier time with things. It has been difficult lately.’
‘And you, Cass? What about Uni? Jobs?’
I smiled at her. ‘Well…I went to Uni with big dreams but no purpose. I wanted to be this and that and everything but somehow none of it ever quite happened for me.’
‘What did you study?’
‘English literature…which I never realised at the time would lead me to nowhere!’
She chuckled. ‘Yeah…’
‘So, I came out of Uni with a degree but no idea what to do with it.’
‘Didn’t you have a job that you were keen to do?’
‘Not at all…all my dreams were pie in the sky dreams…I wanted to be a singer…a dancer…an actor…an author…’ I murmured.
‘Why are those ‘pie in the sky’ jobs?’
‘Because almost no-one succeeds in them.’
‘Some do!’ she commented.
‘No…not me,’ I murmured.
‘Why? Do you not sing and dance?’
‘I did, but not well…I acted but because self-conscious as the years went on. Basically, my nature prevented me from becoming what I wanted to become. I’m a shy girl at heart and found that hard to overcome.’
‘You don’t seem that shy to me, Cass.’
‘Maybe not so much anymore…back then I was though, and I wouldn’t have gone and done those things anyway.’
‘What about the author dream?’
‘Still just that…a dream.’