‘What’s the best way to contact you? I’ll let you know when I’m ready for you to meet Lucas again.’
Olive was glad Skylar was remaining in charge of the situation, and as they agreed to arrange something via text message, a question popped into Olive’s head.
‘Did you have anything to do with the bottoms that got added to the signs?’ It was an odd question to ask, given what they were discussing was far more serious.
‘Ha! The bottoms! Weren’t they great? They were my partner’s idea. I didn’t realise you had any link to the Gin Shack. So, I’m sorry about that as well.’
If Olive had had any respect left for him, it evaporated out of the window. So, he hadn’t had chance to let Skylar know he’d moved to the area, but he had found time to arrange stupid butt signs?
‘Time for us to go,’ Skylar said.
Olive was really glad, not wanting to have to spend any more time in this man’s company.
When they were outside, there was an ease in the atmosphere and Olive was able to take a solid lungful of air for the first time since entering the premises. It wasn’t until coming outside that she was aware how claustrophobic it had been. Whether that was because of the venue, or the people they’d been speaking to, was hard to tell. She would be glad to get to the comfort and familiarity of their weekly picnic.
Lucas and the Salter boys were visible on the beach playing their regular game of cricket. It wasn’t right that Lucas’s father had just turned up so close. All he had to do was look outside the old café on certain days and he’d be able to see him.
Olive wanted to ask if Skylar was happy with how things had gone, but it would be a silly question given she’d been there. Her friend would talk about it when she was ready.
Instead they walked back in silence and returned to the safety of their fold. Lily had made a gorgeous pesto chicken salad and there were stuffed peppers and crusty bread and houmous and dips. It was a feast on their makeshift hodgepodge of tables and deckchairs.
Olive had never been so glad to fill her plate and nestle in among the crew. Because, as she gazed across their beautiful Westbrook Bay, it was the first time she’d felt there was a shark swimming among the shallows.
Chapter Thirty
For the next week, Olive’s nostrils were filled with the scent of Christmas. She might be biased, but she was sure her cocktail was the best one. If that was perhaps too big a boast, then she was certain it was the one that was closest to filling the brief for the competition. She was sure of it because every time she entered the Gin Shack that week, she was hit by a waft so distinctly Christmassy, it was enough to convince her it was Christmas Day already.
The Mince Pie cocktail was the last one they were showcasing before collecting the votes to select a winner who would enter the competition.
Today, everyone from the Gin Shack crew was meeting at the bar to sort out the voting forms. Esme had printed them off at home, but they needed cutting up and none of them had a guillotine to speed the process up. It also gave them a chance to sort out the final details of the Gingle Bells retreat weekend.
‘It’s fully booked then?’ Skylar asked, while concentrating on cutting along the lines.
‘Yes, it filled up pretty quickly. A couple of people dropped out, but the places have been filled.’ Esme was busy wrapping and decorating two boxes for the votes to be placed in. One for the bar and one for down at the gin grottos in case anyone wanted to place their vote down here.
‘What’s on the itinerary then?’ Lily asked.
Esme had taken charge of most of the arrangements for the weekend and even Olive wasn’t sure about everything that was taking place.
‘The guests should arrive late on Friday evening and I’ve arranged canapes and drinks for their arrival. I’ve hired a chef for the Saturday so they’ll get a cooked breakfast in the morning. We’re doing morning and afternoon masterclasses and they’ll be held at the gin grottos if the weather is nice enough. For lunch that day they’re having Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and in the evening it’ll be more cocktails with the announcement of the winning cocktail. Sunday is a late brunch cooked by me, then they’ve been asked to leave their rooms by twelve because we have the judges from the newspaper coming that afternoon. It’s going to be a hectic weekend, but I think we’ve got everything covered. Tony’s been helping me with the planning from home.’
Olive didn’t know about everyone else, but now she kind of wished she’d booked herself onto the weekend. She probably would have if she’d known about the proper Christmas meal added into the middle of proceedings. Chuck a couple of pigs in blankets her way and she was sold. Then, with all the gin tasting and learning how to make cocktails, it sounded like a really lovely weekend. Blow last-minute shopping. This sounded like the best way to relax ahead of Christmas.
‘It’s been good to get involved. It’s made me feel part of the crew, even though I haven’t been able to be here as much as usual. And it’s definitely put me in the mood to be back. Come the New Year, I should be behind the bar again,’ Tony said.
‘That’s great news. Does that mean we lose Richard?’ Paul said, always the straight talker of the bunch.
‘No, luckily not. I’m only going to come back part-time to start off with and Richard’s got plans of his own, but I’ll let him tell you about those.’ Tony was stacking the cut voting slips into neat piles and periodically wrapping an elastic band around a bundle.
Richard glanced at Skylar before he spoke. Only briefly, and Olive hoped he wasn’t also making plans without discussing them with her. She’d had quite enough of that his week. In fact, Olive hadn’t even had chance to catch up with her son to see if everything was still okay between them.
‘Ummmm, well, the plan, which is pretty embryonic at the moment, is to find a suitable site to open a distillery. It’ll be my business, but it’ll be part of the Gin Shack brand. So, I’m staying and I’ll continue working here until I’ve found a suitable place for a bit of an expansion of what we already do.’
Olive gauged Skylar’s reaction rather than listening completely to what she already knew. Thankfully, Skylar didn’t appear surprised. She didn’t look delighted either, but then, with everything going on, that was to be expected.
‘That’s great news,’ Mark said, and everyone else joined in the celebratory mood with lots of talk about what gins they could create and what was needed in order to get started.
It was a good time to nip off to the toilet. Not least because she needed to go. But it also gave her the chance to pause and chat with Skylar on her way back.
‘How are things?’ Olive said it quietly in the hope their discussion wouldn’t be heard in among the hubbub of all the other excitement.
‘Hard. I tried to talk to Lucas about the concept of having a father and he got the wrong end of the stick and thought I meant Richard. He’s even taken to calling him Dad. That’s obviously going to go down well.’
For a second, Olive found the true definition of an apple in her throat. Her son being referred to as “Dad” was something she’d thought she would never see happen. And to think that young Lucas trusted someone enough to bestow that title on them made it all the more heartbreaking that his real father had now turned up. ‘Have you got any further with helping him understand?’
‘I decided the best thing was to wait until the day we meet up with him. Are you free tomorrow? I was hoping you might come with us. It might be helpful for Lucas to have more than one familiar face and I think having Richard there might confuse matters.’
‘Of course I’m free. As you know, the Oakley West activity programme encouraging me to try to learn crochet has never been my thing.’
‘Thank you. Lucas will love to see you.’
‘And I him. I’m due to get that boy an ice cream. It’s about time I got one for me for that matter.’ With the café now closed, they had to rely on when the ice-cream van was about to get their fix, and these days it was all
about timing it right.
‘I’ll message you with details. Thank you.’ Skylar gave Olive’s hand a squeeze before Olive snuck back to her voting form-duties like she’d never been slacking.
In a gush, Olive’s maternal instinct rushed into her pores and set her skin into a tingly warm fuzz. Because out there in the world, a little boy was choosing to call her son Dad. And it meant that tomorrow, it wouldn’t be Olive Turner turning up to protect her friend’s interests. It would be Grandma making sure she did everything possible to protect her boy. And nobody should ever mess with Grandma.
Chapter Thirty-One
There was nothing in the world that could beat an ice cream by the seaside. There were magical qualities that made it even better, like sunshine for starters, but even though they were in December and the weather was less than desirable, it didn’t take away from its being one of those perfect moments in time.
It was too cold to sit with their ice creams, so Olive, along with Skylar and Lucas, were taking a slow stroll along the promenade. Olive had gone for a snowball so her ice cream was almost seasonal. And there was a festive feel along the seafront as all the other beach-hut owners had joined in with the gin grotto efforts and decorated their own. It was the most Christmassy Olive had ever seen this stretch of Westbrook Bay.
What with the upcoming weekend, Olive was really looking forward to Christmas. It would be her first at Oakley West and, before moving in, she would have imagined it to be a lonely, no-frills affair as a resident. Instead, she’d never had more friends and would get to enjoy dinner with all her Oakley West pals before joining her son and the rest of the Gin Shack crew in the afternoon. It would mean she’d be missing the usual kip on the sofa, but when there was more than average merriment to be had, she didn’t want to miss out.
Today she wasn’t feeling that festive, though. The plan was for them to meet Pete outside the old café. Olive was filled with a certain dread about the coming half-hour, but she kept reminding herself she shouldn’t worry about stuff unless there was actually something concrete to worry about. She was only there for moral support, so, in theory, eating ice cream would be the hardest part of this expedition.
‘Mummy, I need a tissue,’ Lucas said as they passed the gin grottos.
He certainly did judging by the state his face was in. Skylar grappled for the essentials in her handbag and cleaned off Lucas’s face.
‘Who are we meeting again, Mummy?’
Looking out on the horizon, it was a calm day with the tide out, showing the huge expanse of beach. It was good conditions for going to explore and seeing what treasures they would find among the rocks.
There were very few people about and the only ones they’d seen so far were a pair of cyclists winding their way along the promenade.
‘It’s Mummy’s old friend, Pete.’
‘Will it be borrriinnnnggg?’
‘No, we can go and walk on the beach. That’s why you’ve got your wellies on, remember?’
‘Can we go on the beach now?’
‘Let’s go round and meet him first.’
Lucas was having one of those days where it would take a lot to hold his attention. At least there was always something to amuse the kids on the sands. Whether it was crabbing or paddling or finding treasures, there was something to entertain. That’s why meeting Pete here was a good idea, because no matter what Lucas thought about everything, they’d be something to distract him.
As they rounded towards the old café, there was no sign of Pete waiting outside.
‘What time did you tell him?’
‘Two. He might be inside.’
When they arrived, all the doors for Bottoms Up were closed. Trying to open them revealed they were locked.
‘Should I knock?’ Skylar asked.
‘Where did you say you’d meet?’
‘I said we’d meet him outside.’
Olive checked her watch. It was two. In fact, it was now five minutes past and they would have seen him had he been out there. ‘Would they even hear if we did knock? I guess we’ll have to try and then wait.’
‘Can I go down on the beach, Mum?’ Lucas hadn’t even tried waiting and he was bored already.
‘Go on, love. But don’t go too far from the steps. We’ll wait here.’
Lucas was on the sands before Skylar had chance to take a breath, such was his eagerness to be down there.
‘Do you want me to join him to keep an eye?’ Olive had always been nervous about Richard being too near the water without her about when he’d been young. There was every possibility that was an overdrive thing after losing her daughter. She’d never wanted to risk it happening again.
‘He’ll be okay. He’s pretty good at staying where I tell him to.’
Skylar was right, and rather than running off into the distance, Lucas settled on the sand and started to work on a castle.
After five minutes of waiting, Skylar and Olive both leant against the railings, Skylar facing the beach, Olive staring at Bottoms Up and its unopening door. After fifteen minutes, they’d both moved to the top of the steps, huddling into their coats as the wind picked up. After twenty, Skylar tried the door again and messaged Pete to ask where he was.
When they reached half an hour, Lucas was antsy to be on the move.
‘Can you go with him for a walk? I’m just going to give Pete a ring to see if I can find out what’s going on.’
‘Come on, Lucas.’ Olive gestured for him to follow her and, for a brief while, he placed his plump hand in hers. It was the kind of trust some took for granted. But she didn’t think she ever had. Not since she’d lost Jane. In a very painful way, it had taught her to appreciate what was precious.
It was that appreciation that made abuse of such privileges all the more maddening. Olive was glad to be guiding Lucas away from any conversation Skylar might be having with Pete. How dare he not turn up? If he’d agreed to this, if this was what he wanted, then why would he start off on such bad footing? This would do nothing to ease an already difficult situation.
‘Look, Olive, see what I’ve found.’
In Lucas’s hand was a piece of blue sea glass, perfectly smoothed by being bounced about by the waves for goodness knows how long.
‘Can I go and give it to my mum?’
From the distance they were at, Olive could see Skylar was on the phone.
‘It’s beautiful, but let’s see if we can find some more before interrupting your mum. She’ll be delighted if we find a stash.’ Skylar was for ever finding beachside trinkets and keeping them to make gorgeous things with. She’d be happy with just that one piece, but it was an effort to give her the time and space she needed.
Searching among the chalk mounds and seaweed, there was little to be found, but that didn’t stop Olive from making noises indicating she might have spotted something. It amused Lucas even though they were little white lies to keep him occupied.
‘I’m cold,’ Lucas said after a while of sea-glass seeking.
Olive was as well, the December winds bringing more biting conditions than the milder ones she’d been getting used to.
‘Why don’t we pop to my hut to go and clean this up? We can warm up in there while we wait for your mum.’
‘Ace,’ Lucas declared, as he skipped towards the beach huts at a pace Olive didn’t have a hope of keeping up with.
It was a good job there was no one else on the beach and Olive didn’t need to worry about him rushing ahead of her. She really only had one gear these days and the others were only engaged if it was absolutely necessary. She was glad to be able to stick with sauntering. Sauntering was the best mode there was in life.
Once inside, Olive raided the cupboards to find some bottled water. ‘Can you spot it in there, Lucas?’
‘What’s that?’ Lucas was pointing to something in the cupboard.
Olive had to have a look to see what was so interesting. ‘Oh, that. That was an experiment.’ One of the kilner jars from when she�
��d originally been trying to find the right measurements was still locked away in there.
Bending down, Olive was able to see the water bottle she wanted and got it out, along with the jar. She should have disposed of the contents already, but had forgotten it was in there.
‘Why where you experimenting?’
‘I was trying to perfect a cocktail recipe that would taste a bit like a mince pie. This looks a bit yucky, but I’ve perfected the ingredients now, see.’ Olive tapped on a bit of paper on the wall where she’d noted the master recipe, although she knew what was needed off by heart now.
Olive poured some water into her empty wash bowl so Lucas would be able to clean his piece of sea glass.
Lucas studied the paper for a while before returning his attention to the jar. ‘It looks a bit gross.’
It was one of the mixtures with the most mincemeat in and, having been left for so long, the gin was now a dark brown and didn’t look appetising at all. ‘It does look a bit brown.’
‘It looks like poo,’ Lucas said in that shy, cheeky way only children could get away with.
‘You’re right, it does. I’ll get rid of it soon, but not while you’re about. The fumes might finish you off. And I’ll have you know, the finished product doesn’t look anything like this. The Mince Pie cocktail is rather delicious – a winner! Now, tell me, has everything been okay at school?’ Olive was aware she hadn’t had a chance to talk to Lucas about it since he’d originally told her.
‘Yup,’ Lucas said, with an obvious air of little to no concern. He was far too interested in cleaning his treasure.
At least that was one less thing for Lucas to contend with. Olive just hoped the result of today wouldn’t create another worry for him. ‘Right, let’s give this a scrub then.’
Olive watched as Lucas washed off the sand. She definitely wasn’t going to open the experimental gin with Lucas about. The waft probably would knock him out. And before she disposed of it, she would have to check if it was of drinkable quality. She couldn’t get rid of it if it was.
Christmas at the Gin Shack Page 18