Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove: An absolutely unputdownable feel good romantic comedy

by Kim Nash

  When I pulled up at the cafe, I cringed, remembering the last time I was there. This time I’d made sure I arrived first. I needed to have the upper hand in any way I possibly could.

  Seated right by the window, so I could see when she arrived, I looked out over the quay. Families were crabbing, children with buckets and spades in one hand, ice creams in the other, following parents laden down with beach bags and picnic blankets heading to the beach. The boat that took people over to the little island opposite the quay for daytrips was running. I loved everything about being here. I just had to get over this little hurdle.

  The bell over the door dinged, and I could smell her perfume and knew she’d arrived. I stood to greet her and held out my hand before she could air kiss me. I wanted to be resolute and get the situation cleared up without any falseness of being besties, which we clearly weren’t.

  ‘Hi, Natalia. It’s lovely to see you. Do sit. Can I get you some water while we’re waiting?’

  She seemed a little on the back foot. Good, that’s exactly how I wanted her to feel.

  ‘I’d like to say something before lunch. To clear the air between us and clear up any misunderstandings.’

  She nodded, even though I purposefully hadn’t asked a question. I’m not sure where this assertive Nellie had come from but I liked her.

  ‘I feel like we haven’t got off to a good start, Natalia—’

  She went to speak but I held up my palm to stop her. She bit her lip.

  ‘I’m not sure what impression I gave before I went away, but I want you to know that I have no designs on Jack at all, and that all I want is for him to be happy. I’m not the type of girl to take another woman’s man. I’m a woman’s woman. I’d like to think that I’m a good friend and I’m loyal.’

  She looked at me with her steely eyes, giving nothing away. Not even a hint of what she was thinking.

  ‘I’d like you and I to be friends, not enemies. I think we’d be good for each other. I am actually quite nice if you gave me a chance. And I think you are amazing. You’re clearly fantastic at your job, you are beautiful…’ I could see her physically preening at this point. ‘I’d absolutely love your help when it comes to the swishing event. You know fashion, you always look amazing and I know you love animals too. I’d love to join forces with you, Natalia, and ask you for your help in raising as much money as we can from this event for the dog shelter. I think you are the perfect person to help. And if you don’t want to do it for me, then please think about the dogs.’ I felt like I had nothing else to offer or say. I hoped I’d remembered everything I’d rehearsed before I got here. ‘What do you say?’

  She intertwined her hands and rested her chin on them and gazed at me.

  ‘So you don’t fancy Jack, then?’

  ‘I do not fancy Jack.’ I bit my lip. ‘He’s really not my type.’

  ‘And you’re not in love with him?’

  I gulped. ‘I am absolutely not in love with him.’ I crossed my fingers underneath the table. Perhaps if I said it enough times, I’d start to believe it myself.

  ‘And you think I’m beautiful?’

  ‘I really do. You said yourself, why would Jack ever look at me when he has you? Why have a burger, when you can have steak?’ Seriously. Who was I trying to kid? I may have overdone it a little there.

  ‘OK, I’ll help! Let’s have a drink to seal the deal.’ She tittered. ‘I have some great ideas, Nellie. I’ve been thinking about them since Jack mentioned the event and I really think they would help to raise even more money.’

  ‘Great, let’s have them. But first, I’m starving. Let’s order some food.’ This time when I ordered a pasta dish, I didn’t feel at all guilty. I didn’t feel like I was on show for someone to approve of me like I had the last time. I felt like I was being me. Just me. I’d grown enough over the last few weeks to be just me.

  We talked through loads of ideas over lunch. It was really enjoyable and she was actually very good company. She was really animated when talking about her sister, who she clearly adored, and how she could get her involved with make-up demos and making it into a proper girl’s night out. I loved her ideas and we made lots of plans. We wrote lots of lists and we had many jobs to go away and make happen. I was so glad that I had asked her for help. I hoped that, finally, she didn’t feel threatened by me. We really could be a good team and make things happen.

  She smiled at me across the table. When she smiled she was actually very pretty. She just needed to lose the caked-on make-up. She really didn’t need it. If she just let herself relax a bit more and loosen up, and not be so defensive, then I really did hope we could be friends. I was genuinely excited about what the future held.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Natalia had turned a tide. She’d been an absolute rock to me in the days following our lunch. Her and her sister, Miranda, had been to the beach hut many times since to help out and to bring loads of clothes that people had dropped off at the vet’s. Miranda had some clothes rails which would come in fantastically helpful, along with some shelving units for display purposes. And four female mannequins, about which I wasn’t even going to ask where she’d got them or why.

  The event was just one night away so we didn’t have long to get everything prepared. The biggest problem I had was that I felt we might have too much stock and not enough people to come along. I had no idea what I’d do if I was stuck with loads of clothes. Good job Aunty Lil’s house had many spare rooms. Although Joan had just called to say that there’d been seventy-five tickets sold, which I was really pleased about.

  ‘Good evening, would you be Miss Ellen Wagstaff?’

  I jumped at the unexpected sound of a deep voice behind me. Stood in front of me was a policeman. A very tall, handsome one. What on earth could he want with me?

  ‘It has come to our attention, Miss Wagstaff, that you are running a business from this beach hut.’

  ‘Erm no. Actually I’m not. We are having a charity event tomorrow evening. It’s definitely not a business.’

  ‘Well, it’s been reported to us that you are running a business.’

  ‘Absolutely not. Here’s a leaflet to say what’s happening. Perhaps you have a girlfriend, or a wife or mother who might like to come along. It’s a fab ladies’ event. And we’re raising money for the local dog shelter. Someone reported it? Can I ask who?’

  ‘I’m not at liberty to disclose that information, I’m afraid. I’ve been told that food and drink will be on sale. I’m afraid that’s not allowed from these beach huts because the beach is very much a public place.’

  At that moment, Natalia came tottering along the promenade in her four-inch heels. ‘Coooeee! I’m here Nellie.’

  I watched the officer closely. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he scanned Natalia’s body, from her long tanned legs, micro skirt, white blouse and perfectly made-up face with poker-straight black hair. He loosened his tie a little.

  ‘And you are?’ he asked.

  ‘Ooh hello, officer!’ She winked at me. ‘Natalia Fox at your service.’ She held her hand out to him. Then she grabbed his arm. ‘Oh my! Look at those muscles. You’re so strong.’

  He blushed but smiled.

  ‘Is everything OK?’ Natalia asked.

  ‘There has been a report of the illegal use of a beach hut.’

  ‘Oh how ridiculous.’

  ‘It might seem ridiculous but you absolutely cannot sell alcohol from these premises without a liquor licence.’

  I put my hand to my mouth. I’d never even given that a thought.

  ‘How about if we were to give it away instead? Would that be allowed?’ Natalia asked.

  ‘Well, as long as the drinks were consumed mainly on the premises, and no money changes hands, and there’s no drunken debauchery taking place…’ He raised his eyebrow at Natalia and she winked at him and licked her lips. ‘Then I’m sure that can be overlooked.’

  Natalia took his arm and turned him away towards the
café. ‘Can I buy you a coffee, Officer…?’

  ‘Sergeant James.’

  ‘Well, Sergeant James,’ she purred. ‘Let’s go and discuss all of this over a coffee.’ She winked at me over her shoulder. ‘Be back later, Nellie.’

  I laughed as she walked off up the beach. Jack really was going to have his work cut out with her as a wife. She was a born flirt. Though I hoped she’d get everything sorted out that we needed. We couldn’t afford to have any issues this late in the day.

  I was packing the final stuff away, when she returned looking a little flustered.

  ‘Well…?’ I asked.

  ‘Oh gosh, what a hottie he is. I’ve discovered he doesn’t have a girlfriend or a wife but he is going to ask his mother and two sisters to come along tomorrow night.’

  I laughed. ‘Oh, Natalia, I’m sure you could sell sand to Arabs.’

  She tittered. ‘Oh well, it looks like everything is sorted. The only issue we could have is that while you were planning to charge for drinks tomorrow night, you are now going to have to give them away. But it’s not the end of the world. We’ll just have to try harder to sell more stuff to make up for it.’

  ‘Thanks so much for offering to do that.’

  ‘It was my absolute pleasure.’ She smirked back at me.

  Sleep evaded me that night. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and kept waking. I stood at the window, looking out across the sea, watching the moon’s reflection on it, making sparkles. So pretty.

  When I eventually did catch a few hours and woke a little later, Norman and I went down to the beach bright and early to start our day. I hoped the fresh air would energise me for a busy day and night ahead.

  Our normal game of catch and fetch on the beach was fun. There were not many people about and after half an hour I called Norman over, not sure who was panting more, and headed off to the beach hut. As we approached, I could see a small gathering of people at the doors and, lo and behold, Sergeant James standing with his record book in his hand, writing notes. I ran towards the hut, Norman trailing behind me.

  The locks had been cropped off and what I saw of the inside, made me fall to my knees. All of Aunty Lil’s stuff had been upended and tipped all over the floor, and it looked like there were quite a few boxes missing. On the doors to the hut, someone had painted the words: ‘Take your flips and flop off! You’re not welcome round here’ in bright-red paint.

  All our hard work down the pan. All the proceeds which were going to charity, would now not happen. All the effort that everyone had gone to, to make this a success. Gone.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at the damage that had been done.

  And that was the moment that I blacked out.

  * * *

  The smell of ammonia, shoved up my nose, brought me round pretty damn quickly. I looked up to find Val above me and Jack at my side.

  ‘What the…?’

  ‘Mum’s tried and tested remedy,’ said Jack. ‘Smelling salts. Sorry about that. How are you feeling now? You must have had a bit of a shock, Nellie-bum.’

  Norman was leaning into my side and I gave him a pat.

  ‘I’m just so upset. We won’t be able to have the event tonight. The whole thing has been spoilt.’

  ‘I do hope you are not going to give up that easily.’

  ‘What else can we do?’

  ‘Well, while you’ve been having a little nap, we’ve been busy arranging a little something ourselves.’

  ‘What? Tell me?’

  ‘I think you’d just better wait and see. I think you’ll be surprised at the community spirit around here.’

  Val tried to prop me up, and Jack gave me his hand.

  ‘Come on, lazy bum. Get your bearings back then you and Mum are going off to the café for a cup of hot sweet tea, and you’ll soon be feeling much better.’

  ‘I need to have a look and see what’s missing.’

  Natalia appeared from the back of the beach hut. I hadn’t realised she was here. She must have come down with Jack.

  ‘I’m sorry, Nellie, but an awful lot of Lilian’s stuff has been taken,’ she said.

  I put my head in my hands. ‘No!’ I felt a bubble of emotion well up inside me. ‘No, not Aunty Lil’s stuff. Please.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Nellie,’ said Jack.

  I crumpled against him and he held me up. I looked across at Natalia and she was watching us very closely. She wandered over to where Sergeant James was stood and started talking to him in a low voice. He scribbled something down, closed his notebook, raised his hand towards me and walked away along the promenade.

  Feeling a little brighter now I’d taken in the news and had got back on my feet, I agreed to walk to the café with Val. We sat for over an hour, drinking endless sweet tea, me going over and over again why anyone could do such a thing and why someone had it in for me. The only person who hadn’t been friendly towards me had been Natalia and even she was on my side these days.

  While I was sat there with Val, I thought it would be a good opportunity to raise the issue of the falling out between Mum and Aunty Lilian. But then I changed my mind. It seemed like we had enough on our plate right now without bringing that up. However, Val must have sensed there was still something on my mind, and she asked if it was anything she could help with. Here was my opportunity.

  ‘Do you know why Mum and Aunty Lil fell out, Val? It’s really playing on my mind. I feel like I’m never going to know and I’m driving myself mad looking for a clue and not finding anything.’

  Val frowned. ‘I think you and I should have a proper chat about this but I don’t think that right now is the best time. I think we need longer with no interruptions. How about we meet up and have a cuppa in the next few days and I’ll tell you everything I know.’

  ‘Thank you.’ I reached across and hugged her. My heart felt a little lighter. I felt I was finally going to find out the mystery behind why my life had changed so much.

  But right then, we had an event to get prepared for.

  When we arrived back at the beach hut, what I saw brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. Dom and Tom were laughing as they frantically painted over the red words, in the exact same pastel shade of blue that the beach hut had previously been, but because it was new paint it was brighter and more vivid. You couldn’t see the words any longer. The bunting that had been pulled down had been put back in its place and fairy lights plugged in around it. Joan and Natalia were busy sorting all the clothes that had been pulled onto the floor and Miranda was steaming the creases out of them and hanging them straight onto the rails. It was 11 a.m. and the event was starting at 5 p.m. We had six hours to see if we could locate some more stock. Natalia had put a call into the vet’s and the staff there were doing all they could along with the WI members that Joan had roped in too. But what finally tipped me over the edge was when Sergeant James appeared with three disgruntled-looking teenagers who were carrying two boxes each of Aunty Lil’s clothes. He winked at Natalia and she came over to me.

  ‘I owe you a huge apology, Nellie. Huge.’ She grabbed the largest of the boys by the ear and dragged him over to me. ‘This is my stupid little brother. He overheard something he shouldn’t have, and assumed something he shouldn’t have. And he has something to say to you.’

  ‘I’m really very sorry that we did this. I’m an idiot and I’ll be paying for it for the rest of my life.’ He looked at his sister and glared. ‘Let go of my fecking ear!’

  She let him go and the three of them sloped off. I was really very puzzled by what he’d said but the important thing was that all the clothes had been returned and by the look of it all intact too.

  ‘I have some explaining to do to you later, Nellie, but for now, let’s get cracking on getting everything ready and have the brilliant evening that this was always going to be. I’ll explain all tomorrow, I promise.’

  It was getting more baffling by the minute but I didn’t have the time or the energy to th
ink about it now. We had an event to get ready for!

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Two hours to go and there was lots to do. Even Sergeant James had returned in his civilian clothes, in which he looked mighty fine I might add, and was putting up the gazebos and carrying the weights over to anchor them down. We’d borrowed as many chairs as we could from the church hall and Jack had transported them in his pickup truck, but they still needed bringing down to the beach. Natalia had enlisted the help of her little brother and his errant friends, which she said was the least they could do.

  Miranda had dressed the mannequins in beautiful boho outfits which you would never have thought second-hand for one minute. They stood to one side of the doors while a makeshift bar that Dom and Tom had somehow put together out of old pallets that they’d painted in beach-hut blue, with glasses waiting on trays to be filled.

  As I stood taking some photos of the set-up, although I knew I’d never forget this sight for as long as I lived, a voice that I would know anywhere spoke up.

  ‘What does a girl have to do to get a drink round here?’

  ‘Oh! My! God! What the hell are you doing here?’ I screamed and flung myself on Shivani. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’

  ‘Well, then that wouldn’t be a surprise now would it. And I know you don’t like surprises. Remember the time when—’

  ‘Could someone please get this wonderful lady a drink. Now!’ I squeezed her again for good measure. ‘Oh, Shivani, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.’

  ‘Well, I couldn’t let an event like this go ahead without being here for you could I? I was hoping to be here earlier, but I struggled to get away. I’ve literally just come from the station. Can I put my bag somewhere? Can I do anything to help?’

  ‘I think it’s all in hand, to be honest. With an hour to go I think everything is finally done.’

  ‘Well, that’s what you call perfect timing.’

  At that point Jack wandered over. He and Natalia had been quite distanced from each other today and I wondered whether something had been said.