They headed inside the pub, where the music pumped and the noise was deafening. Jed led Will to the bar, warning him to avoid the green concoction in the punch bowl. The toy eyeballs bobbing on the surface were enough to put Will off without the heads-up.
‘I’ll introduce you to my friends,’ said Jed, gesturing to the beer garden. He handed Will a bottle of lager and nudged his arm towards a small stage at one end of the room. ‘Unless you want to sing first.’
That was actually a maybe. Will liked a singalong, but normally with people he knew. He figured he’d wait to see how he felt later, as the night was young and his drink untouched. He waggled a hand side to side, then followed Jed outside to stand by a tall patio heater.
Jed waved a woman over. Her tied-back white hair almost matching her ghostly face. ‘This is one of my oldest friends, Luna.’
Luna immediately took Will’s hand in hers, her midnight-blue eyes scanning over his palm.
Not what Will was expecting. ‘See anything interesting?’ he asked playfully.
Her gaze was filled with interest as she raised her head, then she smiled and patted his knuckles. ‘Welcome to Port Berry, love.’
Unsure what to make of that, Will simply nodded. He’d met some intriguing people in his time, but Luna held something about her bordering on magical. She really was quite endearing — and a tad scary.
Jed nudged his friend’s shoulder. ‘Got a feeling about this one, Luna.’
‘Me too, Jeremiah.’
A younger lady approached. ‘Stop reading palms, Nan. We’re at a party.’ She turned to Will. ‘Hi, I’m Alice. Please excuse my grandmother. She can’t help herself.’
Will smiled at the woman dressed as a clown complete with spongy red nose. ‘It’s okay. I’m making friends.’
Alice nodded, causing her red wig to slip forward. She pushed it back while giggling. ‘I’m not sure this is the best way to make new friends. You won’t recognize half of us tomorrow.’
‘Ignore her,’ said Luna. ‘She always wears that red nose.’
Alice pinched it, making a honking sound, and everyone laughed. ‘Hey, feel free to pop in to the Treasure Chest any time. That’s our family’s newsagent’s shop. It’s just along the road. Ooh, and come here for dinner one weekend with us, and we’ll introduce you to our team of Hub volunteers.’
Jed pointed at the grill set up beneath a shelter made of brick pillars and a high ceiling. The large grill had a small kitchen behind it and an athletic man dressed as a skeleton, dancing with his barbeque fork aloft. ‘That’s Robson. Owns this place, and he’s another volunteer at the Hub. Come on, let’s grab a hotdog and say hello.’
The scent from the food made Will’s mouth water. He was getting something more juicy than a hotdog. The steaks looked good, especially with hot sauce and a toasted bun. Yep, that was dinner sorted.
Robson was so friendly, and he told Will dinner would be on him if he decided to join them one weekend. Alice swiped some sliced cucumber from the foil platters on the counter and grinned, causing Robson to flick a piece of lettuce her way.
Will watched them mess around, then turned his attention to Jed and Luna, in a conversation with some others he didn’t yet know. Everyone looked so relaxed in each other’s company, and Will wanted to be part of their world already.
Robson sorted Will a steak, then pointed out a spare seat at a table quite close to the road that passed along the harbour front.
Will decided he’d pop over to the small pier across the road to sit and eat, giving his eardrums a rest for ten minutes.
He wandered down its length before plonking himself down at the end, dangling his legs over the side. The dark sea belowwas calm, and the sky held a thousand stars. Just how he liked it. He ate his steak burger and drank his lager, feeling content.
Wales and his old life seemed so far away. Could he really settle in this fishing village? He certainly could be at one with the pier. How tranquil his setting was.
‘Hello,’ said a female voice. ‘Looks like you had the same idea as me.’
Will glanced up to see a petite zombie bride smiling his way.
‘Do you mind if I sit?’ she asked, before he had time to speak. She thumbed behind her. ‘Or I can go over there if you want to be alone. It’s just, seeing how we’re dressed, I figured we should sit together.’
He glanced at his costume, then once more at hers. Patting the ground to his side, he said, ‘Pull up a pew.’
She shuffled to his side, then bit into her hotdog. ‘I’m Ginny,’ she said, mouth full, cuffing her lips.
‘I’m Will.’
She playfully nudged his arm. ‘They do say you can find your soulmate anywhere.’
