Will tried not to laugh as he entered the premises. He sneezed straight away as a sickly-sweet overpowering scentinvaded his nostrils. ‘Oh, excuse me,’ he said, wiping his nose with a tissue he pulled from the pocket of his dark cardigan.
‘Hello, what can I do for you two?’ asked the woman behind the glass counter.
‘You want to take early retirement, don’t you, Sheila?’ Mabel said, seemingly doing a double take of the woman’s long floaty blouse sleeves.
Sheila looked about as confused as Will felt. ‘Erm, yeah, so?’
‘Got a buyer for you.’ Mabel tipped her head at Will. ‘My friend here is looking to open his own shop along here.’
As Sheila lacked interest, Will threw in his two-word pitch. ‘Cash buyer.’ That perked her up.
Mabel grinned. ‘Can’t beat that, eh, Sheila? Well, don’t keep the man waiting. You in or what?’
It wasn’t exactly what Will had in mind when talking business deals, but the two women seemed to have their own way, and after observing their back and forth for ten minutes, and totally admiring Mabel’s haggling skills, an agreement was in place, and Will hadn’t said a word more. All he had to do was hook himself a solicitor and the shop was his.
‘Told you I’d sort it,’ said Mabel, slapping his back as they went outside.
‘Did that just happen?’ He was mostly asking himself.
Mabel smiled. ‘Ooh, let’s grab that cuppa now, and once you’re up and running, I’ll be expecting the odd slice of cake for free.’
‘You sure you don’t want to come into business with me?’ He laughed as she beamed his way. ‘I think I like having you on my side.’
‘I’ve got enough on my plate running this place.’ She pointed up at the large chalky white B&B. ‘I wouldn’t mind retiring myself, but what else would I do? Don’t know any other life.I was born here, you know. Although I do have a little dream about moving to Jersey.’
Will followed her back into the warmth of the foyer. ‘Did this belong to your parents?’
‘Goes further back than them. Been in my family forever. Used to be a tavern back in the day. There were four of them along here. The Jolly Pirate kept its name and is the only one still a pub. Then there was the Black Ship — that’s a chippy restaurant nowadays. The Old Inn is one of those mini supermarkets. And my place was the Bell of Blood. You can see why that name wasn’t kept. Hardly screams cosy B&B by the sea.’
Will burst out laughing. ‘It’s got a nice ring to it.’
Mabel took him through to the kitchen. ‘Got a name for your tea shop?’
He hadn’t got that far. The fact he had some form of spit-shake securing him premises was still sinking in.
Mabel chuckled as she grabbed the kettle. ‘The Sailor’s Slice.’
Will laughed. ‘A work in progress.’
‘Now we just need to find you a nice home.’
‘You’re as bad as Jed. He likes to organize me as well.’
Mabel chuckled. ‘Ah, it’s what we’re like around here, lovey. We’re a small community with a big heart. You’ll see, and once word gets out we’re getting a tearoom along the front, you’ll be well and truly loved.’
‘I wouldn’t mind keeping it under wraps for now. Just till I get sorted.’ Will wasn’t entirely sure she had the ability to keep a secret, as she hadn’t stopped gossiping about the locals since he met her.
Mabel tapped the side of her nose. ‘Don’t you worry, son. I won’t say a word. It’ll be a nice surprise for everyone.’
He liked to think so. What better way to fit in than to have something that would add charm to the setting.
I’ll need a really sweet name.
Will sat at the table, waiting for his tea. He scanned the practical kitchen, thinking he’d have to see about getting some sort of hygiene certificate. He noticed there were some framed documents in the café.
‘I wonder what will become of this place once I’m gone,’ said Mabel, jolting him out of his thoughts.
‘Haven’t you got any family to pass it on to?’
