Page 38 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

One girl had been particularly vicious. Catherine Hooper had been relentless in her sniping and bullying, always laughing at Amber’s awkwardness. The mocking laughter still haunted her to that day.

Amber shook her head as if to erase the painful memories of the past as she finished the washing-up and glanced in the bathroom. She had rushed through her daily showers since arriving in Cranbridge, aware that two other people might be needing the bathroom each time. Her flat share in New York hadn’t been any more relaxed when everyone needed to get into the bathroom. But now she was alone. And there was an actual bath in there! Cathy had even suggested that she treat herself to a bubble bath and had shown her where everything was.

Josh wouldn’t be back in the flat for hours, she reminded herself. So she decided to go for it.

Sinking into the hot bubbles that had almost filled the tub ten minutes later, Amber gave out a cry of satisfaction. Wow, she thought, smiling in the steamy sweet-scented air. This was amazing.

Lying back in the bath, her mind drifted to, of all places, the shop. The windows had been easy, but the layout and look of the shop was something else.

She tried to think about other things, but her imagination was now running riot, filling her head with colour choices and looks for the shop. She dismissed too flowery a look. It didn’t seem to fit with the overall feel of the place.

So what was Cranbridge Stores? It was a country village shop which had been in the family since the 1900s. It just needed something to reverse its declining fortunes.

She thought back to Grandma Tilly’s photograph and, without the present-day clutter and muddle, she focused on the positive points of the building. What had it retained from all those years ago? It had beams. It was a large space. The veranda was certainly another plus. It had character. Or it could have if she could just find some…

Suddenly she saw it. A clear vision as to how amazing the shop could be. She sat bolt upright in the bath, slopping bubbles over the side. She saw clean white walls, showing the uneven original plaster. In front, some tall shelving units. Painted dark oak to match the beams. The floor too needed a coat of varnish and would be shiny. The leaves and decorations in the window could be extended to the shelves. Fairy lights and strings of autumnal leaves lay across the top and could even be hung around the beams as well.

Feeling excited, she quickly got out of the bath, grabbed her towel and rushed across to her bedroom. She found her drawing pad and sat down on the bed as she drew, her pencil flying over the page.

She then grabbed her coloured pencils and coloured in the shelves and fireplace that they had only discovered that day. The decorative leaves were added, as were a few other touches.

She finally stopped and looked down at her design. It worked! Almost, she realised. What was missing? She wasn’t sure. The walls of the shop looked good. She had sketched in the pretty fireplace. But there was a gap in the middle of the floor. What display could it hold there?

Amber bit her lip, but she couldn’t think of anything.

She stood up and paced up and down. What was wrong with her? She normally discovered the missing piece really quickly.

She went to the doorway, listening out for any signs of movement. But Josh was still over at the pub.

She just needed to look at the shop one more time. So she grabbed her drawing pad and pencil before rushing downstairs, still only dressed in her towel.

The argument behind the bar in the pub was getting even louder.

‘I told you the satellite dish needed looking at!’ shouted Angie.

‘No, you didn’t!’ hollered Mick. ‘You nagged me about everything other than that!’

‘I did! You just weren’t listening as per usual!’

Josh drained the last of his pint. So much for a beer in front of the football match. BT Sport had stopped working and the television only showed an error message.

He shrugged on his coat and made eye contact with Belle, who was standing behind the bar and looking as if she were wishing she were anywhere else but there.

‘Thanks for the relaxing drink,’ he said.

She gave him a small smile. ‘Love may be blind, but it’s marriage that’s the real eye-opener,’ she told him, glancing behind her as the shouting became even louder.

‘Will you be OK?’ he asked.

‘Oh yes,’ she told him, with a weary smile. ‘They were due a good argument, otherwise it’s all just simmering tension and veiled threats. I’ll head up to bed soon and leave them to it.’

‘Goodnight then,’ said Josh, heading over to the door.

‘Goodnight,’ he heard her call out.

In the cool night air, he felt calmer once more. At least his parents’ marriage had been a happy one, he reminded himself. Certainly not the shouting awfulness of Mick and Angie’s wedded unbliss.

Heading back across the pedestrian bridge, he thought he saw a light on in the shop, but he figured it must have been the reflection of the fairy lights. He was also incredibly tired. It had been an emotional few days, saying goodbye to his mum and then beginning to clear the shop. He was grateful for Amber’s calm presence to keep him company as they worked through the mess.