Page 83 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

Within ten minutes, the first few families had arrived, followed almost immediately by Belle who had seen them out of her window.

One couple with two small children stood shivering in the doorway, wide-eyed and in shock.

‘I woke up and there was water everywhere downstairs,’ said the man, holding tightly onto his children’s hands.

‘Sweet tea is what you need,’ said Belle in a firm tone.

‘The kettle’s just boiled,’ announced Amber, before she crouched down in front of the kids. ‘Let’s get you nice and warm, shall we?’ She led the family over to the wood-burning stove and dragged the bench over. ‘Sit yourselves down here in front of the cosy fire. There’s nothing you can do at the moment.’

‘We’ve just had the oak floor fitted,’ said the woman, suppressing a sob. She too looked completely stunned.

Amber found herself giving the stranger a hug. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked gently. ‘I’m Amber and this is Belle. She lives at The Black Swan.’

‘I’m Jane and this is Jeremy,’ said the woman.

‘Hi, Jane,’ said Amber. ‘Look, here’s a cup of tea. Please sit down. You can stay here as long as you want. It’s pitch black out there. We just need to make sure everyone’s safe. The clear-up can begin tomorrow.’

‘I like the tractor,’ said the young boy.

‘Do you?’ Amber gave him a smile. ‘Would you like to sit in the seat whilst I make you a hot chocolate?’

The boy nodded eagerly.

Before long, they were joined by another dozen people, all looking cold and shocked.

‘The water’s up to our ankles,’ said one man. ‘They said we could come here.’

‘Everyone’s welcome,’ Amber told them all.

‘We’ve lost everything,’ said another. ‘The sofa, rugs, dining table. All ruined.’

In the end, the shop became too full to move, so Belle suggested that the families go with her to the pub.

‘We’ve got spare bedrooms upstairs,’ she told them. ‘It’s not The Ritz, but it’s warm and dry so your little ones can get some sleep.’

So the pub became the unofficial safe centre for people to sleep in. Meanwhile, the shop was designated flood headquarters for when the sun finally came up.

Just before five o’clock in the morning, when the wind was beginning to calm down and the rain eased, Amber heard voices outside. Then she saw Josh wearily climb the steps and come into the shop.

He smiled at her. ‘Hey.’ He looked frozen and shattered as he shrugged off his wet coat and wellies.

‘Come over to the fire,’ she told him, before giving him a gentle nudge onto the bench.

To her surprise, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him. It was still piled up with blankets and cushions so made for a soft landing.

‘Don’t ask me too much,’ he told her. ‘I can barely speak for being so tired.’

‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘Do you want something to eat? Drink?’

He shook his head. ‘No. I just want to hold you.’

Amber blinked, thinking that perhaps she too was so tired that she had misunderstood him. But he was already putting his arm around her and drawing her close into him.

Her body reacted as if it were the most natural thing in the world to move into his arms. Before she could even think straight, his head was dropping down of its own accord and his lips were touching hers.

It was a soft, gentle kiss. The kind of kiss that she had never had before. A kiss that she never wanted to end.

But before it could develop further, they both pulled back slightly. They stared at each other for a moment, both a little breathless and wide-eyed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.