Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay by Katie Ginger

Author:Katie Ginger [Ginger, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-05-23T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Hetty consulted her ground plan and showed the driver where exactly the Portaloos were to go. A mixture of excitement and nerves bubbled in her stomach as she watched the truck move off. She’d made it this far, so all negative thoughts were banished. This event was going to be the best thing Swallowtail Bay had ever seen.

From the moment she’d opened her eyes, excitement and nerves fired her brain and body into life. She’d been up at 4.30 a.m., her mind whizzing about as she mentally double-checked her to-do list, unable to get back to sleep. A pale light had crept in through the sides of the blackout blind, the birds were singing sweetly. After having a cup of tea while curled on the sofa in her dressing gown, Hetty had made sure the big plastic box was full of all her folders, maps, plans, contracts and everything she else she could think of. Once dressed, she’d loaded it into the back of her car along with another box full of cleaning supplies, bin liners, plasters and chocolate bars. This was her much-used emergency box and covered any eventuality she’d come across so far.

Macie had arrived at the cottage at eight, and together they’d driven up to the lower field to get started. The atmosphere in the car had been almost giddy, like they were driving to a party, not preparing for the culmination of four intense, scary and busy weeks. Not to mention emotionally confusing since that evening with Ben and the mention of a ring, and the unsettling tension she felt whenever John was around.

It had been five days since their walk along the beach and his casually dropped bomb that an engagement was on the horizon as well as moving in together. But since that night there’d been no more contact. No flirty text messages. Not like last time. He’d gone strangely quiet and Hetty hadn’t had the courage to text him, unsure what to say. She wasn’t sure herself how she felt about the situation and didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Sometimes when she thought on it, she was flooded with excitement for the future they might have but then, thoughts of John would creep in. Images of him standing on the doorstep waiting to see her.

When Hetty had pulled up at the large wooden gate to enter the lower field, she was pleased to see they had all been mowed. Soon these empty fields, silent except for birdsong and the ever-present sound of the sea, would be buzzing with the noise of the funfair and full of people. The smell of grass would be replaced by the aromas from all the different types of food they were selling. The thrill of something special had grabbed Hetty again and she couldn’t help but smile.

Once the Portaloo man had been sent off, Hetty and Macie studied the detailed timetable they’d made for the weekend. So far, things were going pretty much to plan.

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