Page 13 of The Little Flower Shop By the Sea
I shrink back against the wall and pretend to be examining their noticeboard in great detail – a meeting of the Town Council; a bring-and-buy sale; a missing cat…
‘Ah, I see, that makes sense.’
‘But they won’t be best pleased if I waltz in with take-away when they’re not involved. I’ll probably eat this in my van.’
‘Good plan,’ the counter assistant says. And I hear paper being expertly wrapped around chips. ‘Nah, this one’s on me, mate. The wife loved them flowers you got for her. I owe you one.’
‘Cheers, Mickey!’ I hear Jake call. ‘See ya later, Lou,’ he says to the woman ahead of me in the queue, and as he leaves, the bell rings above the shop door.
Phew, he didn’t see me!
The lady called Lou orders, but has to wait for her chicken to be cooked; so then it’s my turn.
‘Yes, my love,’ Mickey says, grinning at me with a set of perfect teeth, which look even whiter against Mickey’s dark skin.
‘Cod and chips, please.’
‘Certainly, my love. Large cod?’
‘Oh yes, please, and large chips too.’
Mickey smiles over the counter. ‘Got an appetite, have we, tonight?’ he asks jovially.
‘A bit.’ I smile.
‘Cod’ll be ready in two minutes,’ he says. ‘Be good and fresh though. That OK?’
‘Of course.’
I stand back and smile at the other customer. Lou is an older lady wrapped up in a similar fashion to me to protect herself from the rain.
‘It’s a rare old night out there,’ she says, nodding at my mac. ‘Forecast is clear for tomorrow though.’
‘That’s good.’
‘It’s been a quiet day today in the town, I barely saw any customers.’
‘Which shop are you in?’ I ask, wondering if she’s one of The Daisy Chain’s neighbours.
‘I run the post office and newsagent,’ she says. ‘April can be a funny month; you see your regulars, obviously – they’re always about, whatever the month – but your tourists, they can vary so much at this time of the year, depending on the weather. We sell ice creams, drinks, sweets, all that kind of thing. Trade will rocket in a sunny week and dive in a wet one.’
I nod, wondering why she’s telling me all this in so much detail.
‘I notice a lot of the shops are empty these days.’
‘Yes, it’s very sad to see. It’s only really happened over the last year or so. Place used to be a bustling little town. It’s a real shame.’
‘Lou, yours is ready,’ Mickey calls from the counter. He hands her a large bag of wrapped food. ‘Blimey, where are all these appetites coming from tonight?’ he asks, grinning at us.
‘Oh, this isn’t all mine,’ Lou says. ‘My brother is down from Birmingham for a few days. He likes his food.’
Mickey nods. ‘Bon appetit to both of you then!’
Lou thanks him and heads out of the door. ‘See you around, Poppy,’ she calls, smiling at me.
I lift my hand and sort of half wave goodbye before it hits me:Hang on a minute, how did she know my name?
I try to watch her through the misty window as she stops to untie a large basset-hound whose lead is tied to the shop door opposite so he’s in the dry; then they head off down the road together.
