Page 50 of Winter at Wishington Bay
I gave a shrug. ‘I’m sure you’ll think it’s daft.’
‘I doubt it.’ His face and words were sincere.
I leant against the wall. ‘When I moved here, I deleted all my social media accounts and stuff. I wanted a clean break away from my old life. But I missed following some of the old accounts I’d liked, and I had always enjoyed the record keeping aspect of it. So, I started up a new Instagram and just followed a few people. When I started the cleaning, I was kind of surprised how much I enjoyed the rhythm of it all, and the results.’
Nate frowned at me. ‘You’d never cleaned before?’
‘I can see you trying not to wrinkle your nose,’ I grinned. ‘I didn’t live in a hovel. I just… was lucky enough to have a cleaner.’
‘Your whole life?’
OK. I wasn’t exactly prepared for these questions right now. But neither was I ready to let everything out just yet either. I knew I’d have to, one day. Just not now. Instead I gave a shrug and carried on.
‘Anyway, I enjoyed trying out new tips and when I found a good one, I shared it in my stories, and it’s picked up a bit of traction. The photos of a gorgeous room looking perfect make me happy and seem to be quite popular.’ I suddenly looked up at Nate. ‘I did check with Holly and I never share the location. I don’t even mention the county.’
‘I didn’t doubt any of that. Can I see it?’ He pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
‘What?’
‘Your feed.’
I blushed. ‘Oh, you don’t want to see that. It’s just a bit of fun.’
‘Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not averse to fun.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.’
He gave me that smile again and I forgot everything for a moment. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘So, come on, what’s it called?’
‘You have Instagram?’
‘I had strict instructions to like all of Serena’s posts so I kind of had to get it. But actually I’ve found a couple of accounts I enjoy so it’s not been a total loss.’
I told him the account name and he found it under a search. ‘These are cool. I like the mix you have.’
‘Thanks. I know these brand people say everything should look similar and have a similar theme but I’m not doing it as a business. I like the eclectic look. I think it’s more interesting. At least I find it interesting. Basically, if I see something I like, I take a picture, hence it being rather a hotch-potch of beaches and sunsets, flowers, yummy food – all sorts really – as well as the house type stuff.’
‘Was this on your wreath making course the other day?’ He was looking at the picture of the girls and me with Billy.
‘Yes, that’s it.’
‘I ran into Ned as he was putting the little one in the car to come and get you all. Looks like you had a good time.’
‘Yes, it was fun to do something different and spend time outside work with Carrie and Eloise.’
‘No Corinne?’
‘She turned her nose up at the invitation, although when she saw that picture, she seemed a bit put out.’
‘Because of him?’ Nate pointed at Billy.
‘How did you guess?’
He remained silent for a moment, looking at the pictures.
‘Mind if I follow you?’
‘Keeping an eye on your brother’s place?’
