Page 31 of A Second Chance in Seabury
It looked so much better that Hannah was excited to see how the rest of the house scrubbed up after a bit of TLC. Right now, though, she needed a break. It was time for a treat to cheer herself up!
Closing the door of the study carefully behind her, Hannah dashed upstairs to change out of her grubby cleaning clothes. After grabbing a quick shower, she changed into a clean pair ofjeans and pulled on one of the jumpers she’d bought from All Things Woolly.
‘Now for the treat,’ she grinned. Shooting one last glance at herself in the mirror to check she hadn’t managed to smudge mascara all over her face, Hannah turned and grabbed David’s jacket from the hook on the back of the door. She only just managed to resist the temptation to bury her nose in it.
Nope. She needed to be sensible.
David was lovely… but she needed to keep things simple between them. For one thing, they were neighbours—at least for a couple more weeks. For another thing, David was her friend… and she needed friends more than she needed complications right now.
All very sensible… but it didn’t stop a delicious little shiver from creeping down her spine as she remembered the sensation of his lips on the back of her hand last night.
‘Enough!’ she laughed, giving herself a little shake before hurtling down the stairs. It was time to give David his jacket back… and finally hand over the bag of cinder toffee she’d bought for him. Perhaps she could tempt him with a cuppa while she was at it!
Pulling the front door closed behind her, Hannah strode along the path. It was another perfect Seabury day. The sky was clear, and the breeze held the tang of salt and the scent of falling leaves. Autumn was in full swing, and it wouldn’t be long before the flowers disappeared until the springtime. Soon, Seabury would be twinkling under its Christmas lights.
Hannah had spent a few Christmases there with Aunty Millie when she was little. Her parents and grandparents had all descended on the house, which had practically burst at the seams with joy and laughter. It had been magical. The thought that she’d never see a Seabury Christmas again was almostenough to bring tears to her eyes… but that was just daft, because she hadn’t seen one for years now, anyway.
Hannah shook her head. If she wasn’t careful, she was in serious danger of getting a bit soppy today.
Pulling the gate closed behind her, Hannah headed along the hedgerow and let herself into next door’s garden. With a broad smile, she made straight for the front door and knocked loudly, her heartbeat echoing the rhythm with excitement.
No answer. Hmm…
She gave it a couple of seconds and then knocked again, pressing her ear against the door to listen for any signs of life. There was clearly no one home.
Maybe David was out in the back garden tending the hives, or keeping an eye on Bernard? She knew Jason was at work at the bike shop because he’d mentioned it last night, but she could have sworn David had said he’d be around all day. Maybe she’d have a quick peep at the back garden, just in case?
Clutching David’s jacket like a comfort blanket, Hannah headed around the side of the house. Just like on her side of the hedge, a narrow path led to the back garden. The wooden gate stood open, and she sidled through, feeling vaguely like she was snooping.
Finding herself on a cobbled patio, Hannah stared around in wonder. It was full of seaside treasures. Worn buoys in oranges, yellows, blues and faded pinks lined the space. She even spotted a couple of really old glass spheres, still encased in their weathered netting. Terracotta pots boasted not only plants, but all sorts of pebbles and shells. Here and there, wide bowls filled with multicoloured sea-glass made for the most unusual water-features she’d ever seen.
Hannah bent to admire a twist of driftwood, doing her best to swallow a good dose of jealousy when she spotted a perfect sea-urchin sitting in one of its hollows. Her long-dormant designer’seye coveted these treasures! Maybe now that they were friends, she’d be able to talk David into taking her beachcombing.
‘You’ve got to find him first!’ she chuckled, tearing herself away and heading deeper into the garden.
‘Hello?’
She didn’t want to stray too far. After all, she was there unannounced and uninvited. Plus, she knew from recent experience that someone just appearing in your garden was a bit of a shock to the system!
‘David?’ she called again. ‘You out here?
No sound. Huh.
Well, maybe she’d just say hello to Bernard while she was there.
With a quick glance over her shoulder, Hannah followed the path a little further up the garden, admiring the flowers as she went. David’s style was a bit more wild than the carefully tended beds at her place. Flowers peeped up from every available crack and crevasse.
Hannah paused for a moment when she spotted three large beehives off to one side. Was it safe to walk past without any kind of protection?
‘Hello bees,’ she said quietly, taking slow, careful steps. ‘Don’t mind me, I’m just checking on your lodger!’ The bees didn’t seem to mind her presence… they just kept going about their business.
As Hannah neared the end of the garden, she spotted Bernard’s makeshift enclosure, with its borrowed metal hurdles that David had been telling her about the previous evening. Unfortunately, it was completely empty. One of the hurdles was on the ground, and the naughty sheep was nowhere to be seen.
‘Uh oh… looks Bernard’s done a bunk!’ she muttered, hurrying over to double-check that he wasn’t hiding in acorner. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the woolly blighter anywhere.
‘Oh no… the side gate was open!’
Hannah quickly turned on her heel. She dashed back past the hives—muttering a hurried apology as she went—and then let herself back out of the garden. She carefully closed the gate on her way out, just in case Bernard was lurking in a corner somewhere and she simply hadn’t spotted him.
