In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (064) – The Interview

 March

 

Candice and Anna Roberts needed the assistance of two knights in shining armour, Callum Gallocker and Jamie Gomm, to get them from Abbottsford to Pepperstock Green following a head on crash with a taxi.

They were staying for a couple of nights at the Shady Glade Guesthouse in the village and as Callum drove onto the drive Candice said.

“It sounds more like somewhere you would inter a loved one for their eternal rest than a B&B.”

“It’s not as bad as you think” Jamie said, “I promise.”

 

The boys were right; the Guesthouse was very comfortable and was run by a lovely lady called Deborah Barrington who made sure they had a full English before they left for their interviews.

The boys had shown them where Beechwood was, and it was only a ten-minute walk from the Guesthouse.

It was a cold bright morning, so they decided to walk, which helped their nerves, up until the moment Anna knocked on the door.

They thought they had a good chance with their qualifications, experience and the fact that they were practicing Christians.

They had already discussed the possibility that only one of them would be successful and promised that whichever of them got an offer they should take it.

After a moment the door opened, and Anna said.

“Hello, Mr. Phelps?”

“Yes, good morning, please come in” he said and after shaking hands he added “Come through to the kitchen.”

“Thank you” they said in harmony.

“Can I offer you a hot drink?” he asked.

“Thank you, a black coffee please” Candice replied then Anna added “Same for me please Mr. Phelps.”

“Call me Charlie, we’re very informal here” he said as they sat down at the large oak kitchen table.

“And I’m Toddy” his wife said as she suddenly appeared from behind them and shook hands with the girls.

“Are you both ok?” she asked with concern “Callum told us about the accident.”

“We’re fine thank you” Candice replied.

“Certainly, better than the car is” Anna added. 

When they all had fresh steaming coffees in front of them, Toddy said.

“I hope you don’t mind the informality.”

“Not at all” Candice replied for them.

“We didn’t see any point in conducting separate interviews as your CVs are identical and the intention is to employ both of you” Charlie said.

 

The interview lasted about an hour, after which Toddy said.

“We are very happy to offer you the therapist positions, subject to references and DBS checks, which we have every expectation will me more than satisfactory.”

“Wow,” they said in unison.

“The start date would be June the 1st but we won’t be opening the doors until a month later and don’t expect to be fully up and running until the beginning of August” Charlie explained.

“Does that suit?”

“Absolutely” Candice said, and Anna nodded.

They then spent another hour chatting about Toddy’s former life as a Nun up at the Convent and how she came to meet Charlie and what led to their subsequent marriage.

After which Toddy suggested they take a drive up to St Adelaide’s to view the site.      

 

“So, are you still interested in working here now you’ve seen it?” Charlie asked.

“Very much so” Anna replied.

“We’re looking forward to it even more now” Candice added.

“That’s good to hear” Toddy said and hugged them both.

“We just need to find somewhere to live” Anna said practically.

“Well, Pepperstock Green is a very popular place to live so the property prices reflect that” Charlie said, “So renting might be a better option.”

“We’re renting at the moment” Anna said.

“Well on the other side of the river, beyond those trees” Toddy said pointing.

“There is a row of cottages which are available for staff.”

“We can’t show you them at the moment as the bridge isn’t open yet and the farm track on the other side isn’t usable at the moment otherwise, we could show you around them” Charlie explained.

“We have photos back at the house though” Toddy said as they reached the car she said with a chuckle.

“Of course, the secret to finding the perfect place to live is to marry someone who already has a house.”

 

When they got back to Beechwood, they had another coffee and as they sat in the lounge Charlie’s phone bleeped to announce that he had a text, which he quickly read and then showed it to Toddy, and she nodded.

“We hired a car for you from Clarion Cars, and it’s just been delivered,” she said.

“It’s a one-way hire, so if you contact Clarion in Abbottsford, they will pick it up from you.” 

“That’s very kind of you” Candice said, “Thank you.”

“Thank you so much” Anna added.

 

The girls walked back to the Guesthouse feeling very pleased with themselves, the job was everything they wanted and more and their future employers were amazing.

The only negative on the day was unrelated to the job, they had hoped to run into Callum and Jamie, but they were working on a part of the site that they couldn’t access because they didn’t have any PPE.     

But on the plus side they were going to be living in the same village so there was always hope they would see them again.

 

They had a very pleasant evening meal courtesy of Debbie Barrington and were contemplating an early night so they could hit the road straight after an early breakfast when Debbie knocked on their door.

“You have some visitors” she said and smiled.

They assumed it must be Charlie and Toddy, in regard to their earlier interviews, however when they got downstairs the visitors turned out to be Callum and Jamie who were there to invite them out for a drink at the Deer Stalker.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (063) – The Knights in Shining Armour

 March

 

Twin sisters Candice and Anna Roberts had both been nurses at the Winston Churchill Hospital, until they retrained to be therapists.

They were identical twins and their 30th Birthday was on St Davids Day, the same day as their interviews, which they took to be a good omen.

Candice was the older of the two by an hour and was five foot eight with bobbed brunette hair and an olive complexion and hazel eyes.

Anna was two inches taller than her sister and had more hair.

The girls were both foot lose and fancy free and liked to party, when the chance arose, and were in no hurry to tie themselves down, but that was more because they were focused on their careers, and they hadn’t really done any serious partying since the occasion of their 27th birthdays, so partying and relationships had been strictly on the back burner, however that all changed, when they met best friends Callum Gallocker and Jamie Gomm.

 

Callum and Jamie were self-employed tradesmen, Callum was an Electrician and Jamie a general builder, and both of them were currently working on the St Adelaide’s project, which was to become the St Adelaide’s Reflection and Healing Retreat, where the girls were hoping to work.

Although they hailed from Pepperstock Green they had been in Abbottsford for the weekend to watch the Abbottsford Town match.

The Gallocker and Gomm families had lived in the village for many years and although they were not of the landed gentry, the boys were both privately educated and were university graduates.

So, their choice of careers initially didn’t sit well with the families, but they had both made a go of their business and even had employees of their own.  

Abbottsford was a world away from Pepperstock Green geographically and socially from the Roberts girls who were a world away from Callum and Jamie, they did not come from a wealthy background and didn’t benefit from a private education so on the face of it they were like chalk and cheese, and their first meeting was purely by chance.

The twins were travelling from their home after getting ready for the journey down the Expressway, but as they turned out of the end of their road, a taxi was travelling in the opposite direction from them and the two vehicles collided.

Callum and Jamie had witnessed the crash and pulled over to see if they could assist.

The effect of the crash on the Taxi wasn’t serious just a bit of minor damage, but the driver had only had the car for a month so he got very angry with Candice, who had been driving, and a furious rant from the driver ensued, which Jamie tried to cool, to no avail, but when Callum interceded and pointed out to the cab driver that he was at fault the two leggy drop dead gorgeous brunette girls emerged from the damaged car, the two adversaries and the peacemaker all went quiet. 

They were both stunningly beautiful even wearing baggy sweaters and leggings and when Callum first saw the one with the bobbed brunette hair, he was smitten and the fender bender was no longer of any importance to him, whereas Jamie felt the same about the tall one.

The taxi driver, who had been at fault for the accident, took full advantage of the distraction and got in his cab and sped away.

“Hey come back!” Candice shouted as the Cab disappeared around the corner.

“What are we going to do now?” Anna asked as she looked at what was now an undrivable car.

“Don’t worry” Callum said, “We’ll get you to your destination.”

“You don’t know where we’re going” Candice pointed out.

“You could tell us and then we would” Jamie said.

“Problem solved then” Anna added and gave her sister a look that said, “just get in the car.”

So after retrieving their bags from their car and making a quick phone call to their brother to tell him about their stricken vehicle, Candice complied because it was obvious her sister fancied the driver’s friend, and she thought the driver was ok, and he sounded posh, and she liked posh.

 

“So where are we taking you?” Callum asked as they drove away.

“A village called Pepperstock Green” Anna said.

“I hope it’s not too far out of your way” Candice added, and the two men laughed.

“We live in the village.”

The girls then explained they were on the way to a Guesthouse in the village and the next morning they had interviews for a job at St Adelaide’s, and they laughed again before explaining that they were working there. 

 

They were staying for a couple of nights at the Shady Glade Guesthouse in the village and as Callum drove onto the drive Candice said.

“It sounds more like somewhere you would inter a loved one for their eternal rest than a B&B.”

“It’s not as bad as you think” Jamie said, “I promise.”

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (062) – The Newlyweds Return

 March

 

Newlyweds Charlie and Toddy Phelps had a wonderful honeymoon in Rome enjoying the culture, history and romance of the city, seeing all the sites, and because of her religious background, albeit as a Church of England Nun, they couldn't leave the city without a visit to the Vatican.

They didn't however restrict their time to Rome, they had two days in Naple's primarily to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum, and from Naples they flew to Israel in time for Christmas and saw the sites of Jerusalem , because it is a city of great significance for Christians, so they saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives, and the Via Dolorosa before flying back to Rome for the New Year.

On returning to the village, she moved into Beechwood officially and as they had returned to Pepperstock Green in the grip of winter they didn’t venture out much for the first few days and addressed some domestic issues.

With the exception of his study and the kitchen, which were the rooms he inhabited the most, he hadn't really made his mark on the house in terms of decor, so now he had a new wife he thought it was appropriate timing to impose their personalities on the place and turn the house into a home, this obviously required them, after the weather improved, to go off on several of their famous outings.  

One of the first things they bought was her own desk so they could share the study, and the only other major item was a new sofa, the rest of their shopping expeditions were for soft furnishings, cushions, and curtains, then there were lamps and shades, anything else they would get once they realized they needed it.

So, with the garden in good order and the home furnishings dealt with they paid a visit up to St Adelaide’s for a site meeting and were very pleased with what they saw and were given completion dates for the various parts of the project. 

With the work proceeding at pace up at the site of St Adelaide’s Reflection and Healing Retreat it was time for Charlie and Toddy to begin interviewing.

It was perhaps appropriate that they began on St Davids Day as the first two interviewees were Welsh, Candice and Anna Roberts.

The interviews were going to be held very informally at Beechwood, followed by a tour of St Adelaide’s, if they made a good impression and the interviews went well, but the Roberts girls almost didn’t make it to Pepperstock Green.

In fact, they very nearly didn’t make it out of Abbottsford at all after a fender bender with a taxi.

But a couple of knights in shining armour came to their rescue.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (061) – World Book Day

 February

 

The newest member of staff at the Pipershaven Public Library was Collette Kane and when she joined, she was a breath of fresh air around the place, she was a University graduate and openly admitted that she had only taken the job at the Library until she decided what she wanted to do with her life.

Collette was the antithesis of Chief Librarian Abbie Beach, for a start she did not dress in the subdued manner that Abbie did, she was an explosion of colours and styles, and her hair seldom stayed the same colour more than a week at a time, nor was she mousy or private, she was loud and proud, and you always knew when she was around.

The one thing they did have in common though was their love of the printed word, they were both well read and shared an encyclopedic knowledge of books, so despite the differences of age style and demeanour, they formed a rather unlikely friendship, a friendship the deepened immensely after she managed to play match maker between Abbie and her uncle Carl.

 

As a result, Abbie and Carl, decided to return the favour and she had just the candidate.

Jamie Collier was a Teacher at St Agatha’s Primary School in Pepperstock Green and he was a regular visitor to the Library, and it didn’t take too long for Chief Librarian, Abbie Beach to figure out that it wasn’t just the books that were attracting him, and Collette always seemed particularly attentive to him above all other patrons.

 

It was after she had received a letter from the Council announcing a number of joint initiatives between the council and other public and private bodies, one of which was the local education authority who wanted to do something between a local school and the Library for World Book Day.

It was something that had been marked by the Schools for a number of years and the Library also had a special program of events for the occasion.

But this year it was proposed that they should do something together, which Abbie thought was a great idea, especially provided she could get the correct Schools involved.

Abbie took it upon herself to arrange for St Agatha’s Primary to be nominated, and as the Headteacher was her next-door neighbour it wasn’t too difficult, once that was arranged, she then suggested that Jamie Collier could liaise with the Library staff on the planning as he was already a regular visitor and was well known by all the Librarians.

With that agreed all that was left to do was persuade Collette to be the Library’s representative.

“You want me to do it?” she asked

“Yes” Abbie replied

“But I’ve never done anything like that before, and I’ve not been here for long, what will the Librarians with more experience than me think about it” she pointed out “No, no I can’t do it”

“I know you haven’t done anything like it before, but then none of the staff have, so no one has more or indeed less experience for the task than you do” Abbie said “and you are a human dynamo with more natural enthusiasm than anyone I have ever known”       

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure” Abbie assured her “And you won’t be alone, Jamie Collier from St Agatha’s Primary will work closely with you on the arrangements, and there will be no shortage of help when you need it”

 

After being persuaded Collette worked very closely with Jamie, who was not asked if he would do it, he was given no choice, which he was unhappy about until he realised who he was going to be liaising with.

 

On the morning of World Book Day Jamie rose very early and although he was pleased to have been entrusted with the job, he was more than a little nervous, well in truth he was terrified, and he was pleased that he would not be enduring the ordeal alone and would be sharing the experience with Librarian Collette Kane.

He treated himself to an extra close shave, a much closer one than usual in order to accommodate the beard, and as a result when he applied the aftershave it stung so much that he thought his face was on fire.

 

He arrived at the Library, red faced but sweet smelling to find Collette fussing around uncharacteristically.

She was already in her Snow-White costume, and he thought she looked gorgeous.

“Hey” he said

“You’re cutting it fine” Collette said crossly

“There’s plenty of time” he retorted

“There’s still so much to do” she barked

He was going to say “Ok just calm down” but when he saw the look on her face he thought better of it and instead, he said

“Everything is in hand”

“Look Mr. Collier, it’s not just another day you know, we’re doing something really special” she said “it’s important for the children so it’s got to be done right”

Just then the Chief Librarian came through the door behind him

“Hello Professor” she said brightly

“Hi Abbie” he said, “Hey why aren’t you in costume?”

“Some of us have had a very busy morning setting up” Abbie replied

“Talking of costumes, go and get into yours” Collette said sharply

“This way” Abbie said and led him away to one of the offices

“I never realized that Snow White was so grumpy” he said

Abbie paused by the doorway and let Jamie go ahead of her and said

“She just wants everything to be perfect”

“Yes, she would because she is perfect” he said absentmindedly, and Abbie smiled and then left him in the office with the drama teacher from his school, Georgie Devereaux, who handed him his costume.

“Get this on and then I’ll help with your wig and beard, and do you face a bit”

 “Ok” he said hesitantly

“Don’t worry I do this for the amateur dramatics group” she reassured him

He didn’t vocalize it, but he didn’t find the “Amateur” in her statement to be particularly reassuring.

 

But he needn’t have been worried as he looked very convincing as Professor Dumbledore when he returned to the library proper, he saw Abbie again and this time she was in costume, and he did a double take.

Abbie Beach was the very epitome of the archetypal Librarian.

Her dark greying hair was pulled back severely into a bun arrangement; she wore heavy framed spectacles and dressed in black pinafore dress over a long-sleeved blouse and black tights and wore sensible shoes.

She dressed like that all year round, whatever the weather, the only variety being the addition of a black or grey cardigan, in the depths of winter.

So, to see her dressed as Wanda from Where’s Wally, took him a back.

Abbie was a riot of red, white and blue with not a square inch of black on the whole outfit.

“Wow” he said “Liking the outfit”

“Me too” a voice from behind him said, and when he turned around, he saw it was Postman Pat, or more precisely Carl Fernandes, who was Abbie’s love interest.

“Hi Carl” he said, “Are you wondering where the black outfit has gone too?”

“No, I was wondering whether Wanda is wearing stockings or tights” he replied

“Behave yourself” Abbie said

“On that note I’ll go and track down Snow White” he said

 

The whole Library had been decorated with coloured drapes festooned with images of literary figures and the main area had been subdivided into a number of reading circles, where the Librarian’s and Teachers would read stories, one was dedicated to Harry Potter, another to Disney and another to Roald Dahl and so on. 

 

There was a final meeting of costumed Librarian’s, Teachers and volunteers to run through the schedule one last time, but Jamie wasn’t really paying attention as his mind had wandered, as his eyes wandered over Collette dressed as Snow White and he found her staggeringly sexy.

 

They finished all the last-minute preparations and half the Children from Jubilee Primary School arrived at 10 o’clock, and they looked amazing dressed as characters from their favourite books.

Then they all went off to the reading circle of their choice where someone would read to them dressed as one of the characters, as Jamie was dressed as Dumbledore he read from Harry Potter and Collette (Snow White) read from a Disney story book.

About an hour into the event they had a surprise visit from Actress Louise Sexton, who was performing at the Heartstone Theatre in town, and caused a great deal of excitement, and then she relieved Jamie and read in his place.

 

After Lunch it was the turn of the other half of the School children to join the fun, and they were treated to a live reading from local Children’s Writer Chania Campbell who read from her latest book “Wiccan Wendy”.

 

At the end of the school day the parents began to arrive to collect the children and the teachers returned to the school,

When Jamie had escorted the last of his charges to the door and handed him over to his parents he returned to the Disney reading circle where Snow White was tidying up and asked

“Is that definitely the last of them?”

“I think so, I’ve checked under all the cushions” she replied and laughed

“But I suppose we should check the stacks”

“Ok lead on” he said

 

They wandered up and down the rows of books and when they reached the end of the last stack she said

“That’s definitely all of them then”

“Excellent” he sighed “I’m shattered”

“Me too” she said and leant against him

“It’s been a great day though”

“It has” he agreed

“In fact, there is just one thing that would make it better”

“Oh, what’s that?” she asked looking up at him

“This” he said as he leant down and kissed her expectant lips

 

After the dispersal of the schoolchildren Abbie and Carl both needed to spend a penny and when Carl exited the gents, he spotted the red and white striped legs of his girlfriend by one of the stacks, and as he got closer, he saw that she was peering through a gap between the reference books on one of the stacks.

“What are you looking at, have you found Wally?” he asked

“Shush” she said and put her finger to her lips “Come and have a look”

He tiptoed up behind her and also peeked through the gap between the books and could see Snow White snogging Dumbledore.

“Well, well” he said “Just wait until her Prince Charming finds out about this”

“Oh, I think he already knows” Abbie said

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (060) – Old Times

 February

 

New to the village was writer Steve Eaton, who moved to the village for a new start after he and his long term girlfriend split up acrimoniously, he chose Pepperstock Green because he had never heard of it, and if it was unfamiliar to him it would certainly be to her, and that suited him very well indeed as he never wanted to run into her again unless it was in a car and he was driving.

 

He kept very much to himself for the first year and diverted himself by burying himself in his work and poured all his bile and anger into his novel.

He never went out and everything he needed he ordered online and had delivered to the cottage.

When the book was nearly completed, he relaxed a little and allowed himself a few solitary walks around the village and its environs but restricted his constitutionals to early morning before the rest of the village were awake.

He kept that up for another couple of months and then he was ready to re-join the world and put in an appearance at St Agatha’s and caused something of a stir, as he had been much talked about since his arrival in the village, admittedly as much for his reclusiveness as his reputation as a writer.

 

Following a few appearances at St Agatha’s and a couple at the Black Wolf he thought it time to make his intentions known by showing that the village was to be part of his long term future, a visit to Richmond’s General Store well and truly ticked that box when he went in and ordered his papers and magazines to be delivered, after that were some more grown up destinations.

 

It was his first visit to the Dentalcare surgery, but he wasn’t there as a patient on that occasion, he wanted to register with them and his next port of call after them was the Doctors.

He should have done it when he first arrived in the village almost 18 months earlier, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for that at the time.

His plan was to register so that they could get his records from Abbottsford well before his first appointment.

The reason for that was that his history wasn’t quite as routine as the average patient.

When he was 18 he was involved in a serious car accident that left the driver dead and he required major surgery on a smashed jaw, and fractures on his cheekbone and eye socket.

There were several orthopedic surgeries and another for orthodontic implants, so he was not a run of the mill patient.

 

On arriving at the surgery, he was informed that his appointment was with Practice Manager Amy Jellicoe, and the name was vaguely familiar, but he didn’t know why, so he sat down and grabbed the top magazine off the stack and turned the page, and it was a full-page advert for a healthy breakfast cereal, featuring a girl in her underwear.

Next page was an advert for toothpaste with a girl in skimpy nightie, the next page was a double page spread for mascara with several near naked girls in matching underwear.

He threw the magazine back down where he got it and sat back, and found himself trying to picture who Amy Jellicoe was, but found instead he was thinking about underwear models in skimpy dental nurse outfits.

His name was called after about ten minutes and he walked down the corridor and through the open door and was greeted by a very attractive woman exuding a very exotic perfume, and he again had the same vague sense of familiarity.

She had a pretty face, blue eyes, soft shoulder length brown hair, 5t 6 or 7, early thirties, nice figure, everything where it should be, and perfectly proportioned, with neat hips and a beautifully round derriere.

“Good morning Mr. Eaton” she said as she perused the form he had filled in the day before “Please take a seat”

“Morning” he replied as he sat “Thank you”

“So, I see you were previously a patient at Smithson’s in Abbottsford” “That’s right” he replied

“My first job after leaving school was at Smithson’s” she said and smiled before she continued to peruse his form and he was again struck with the feeling that he knew her, and that smile, and then he was distracted by the appearance of a little bit of pale pink bra strap, and a glimpse of lace edging inside her sweater, as she leant forward, and then his head was full of images of her in her scanties advertising dental floss.

In an effort to get his mind back on tackling where he knew her from he started thinking about cricket, that normally worked to purge his mind of lewd thoughts, but then it was women’s cricket and they were all naked save for their shoes, gloves, hats and pads, but then she came to his rescue, she had put the forms down and asked.

“Did you live in Abbottsford for long?”

“Erm, yes, born and raised” he replied “until I moved here”

“Oh” and then there was a long pause before she added

“But you didn’t always live at Pine Ridge” she stated

“No, I’m from….” He began

“Castleside?” She said and smiled broadly “You’re Stevie”

“I am…” he said hesitantly “and you’re little Amy”

“I haven’t been called “Little Amy” for a very long time”

“It was very apt at the time” he said “That or little sis but I seem to remember you didn’t like that”

“That was because I didn’t want to be you sister” she pointed out but instantly regretted her frankness and changed the subject

“I’m a bit confused by something, where did the Eaton come from?”

“It was after we moved away, which was because my parents were divorcing, and after the divorce my mum went back to her maiden name and changed mine at the same time”

“Was that before the accident?” she asked

“Yes, not long before though” he replied

“I heard you had been hurt, when I was in sixth form, but I didn’t know how badly” she said “I did try to find out more details, but I couldn’t be too pushy”

“In case your friends found out about your crush?” he asked

“Something like that” she admitted coyly and then resumed reading his notes and when she finished she said

“Well that all looks fine, do you have any discomfort from your jaw?”

“Occasionally in the cold weather” he replied “But mostly no”

“Sadly, that happens to us up here, you’ll have to get used to Pepperstock Winters if you’re going to stick around” she said and smiled

“Well, that is definitely my plan” he added

“I’m very happy to hear that” she said, and her cheeks flushed, and she shuffled her papers and added

“Well, that’s all good, if you go to reception they can now book you your first appointment”

“That’s great, thanks” he said as he got up to leave

“So, is that the official bit done now?”

“Yes, unless you have any questions” she said

“I do as it happens, in a manner of speaking” he replied

“Oh? To do with an appointment?”

“Again, in a manner of speaking” he replied enigmatically

“I don’t understand” she said

“Well, my question would be in regard to an appointment with you for dinner” he said

“Oh, I see, um well yes that would be very nice” she replied

“Obviously you will have to choose the where, and the when” he said “But anytime is good for me”

“The Kissing Angel in Pipershaven is very good” she suggested “And would tonight be too soon?”

“That would be perfect” Steve said

 

They were both feeling very pleased with themselves as her office door closed but Steve was a little more so, at his handling of the discourse and his taking advantage of the situation

“I couldn’t have written that any better” he thought to himself as he headed to reception with a spring in his step.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (059) – The Squeaky Mouse

February

 

Student Nurse Rosario Conceicao resided in a flat in Caxton Court which she shared with her older sister Sophie in Pepperstock Green.

She was 25 years old, four years younger than her sister, with short mousy hair, which was appropriate as she was a bit of a timid mouse, unlike Sophie who was a real “burning the candle at both ends” type of girl and was a “tox her socks off” kind of party girl, she was also taller and slimmer than her sister as Rosario was five foot two in her stocking feet, and possessed a fuller figure than she would have liked.

She worked at the Pepperstock and District Hospital in Pipershaven, and because she was a student she was being rotated through different department to gain as much practical experience as possible, and at the end of February she started a short stint in the pharmacy where she was to shadow one of the experienced Nurses, Margaret Beck, who was bold and brash and from the first moment she met mousy little Rosario she was determined to bring her out of herself.

“What do you want me to do first Margaret?”

“Well first of all you can call me Maggie, only my mum calls me Margaret, and only when I’m naughty.”

“Sorry”

“That’s ok, my advice to you is, be bright, be cheerful and be confident” Maggie said and opened the shutter to find a porter stood waiting.

“Morning Mark” Maggie said brightly and then realized he was not alone; there was someone else with him who had also caught Rosario’s attention.

“This is….” Mark began.

“Calum Paul” Rosario exclaimed.

She hadn’t seen Calum for five years, which was when her sister Sophie dumped him.

Rosario was heartbroken because she had it bad for him, but she was too timid to let him know.

“Rosario!” Calum said, “Wow it’s great to see you again.”

“For the benefit of those who haven’t met before.”

Mark said, “My new colleague Calum Paul, Nurse Maggie Beck.”

“Pleased to meet you” Calum said.

“Likewise,” she responded and shook his hand.

 

When they had finished for the morning they closed the shutter and made their way down the stairs to get some lunch to where the crowd formed into a queue.

“Rosario!” a voice called, and she recognized it immediately as it was like sweet music to her ears, so she stopped and turned to face Calum Paul.

“Yes” she squeaked.

“I was wondering if you might like to go to the St Patrick’s Day Party next month.”

“Me?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes, if you’re free” he said.

 

The conversation wasn’t really progressing as fast as Maggie would have liked as they were holding up the queue, so she interceded.

“Unlock your phone and give it to me” she instructed Calum.

“Um ok” he responded hesitantly but handed it over anyway because he thought she had the look of someone you didn’t say no to.

Maggie took the phone and handed it to Rosario.

“Put your number in there.”

Rosario said nothing but did as she was asked and handed it back, Maggie then gave the phone to Calum and said.

“Right now, you have her number, call her tonight, after 7.”

 

The queue began to move again, and Rosario gave Calum a wave as they moved forward.

“So, tell me all about Calum” Maggie demanded “Particularly why he makes your voice go squeaky.”

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (058) – Coffee for Two

 February

 

Rich Beetlestone was a modest, well mannered, well-groomed and good-natured man, knocking loudly on the door of his fiftieth birthday.

Although he lived in Pepperstock Green, he owned and managed a coffee house in Pipershaven, a nice one, called Rich’s Roast, it was not one of the chains, in fact it was a very swanky establishment, with prices to match, which attracted the discerning punter and deterred the riff raff.

Rich was a single man, not that he was opposed to the idea of marriage, far from it, unfortunately the one he would gladly have made his wife was in fact already married, so he thought if he couldn’t have her, he was not prepared to settle for second best.

So, he remained unmarried and was content with his life, until the day the recently widowed Kelly Barnaby walked into his coffee shop and back into his life.

 

After her first “out of the blue” appearance in Rich’s Roast she became a regular and whenever she walked in, he would drop everything and spend as much time with her as possible.

However, on one occasion in February when she entered and beamed a smile at him, he was unable to leave his position behind the counter as he was short staffed due to a flu epidemic, unperturbed Kelly proclaimed.

“Not to worry, if Mohammed can’t come to the mountain, then the mountain must come to Mohammed” and then she gracefully climbed up onto one of the stools at the counter.

“Excellent, as soon as the cavalry arrive, we can go and sit somewhere more comfortable” he said although he liked her where she was as he had a wonderful view of her legs.

 

While Rich made her coffee, Kelly rummaged in her handbag and took out a flyer for the upcoming St Patrick’s Day Party at the Mablethorpe Spa Hotel and laid it on the counter.

“Ah it’s that time again already” he said gesturing towards the flyer.

“Are you going?”

“No” she said.

“Oh! Why not? I’d have thought it was your kind of thing.”

“It is yes” she replied, “and I do normally go.”

“But?”

“But I don’t want to go on my own” she replied, and he looked at her with puzzlement.

“Why not?” he asked, “You’re not exactly lacking in confidence.”

“I know I’m not” she replied and smiled.

This made her blush and avert her gaze, then after a few moments she looked back at him.

“And you won’t be among strangers either” he pointed out.

“I know, but when my husband was alive, he was an arm to hold on to and I didn’t need confidence” she said, “now I’m alone so it’s a case of no escort, no Party.”

“What about your brother, he’s unattached” Rich suggested.

“Well, he would do it if I asked him because he loves me, but I know he can’t abide crowds, and he thinks dancing is an abomination.”

“Ok I see how that might be a problem” he said, and they both laughed before she said. 

“I have had offers though.”

“I don’t doubt that for a moment” he said, “you are a catch.”

“You are too kind” Kelly said and bowed.

“So, who is in the running?” Rich asked.

“My sister’s new man Michael suggested his brother as an escort.”

“Really? I’ve met him” he said brightly “he’s very nice.”

“Yes” she agreed, “I like Michael.”

“Yes, so do I, but what I meant was that I’d met his brother, Steve” he responded.

“How do you know them?” she asked

“They’re regular customers” he replied, “and they’re nice guys.”

“That’s as maybe, but...” she began but left the sentence unfinished.

“But what?” he asked.

“I’m a bit old for blind dates” she replied, “And I haven’t been on a date of any kind for so many years.”

“Is that all that’s holding you back?” Rich asked.

“Well partly”

“So, what else is worrying you?”

“Well, I’m not sure I want a stranger knowing where I live” she admitted.

“Ok, if you don’t want him to pick you up at your house you could always go with Anna and Michael and meet Steve at the Hotel.”

She sat quietly for a few moments drinking her coffee and he judged that she was not altogether convinced by his argument and then a thought occurred to him, and he said.

“If you’re still not sure there is a very simple solution you know.”

“What’s that?” she asked vaguely.

“You could go with me instead” he said.

She didn’t speak but was considering the merits of his suggestion in silence, so he pressed on.

“I’m quite partial to Dancing, I can tolerate crowds, and I already know where you live.”

Again, there was silence until he added.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think No, if you’re only asking because you feel sorry for me?” she said.

“Of course, not” Rich recoiled.

“Really? So, you actually want to take me?” she asked, and he began to panic because the truth was that he thought of nothing else but being with her, but he had held back because he was unsure of his ground, but he was now in a catch 22 situation, so he walked around the counter and replied

“Yes, I do”

“Promise?” she asked.

“Promise”

“Very well you can pick me up at 7 o’clock” she said and slid effortlessly off the stool and then reached up and kissed his cheek.

And as she left the coffee house she smiled and said to herself.

“Well played Kelly, very well played indeed.”