Chapter Sixteen

‘ C an I hold your hand, Auntie Debbie?' Trixie, Bertie and Jill's nine-year-old, waited by Florrie's garden gate as Debbie reached into her handbag to check she had her purse.

‘Yes, of course.' After locating it, Debbie zipped up her handbag and pulled the strap onto her shoulder before taking Trixie's hand. ‘We'll just wait for your dad and Ava before we go.'

‘You're really my auntie, aren't you?' Trixie swung the gate onto the latch before clicking it open again and swinging it back open for Bertie and Ava.

‘That's right.' She supposed she was technically a second cousin, perhaps, but auntie was easier. She must admit, she herself was finding this all a little overwhelming – reminiscing with Bertie and their nan, meeting Bertie's wife, Jill, and their two gorgeous girls – she couldn't imagine how it felt to a nine-year-old. ‘Was it a surprise when your dad told you?'

Trixie shook her head, her curls shaking wildly from side to side. ‘Nope. Not when he told us your name. Every time we come to visit Great Nanny, Dad tells us stories about getting up to mischief here with his cousin Debbie.'

‘Really?' Debbie watched as Bertie shut the cottage door before telling Ava to put her mobile in her pocket.

‘Yep, all the time.' Trixie looked up at her. ‘I think he's pleased you're here now.'

‘What are you two chatting about?' Bertie grinned as he closed the garden gate behind him and his eldest.

‘You.' Trixie grinned at her dad.

‘Oi! I hope it's all good things at least.' Bertie ruffled her hair.

‘Nope. None of it is.' Poking her tongue out at him, she began skipping ahead.

‘Great, first Nan blames me for all the scrapes we used to get into and now my own daughter is teasing me.' Bertie looked back at Ava, who was trailing behind, eyes transfixed by her mobile screen and sighed dramatically. ‘I suppose at least she's still talking to me and not at the dreaded nose-in-phone stage.'

‘I can hear you, you know,' Ava spoke curtly, her eyes still glued to her screen.

‘See, and now she can hear me. Forty minutes it took me and Jill to get those two in the car this morning.' Bertie shook his head in disbelief.

‘That wasn't my fault. Trixie had lost her purple sparkly unicorn.' Ava spoke quietly.

‘True. Not that she needed it.' Chuckling, Bertie pointed towards Trixie, who had stopped to pick up a stray pebble from the ground.

‘Well, I'm just glad you came.' Debbie glanced back towards Ava. ‘All of you.'

‘Even if one is only partially here and partially in whatever app land is the flavour of the month.' Bertie rolled his eyes.

‘Hey, I'm only posting about having met my long-lost auntie.' Ava scowled at her dad before stabbing her finger onto her phone screen and then slipping it into her pocket. ‘There, all done. You have my full attention.'

‘Glad to hear it.' Dropping back, Bertie squeezed Ava around the shoulders.

‘Don't push it, Dad.' Ducking away, Ava quickened her pace until she was walking in step with Debbie. ‘It is really awesome you're here.'

‘Aw, thanks, Ava. It's really awesome to meet you as well.' Debbie grinned. She felt as though she had so much catching up to do and getting to know Bertie's family was just the beginning.

Stopping at the end of the lane, Trixie skipped back to them. ‘Where are we going? Are we going down to the beach? Can we go swimming in the sea?'

‘Umm...' Bertie checked his watch. ‘I don't think we've got time for swimming, Trixie. Maybe after lunch?'

‘Okay. Are we getting lunch now? I'm starving.'

‘You know Great Nanny is making us lunch, Trixie.' Ava rolled her eyes. ‘You saw her and Mum make a start on the salad. We're just going for a walk to the beach and back.'

‘But I'm hungry now .' Trixie crossed her arms, lowered her face and pouted.

‘I'm sure we can get a snack on our walk.' Bertie cleared his throat and pointed across to the pub. ‘Who wants a packet of crisps? We could pop into the pub and grab some.'

‘Err...' Looking across at Bertie, she shook her head. She knew exactly what he was doing by suggesting they got to the pub. He just wanted to tease her about Richie. ‘Bertie!'

‘What?' Holding his hands up, palms forward, Bertie attempted an expression of innocence, the glint in his eyes giving it away.

‘You know what?' She turned to Trixie and Ava. ‘Why don't we walk down and get a treat from Elsie's bakery? Me and your dad always loved the food from there.'

‘Is that where you're working? Dad said you were working in a bakery?' Trixie jumped from foot to foot.

‘Yes, that's right. I'm volunteering there for a few weeks.' Holding her hand out, Debbie waited until Trixie had taken it again before she began leading the way down the hill.

‘What does volunteering mean?' Trixie looked back at her dad.

‘It means Auntie Debbie is working there for free,' Bertie replied.

‘For free? Why would anyone work for free?' Ava scoffed before clamping her mouth shut and looking at Debbie, a deep glow colouring her cheeks. ‘Sorry.'

‘Haha, no you're okay.' Debbie laughed. ‘I'd have had the exact same reaction as you when I was your age. Actually, I probably would have up until a short while ago, too. But I work in the bakery and Elsie lets me stay in this gorgeous guest room of hers, so although I'm working, I get a free holiday out of it in return.'

‘I suppose that's pretty cool, then. Are you going to travel the world working for free and getting a place to stay in return?'

‘No, I don't think so. I think it's a great idea, though. I just think I would quite like to settle someplace at the moment.'

‘You're going to stay in Penworth Bay?' Ava asked.

‘Maybe. Yes, for the time being at least.' Debbie nodded.

Ava turned to her dad. ‘Do you think I can do that when I leave school? Travel around the world volunteering?'

Bertie smiled. ‘Why don't we look into it?'

‘Okay, thanks.' Ava nodded and smiled before holding her hand out for Trixie. ‘Come on, Trixie. Let's go and count the gnomes in Mrs Piper's garden.'

‘Thanks for that. I don't think I've seen Ava quite so interested in something that isn't her mobile for a very long time.' Bertie linked arms with her as they stood and watched the girls leaning over Mrs Piper's short wall pointing to the brightly coloured ornaments and giggling as they counted.

‘Mrs Piper's gnomes are still a focal point of the bay, I see.'

‘Haha, yes. Me and Jill both use Nan's old trick to get the kids back up the hill after a day at the beach. Of course, Ava likes to think she's too old for counting gnomes but...' He held his arm out, encompassing both of his daughters.

‘She's still young at heart.'

‘Exactly.' Bertie grinned before calling to them both. ‘Ready, girls?'

‘Hold on, Dad. Ava counted twenty-seven, but I can only find nineteen.' Trixie called over her shoulder.

Holding his arm out, Bertie indicated the garden. ‘After you.'

‘Are we really doing this?' Debbie grinned as she glanced towards Mrs Piper's window.

‘Oh yes. If I've got to count gnomes, so do you. And don't worry, I think Mrs Piper is usually out at this time. She visits her daughter for lunch most days.'

‘Really?' How did he know that?

‘No, I'm just making it up, but thought it would make you feel a little less self-conscious. But one thing I'm sure of is that if it bothered her to have people peering over her garden wall, then she would have moved the gnomes around the back twenty years ago.'

‘True.' Laughing, Debbie stepped forward as Trixie grabbed her hand and pointed to each gnome in turn, counting along with her.

‘...eighteen, nineteen. See? Only nineteen.' Trixie slumped her shoulders, defeated.

‘Have we counted that little green one over in the corner? He's almost camouflaged against the leaves.' Debbie pointed to a small gnome with his back to them.

‘No, I didn't see him. And that one on the window ledge.' Trixie jumped up and down as she pointed.

‘There you go then. We're almost there.' Looking across at Bertie, who was busy counting gnomes with Ava, she smiled. She was just where she belonged, in the bay, with her family.