Abbi... Read online

  Abbi...

  Louisa Rowe

  Published: 2009

  Tag(s): romance fiction novel

  Chapter 1

  First Sight

  Prologue

  When I was nineteen years old, one summer changed my life completely. I mean it, my world was turned totally on its head. I had finally finished school having got barely a handful of GCSE’s and I had well and truly failed my A-levels. I was so glad to leave. I hated learning, Maths and Science and all that rubbish. I couldn’t wait to get away from it all. I left that building not a moment too soon.

  The village that I had lived and worked in my entire life was called Kings Bridge and I loved living there. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Kings Bridge was right by the ocean and I had never known anywhere else. I suppose I took it for granted. The beach, the countryside and the scenery. It had always been so close to me and my life that I was simply used to it.

  That summer I spent working as a waitress at The Sunset Hotel. It was a big hotel considering that it was situated in a village, with seven rooms. The hotel was very busy during the season, which lasted from about April until October. The Sunset Hotel was positioned by the beach. It couldn’t be any closer to the sea without actually being in it. It was ideal for tourists to sit and sunbathe- and do little else all day everyday, I should know. It was my job to keep them happy.

  During my last year of school I got the job at the hotel because I was desperate. I needed money to help my mother out with bills and rent and it was as good a job as any. The tourist season was starting to pick up and they needed more staff over the summer. It had turned into quite a good job and it was easy money for me. Plus it was right on my doorstep. I had simply kept the job for the next year.

  I lived in a bungalow with my mother. For as long as I could remember it had always been just the two of us. It was quite a small sized place with two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. My room was dedicated to clothes and CD’s. I had a few acquaintances but no close friends in my little bubble of a world.

  It was quite a simple life. At nineteen I thought that things would carry on the way they always had. Nothing substantial would ever change in my life. Then one day someone did change my life. Everything was normal and mundane. Until I met Mark. Then it all started to move irrevocably in a new direction that I couldn’t stop.

  Looking back would I change it all if I could? I honestly don’t know. The last year has given me the best of times and the worst of times. So would I change it? Probably not. If all the bad times were erased I almost certainly wouldn’t have had the good times either. I thought and I suppose I still do think that it is much better to live with the bad things that happen in life than a heart filled with regrets and missed opportunities. Otherwise what is the point of it all? What is the point of life?

  Another question I ask is whether or not it was all worth it. I don’t know.

  This was the summer that things started to change. This is where my story truly starts.

  Chapter One

  The bubbling of the river made her oblivious to anyone approaching. Not many people came this way and she was rarely interrupted from her solitude. She was laying back on a tree, which was overhanging a river, reading her magazine. It was a very peaceful place, which she was to be found quite often during nice weather in the summer months. The sky was a crystal blue and the sun was quite hot that day. However she was under the shade of the trees so it was quite cool with a pleasant light breeze.

  The girl didn’t realise that anyone else was there. She was being watched by a tall man of about twenty-one or so who had dark hair and was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. He was standing on the riverbank watching her in silence.

  Suddenly he spoke. “I’m Mark.” She nearly jumped out of her skin, her magazine fell out of her grasp and splashed into the river where it was carried off by the speeding current. “I’m sorry,” he said stepping out of the shadows of the trees. “I didn’t mean to startle you. What’s your name?” He added.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said smiling while sitting up. “ How long have you been there by the way?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Not very long,” he lied quickly. “How did you get up there?” There was water all around the tree that she was on and there didn’t seem to be an easy access to get there. Not to mention the fast current.

  “Oh,” she said and smiled, looking at the surface of the water. “I got wet feet. It’s not that deep.”

  “Are you going to tell me your name or not?” he said smiling too.

  “At the present I think I won’t. I think it would be more interesting if I didn’t tell you for the moment.” She smiled mischievously again. She was very beautiful with long, blonde, almost waist length hair and hazel eyes and she was wearing a yellow top and jeans.

  “Alright then,” he said. “Will you take a walk with me?”

  She seemed to consider it for a moment while looking at him. Apparently she liked what she saw and said, “alright then.” Before he could say anything she jumped down from her perch and splashed in the river, walking to the bank. The water level was up to her knees and soon enough she was out on the other side of the riverbank.

  Without saying anything else she fell into step beside him. They walked in companionable silence for a while, following the short footpath in to the village. Her jeans were now two toned by the water and were dripping every few seconds.

  “I think I saw you in the village yesterday,” he said to break the silence.

  “Yes you probably did. I bet I looked awful. I must have just finished work and we have these terrible red uniforms. I’m a waitress at the Sunset Hotel by the beach,” she said in answer to the unasked question. “It’s very busy at this time of year. Where are you from?” she asked.

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “How do you know I’m not a local?” he asked.

  She actually laughed at that “Oh please. I’ve lived here for nineteen years. My entire life. I know everyone who actually lives here doesn’t just holiday here. Besides you don’t have the look of a local.”

  “I’m from London,” he said after a moment in response to this.

  “Ah,” she said and they both lapsed into silence again. “How long are you staying here for?” she asked. By this time they had walked into Rosewood village, on the small main street with the only two shops in the village, a Post Office and a second hand shop. The village was very piecemeal. It seemed as if extra houses and side streets had been added at random until it spread out a little way in several directions. It didn’t have enough people to be bigger than a village though.

  “I’m staying at the Sunset hotel for two weeks while my families holiday home is made ready. Then we are staying on for another couple of months for our summer holiday.”

  “We?” she questioned.

  “Yes me, my parents and my younger brother,” he said.

  “You’re rich parents,” she added. He glanced at her and realised that she wasn’t being spiteful or belittling she was just stating a fact.

  “Yes my rich parents,” he agreed. They were heading in the direction of the beach now, beyond the main street. “Where do you live?”

  She had a split second hesitation then said, “in a small bungalow about a five-minute walk from here with my mum. God it’s hot today.” They sat down on the sand. It was a glorious mid June day and the sky was perfectly clear. Even the clouds had vanished for a while. The beach was a small bay that curved around itself and there were a lot of people for its size milling around and sunbathing taking advantage of the good weather. There were several buildings very near the sand, mostly houses but that was where the Sunset hotel was so tourists were given the beach straight away. “I hate the beach at this time
of year,” she said. “Too many people around. Its much better in winter.”

  Mark looked completely incredulous. “You can’t be serious. The weather can’t be half as nice.” He nodded at the sky to imply the heat of the sun and the general picturesque atmosphere around them.

  “No it isn’t but there aren’t half as many people either,” she said. “It’s usually me on my own in the winter with a couple of walkers thrown in for good measure.”

  Mark thought for a moment. “I tell you what, come and meet me here tonight at nine o’clock.”

  “I can’t. Not tonight,” she said immediately. “I’m serving dinner all night at the hotel tonight but I can do tomorrow night instead.”

  “Yeah that would be great,” Mark said. As she got up and started to walk away he had a sudden brainwave. “Hey wait! Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” he shouted out.

  She stopped walking and paused. “Abigail Wilkins but I like being called Abbi. With an I,” she said and with that, she dashed away across the sand of the beach.

  “Bye then,” Mark said to himself watching her figure disappear out of view.

  The blue front door banged shut. Abbi yelled, “Hi Mum. It’s only me,” as soon as she entered her house.

  Her mother, Eleanor, was sitting on the sofa reading a book as Abbi raced around the kitchen. “Hi Abbi. Hey, what time are you working tonight?” She asked without looking up from her novel. Abbi went into the living room and stood in the doorway to chat to her mother.

  “I start at six and I’ll probably finish at about eleven-ish okay?” Abbi said. She then went into her room and had a look around. It was a complete mess. The floor was completely strewn with clothes, shoes, make up, CD’s, a couple of single earrings and other general debris. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 5:30 already. “Oh no!” She quickly tore about the room looking for her horrible maroon skirt and matching shirt and found them buried under her new handbag and her old worn black leather jacket, which she adored.

  When she was dressed she took her jumper off of the mirror where she had flung it earlier in the morning. She had a quick look at herself while she was doing her hair and was smiling to herself. I really quite like him, she thought to herself as she tied her hair back. Well if nothing else he was definitely a distraction and that, as she grabbed her bag with her phone and house keys, could only be a good thing.

  Mark was laying on his bed in his shared hotel room while his brother Stephen was sitting on a chair. It was quite a light airy room and it had a fabulous view of the ocean. There was even a tiny balcony with two plastic chairs. Mark was thinking about the girl he had met today. He was seeing her again tomorrow. He may even see her tonight. She was working. Though it was true that none of his family were booked in to have dinner that night. He could still imagine how she looked.

  Stephen had been talking for the last five minutes while sprawled across his bed and Mark hadn’t been paying him the slightest bit of attention. “Sorry what are you saying?” Mark said regaining his sense of the present situation.

  “I guess my conversation really is enough to send someone into a coma,” Steve said. “I always wondered you see.”

  “All right I’m listening now,” Mark said.

  “No go on tell me what you’re thinking about.” Steve said. “Or should I say who you are thinking about? What’s her name?”

  “How did you know it was a girl I was thinking about?” Mark said incredulously.

  “It always is with you,” Steve replied. Both brothers were grinning now. “Oh, and the other tip off was that I saw you with a gorgeous blonde girl on the beach.”

  “Spy,” Mark said without any anger. Mark stared at his brother who was a year and a half younger than himself. Mark was very dark and had a tan from the summer. Steve was blonde pale and slight and five inches shorter. He was also a quiet easygoing person. Despite the physical differences there was a similarity between both boys and they got on very well together.

  “It’s none of your business who she is or what‘s going on,” Mark said.

  “All right then.” Steve went back to unpacking his crumpled clothes from his crammed suitcase and rummaging for the T-shirt he was after. “I will say though that you have great taste. She was absolutely stunning,” and with that Steve gave up searching for his T-shirt and left the room leaving a mess of clothes on his bed and his brother deep in thought.

  “Right, “two salad, two soup, three lamb, one small Bass no mussels, no sauce and four chocolate soufflés” okay?” Abbi was handing over the order to Bill who was the head chef. On busy nights another guy came in to help but there was only twelve people booked in which meant more waitressing staff but not more chefs needed. The kitchen was a mixture of steaming saucepans and a blaring radio at every time of the day or night and Abbi liked the combination. Organised chaos and madness every day. It was a nice change from the general boredom of hotel work and the mundane routine of life at home.

  “Oh for God’s sake,” Bill muttered to himself. “Small bass, no mussels, no sauce”, he repeated. “Why have a main course at all?” Abbi liked Bill. He was in his mid twenties and was very good tempered. Abbi had already left the kitchen by the time these remarks started up. She went over to the wine rack and picked up a bottle Merlot and a Pinot Grigio and went to uncork them while thinking to herself.

  The problem with waitressing was that about eighty five per cent of the work was very repetitive and dull so your thoughts were free to stray wherever they wanted to. Abbi’s were focusing on the handsome stranger that she had met by the river. She wasn’t hooked on him. Yet. At the moment he was a very pleasant distraction from the regularity and repetitive hum of her life. She went into the dining room to pour the Merlot for an elderly couple sitting at the table. They were a pleasant couple and they asked how her day had gone as she put the wine on their table.

  “Not bad,” she said, smiling slightly as her thoughts ran away from herself again. Not bad at all. She was looking forward to tomorrow night.

  Bbbbzzzzzzzzzz!!! Abbi’s alarm clock was buzzing seven o’clock, an unpleasant way to wake up no matter what the time of day. Abbi hit the clock so the alarm would shut up and stop ringing through her head. She waited until her heart rate had slowed down then she swung her legs out of bed and glanced at the clock with a groan. Only half an hour before she needed to be at the hotel for the breakfast shift.

  Officially breakfast at the Sunset hotel lasted from seven thirty until eleven but no one ever bothered to get out of bed on holiday before eight o’clock no matter what their circumstances so it wouldn’t matter if Abbi was a few minutes later than usual.

  Yawning she went into the kitchen where her annoyingly perky mother had already put a load of washing on, made herself a cup of tea, done the washing up, had some cereal and was sitting down at the table munching on her corn flakes while reading her book again. “You are not seriously sitting eating breakfast at seven in the morning on a Sunday, are you?” Abbi said incredulously making herself some coffee.

  “No I’m a hologram,” her mother said without looking up. “Good morning darling.”

  “Is it?” Abbi said. “Have you never heard of a lie in?” she asked stifling another yawn.

  “Sweetie, when you become a mother you realise that lie in’s don’t really get the priority they did when you were a teenager,” she said turning the page. The best way to describe the kitchen was organised. All down to Abbi’s mother. If it were left to Abbi it would be a complete tip, near to a junkyard.

  “Why are you up so early. It’s not as if you have work to go to is it?” Abbi said.

  “What are your hours like next week?” Abbi’s mother asked choosing to ignore her daughter’s last comment.

  “Oh,” Abbi said thinking. “Friday pretty much all day, same Saturday and Sunday. Oh I’m also doing Wednesday night at the moment. They’ve got a new girl. Clara or Cara something like that and she needs a lot of shifts this week to train h
er up so I don’t get as many morning shifts. How is your week shaping up?”

  Abbi’s mother ran an ironing business, which varied, hugely in amounts of work needed but was otherwise very successful. “Oh medium to heavy looking like this week. Everyone gets changed three times a day in this weather so people have a lot more washing.” She shrugged. Everything in this location was completely seasonal even down to mundane things like the washing and ironing. But that was what you got when you lived in a coastal village, which relied on tourism.

  As Abbi rushed out of the door twenty minutes later Eleanor, Abbi’s mum was in deep contemplation. Something wasn’t quite right with her daughter. Abbi didn’t do well on mornings no matter what day of the week. She was much too chirpy than usual. It was not her normal daughter who had just left here barely five minutes before. Eleanor had a shrewd inkling of what was making her daughter a bit happier than normal but she wasn’t going to voice it until she was a bit surer. Just a vague suspicion would do no one any good because her daughter would shut up like a clam. Eleanor would just have to wait and see. That’s all.

  Eleanor finished her breakfast and made herself some tea. She went through to her tiny utility room and had a look at several piles of creased laundry. She sighed and started organising all of the clothes that she had to do.

  “Coffee please,” said Mark sitting down at the breakfast table. The dining room of the hotel was quite small but it was nicely furnished. A couple of minutes later Abbi came over with a café tier of freshly brewed coffee and took their order. She hurried away quite quickly because it was evident that she hated what she was wearing and was not best pleased that Mark had seen her in it. He was slightly cheered by the fact that she cared what he thought of what she was wearing.

  “What are you doing today?” Mark’s mother asked trying plainly to make some sort of conversation to try to avert the silence that had descended on the table. She was trying in vain. After a joint mumble silence fell.