her hands and knees colouring in another letter.
‘Is this for Ice Cream?’ Alfie asked Anna, tilting his head towards her as she crouched down.
‘It’s for the shop, yes,’ Anna said, with a smile in Imogen’s direction. ‘We open tomorrow.’
Jon came in through the door, attracted by the noise. ‘What’s going on in here, and can I join in?’
‘Here, Daddy,’ Alfie said, passing him a paintbrush.
‘More the merrier,’ Anna smiled. ‘This banner’s going to go out the front,’ she said. ‘Pretty hard to miss, don’t you think?’
‘It looks terrific,’ Jon said. ‘Very striking. And you got all the flyers handed out OK?’
‘Yes,’ Imogen said. ‘We’ve been doing an hour here and there all week, so we should have a good turnout.’
‘I’m sorry Alfie and I will miss it,’ Jon said, looking disappointed. ‘But we’ve had this date booked in with Mum and Dad for weeks.’
‘Don’t worry, I totally understand,’ Anna said. ‘And to be honest we’ll probably be rushed off our feet.’ She turned to Alfie. ‘You’re going to the safari park tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa, aren’t you?’
He stood up to his full height and roared. ‘Liyons,’ he said triumphantly.
‘Sounds like we’ve all got an exciting weekend ahead,’ Imogen said, moving on to a new letter. ‘I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they see the shop.’
‘We’re really doing it, aren’t we?’ Anna smiled at her sister.
‘Oh yes,’ Imogen said, laughing. ‘Nothing’s going to stop us now.’
Chapter Seven
The first weekend in May had come at last, and everything was set for the launch. Everything, that is, Imogen thought to herself, as she stared through her sister’s rain-lashed window, loud thunderclaps ringing out in the sky overhead – except the weather.
‘Oh God, Anna,’ Imogen said, nose almost pressed to the glass. ‘How are we meant to sell ice creams in this?’
She checked the Met Office website on her phone. They were predicting some of the most powerful thunderstorms ever to hit the south coast, and from the look of things the storms had already arrived.
Imogen had heard the rain during the night, and it had got steadily heavier through the early hours. Unable to sleep, she’d tossed and turned, praying that their launch day wouldn’t turn into a washout.
‘Get your boots on, Imogen,’ Anna said, ‘because there’s no way we’re backing out now. We’ve publicised the launch everywhere and we can’t change our minds just because of a bit of rain out there.’
‘A bit of rain?’ Imogen countered. ‘It’s hardly that, sis. It looks like a typhoon. Noah’s probably herding the animals on as we speak.’
‘You’ve been out of Britain far too long, Imogen,’ Anna said. ‘What you need is a good dose of Blitz spirit. It’ll all be over in an hour or so. Grab some of my wellies from the hall cupboard and let’s get going.’
They made their way down to the seafront, dressed in bright yellow macs, trying desperately to keep hold of their umbrellas. They hurriedly hung the handmade banner up, knowing that it would be a soggy mess in minutes. Windblown wet flyers were stuck to the ground. Once inside the shop, they put the shop lights on, turned up the radiators, and walked back to the shop’s glass front to look out.
‘Are you sure this rain is going to stop?’ Imogen said mournfully. The sheets of rain were almost horizontal, deterring all but the hardiest stroller from the beach and seafront.
The phone rang and they both jumped in surprise. ‘I’ll get it,’ Anna said.
‘Oh, OK, Mum. See you in half an hour.’ She put the phone back in the cradle. ‘Mum’s on her way. Dad’s not feeling up to the trip.’
Imogen felt a stab of disappointment. But, she thought, maybe it was better that their dad didn’t see the place empty like this. It was increasingly apparent that the only people who had ventured down to the seashore – in
‘Is this for Ice Cream?’ Alfie asked Anna, tilting his head towards her as she crouched down.
‘It’s for the shop, yes,’ Anna said, with a smile in Imogen’s direction. ‘We open tomorrow.’
Jon came in through the door, attracted by the noise. ‘What’s going on in here, and can I join in?’
‘Here, Daddy,’ Alfie said, passing him a paintbrush.
‘More the merrier,’ Anna smiled. ‘This banner’s going to go out the front,’ she said. ‘Pretty hard to miss, don’t you think?’
‘It looks terrific,’ Jon said. ‘Very striking. And you got all the flyers handed out OK?’
‘Yes,’ Imogen said. ‘We’ve been doing an hour here and there all week, so we should have a good turnout.’
‘I’m sorry Alfie and I will miss it,’ Jon said, looking disappointed. ‘But we’ve had this date booked in with Mum and Dad for weeks.’
‘Don’t worry, I totally understand,’ Anna said. ‘And to be honest we’ll probably be rushed off our feet.’ She turned to Alfie. ‘You’re going to the safari park tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa, aren’t you?’
He stood up to his full height and roared. ‘Liyons,’ he said triumphantly.
‘Sounds like we’ve all got an exciting weekend ahead,’ Imogen said, moving on to a new letter. ‘I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they see the shop.’
‘We’re really doing it, aren’t we?’ Anna smiled at her sister.
‘Oh yes,’ Imogen said, laughing. ‘Nothing’s going to stop us now.’
Chapter Seven
The first weekend in May had come at last, and everything was set for the launch. Everything, that is, Imogen thought to herself, as she stared through her sister’s rain-lashed window, loud thunderclaps ringing out in the sky overhead – except the weather.
‘Oh God, Anna,’ Imogen said, nose almost pressed to the glass. ‘How are we meant to sell ice creams in this?’
She checked the Met Office website on her phone. They were predicting some of the most powerful thunderstorms ever to hit the south coast, and from the look of things the storms had already arrived.
Imogen had heard the rain during the night, and it had got steadily heavier through the early hours. Unable to sleep, she’d tossed and turned, praying that their launch day wouldn’t turn into a washout.
‘Get your boots on, Imogen,’ Anna said, ‘because there’s no way we’re backing out now. We’ve publicised the launch everywhere and we can’t change our minds just because of a bit of rain out there.’
‘A bit of rain?’ Imogen countered. ‘It’s hardly that, sis. It looks like a typhoon. Noah’s probably herding the animals on as we speak.’
‘You’ve been out of Britain far too long, Imogen,’ Anna said. ‘What you need is a good dose of Blitz spirit. It’ll all be over in an hour or so. Grab some of my wellies from the hall cupboard and let’s get going.’
They made their way down to the seafront, dressed in bright yellow macs, trying desperately to keep hold of their umbrellas. They hurriedly hung the handmade banner up, knowing that it would be a soggy mess in minutes. Windblown wet flyers were stuck to the ground. Once inside the shop, they put the shop lights on, turned up the radiators, and walked back to the shop’s glass front to look out.
‘Are you sure this rain is going to stop?’ Imogen said mournfully. The sheets of rain were almost horizontal, deterring all but the hardiest stroller from the beach and seafront.
The phone rang and they both jumped in surprise. ‘I’ll get it,’ Anna said.
‘Oh, OK, Mum. See you in half an hour.’ She put the phone back in the cradle. ‘Mum’s on her way. Dad’s not feeling up to the trip.’
Imogen felt a stab of disappointment. But, she thought, maybe it was better that their dad didn’t see the place empty like this. It was increasingly apparent that the only people who had ventured down to the seashore – in
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