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During a cooked breakfast that morning consisting of bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomatoes and a perfectly poached egg, which according to her host the chickens had laid that morning, Betty again sat with Sarah during her meal. Taking her time over the food as she enjoyed a cup of English Breakfast tea, Sarah pleasantly realised that this morning she had much more patience for the natterings of her breakfast companion.
It hadn’t surprised Sarah when she’d wandered into the dining room that morning to find that the breakfast table had featured a larger version of the crocheted doilies she had found in her room last night. Even though the décor in the bed and breakfast was not to her personal taste there was no denying that all the small touches Betty had around the place gave it a certain homely feel.
“I thought I might take a wander around town while my car is getting fixed,” Sarah started, “is there anywhere in particular I should take the time to go and see?” Popping a piece of tomato in her mouth she moaned with pleasure at the taste as the sweet juices danced across her tongue.
Betty smiled at Sarah’s evident pleasure in the food she was eating. As well as owning the chickens who had laid the eggs, Betty had also proudly mentioned to Sarah that she had grown the tomatoes that were on her plate. “Well, let’s see. There’s not a lot of shops in town to speak of to go window shopping here, but it is worth walking through town and to the edge of the cliffs at the water. Mind you, you can’t get down the cliffs, but the view is rather lovely. You could stop at the local bakery and get yourself a take away coffee to have with you there. They make a pretty good brew at the bakery,” Betty said, completely contradicting what Jamie had told her the previous evening. Pausing a moment, she continued, “You got in when it was dark last night, so I don’t know that you would have even realised that the water is there. You can actually see it from the window in your bedroom.”
“I noticed the view this morning when I opened the curtains in the room. It is pretty amazing,” Sarah agreed her voice soft, remembering the sunrise of the morning.
“Wait til you get closer to the water and don’t have any other houses in the way, then it really is a view to admire.”
“Is there really no way to get down to the beach from the cliffs?”
“Lord, no.” Betty lifted the small tea pot that sat in between the two women and poured some of the contents into a cup for herself before balancing it back on the trivet. Reaching for the sugar and milk that sat on the table Betty added a little of each as she continued speaking. “We might have a nice view here in town, but to get to the water it’s a sheer drop off those cliffs. If you get about five or ten minutes out of town though, you can get a nice sandy beach to walk along. It’s pretty popular with tourists in the summer.”
“Jamie mentioned something like that last night when we were driving back,” Sarah mentioned. Finishing the last of her breakfast, she placed her knife and fork on the plate and used the napkin to wipe her mouth.
Lifting her tea Betty raised her eyebrows as she looked at Sarah while she took a sip of the brew. “He mentioned that, did he?” Sarah couldn’t help but frown slightly at the surprise she could hear in Betty’s voice at the fact that Jamie had mentioned the beach to her. What could it possibly matter to Betty that he did? “Ah, lovely stuff this tea. I don’t like my tea when it’s been sitting for too long.”
Picking up her own cup Sarah followed Betty’s lead and took a sip, revelling in the flavour. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Betty. I love a good cup of coffee, but I adore my tea in the morning. But I really don’t like it when it’s been steeped for too long. Stewed tea is really not to my liking at all,” Sarah agreed.
“So, young Jamie, what else did he tell you last night about the town?” Betty enquired.
Omitting what Jamie had mentioned about his rather intense dislike of the coffee from the bakery, Sarah briefly chatted about how he had told her of the history of the town.
“It was sad that he lost his job in the mine when it closed.” Betty noted.
“Who? Jamie?” Sarah frowned in confusion. “He didn’t mention that. I thought he was a mechanic.”
“He is now. That was one young man with some grand plans. He wanted to set up some type of organic vegetable business, I believe. He helped me set up my backyard plot here, you know. I thought I knew quite a bit about growing my own fruit and veg, but I will admit that he taught me more than a little. Quite the talented young man when it comes to growing things.” Sarah smiled at how Betty had referred to Jamie as ‘young’ more than once. To her eye Jamie looked to be around thirty, hardly a young man in her opinion. “Anyway, after the mine closed like so many other people he had to get another job, so his dad took him on and taught him to be a mechanic. Well, he was a mechanic before that, at the mine, it’s just now he works with his father. Don’s a good sort really. He’s single, you know”
Sarah choked on the tea she was taking a sip of. Was Betty seriously trying to set her up with Don?
“You all right there, dear?” Betty stood up quickly and moved across to Sarah and began to rub her back as her coughing started to subside.
“I’m fine, thanks Betty.” Sarah managed to eke out before setting her cup down. Clearing her throat she looked up at the older woman. “I’m sure Don mentioned last night that he was married. Some woman called Emily?”
Moving back around to her side of the table Betty continued to chat merrily. “Hmm? Don? Yes of course he is. He and Emily have been married going on, oh, it must be close to thirty five years now.” She looked at Sarah strangely before she began to chuckle. “Oh my dear, did you think I meant Don? No, no, not at all. Young Jamie. He’s such a lovely young man and you could do much worse than him, you know.” Betty picked up her tea once again and hesitated briefly, pointedly looking at Sarah’s left hand that rested on the table. “You are single aren’t you dear? Sorry, it’s none of my business really but I couldn’t help but notice that you aren’t wearing a ring on your left hand.”
Oh, Betty you have no idea, Sarah thought. I’m sure I could do much, much worse than someone like Jamie. Placing her cup of tea back down on the table she was still stunned. Not even in town for twenty four hours, and Betty was trying to match-make her. Don had mentioned that Betty was a bit of a busy body, but this had surprised her.
“Um, I’m not planning to stay in town, Betty,” she gave a small laugh. “I’ll be leaving once my car is repaired. I’m in the process of moving to Franklin.”
“What’s waiting for you in Franklin? Do you have a beau there?” Betty queried
“No, I’m single,” Sarah admitted. “I’m moving there for work.”
“What do you do?”
“I work in hospitality.” Damn it Sarah. You’ve got to keep this stuff to yourself, she cursed at herself inwardly for sharing more than she had intended. She normally didn’t offer much about herself to anyone, let alone the amount she had told Don, Jamie and Betty in the past sixteen hours.
“Where will you be working?” Betty asked.
Sarah stilled. This was getting into very dangerous territory for her. She didn’t want to be talking to other people about this.
The trilling of a phone could be heard coming from another room in the house. “Excuse me, dear,” Betty said, getting up and exiting the room to answer the phone.
Placing her elbows on the table, Sarah rested her head in her palms and breathed out a deep sigh. Saved by the bell, she thought.
***
Betty and Jamie were both right, Sarah mused to herself as she sat on the park bench at the top of the cliffs overlooking the water. The slope down through the town from the bed and breakfast had been gentle enough to hardly be noticeable as Sarah had taken the time to walk through the town to where she now sat at the top of the cliffs by the water’s edge.
As she’d walked through the streets she was surprised by the number of people that had greeted her with a smile as she’d passed them. Betty had been spot on in her estimation about the town. Mount Kiernon had a feel that was all its own.
Even somehow homely.
The few people she had spoken to seemed genuine. Stopping in at the bakery she had met Frank and his wife Clara, who worked alongside him. Frank had chatted to her cheerfully as he had busied himself making her coffee, with Clara interspersing her own comments every now and again. Jenny at the newsagent had been the same. Happy to chat to a customer as Sarah had searched for a magazine to read to give herself something to do while she waited for her car to be repaired.
As Sarah had reached the cliffs, coffee in one hand and a trashy magazine in the other, the view had almost taken her breath away. With the houses and shops now behind her there was nothing to interrupt the view that was before her. The outlook from the cliffs was stunning, making what she had seen from the porch of Betty’s house pale in comparison.
And the coffee from Mount Kiernon bakery was truly, truly awful just as Jamie had said it would be.
Sitting on the wooden bench staring out at the water Betty’s words kept turning over and over in Sarah’s mind. What’s waiting for you in Franklin?
Nothing. That’s what’s waiting, Sarah thought with an ever familiar empty feeling descending upon her. Nothing and no one. She closed her eyes as the thought pervaded her mind.
Nothing and no one.
Nothing.
No one.
Only one other person in the world even knew where she currently was.
Would it matter if she didn’t end up in Franklin? Could she really do here what she was going to do in Franklin?
Could it even be possible?
Could she really move all her plans to here instead?
Money’s not really a problem, and it’s not like I’ve got anyone in Franklin waiting for me. Besides, I like this town. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed around people.
And best of all it seems like no one here has a clue about who I am.
Sarah closed her eyes and smiled to herself, feeling a giggle bubble up in her chest.
Why not? I can have a bit of a look, and if it’s not right then I just go ahead with things in Franklin as planned.
No more sunsets. It’s time for a new sunrise in my life.
Letting the giggle burst forth, she laughed out loud and made her decision.
Done.
Three weeks later an excited buzz went through Mount Kiernon when two sold signs appeared across ‘For Sale’ placards in the town. Speculation became rife as to who had bought the properties with none of the locals admitting to the purchases.
A house on the outskirts of the town with a view of the cliffs that overlooked the water.
Sold.
The old bank building in the main street.
Sold.
A new dawning had come to Mount Kiernon.
***
Over the next two months an excitement began to build in Mount Kiernon as the newly sold business building began to take shape. Betty had been kept busy at the bed and breakfast over the last six weeks with people staying. First it had been an architect who had been hired to come and look at the empty building, who had stayed for three nights, followed by an engineer who stayed for the same amount of time. Over the next few weeks an electrician, cabinet maker and interior designer all stayed varying lengths of time.
With each new visitor that stayed at Betty’s, her curiosity rose more and more as to who the new owner was. Try as she might as she sat down with each person to share the dining room at breakfast time, each remained as tight lipped as the other, refusing to share any information about the owner. The closest she had come to finding anything out was when the electrician had stayed. The bubbly tradeswoman had confessed that each person who was signed on to the project also had to sign a confidentiality agreement and couldn’t discuss who had hired their company. Betty had eagerly shared the nugget of information with others in the town which caused even more speculation. The general consensus was that the new owner was someone rich who was ready to leave the city for a sea change.
Even as the workers involved with the new business came into town and left once more, the house that had been purchased stayed empty. The bright red sold sticker remained blazing in sharp contrast over the faded for sale sign. The grass continued to be left untended to grow longer as the house sat unloved with no sign of life.
Still the speculation continued to grow.
Each week as more progress was made on the old bank a new theory was raised as to what it would become. There was a suggestion that the empty business had been purchased by a multi-national corporation and a new chain store would arrive in town. But no one could suggest with any sort of proof which company had bought it or what store would feature there. Some suggested a shoe store, others a clothes store. One person even suggested an ice cream store might move in, as they were convinced they had heard the electrician on the phone mentioning something about a freezer. Another was as equally convinced that they had heard the architect mention that they were moving their architectural firm into the building. At the end of the day as people nursed their beers at the pub speculation was heard amongst those there.
Yet the house sat empty.
A few days before school was due to begin for the year came the shock that the locals weren’t expecting. It had become common for people to walk past the old bank, heads swivelling in the direction of the building as they did. It wasn’t even uncommon to see a person with their hands cupped against the temples of their heads as they pressed their face to the glass in an attempt to see what was happening indoors.
But what did happen not a single person in Mount Kiernon predicted.
It was freely known that a tradesperson was on site that day. The van that sat parked in front of the business was emblazoned with the logo of the cabinetmaker who had returned for another visit to the empty building, giving testament as to who was there that day. As the sun began to head towards the height of the mountain ready to start its daily duty of setting the cabinetmaker could be seen standing on a ladder inside the building in front of one of the four large windows that faced the street. An hour later, his task was complete. The ladder was once again secured to the top of his work van and the cabinet maker had left the town, back to wherever he had come from.
Not a soul could see into the old bank any longer.
The workman had covered all the windows as well as the glass front door with thick, heavy drapes.
And still the house that had been purchased sat untouched, the grass steadily rising higher with every day it sat empty.
As autumn slowly began to settle in over the next few weeks Mount Kiernon continued to fill with families from Franklin and other destinations on weekends as they came in search of day trips at the mining museum and the beach. The days began to feel as if they were a fraction shorter and the chill of the evening air became a touch sharper. The locals had continued to keep an eagle eye out for any sign of movement at the business but none was to be found. The nightly talk at the pub began to move away from what had occurred at the old bank during the day, to whether or not anything else would happen there at all. It was as if the new owner had just simply closed up the building, abandoned whatever their intended project had been and left the town behind. As people talked in the pub it could be heard behind their grunts and murmured conversation that not one of them were overly surprised at the business being abandoned.
They just chalked it up to yet another disappointment for Mount Kiernon.