Page 55 of Love from Pretty Beach

D arby, it had to be said, looked absolutely spectacular.

More than spectacular. She glowed and she wowed and she shone.

It was blooming well fantastic. Her body had been soaked, primped and pumped, not pumped by a man but by very good moisturising cream complete with iridescent sparkles.

Her make-up was most definitely there, but didn’t look like it; instead just improved what she’d been blessed with.

Her hair was blow-dried in a soft wave, her eyes sparkled, and her outfit was fabulous.

A beautiful, soft black dress with an even softer floral print, it swished and made her feel fabulous.

With a flowing skirt, ruffles throughout, a deep cut to the sleeve and a bow tie neck, it cut, fell and worked with everything she’d been born with. Amazing.

On her way through Pretty Beach, she was walking to meet Archie for dinner.

They were going to a Pretty Beach institution, not a restaurant, but a supper club event.

These were events that were held all around Pretty Beach in sometimes secret locations, run by local business wonder Lottie and her stepdad, Dimitri.

The events were highly coveted, very hard to get tickets for, and secretly, Darby had wanted to attend one for a very long time.

When Darby heard her phone buzz from her bag, she had a sinking feeling that, though she was dressed to kill and felt better than she had for years, things were going to go south. She wasn’t wrong.

Archie: I’ve been delayed. Problem with Rafferty.

Darby wanted to scream. She didn’t.

Darby: What sort of delay?

Archie: I am so sorry. I will be at least half an hour late or more. Do you want to go on your own? Sorry. Or I’ll cancel and then come to you.

Darby had been to enough events on her own. It didn’t make a lot of difference to her. She might have known she shouldn’t have counted her chickens. She felt stupid to be dressed up and walking through Pretty Beach on her own.

Darby: It’s fine. Just send me the details.

After following the details, Darby frowned as she took a side alley at the top of the laneway, bringing her to a narrow lane running behind the bakery and various other shops.

Not sure where she was going or that she was pleased about going on her own, she decided that she would go and have a nice drink and before she knew it, Archie would arrive.

She might even be able to get some footage for her channel.

Following the directions, she picked her way along the lane until she saw fairy lights at the back of one of the shops.

The next thing she knew, she’d given her name at a gate, walked through a yard and realised as she stepped in that she was at the back of the bookshop.

On entering, she gasped. Talk about dazzling.

The supper club was in the bookshop, no less.

Darby was so pleased she’d decided to attend.

The aesthetics alone were worth it. She’d be able to sit and drool all night long.

Who wouldn’t enjoy small bistro tables tucked into every corner of vintage floor-to-ceiling bookshelves?

As Darby said hello to a few people and watched Suntanned Pete weaving between the tables with a tray of wine glasses, nodding and grinning at everyone like he was personally hosting the entire evening, she gasped as she stepped properly into the transformed shop.

The whole place looked absolutely magical; the usual table displays, retail signs and reading chairs had been moved aside to make room for small round tables, each one dotted with small lamps.

A makeshift bar across the front door had been set up using stacks of vintage books as supports for a long plank of reclaimed wood; it groaned under bottles of wine, platters of cheese and charcuterie and what looked like enough homemade shortbread to feed half of Pretty Beach.

Just as Darby was looking around, Daisy bustled past with a huge smile on her face. 'Darby! Goodness me, look at you! You look incredible. Where on earth did you get that dress? You look absolutely stunning!'

Darby beamed, smoothing down the skirt. 'Actually, I treated myself to this. I thought, why not? Thank you, that's very kind of you. I do feel quite nice in this, so that must mean something.'

'Beautiful is the only word for it. It’s more than nice. You'll have to dress up more often...'

Darby laughed. 'I must scrub up well. I’m normally in my civvies when I lose myself in here.'

'Well, whatever you've done, it's working. Go and enjoy yourself, you deserve it. There's wine and Pete's doing his best impression of a waiter, so you'll be well looked after. I hear your companion is delayed.' Daisy raised her eyebrows.

‘He is.’

As she got to her assigned table, Darby could have kissed someone.

The table and two chairs were tucked right next to a library ladder, and she was surrounded by not only books but tiny little candles in jars, lovely old rugs on the floor, soft French-style café music played from a hidden speaker, and the scents in the air were more than amazing.

Just to sit at the table and dream would be bliss.

The setting was outstanding and she was pleased to be part of it.

Just after she’d been served a drink and had chatted to Pete, she was pulling out her phone to check if Archie had replied to her earlier text when she saw him.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, scanning the room.

Dark jeans, pale blue shirt, so handsome.

Jacket slung over one arm. Devastating. Darby felt a strange swooping feeling.

Fizzy, light-headed, lovely. As he spotted her and smiled, the noise and chatter of the bookshop seemed to fall away for a moment and all of a sudden something dawned on her.

Oh dear, oh dear, our Darbs had definitely fallen in love. There was no coming back from it.

He made his way through the tables towards her, accepted a glass of wine from Suntanned Pete and when he reached her, leaned down to kiss her cheek.

'Hi.’

'Hey. You made it.'

‘I’m so sorry. I wasn’t as delayed as I thought I would be, in the end. I’ll pay you in tiramisu to apologise.’ Archie took a step back. 'Christ, Darby. You look beautiful. Really beautiful.'

Darby ducked her head, suddenly self-conscious. 'It's just a dress I had hanging about.'

'It's not just the dress, though the dress is very nice...'

‘Thanks. You’re not looking too bad either.’

Archie sat down. ‘This place has been transformed. Let’s hope there’s no talk of romance in space, eh?’

Darby chuckled. ‘If there is or we see that author, we’re doing a runner, supper club or not.’

‘Noted.’

Darby looked around the transformed bookshop and couldn't quite believe where she was. At the beginning of the year, she'd been eating toast for dinner and talking to her kitchen wall. Now here she was, dressed up and happy, with someone who made her feel amazing. She’d only jolly well gone and pulled herself out of the dark place that had been New Year’s Eve.

She’d forced change, made an effort and been brave.

She now owned it. She loved it. She liked this new best version of herself. The new Darbs was here to stay.