Soup , livre ebook

Title Page
SOUP
Angela Gascoigne



Publisher Information
Soup published in 2014 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of Angela Gascoigne to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2014 Angela Gascoigne
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.



Dedication
For all the people who have lost their way in life.
May you find a way back to you.



Chapter 1
A blustery wind blew swirls of sand against the windscreen of Serena’s yellow, Fiat Seicento. Although the sun was blazing, there was an icy cold nip in the air and the thundering of the ocean wasn’t too far away.
Most days, they’d walk the short distance to the beach. But if they were running late, or if it was bad weather, they’d take the car.
“Sit still, Toby. Mummy can’t get you ready when you keep wriggling like that.”
Serena leaned into the car whilst wrestling the little Jack Russell into his red, tartan coat. She was surprised to see a man walk past. He was wearing a leather jacket and carrying a shopping bag. Serena often visited Devil’s Cove early in the morning before she went to work, but there was never anyone else around. That was just the way Toby liked it. He could run free on the golden sand instead of being confined to his lead.
“Morning!” Serena called as she pulled on a thick woolly hat, complete with ear flaps and pompom, leaving two long plaits hanging at the sides. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?”
The stranger walked on without acknowledging her. Serena shrugged. “Well, that wasn’t very nice,” she whispered, then kissed him as she lifted him out of the car and clipped his lead onto his collar. “I think we’ll walk in the opposite direction to him,” she said. “He seems very strange. What do you think?”
Toby, as though understanding what Serena was talking about, pulled her towards the rocks. If she climbed high enough, Serena would catch a glimpse of Con. He was always out early working in the garden, or sometimes he’d pass in his van on his way to make a delivery and wave.
With her one free hand, Serena buttoned her long woollen cardigan up to her chin then, along with Toby, began to explore the multitude of rock pools looking for sea life.
Toby was soon eager to run free so once she’d allowed a few minutes for the man to vanish from sight, she released Toby’s lead and set him loose, throwing his ball towards the frothy, white waves which were crashing onto the sand. But rather than chase it, the little dog ran down the other side of the beach at speed, like a freshly-wound clockwork toy.
“Toby! Here boy!” Serena called. But he kept on running for some time before coming to a stop and she could hear him barking relentlessly. “Toby!”
Serena jogged behind until, gasping for breath, she reached the place where Toby stood barking at a pile of clothes - men’s clothes, including shoes and a leather jacket.
Blowing across the sand was a hessian bag.
Serena stared out at the violent ocean. A chill ran through her. With shaking hands she dialled 999, then yelled above the sound of crashing waves, “I think there’s been a... suicide!”



Chapter 2
Harbour View, please, thank you,” the grey haired, bespectacled driver called as he glanced in his rear-view mirror at his heavy cargo of passengers.
Ava stood up. The brakes squealed then the bus came to a juddering halt sending her stumbling forwards in her high-heels. A number of hands reached out to steady her and smiling faces bid their goodbyes.
“Thank you so much,” Ava told the driver as he helped her down the steps with the two bulging bags of books. A gust of wind blew her long, blonde hair around her face, obscuring her view. As she struggled with a bag in each hand, she so wished she’d tied her hair up in a ponytail before leaving home.
Harbour View was always like a breath of fresh air to Ava; a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of city life. And there were the girls - Ava and Richard weren’t allowed pets in The Artisan. Not that Richard minded; he’d never been a person you would describe as an animal lover. But Ava wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see her girls whenever she was visiting, which was a few times each week. And she could always relax, safe in the knowledge that Con would take great care of them in her absence.
Ava sat for five minutes on the bench overlooking the harbour. A multitude of boats were bobbing up and down on the exceptionally rough water and a flock of seagulls were screeching and flying above them as if trying to warn the town of an impending storm.
The delicious aroma of fish and chips was being carried over the road in the wind, making Ava’s stomach grumble. Marty’s Chipper was a landmark in the local community. No one made them quite like Marty. She turned to look down the road towards his steamy shop window and contemplated a while about whether to indulge or not, but decided not to. She’d already enjoyed a cooked breakfast this morning. They’d be pushing her around on a trolley if she’d eaten fish and chips too, she thought.
To the right of Marty’s was the Post Office and then Murphy’s Bakery, followed by a handful of little cottages, each painted in bright shades of pink, yellow or blue. Next was the Hand-Made Chocolate Shop and opposite the park bench, was The Book Nook, followed by another handful of colourful cottages.
Ava picked up her heavy bags and crossed the road. The bell on the glass door jingled as she entered The Book Nook. As always, the smell of fresh baking was irresistible and a huge pot of home-made soup was simmering away on the hob.
Serena was knee deep in scraps of fabric sitting at her sewing machine in the back room.
“Hello! I never heard you come in. I was too busy concentrating on this.” Serena indicated the huge square of patchwork fabric she was working on.
“That’s gorgeous!” Ava gasped. “It looks so warm and snuggly.” She reached out to stroke the multi-coloured squares of velvet and fur fabric. “You are very talented, you know.”
“Well, thank you,” Serena laughed then stood up, a torrent of fabric swatches sliding from her lap onto the floor. “I just wanted to fit a few jobs in before the lunch-time rush. Come on let’s see what it looks like.”
Together, they went to the front room where the huge window overlooked the harbour and the park bench, where tourists and locals alike would sit for a while in order to take in the beautiful scenery.
Serena placed her new throw on top of one of the three old armchairs. “There now, doesn’t that brighten the place up? I’ll have to make two more now.”
“It looks great,” Ava agreed, before indicating the two bags of books. “Look, I brought you these.”
“Oh, thank you. You’re too kind,” Serena said as Ava began to unpack the books and stack them onto one of the three little round tables. “I’ll make us a pot of tea and a scone while you’re doing that.
Each of the tables was complete with two chairs, colourful candle holders and pretty table cloths. The candles were always alight, whatever the weather, which added to the cosy ambiance of the place.
The largest wall to the right was floor to ceiling with book shelves, except for a small cast iron fireplace which housed stove that was always ablaze. Every shelf was crammed with a variety of books. Customers could borrow one in exchange for one of their own. This method ensured that there were always plenty of new titles to choose from. Some people just wanted to select a book to flick through while they were having lunch, and then replace it before they left.
On the other side, towards the back of the sitting room, was Serena’s small kitchen area where she prepared and served her home-made, vegetarian soup, quiche and bagels, as well as herbal teas and freshly squeezed juices.
On the back wall there hung a photograph of a handsome young sailor.
Beyond the kitchen area was the toilet room and another small room where Serena did her sewing and other crafts during the more quiet times of the day.
With their tea over, Serena and Ava set about the task of squeezing the new books onto the shelves wherever they would fit. Thanks to the generous donations from local people, they were almost full to bursting point.
“It’s almost twelve thirty!” Serena gasped as she rolled Ava’s empty shopping bags up and smoothed down the table cloths.
The first influx of customers, who were as hungry for knowledge as they were for food, would be starting to arrive at any moment. Most of them were students from the nearby university, or secondary school students looking for somewhere warm to eat lunch while rushing to complete the previous night’s homework.
The door blew open causing the bell to clatter against the glass and a swirl of flame-coloured leaves fluttered across the dark, slate floor of The Book Nook. Toby dragged himself from his basket beside the fire in order to greet the tall, young girl who succumbed to his charms and began stroking him affectionately.
“Hello, boy,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“Say hello, Toby,” Serena said, and the little dog began wagging his tail as if communicating in his own, doggy language.
The girl was dressed in a warm, winter coat and boots. Long auburn hair hung from the bottom of her wo