By Allie X Read online

  By Allie X

  Anna Samuels

  Chapter 1

  30!

  I finally arrived, ten minutes late and breathing hard with exertion. I had hurried from work only to miss the bus. I had waited for the next one and was only now arriving at the dinner party which had been planned for me.

  I knocked on the door, whilst trying to catch my breath. What a day it had been!

  ‘Cass!’ Emma welcomed. ‘You’re late for your own birthday party!’ she laughed, raising the wine glass in her hand to me.

  ‘Sorry! I missed the bus!’

  ‘Not to worry! Come on in! Everyone’s here!’

  ‘Oh great!’ I said, grimacing inside. Despite the fact that these people were all my friends, it was becoming more and more difficult to be around them all the time. The reason for this? Their annoying and smug attitudes as of late. They were all now settled, married or pregnant and I was none of the above. It was beginning to bother me.

  ‘Oh, and guess what?’ Emma said, stopping dramatically.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I even found you a date!’ she exclaimed gleefully.

  ‘You didn’t,’ I said, flatly.

  ‘Well we couldn’t have you dateless on your own birthday, right?’ she asked, smiling happily.

  ‘No…no, that would be awful…’

  ‘Exactly!’ she replied, not catching my sarcasm.

  ‘So, who is she?’

  ‘She’s someone Laney knows from dog training.’

  I frowned up at her. ‘Oh right! Well, come on then! Let’s get this over with!’

  I followed Emma into the dining room where I was welcomed with open arms by all my friends. I began to feel bad about how moody I had been previously as they were all congratulating me on my birthday and being generally friendly.

  ‘Sit down everyone! Dinner’s ready!’ Emma announced.

  We all took our seats. As I sat at mine, a woman walked in I didn’t recognise. One glance told me she wasn’t for me though. She was tall, broad and masculine with a leather jacket, ample tattoos and a frown fixed in place. I sighed inwardly. Really? This was the great date they had found for me?

  ‘Cass!’ Emma grinned, ‘This is Harriet…Harry meet Cass.’

  I smiled at her as warmly as I could muster and shook her hand as she sat beside me. ‘Nice to meet you,’ I said politely.

  ‘Yeah, and you,’ she replied in a thick accent which I couldn’t place, ‘Laney didn’t tell me you were a gorge-pot!’

  My eyebrows rose of their own accord. A what? Was she serious? ‘I, uh…thank you?’ I murmured, looking towards the door and dreaming of escaping this nightmare.

  ‘Cass! You and Harry have something in common!’ Laney told me, smiling across the table.

  I gave her a look of incredulous disbelief. ‘Oh yes?’

  ‘You both love dogs!’

  ‘Ah,’ I murmured, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. ‘Uh, what dog do you have?’ I asked her, trying to make an effort.

  ‘Well, there’s Timmy, my border collie…then I have Humphrey, he’s a retriever and Daisy-Doo, she’s a cocker-poo.’

  I tried to stop my mouth dropping at the sheer ridiculousness of the conversation I appeared to be sharing. ‘That sounds nice…’

  ‘What about your dogs?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh, I used to have just one…Max. He was a springer.’

  ‘Nice! I love springers!’

  ‘Uh, yeah…’ I replied, unhappily.

  She continued to talk to me. It sounded like a drone in my ear. She continued on about her dogs and about dog training and the importance of it. I listened and nodded; she didn’t seem to allow me to talk much, she seemed more interested in the sound of her own voice.

  The conversations continued around the dinner table and I joined in where and when I could. For the most part, I found it awkward. Although people were supposedly gathered because of my birthday, it was more a social gathering for an old group of friends. It was a group of friends who I loved dearly and yet found harder and harder to be a part of. I wasn’t one of them anymore.

  Somehow, along the way, I had become lost. While my friends found partners, became settled and then began marrying and having a family, I was simply stuck in a rut. I had a good job and a home which I loved but aside from that, I was scoring a flat zero. I hadn’t ever had a long-term relationship and dating had never been much of a success for me. I didn’t know why I was so unlucky in love. It was a source of constant heartache for me. Nights like this just reminded me why I was so miserable…I had no-one to go home to. I had no significant other.

  ‘Cass!’ Emma called.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘It’s pressie time!’ she announced gleefully.

  ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have!’ I told her, blushing.

  ‘Well, we all pitched in this time, Cass. We wanted to get you something special so we found this…well, Katie did,’ she said, smiling over at Katie.

  ‘A friend of mine made it,’ Katie said, with a look of excitement. ‘She’s amazing! Such an artist!’

  ‘Wow! Thanks everybody!’ I said, accepting the offered gift.

  It was wrapped in tissue paper so I carefully removed it. As I uncovered the gift, I gasped in genuine delight. It was a piece of driftwood which had been painted and adorned in the most wonderful of ways. The artist had flair and had created a picturesque scene of the sea on it. She had added wonderful touches such as bunting and wording across the sky which read, ‘Live, laugh, love.’ Best of all, there was a little boat out in the sea, and the flag was labelled with ’30.’ I smiled up at my friends, tears threatening to fall.

  ‘Thank you all so much! This is absolutely wonderful!’ I exclaimed.

  ‘It is, isn’t it?’ Katie said, ‘She makes such wonderful pieces!’

  I turned it over and read the back. It simply read, ‘By Allie.’

  ‘Allie? Is that your friend who made it?’ I wondered.

  ‘Yes. She has a little gallery down by the sea. It’s a magical place and when I saw this, I knew you had to have it!’

  ‘Thank you, Katie! It’s absolutely perfect. Thank you everyone! This is the best birthday gift I could ever have imagined!’

  ‘You’re very welcome,’ Katie replied.

  Everyone else toasted me and we drank wine as conversations restarted. As people began chatting, I gazed down at my present. It was genuinely wonderful. I absolutely adored it. All the noise and chatter faded into the background as I became lost in it. What wonderful hands must have created this piece of art, I wondered. I turned it over and re-read the words…’By Allie.’ I wanted to meet her…I wanted to look around her gallery.

  As I looked at the art, I knew just where I would hang it. It would go in my bedroom on the wall at the far end, I mused. That way, when I was lying in bed I could look at it and dream about being by the sea.

  The dinner party came to an end shortly after that, and after thanking everyone for their efforts, I excused myself from Harriet and made my escape. After walking to the bus stop, I caught the next one home and finally could relax.

  After letting myself in, I headed upstairs and turned a bath on to run. Whilst it was running, I collected a hammer and nail and put up my art work. It looked perfect where I placed it. I stood there staring at it for a long while as I waited for my bath. Allie, I thought to myself…you’re a wonderful artist.

  I took a bath and then lay in bed reading for a long time. Every so often my eyes would stray to the art work on my wall. I loved looking at it, I found. It was perfect in every way and such a wonderful way of marking my thirtieth birthday. As I drifted off to sleep, my book fell to my chest. I floated off into the image of the driftwood art work, to the sea and my little boat with the ‘30
’ on it.

  The following morning was Saturday which meant no work for me. I woke early, despite having a busy day the day before and lay in bed mulling over plans for the day. I wanted to do something nice; it was still my birthday weekend in many ways. The trouble was, I had no-one to do it with.

  I sighed to myself and turned over in the bed. It was at that moment that my eyes fell onto the art work on the wall. I smiled to myself and sat up suddenly. I knew what I was going to do…I was going to visit the gallery where Allie worked and meet the artist herself. With purpose at last, I launched myself out of bed and began to get ready.

  Downstairs, I had a quick bowl of cereal before throwing items into a bag and setting off. I was keen to get out on this beautiful, sunny day and with my destination in mind, felt excited.

  I drove happily, following the instructions my satnav gave me. It was about three quarters of an hour from where I lived and in a place I had never been to before. ‘Hope Bay’ sounded beautiful. I wondered if the actual place would live up to its name.

  As the roads became smaller and narrower, I found myself concentrating on my driving more. There was only room for one car along the narrow lanes to I had to stop and pull into turning spaces frequently in a bid to get to the small bay.

  At last the roads widened and I saw the sign I was looking for. ‘Hope,’ it read. I smiled to myself, feeling happy. What a lovely name for a village!

  I wound my way through the roads and then gasped as suddenly the bay stretched out before me as it came into view. ‘Wow,’ I whispered to myself. ‘It’s beautiful.’

  I slowed the car to a crawl as I took in the most wonderful of scenery. There was a wide stretch of beach before me with a rocky outcrop to one side. The beach seemed to stretch over to the other side too-the most wonderful, idyllic scene I had ever seen.

  The sea was a bright blue, shining in the sunlight. The sand was soft and golden and I knew in that moment that I wanted to walk barefoot across it.

  I eased the car down to the top of the beach and noticed a sign for a car park. I quickly turned in and found a spot to park. Once I had paid for a parking ticket, I made my way down towards the beach. Forgetting visiting the gallery for one moment, I walked to the sand.

  Chapter 2

  Allie

  The sand was as soft and silky as it looked. I stepped out of my sandals and headed down towards the shore line.

  The beach was quiet. A few people wandered with dogs, a family or two sat on the sand; but mainly it was empty. I walked to the sea and felt the wet sand touch my toes. I smiled as the freezing water touched them. Although it was April, the sea had yet to warm and felt very chilly indeed. I wandered along the water’s edge, loving the feel of the sand, the sea and the sun of my face. If ever I had felt content and happy, it was now. The moment was perfect. Idyllic.

  I reached a stretch of rocks and sat down to look out to the sea. What a beautiful, wonderful place, I mused. It was incredible. Just stunning. I could see why inspiration could be found in this place. I could see why an artist could find paintings and art works to complete by just looking out to sea here. It was incredible. I sighed in contentment.

  How long I sat there I don’t know. I became lost in my thoughts and lost in the beauty of the moment. Time and stresses floated away as the wonder of nature and the sea air around me took away my worries. Here, I felt happy. Here, I was content.

  It was dog barking loudly which finally shock me from my reverie. I startled and stood abruptly. I had come to see the gallery. With sudden purpose, I made my way up the beach.

  When I reached the pavement, I headed down into what looked like the main centre of the tiny village. This consisted on one general store shop and a pub. Around these were houses, cottages and holiday homes. They were all quaint and built in old English styles. The cottages were especially picturesque, with their thatched roofs and old, wooden doors. I smiled as I walked past them. Coming through the village, I walked to the other side of the beach. It was just as beautiful as where I had been sitting. As I made my way to the sand, I paused. To my left I could see a gallery. It sat on the cliffside, overlooking the beach. It was very small, very quaint and without question, I suddenly knew I had found what I was looking for.

  I headed over, with nerves skipping through my stomach. I didn’t know why, it was silly really. I somehow wanted to tell this artist, ‘Allie,’ that I loved the art work she did. How to say that, however, I wasn’t sure.

  The window of the gallery was gorgeous. Paintings of seascapes, windchimes made from items found on the beach, sculptures of beach huts and sea scenes filled the space and made me smile with pleasure. Everything was wonderfully well created and I felt drawn inside as if pulled by some invisible source.

  As I stepped inside, I scanned the room looking for the elusive Allie. I finally spotted a woman sat in the corner behind a counter. She was grey haired and older and wore glasses on the end of her nose as she read the book in her hands. I frowned to myself slightly. This wasn’t quite who I expected Allie to be but I wasn’t going to be deterred. I headed her way.

  My footsteps alerted her to the fact that I was there. She looked up, smiling.

  ‘Oh hello!’ she greeted me.

  ‘Hello!’ I smiled.

  ‘This is a wonderful gallery,’ I told her.

  ‘It is, isn’t it? Really beautiful!’

  ‘Yes…gorgeous! In fact, I received a birthday gift from here-I think it’s absolutely beautiful! You’re a wonderful artist!’ I gushed.

  The woman threw her head back and laughed. ‘Artist? Me? I couldn’t paint a bowl of fruit, let alone what Allie makes!’

  ‘You’re not Allie?’ I asked, confused.

  ‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m her mother…let me just call her for you. She’s working out the back today. I was just giving her a hand out front!’

  ‘Oh, well, no worries…I mean, don’t disturb her!’ I objected.

  ‘Don’t be silly! Allie will love hearing that you like her work!’ she said, turning to open the door behind her which I hadn’t even noticed was there.

  I sighed, heavily. I suddenly felt unsure about what I was doing and ever so slightly uncomfortable.

  ‘Allie!’ her mother called. ‘Someone to see you!’

  ‘Hang on, Mum!’ I heard the woman out of sight call.

  ‘Excuse me a minute. I’ll just go and see what’s going on.’

  ‘Uh…thanks…’ I murmured.

  I stood in the gallery, idly moving from foot to foot. I felt a little embarrassed now and didn’t quite know what I was going to say to this woman when she came out of her workspace.

  ‘Hello!’ a feminine voice called, making me whirl around in surprise.

  I turned to look at Allie and my breath caught in my throat. Now, this was more like it, I thought to myself. Allie was about my age, I mused, and absolutely, breath-takingly gorgeous. I felt myself swallow involuntarily as I met her eyes. Green, ocean eyes, which sparkled with good humour as she smiled at me. ‘Oh, uh…hello!’

  ‘I’m Allie,’ she told me, holding out her hand.

  I looked down at it in surprise, and was about to reach out when she pulled back.

  ‘Oh, silly me! Paint! I’m covered, as usual!’ she laughed.

  ‘Oh, uh…yeah!’ I replied, dumbly. For some reason, I felt lost for words. The woman was captivating. Truly heart-stopping.

  ‘So…you wanted to meet me?’ she asked.

  I shook myself mentally and told myself to get a grip. I cleared my throat, ‘Yes, I did! My name’s Cass and it was my thirtieth birthday yesterday. I was given one of your art pieces and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think it is.’

  ‘Ah! You’re Katie’s friend?’

  I nodded happily. ‘That’s right!’

  ‘And you liked the piece?’

  ‘I love it! More than love it! It’s perfect!’

  ‘Well I wouldn’t go that far but I did enjoy making t
hat one. The thirty must have seemed perfect then!’ she said, referring to the number on the boat.

  ‘Yes, it was! Just right for the big occasion.’

  She smiled at me. ‘Thirty huh? Just a baby!’

  ‘Hardly!’ I exclaimed. ‘I’m beginning to feel every one of those years! Anyway, you can’t be more than thirty yourself?’ I said, before thinking more clearly.

  ‘I am…I’m thirty-four.’

  ‘Oh right! Well you don’t look it!’ I told her.

  ‘Thanks,’ she smiled. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘For your birthday…what did you do?’

  ‘Oh, I had to work in the day, but my friends had a dinner party celebration for me in the evening.’

  ‘That’s sounds nice!’ she commented.

  ‘Mmm hmm,’ I nodded, somewhat unconvincingly.

  ‘It wasn’t?’ she questioned.

  ‘Oh no…no, I mean, it was lovely. I was very appreciative that they made such an effort for me…’

  ‘But?’ she pushed for more information.

  ‘Oh nothing…’

  ‘Go on…why wasn’t it quite what you had hoped?’

  I frowned up at her and wondered why I was about to open up to a complete stranger. ‘Because it just reminded me of how little I have in my life compared to them.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  I sighed. ‘They’re all coupled off, getting married or having children. I’m turning thirty and doing none of the above. It’s depressing.’

  ‘I see…’ I replied. ‘I can understand that…’

  ‘I don’t mean to complain. I had a nice dinner party…’ I trailed off.

  ‘But you would have liked to be one of the couples, maybe?’ she asked.

  I nodded. ‘Yeah…I think so…’

  She met my eyes and held them. ‘So, did you come all the way here to tell me you liked the present?’

  I couldn’t look away from her. Her gaze was intense. ‘I…well yeah…I did actually…’

  ‘That’s quite a compliment,’ she murmured.