Page 76 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

And still the rain kept falling.

Amber was spending most of her time in the shop looking nervously out of the window. The rain was becoming heavier with each passing hour, but the actual eye of the storm, bringing high winds and torrential rain, was due to happen around midnight.

It was terribly dark, she thought, grateful for the new overhead lights and the cheery warmth of the wood-burning stove.

Josh had dug out as many batteries, torches and candles as he could find and placed them on the counter next to the till so they were within easy reach. He had also brought in enough logs to keep the stove burning. The air outside was cold and damp, but at least it kept the place cosy inside.

Grandma Tilly was sitting next to the fireplace, keeping warm. She had moved into the flat for the night whilst the worst of the storm swept through. Amber thought she was quite enjoying all the excitement and didn’t seem remotely concerned about the flooding or high winds.

‘We’ve survived worse,’ she kept saying to them.

Tom rushed in to ask Amber to top up his travel mug with more coffee. ‘I’m heading out with Kate to see the state of the roads and grab some photos before the light disappears,’ he said. ‘Good job she’s got an off-roader. Apparently it’s starting to get pretty bad out there.’

Outside, the trees were beginning to sway alarmingly in the strong gusts and leaves were being blown all around.

‘I’ll take a couple of packets of biscuits as well,’ said Tom, reaching out to grab some chocolate digestives.

‘Your diet is terrible,’ said Josh.

‘If you had fresh fruit, well, I’d probably not buy it anyway.’ He grinned. ‘But seeing as there’s no choice, I’ll have my chocolate biccies. Thankfully man needs sugar not healthy stuff. Right, see you later.’

‘Take care out there,’ said Amber.

‘Cheers,’ said Tom, grabbing his coffee and heading out.

Josh was staring at his retreating figure with a questioning look on his face.

‘What is it?’ asked Amber.

‘He has a point. We’ve not got any fresh fruit or vegetables in here,’ said Josh, glancing around the space.

‘Is there a market for it?’ she wondered out loud.

‘I have no idea,’ he said.

‘I’d love some nice apples,’ said Grandma Tilly.

Josh nodded thoughtfully.

But they couldn’t continue their conversation as the bell rang out once more as Dodgy Del came into the shop.

‘Turned out nice again,’ said Del, warming his hands as he stood in front of the fire next to Grandma Tilly’s chair.

‘You can say that again,’ said Josh, who had been restocking the milk in the fridge. ‘How are the roads?’

‘Almost impassable on the A231 to Aldwych,’ said Del. ‘I had trouble getting the coach around the floods. I reckon it’ll be closed by the morning.’

‘How do you get to Aldwych if you don’t go via the main roads?’ asked Amber.

Del shook his head. ‘You don’t, unless you want to negotiate the single country lanes. But the chances are that they’ll be under water as well as most of them run near the river.’ He looked at the batteries on the counter. ‘Think I might grab one of those torches as well, Josh. If we lose power, I won’t be able to find my pint later.’

‘Will the pub stay open?’ asked Amber.

Del laughed. ‘Are you joking? What will Tom and I do if the place shuts? Nah, I reckon it’ll be OK.’

But Del was the only customer who seemed remotely relaxed about the potential flooding. A few more customers than normal had come into the shop, frowning and filling up their baskets.

‘The queues into town are terrible,’ said one lady, holding on to her milk, bread and beans. ‘Thankfully I just needed a few bits. I’m so glad you’re open.’