The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (025) Gwen

When they went to Danny’s flat at the end of November and he mentioned he had a cleaner and Molly joked that they should get one, well after the first Sunday of Advent service the Vicar was having lunch with them, when Molly related the story and explained they didn’t think they really needed a cleaner, there were only the two of them most of the time, and they weren’t particularly messy, but it would have been good not to have to do it, and they definitely needed someone to do the ironing, neither of them liked doing that.

“It sounds like you need Gwen.” Arielle said.

“Who’s Gwen?”

“Gwen Loots, she cleans the Church and the Vicarage.” Arielle said.

“She’s a really hard worker, very reliable and she’s not a gossiper”.

The day after they got back from their Christmas shopping spree was Gwen’s first day.

 

It was back in the summer when Phil Holgate first saw Gwen Loots and it was love at first sight, he had just taken over the Water Taxi, the Ocean Breeze, from his uncle, who had to retire for health reasons.

He had just secured the boat and she was walking past after dropping her children at school, he had seen her passing in the opposite direction earlier.

“Hello” he said, and she almost jumped out of her skin.

Gwen was ordinary looking, with a small aquiline nose, and short brunette hair worn in a pony tail, she was also a very small woman, 5ft, early thirties, very slim, with a modest bust line, and narrow hips, very nice legs and small feet, for a grown woman anyway, and she was wearing a white vest top, a short blue skirt and flat shoes, and she ticked all of his boxes attraction wise.

As he had taken her by surprise, she was a bit flustered, and couldn’t manage a response, she just gave him a weak smile and hurried away, and his eyes followed her all the way until she was out of sight, and that seemed to set the trend because after that he would say hello and she would nervously smile and rush off, he didn’t think it was him, because she was always on the move at pace.  

 

Gwen Loots didn’t like her married name, but it was better than her maiden name, which was Boggs, she only kept her married surname because she didn’t think her maiden name was suitable for someone who cleaned toilets for a living.

She really loved Spaniards Creek though, but she wasn’t a native to the village or indeed the island, she was born in Northchapel and met Barry Loots when she was working in Abbottsford, and he brought her back to the island and they got married.

Ironically, she fell in love with Spaniards Creek and would never want to live anywhere else, and she thought it was a perfect place to raise her kids, Barry however hated it and was now living in Northchapel with another woman.

They had been separated for five years and divorced for two of those, and he hadn’t seen his children since they were two and four, and gave them no financial support, but the kids never went without because Gwen worked hard.

Which was why she didn’t engage with the good-looking guy on the Water Taxi, on that glorious summer day, she had no time in her life for relationships, her children were the priority in her life, plus she didn’t want to get hurt again.

She had seen him around and about the quayside, and on fishing boats and she liked what she saw.

Phil had spoken to her many times since the summer and he’d asked her out on numerous occasions, but she always said no.

It was no different on that bitterly cold December day when she was on her way up to a new client at Cliff Haven.

 

Molly and Danny were sitting in the conservatory enjoying the warmth from the winter sunshine, while working on Chapter 4, when there was a knock on the door.

“Hello” Molly said, to an unremarkable looking little woman, with short brunette hair sticking out from below her Woolen hat, wrapped up against the cold, with skinny legs and small feet, Molly estimated her clothes and boots probably weighed more than she did.

“You must be Gwen, come in out of the cold.”

“Wow your decorations are really…”

“Over the top?” Danny said.

“No, they’re great, my kids would love this,” Gwen said and laughed “But you haven’t got a tree yet.” 

“We’re not doing the tree until the 23rd” Molly replied.

“Sadly, she spent too many years in America, and living among them has affected her judgement” Danny said, and Molly punched his arm.